Project Context and Scope
IOM Regional Office for MENA seeks to engage with a Workplace Culture and Diversity Inclusion Consultant to enhance organizational effectiveness by fostering a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse work environment. Given the unique cultural dynamics within the MENA region, promoting diversity and inclusion is critical for attracting and retaining talent from diverse backgrounds, enhancing team collaboration, and ensuring all employees feel valued and respected.
Furthermore, “equality, diversity and inclusion” is positioned as one of four cross-cutting priorities for IOM’s Strategic Plan for 2024-2028. In 2024, IOM published its updated Gender Equality Policy, which is underpinned by three principles, namely, equality and non-discrimination, equitable approaches, and diversity and intersectionality. IOM Regional Offices are tasked with taking the lead in operationalizing “equality, diversity and inclusion” in their respective regions and mainstreaming it into both operational and management work areas by providing necessary technical support to IOM Country Offices (COs) in coordination with the Gender Diversity Unit (GDU) of IOM HQ as required.
This engagement would enable the office to assess current practices, identify gaps, and provide tailored recommendations that align with regional and global diversity goals.
Moreover, diversity and inclusion initiatives have been proven to increase overall employee satisfaction, reduce turnover, and improve the organization’s ability to respond to the needs of its stakeholders, including governments, communities, migrants and partners. By addressing these areas, the consultant will play a pivotal role in helping the MENA office to lead by example within the organization, setting the stage for an inclusive and equitable workplace culture that drives organizational growth and success.
Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing
The consultant will carry out the tasks under the overall guidance and supervision of the Senior Regional Resource Management Officer and the direct supervision of the Regionl HR Business Partner in the Regional office.
Tasks to be performed under this contract
Deliverable 1 – Organizational Culture Survey
- Examination and evaluation of all HR Data/Policies & Procedures and production of a region-specific survey designed to gather insights from personnel across MENA offices regarding their perceptions of workplace equality, diversity, and inclusion. This will cover issues such as perceived discrimination, unconscious bias, microaggressions, access to leadership opportunities and support for women and minority groups, and office facilities to be delivered by 30th November 2024 and the payment to be made within 15 days of receipt and approval of the deliverable.
Deliverable 2 – Create and Submit Comprehensive Participatory Assessment Report
- Create and submit a detailed assessment report that outlines the current state of organizational culture in relation to diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) within the MENA region. This report will include the results of regional case studies, surveys, interviews, and focus groups involving staff from different social identities (e.g., gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion). The report will identify key challenges, best practices, gaps in fostering a more equitable working environment and actionable recommendations to be submitted by email by 7th December 2024 and the payment to be made within 15 days of receipt and approval of the deliverable.
Deliverable 3 – Create a Workshop/Campaign Package
- Develop a customized workshop package aimed at promoting discussions around organizational culture, inclusive policies, and behavior change, focusing on the MENA-specific challenges such as gender roles, tribal/ethnic affiliations, and religious sensitivities. The workshop package will include detailed agendas, presentations, interactive exercises, and case studies relevant to the MENA region. The consultant will also design a comprehensive campaign package aimed at raising awareness about workplace equality and inclusion. The campaign will focus on common MENA-specific workplace issues such as gender segregation in some countries, recruitment biases, challenges for women and minorities in leadership roles, and religious and cultural diversity to be delivered by email on 21st December 2024 and the payment to be made within 15 days of receipt and approval of the deliverable.
Performance indicators for the evaluation of results
- Number of staff members interviewed/consulted: At least 50 (disaggregated by sex, contract type, national/international and grade).
- Number of offices consulted – 5
- Reach and engagement of the campaign materials (e.g., emails, posters, videos, or online content).
- Improvement in staff perception of workplace equality in MENA offices (measured through follow-up surveys and interviews).
- Reduction in reported cases of workplace discrimination based on social identities (tracked through HR records and staff feedback).
Education
- Master’s or Doctoral Degree in Gender, Sociology Psychology, Political Sciences, Humanities, Communication, Business or a related field from an accredited academic institution with 5 years of relevant professional experience;
Experience
- At least 5 years of experience in the field of workplace culture, diversity and inclusion with a proven track record in supporting the succcessful delivery and implementation of relevant initiatives
- Experience in designing and conducting workplace dynamic analysis for an organization with multiple layers of diversity among members and production of assessment reports based on such analyses.
- Experience with workplace culture, equality, analysis and communication in humanitarian and development projects
- Relevant professional experience in the MENA region is an asset.
- Demonstrated ability to work across a wide variety of sectors/teams on cross-cutting themes.
- Knowledge and understanding of IOM’s institutional approach on equality, diversity and inclusion, and related strategies and policies is a distinct advantage.
Languages
- Fluency is English is required
- French and Arabic are advantageous
Travel required
- The consultant might be required to travel to the country offices under the region. IOM will bear the costs of all travels on duty in line with IN/6 Travel Policy
Required Competencies
IOM’s competency framework can be found at
this link. Competencies will be assessed during the selection process.
Values – all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these three values:
- Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.
- Integrity and transparency: Maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
- Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.
- Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.
- Empathy: Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.
Core Competencies – behavioural indicators
- Teamwork: Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
- Delivering results: Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
- Managing and sharing knowledge: Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
- Accountability: Takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.
- Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.
Notes
- Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.
- Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, verification of residency, visa, and authorizations by the concerned Government, where applicable. Vaccination against COVID-19 will be required for IOM personnel who are hired or otherwise engaged by IOM. As part of the mandatory medical entry on duty clearance, candidates may be requested to provide evidence of full vaccination. Consultants engaged to work on a home-based consultancy who do not need to travel do not need to provide vaccination records, regardless of the length of the consultancy contract.
- IOM covers Consultants against occupational accidents and illnesses under the Compensation Plan (CP), free of charge, for the duration of the consultancy. IOM does not provide evacuation or medical insurance for reasons related to non-occupational accidents and illnesses. Consultants are responsible for their own medical insurance for non-occupational accident or illness and will be required to provide written proof of such coverage before commencing work.
- IOM does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, processing, training or other fee). IOM does not request any information related to bank accounts.
- IOM only accepts duly completed applications submitted through the IOM online recruitment system. The online tool also allows candidates to track the status of their application.