Individual Consultant - Baseline Assessment for Safe Roads, Safe Lives Regional Programme (SRHR and Labour Mobility)

Introduction

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.
 

Duration of Consultancy: 45 working days over 3 months

Nature of the consultancy: Conduct a Baseline Assessment for the Safe Roads, Safe Lives Regional Programme (SRHR and Labour Mobility)

Objectives of the study are to:  

-    Establish baseline data on women’s participation in the transport and logistics sector across Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, and Namibia, with particular focus on professional driving roles and related occupations.
-    Assess the availability, accessibility, and implementation of gender-sensitive workplace policies and practices within transport and logistics companies, including recruitment, retention, workplace safety, anti-harassment, grievance/reporting systems, and equal opportunity measures.
-    Identify structural, institutional, workplace, and sociocultural factors that influence women’s entry, retention, and advancement in the transport sector, including employer attitudes, peer and male driver attitudes, and community perceptions.
-    Assess the level of knowledge, awareness, and service utilization related to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and HIV, and mental health among mobile and vulnerable populations, including truck drivers, sex workers, migrants, and cross-border traders.
-    Map the availability and functionality of SRHR-HIV service delivery points, including the presence and use of e-lockers and other innovative service modalities along key transport corridors and within 20km radius from the border.
-    Generate baseline data and analysis disaggregated by sex, age, country, and target group to inform programme design, target setting, implementation planning, and future monitoring.
 

Project Context and Scope

The Safe Roads, Safe Lives programme is a potential regional initiative designed to address the underrepresentation of women in the transport and logistics sector while promoting safe, decent, and inclusive employment opportunities. Implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the programme builds on a proven training model that equips women with technical, practical, and life skills needed to become professional heavy-duty truck drivers. The initiative combines structured classroom learning, hands-on driving experience, and employability and life skills training, with a strong emphasis on workplace safety, gender equality, and job placement. Previous iterations of this model, implemented in multiple regions globally, have demonstrated strong results: participants graduate with formal driving certifications and successfully transition into employment through partnerships with transport companies. This regional initiative seeks to combine life skills training and job placement with IOM’s expertise in cross border health programming (SHRH-HIV and MHPSS in particular), labor mobility and social protection.  

The programme is under consideration as a potential regional initiative across Southern Africa, with possible implementation in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, and Namibia.  Once developed, it will combine industry-led training expertise with IOM’s operational presence and technical strengths in labour mobility, migration health, and social protection. The proposed programme aims to ensure that women not only gain access to employment opportunities, but are also able to work safely across borders, benefit from appropriate health and protection services, and integrate effectively into the transport workforce.

The programme will adopt an integrated approach, linking skills development and job placement with essential support services, including health awareness, facilitated access to care, psychosocial support, and protection from gender-based violence. It will also be expected to contribute to shifting harmful gender norms by promoting the visibility, participation, and success of women in the transport sector. The proposed regional initiative will be aligned with regional health and labour mobility frameworks i.e. the Strategy for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the SADC Region (2019-2030) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Employment and Labour as well as the Government of Sweden’s Strategy for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in Africa 2022-2026. It’s aim is to support safer and more inclusive cross-border employment systems. In addition, it will be positioned to contribute to global development priorities, including the advancement of gender equality and expanded access to decent work, while reinforcing IOM’s commitment to safe, orderly, and regular migration and improved health outcomes for mobile and vulnerable populations.

Scope
The baseline assessment will have a dual focus, reflecting the integrated nature of the Safe Roads, Safe Lives Regional programme:

(1) Labour Component: The assessment will examine women’s participation in the transport sector, with focus on professional driving and related occupations in select companies and training/employment pathways in the four target countries whilst also identifying sociocultural and institutional barriers that hinder women’s entry, retention, and advancement in the transport sector, including workplace culture, peer attitudes, employer perceptions, family and community norms, and practical constraints such as sanitation, security and work-life balance. It will also assess the extent to which participating companies have policies and practices in place to support gender-inclusion, decent work, workplace safety, and prevention of harassment. The labor component of the baseline assessment will generate quantitative and qualitative indicators pertaining to women’s workforce inclusion and serve to inform program design and policy engagement efforts in the transport industry.

(2) SRHR Component: This component will assess SRHR and HIV-related knowledge, awareness, and service access among mobile and vulnerable populations along transport corridors and cross-border settings. The baseline will focus on groups connected to the project’s operational context including long-distance truck drivers (male and female), migrants, cross-border traders, and sex workers operating in transit hubs and border communities. It will document baseline levels of comprehensive SRHR knowledge (e.g. understanding of HIV prevention, contraception, rights), current HIV/STI prevention practices (such as condom use, HIV testing uptake), and accessibility of SRH services (availability of condoms, STI treatment, antenatal care, etc.) for these populations. The assessment will also map the locations and capacity of health service delivery points along targeted transport routes within 20 km radius from the border and evaluate the utilization of innovative service modalities (e-lockers) where available, including how many are in place and how frequently they are used by the target groups. Additionally, the SRHR component will assess mental health and psychosocial needs and exposure to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) among these mobile populations and identify contextual and structural barriers to service uptake (e.g. stigma, legal/documentation issues for migrants, discontinuity of care across borders, gender norms affecting health-seeking behaviour). The SRHR baseline will provide initial values for the project’s health-related indicators and shed light on gaps in service provision and knowledge that the programme’s health interventions should address.
 

The performance of the consultant will be measured based on capacity to deliver the outputs outlined below. The consultant will be expected to incorporate all feedback received from sub-regional and country teams and respond to or address any questions arising from the review process before finalizing the deliverables. The consultant’s commitment to delivering quality outputs in a timely manner, aligned to the agreed methodology as proposed in the inception report will be critical. The deliverables of the baseline assessment are as follows:
•    An inception report that clearly outlines the assessment approach and tools to be used. The inception report must also include an assessment matrix which includes the methodology used, indicators, questions and detailed work plan. 
•    A draft assessment report (maximum of 20 pages without annexes), including an executive summary and outlining data sources and findings and recommendations of the assessment, good practices, lessons learned, missed opportunities, strengths and weaknesses, gaps and challenges on the design. The draft of the report will be presented to IOM for comments and input, after which the consultant will finalize the report and submit the final baseline assessment report to IOM. 
•    A presentation of the findings and recommendations at a regional dialogue with SADC member states, transport and logistics companies and road freight unions.
•    A final report that reflects comments/feedback from IOM. The final report should be structured according to IOM baseline report template that includes the following key sections:
a)    Executive summary
b)    Introduction
c)    Context and purpose of assessment
d)    Framework and methodology 
e)    Findings
f)    Conclusion and recommendations
g)    Annexes (tools, list of respondents, questions guide etc.) 
•    A two-page baseline assessment brief. 
 

Required Qualifications and Experience

Education,Experience and Skills

IOM requires a consultant with experience in the Southern Africa region, experience in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia would be an added advantage. The consultant should meet the following minimum qualifications and experience:
•    Minimum of master’s degree in social research, social science, development studies, international relations, labour studies, migration studies, or other relevant fields. 
•    Minimum of 10 years of experience leading or substantially contributing to mixed-methods assessments, baselines, research studies or evaluations in development or humanitarian contexts.
•    Proven experience in conducting baseline assessments for projects addressing migration, labour, public health and/or SRHR-HIV issues.
•    Demonstrated experience and familiarity with migration dynamics in the Southern Africa region.
•    Strong background and expertise in conducting quantitative and qualitative research, including tool design, sampling design, data analysis and synthesis.
 

Languages

For this consultancy, Fluency in English is required, working knowledge of Portuguese is an advantage.

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Travel required

While this consultancy is home-based, the availability of the consultant to travel to/within the region may be required. In-country travel is expected for data collection purposes. The consultant should include all anticipated travel and fieldwork-related costs in the financial proposal. Where relevant, the consultant may also propose the use of hybrid data collection arrangements to improve feasibility and value for money.

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 five 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.

Submission of application/expression of interest

Qualified interested candidates should submit their proposal (maximum 5 pages excluding CVs), including:

• CV of the consultant, max 4 pages, accompanied by a concise cover letter outlining relevant experience and suitability for the assignment. 

• A technical proposal clearly describing the proposed approach and methodology for conducting the assessment, a detailed work plan with timelines and key milestones, ethical considerations, and risk mitigation measures

• A financial proposal in USD covering all costs associated with the assignment, including   professional fees, and anticipated costs covering travel, data collection, translation, and other relevant expenses. 

• A recent assessment report as an example of previous work, demonstrating the candidate’s analytical rigor and ability to produce high-quality outputs. 

• References from at least two previous assessments of IOM projects or similar assignments, including contact details. 

• A statement confirming availability to undertake the assignment within the specified timeframe.

Notes

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. 

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, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, security clearances.

IOM has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and IOM, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities.

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 e-Recruitment system (for internal candidates link here). The online tool also allows candidates to track the status of their application.

No late applications will be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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