Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and 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.

ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT AND SCOPE: 

The Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime (Bali Process) is a non-binding and state-driven process involving 49 members (countries and international agencies), including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), as well as a number of observer countries and international agencies who participate in this voluntary forum. More information about the Bali Process can be found at www.baliprocess.net 

The RSO was established in 2012 to facilitate the operationalisation of the Regional Cooperation Framework (RCF) to reduce irregular migration in the Asia and Pacific region. The RSO aims to support and strengthen practical cooperation on refugee protection and international migration, including human trafficking and people smuggling, and other components of migration management in the region. The RSO is co-managed by the Australian and Indonesian Governments. More information can be found at www.rso.baliprocess.net 

To deliver on its mission, the RSO operates according to four core purposes that underpin how it provides support to Bali Process Members and Working Groups. These core purposes are: (1) being responsive to Bali Process Members and Working Groups by engaging with members to deliver activities that contribute towards Bali Process commitments and sourcing specialist technical assistance; (2) operational capacity building through the development and delivery of fit-for-purpose operational capacity-building activities relevant to the Bali Process mandate; (3) capability development through policy and promotion of best practice by conducting research and providing access to information and resources that support dialogue, policy development and improved responses to people smuggling, trafficking in persons and related transnational crime using a victim-centered approach; and (4) outreach, engagement and advocacy to promote the RSO's work to external partners, publicly advocate on key issues, and act as a connector for information sharing and dialogue among Bali Process members. These core purposes, particularly the emphasis on operational capacity, capability development through policy and information sharing necessitate a structured and systematic approach to the design and delivery of capacity building and policy development initiatives.

Irregular Migration and People Smuggling

In Asia, 2025 was the deadliest year on record in terms of fatalities during forced displacement and migration journeys for the third consecutive year, with more than 3,000 deaths recorded by the IOM Missing Migrants Project. On maritime routes, some 892Rohingya refugees lost their lives or went missing at sea, according to UNHCR, making the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal among the world's deadliest. These journeys are frequently undertaken in unsafe vessels, with limited access to rescue, disembarkation, and protection-sensitive responses, increasing the risk of loss of life and exploitation.

Regional analysis also continues to highlight the resilience and adaptability of in-land smuggling networks in South and Southeast Asia, noting their ability to exploit differences in legal and operational environments and gaps in cross-border coordination. This convergence of protection risks and criminal facilitation places individuals in highly vulnerable situations, while creating complex policy challenges for governments balancing border management, protection obligations, and domestic pressures.

In response to the upwards trend of humanitarian and security concerns, the RSO is supporting the launch of a senior regional policy initiative with the intent to strengthen upstream approaches to jointly tackle people smuggling and irregular migration, including maritime security challenges, by bringing together senior policy officials from Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Timor Leste to identify shared challenges, improve policy coherence, and consider practical, non-binding approaches that can be adopted within national systems.

The six countries are linked along the same South and Southeast Asia irregular migration corridor, across the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, where movements involve Rohingya and other groups transiting through Bangladesh, Myanmar-linked routes, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, with onward impacts for Australia. Bringing these countries together at senior policy level is intended to support discussion between officials responsible for how governments anticipate, respond to, and manage irregular movements. This includes how policy responses are informed both at the point of detection, through earlier-stage indicators, and how individuals are supported, protected, and managed within and between national systems.

The purpose of this consultancy is to undertake independent, high-quality open-source, desktop research on the policy, economic and political incentives of each of the six participating countries in the senior regional policy initiative, as they relate to managing and responding to irregular movement and maritime people smuggling along the South and Southeast Asia route, and provide recommendations for practical, realistic non-binding policy tools that could be considered for co-development and national adoption by the participating countries. 

The consultant will be supported by existing insights and RSO knowledge products, as well as existing thinking and stakeholder consultation already undertaken with the donor and participating countries. However, the consultant is not expected to validate pre-existing concepts. Existing proposals may be considered as inputs, but the consultant is expected to independently identify and assess the most relevant and value-adding policy options. 

The Consultancy services will be directly managed by the Programme Manager (International Migration Strategies), who will act as Contract Manager and primary point of contact for this assignment. 

The Consultant will contribute to RSO Work Plan and Strategic Plan 2024-2026, especially the initiative on countering people smuggling. The Consultant will support the ongoing work on maritime people smuggling, particularly in the aforementioned six countries (Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Timor-Leste).

The RSO will support the Consultant by coordinating and organising meetings and discussions with relevant stakeholders, as required.

• The decision support matrix would provide a concise, quick-reference guide on the policy options, to be used by senior policy officials at the first meeting of the six countries. It would provide a high-level assessment of implementation considerations, including: 
  1. Level of effort and coordination required
  2. Degree of complexity and difficulty to progress
  3. Indicative national resource implications
      

Required Qualifications and Experience

Education

• Bachelor's degree in International Relations, Public Administration, Migration Studies, Development Studies, or related field (minimum requirement),
• Master's degree in International Relations, Public Administration, Migration Studies, Development Studies, or related field (preferred),
   

Professional Experience

• Minimum 5 years of experience in migration-related research, policy analysis and policy writing,
• Experience in the Asia-Pacific region and understanding of regional migration dynamics (preferred),
• Experience working on issues related to returns, reintegration, case management, or cross-border migration cooperation (preferred),
• Previous work with the RSO or similar regional mechanisms an advantage, including international migration management organizations.
   

Skills

• Strong analytical and strategic thinking capabilities,
• Excellent writing and communication skills with ability to produce clear, comprehensive documentation,
• Ability to translate complex analysis into clear, concise, and decision-oriented outputs for senior officials,
• Experience in stakeholder consultation and engagement processes,
• Familiarity with migration management, migrant protection, border security, or transnational crime issues,
• Project management skills and ability to work independently.
   

Languages

• Excellent written and spoken English,
• Ability to communicate complex concepts clearly to diverse audiences,
• Additional regional languages (e.g., Bahasa Indonesia, Malay, Thai, Bengali, Tetum, and Vietnamese) an advantage.
   

Travel required

This is a home-based assignment. During the period of this consultancy, the Consultant may be expected to undertake travel to attend events and meetings, if in-person attendance is required. 
 

Should the Consultant be required to travel by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Consultant will be provided with transportation or reimbursed for the cost of their travel following advance agreement and in accordance with IOM’s travel policies, including IN/6
 

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.

Salary and conditions information:

• The successful candidate will be engaged under an IOM contract working for the Regional Support Office and their conditions of service will be governed by their contract. The successful candidate is responsible for determining their taxation liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. The successful candidate is responsible for determining their own pension fund arrangements. 

• The position duty station is home-based. No relocation assistance and working visa assistance will be provided by the IOM.

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.

For further information and other job postings, you are welcome to visit our website: IOM Careers and Job Vacancies