Senior Research and Policy Specialist/Consultant - Absorptive Capacity (Consultancy)

Position Title: Senior Research and Policy Specialist - Absorptive Capacity Report

Duty Station: Kabul, Afghanistan

Expected Start Date of Deployment: 15 September 2026

Deployment Duration: 3 months, 16 days

Organizational Context and Scope:

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission in Afghanistan and the direct supervision of the Senior Programme Coordinator, DTM, and in close coordination with relevant IOM Afghanistan, regional and headquarters colleagues, the incumbent will support the development of a flagship analytical report: (1) Beyond the Numbers: Afghanistan's Capacity to Absorb Large-Scale Returns; The incumbent will lead the conceptual framework, interpretation, drafting and policy recommendations for Beyond the Numbers: Afghanistan's Capacity to Absorb Large-Scale Returns. The report will assess how return movements interact with demographic pressure, service access, livelihoods, resilience, vulnerability, displacement and community-level conditions. The incumbent will work in parallel with the Data and Socioeconomic Analysis Specialist while retaining responsibility for narrative coherence and policy relevance. The incumbent will work as part of a parallel two-person report team and coordinate closely with the corresponding research or analytical specialist. IOM's in-house information management and GIS teams will support approved data access, validation and map production. All work must comply with IOM standards on data protection, confidentiality, ethical analysis and information security. Where advanced analytics or artificial intelligence-assisted methods are used, they must remain transparent, proportionate, subject to human review and consistent with IOM standards; sensitive or personally identifiable data must not be entered into unauthorized tools or environments.

Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

- Lead the development of an Afghanistan-relevant conceptual and methodological framework for assessing absorptive capacity, ensuring that research questions and evidence requirements are clear from the start of the assignment. - Conduct and synthesize targeted literature, policy and secondary-source reviews to position DTM findings within relevant humanitarian, development, stabilization and migration-governance debates. - Define the report structure and analytical logic and provide timely specifications to the paired analytical specialist and in-house GIS team so that writing, quantitative analysis and mapping progress in parallel. - Interpret quantitative, socioeconomic and spatial findings on population pressure, services, livelihoods, vulnerability, resilience, return and displacement, clearly distinguishing evidence from inference. - Draft the full report, including methodology, findings, executive summary, conclusions, recommendations and key messages, and ensure that recommendations are practical and evidence-safe. - Coordinate limited consultations and technical exchanges with IOM colleagues and relevant stakeholders and incorporate consolidated feedback without compromising analytical coherence. - Apply strong quality assurance, citation, disclosure-control and ethical standards and ensure that sensitive findings are framed carefully and do not overstate causality. - Prepare a short policy brief and presentation/talking points and complete a structured handover of all narrative files, references and supporting materials.

Expected Assignment Outputs:

- Inception package within 10 working days, including framework, research questions, detailed outline, workplan, literature-review plan and data requirements. - Substantive analytical and preliminary drafting package by 20 October 2026. - Complete first draft by 20 November 2026. - Final publication-ready narrative, policy brief and presentation package by 18 December 2026.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

EDUCATION Master's degree or higher in migration studies, demography, economics, development studies, public policy, international relations, humanitarian studies, social sciences or a related field from an accredited academic institution with at least five years of relevant professional experience; or a university degree in the above fields with at least seven years of relevant professional experience. EXPERIENCE - Extensive experience in migration, displacement, return and reintegration, resilience, development or population-mobility research. - Demonstrated experience as lead author, principal researcher or senior author of major analytical reports for international organizations, UN entities, research institutions or comparable organizations. - Experience translating complex quantitative and spatial evidence into policy-relevant analysis and recommendations. - Experience in fragile, conflict-affected or complex humanitarian settings; Afghanistan, South Asia, MENA or comparable contextual experience is highly desirable. - Experience considering the responsible use of advanced analytics or AI-assisted research tools under organizational safeguards is desirable, particularly regarding transparency, human oversight and sensitive-data protection. SKILLS - Excellent analytical writing and synthesis skills in English. - Strong knowledge of return, reintegration, displacement, resilience, vulnerability, service pressure and migration governance. - Strong quantitative literacy and ability to interpret indicators, typologies, composite measures and spatial outputs. - Sound judgement in politically and operationally sensitive contexts and ability to deliver under short deadlines.

Languages:

Fluency in English is required (oral and written). Working knowledge of Dari, Pashto, or another relevant regional language is an advantage. How to apply Application Process (IMPORTANT) This opportunity is managed through the IOM Deployment Roster. You can refer to this link:

https: //bit.ly/Consultant-SeniorResearchandPolicySpecialist

To apply:

- Candidates must first register in the Deployment Roster via the onl