IOM is recruiting for a Climate Mobility Financing Expert based in Nairobi, Kenya: Apply Now
Closing Date: 26 August 2025
IOM is recruiting for a Climate Mobility Financing Expert based in Nairobi, Kenya: Apply Now
Job Description
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the UN Migration Agency. With 175 Member States it is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. Established in 1951 and now active in over 400 field locations worldwide, IOM works with partners, government and civil society to:
- Assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration and mobility
- Advance understanding of migration issues
- Encourage social and economic development through migration; and
- Uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants and mobile populations.
IOM’s Regional Office for the East, Horn and Southern Africa, specifically, the Climate Action Division, works to Support the implementation of IOM’s institutional strategy on Migration, Environment and Climate Change (2021-2030), notably it’s three objectives related to identifying solutions for people to stay, to move and for those on the move in the context of environmental degradation, natural hazards and climate change.
The impacts of climate change in Africa, from prolonged droughts and severe flooding to rising temperatures, challenge traditional livelihoods and drive migration and displacement within and beyond national borders. Additionally, countries transitioning to a green economy may displace existing jobs and force people to migrate, which without proper planning can have negative impacts.
Although UNFCCC decisions have increasingly integrated human mobility concerns, many of the funds under the UNFCCC, such as Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund, Global Environmental Facility and the recently established Fund for Responding to Loss and damage, still lack clear guidance on how to program for human mobility in the context of climate change. This lack of guidance holds true also for other key funding actors such as Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), humanitarian funds, bilateral donors and philanthropies, that have an interest in addressing climate mobility.
Considering the urgent need for countries to address climate mobility concerns, and harness the potential of migration, it is crucial that countries and implementing partners have access to tools and information on how to practically approach these funds and donors. For Africa, where climate mobility is increasingly a reality, it is important that countries improve their readiness to absorb finances and address the issues and potential of human mobility in the context of climate change, to ensure that they can unlock existing and emerging financing opportunities.
Through this assignment, IOM will support EHSA countries by developing a Handbook on Climate Mobility Investment Planning. The handbook will guide countries with accessing financing for addressing climate mobility through provision of localized and practical tools.
Responsibilities
The handbook, targeted at practitioners and governments will consist of high level overview of regional climate mobility priorities and potential financing available in the region to address these; deep dives to the practices and protocols of high viability funds and financiers representing different segments of funding actors (development, humanitarian, climate etc.); and practical guidance on how to improve readiness to absorb finances as well as to successfully apply for them. More specifically, the Climate Mobility Financing Expert assignment seeks to address the following:
- Provide regional information on the diverse mobility needs arising from climate impacts and solutions to address them.
- Introduce the key data sources on the nexus between climate change and human mobility in the EHSA region to guide the development of ‘climate rationale’ for interventions.
- Provide a mapping of relevant coordination mechanisms and stakeholders (such as ministries) needed for development of effective climate mobility solutions.
- Provide a mapping of relevant financing entities that could finance climate mobility interventions
- Provide deep dives on how climate mobility financing could be mobilized through a selection of high viability entities, accompanied by step-by-step practical guidance from ideation and coordination to country preparedness and project criteria.
- Train IOM personnel and selected participants in the financing architecture around climate mobility and what is needed to access it.
Based on a desk review of existing sources, the Handbook should consist of:
- An overview of climate mobility priorities and solutions as outlined in key strategies and policies of countries and RECs (such as NDCs, NAPs and REC Policies), outlining key areas for action in line with key programming categories introduced in the Technical Guide for Finance.
- An overview of key actors and their mandates in relation to mobilizing resources and implementing climate mobility interventions, to guide stakeholder coordination and engagement.
- An overview of the relevant data platforms and tools at the regional level in East, Horn and Southern Africa (EHSA), for assessing the impact of climate change on human mobility, with a critical assessment and recommendations on strengthening data systems to guide evidence-based decision making and development of strong climate rationale for proposed interventions.
- Mapping of relevant financing actors for climate mobility in EHSA region divided under relevant human mobility dimensions and relevant sectors to be agreed such as:
- migration, displacement, and planned relocation;
- adaptation, just transition and loss and damage;
- water, infrastructure and agriculture
- Deep dive into 5 to 10 feasible funding actors, representing different financing sources (e.g. humanitarian, climate, MDBs, funds, donors) explaining detailed steps needed to mobilize resources and detailed guidance on improving readiness to absorb them (e.g. financial management).
- Regional guidance and recommendations on how to advance climate mobility investment planning and project formulation at the national level
In addition to the Handbook, the Climate Mobility Financing Expert assignment will also result in the development of training content and implementation of trainings for IOM personnel and selected participants. The training will concentrate on financing architecture around climate mobility and what is needed to access it. The trainings will aim to improve readiness and ensure governments have support available to develop mobility investment frameworks at the national level.
The consultancy will also contribute to the implementation of a CLIMATE CHANGE AND MIGRATION DATA PROGRAMME, aligned with the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change (KDMECC). The objective of the programme is to contribute to improved evidence-based migration management and reduced risk of irregular migration and displacement occurring, in the context of disasters, climate change and environmental degradation in countries of origin, transit and destination along key migration corridors in North, East, and West Africa, including countries in the Southern Africa.
Objective of the Consultancy
The overarching goal of the consultancy is to reduce barriers to accessing finance for climate mobility, a critical yet underserved area within the broader finance landscape. More specific objectives of the assignment include:
- Develop a Handbook for operationalizing and contextualizing the forthcoming Technical Guide on Accessing Finance for averting, minimizing and addressing the negative impacts of climate related mobility. This would serve as a practical guidance for Member States on how to access finance on addressing Climate Mobility in the context of environmental degradation, disasters and climate change in the EHSA region.
- Provide capacity building for IOM staff, national governments and relevant stakeholders in EHSA on the tools, knowledge, and institutional capacity needed to identify, design, and implement climate mobility interventions and access finance through appropriate funding mechanisms. This will include a focus on locally led project origination and structuring projects in way that aligns with East, Horn and Southern African countries needs as well as requirements of potential funds, finance mechanisms and donors for addressing climate mobility.
Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment
1. Prepare Inception report (2 days)
- Prepare and validate with IOM the workplan including the outline of the handbook and approach to capacity building and training
2. First draft of the Handbook for Climate Mobility Investment Planning for EHSA submitted (12 days)
- Submit the zero draft of the framework for IOM review and comments (10 days)
- Submit the revised first draft of the framework to IOM for clearance (2 days)
3. Stakeholder consultations to support the development of the framework (6 days)
4. Final draft of the framework submitted as Word document (10 days)
5. Development of training materials (10 days)
- Submit a PPT and exercises for trainings for IOM review
- Pilot the training with IOM selected audience
Qualifications
Education
Have graduated with a university degree (second university degree or equivalent, Master, or higher) in Finance; Economics; Environmental Studies; Climate Change; Development; Migration Studies or other relevant studies.
Experience
- Ten years or more experience with working on climate or green finance
- Experience in accessing UNFCCC funds such as LDCF, AF, GEF or GCF, and/or MDBs, and/or other large-scale financing.
- Knowledge on migration, environment and climate change nexus in Africa
- Experience with MDB and donor liaison, and deep understanding of their investment frameworks and their development process
- Understanding of financing architecture around climate mobility and its parts such as different roles within the UNFCCC finance mechanism.
- Able to work independently under pressure, able to maintain accuracy, paying attention to details, meeting deadlines and working with minimal supervision.
Languages
- English. IOM’s official languages are English, French and Spanish.
- Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.
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