Training Needs Assessment (TNA) and Capacity Development for the Ethiopian Immigration & Citizenship Service (ICS) and Ethiopian Police University (EPU)

Job Description

Introduction

Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental, and non-governmental partners. IOM is committed to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants. As a member of the United Nations system, IOM supports governments globally to strengthen migration management systems, enhance border governance, improve service delivery, and reinforce institutional capacities in line with international standards. Through its technical assistance programs, IOM promotes safe, orderly, and regular migration by strengthening national structures, legal frameworks, and operational mechanisms.

Project Context and Scope

In Ethiopia, IOM has been a long-standing partner to government institutions in areas including border management, migrant protection, labour migration, humanitarian response, reintegration, and institutional capacity development. As part of this commitment, IOM collaborates with key national partners, including the Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS) and the Ethiopian Police University (EPU), to enhance their institutional effectiveness, human resource capabilities, and operational readiness.

Ethiopia stands at a pivotal moment in its migration governance and public administration reform. As a major migratory hub in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia faces complex migration dynamics, including regular and irregular migration, return and reintegration, cross-border trade, and the movement of vulnerable populations. The Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS), re-established by Proclamation No. 1338/2024, is mandated to deliver secure, efficient, and inclusive immigration, citizenship, and civil registration services, and to coordinate with customs, police, health, and trade agencies for effective migration and border governance.

The Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS) plays a central role in managing migration flows, enforcing immigration laws, processing travel documents, conducting border inspections, and ensuring national security at points of entry and exit. The capacity of ICS personnel to carry out these functions effectively hinges upon the quality, relevance, and regularity of the training they receive.

The Ethiopian Police University (EPU) is the primary institution responsible for the pre-service and in-service education and training of law enforcement professionals in Ethiopia. EPU plays a pivotal role in shaping the competencies, ethical standards, and operational skills of federal and regional police officers, parliamentarians, ICS officials and related professionals. EPU's curriculum, instructional methodologies, faculty capacity, and institutional frameworks directly influence the performance of law enforcement agencies across the country, including in areas intersecting with migration management, transnational crime, counter-trafficking, and border security.

Despite the critical mandates of both institutions (ICS and EPU), there is a recognized need to systematically assess their current training and capacity landscapes, identify gaps in knowledge, skills, and institutional processes, and develop evidence-based strategies and curricula that align with international standards and best practices. Furthermore, the need for enhanced inter-agency cooperation between ICS, EPU, and other relevant agencies has been identified as a priority, as has the adoption of modern digital learning systems to improve the accessibility, scalability, and quality of training delivery.

In this context, IOM seeks to engage a qualified International Consultant to undertake two parallel but interrelated assignments (Lot One and Lot Two) aimed at strengthening the training ecosystems of both ICS and EPU.

The overall objective of this consultancy is to enhance the institutional training capacities of ICS and EPU through comprehensive training and capacity needs assessments, training strategy, competency-based curriculum development, curriculum enrichment and harmonization, and the recommendation of suitable digital learning platforms.

The specific objectives are as follows:

Lot One — ICS Training and Capacity Development: To conduct a comprehensive Training and Capacity Needs Assessment (TCNA) of the ICS, develop an institutional training strategy aligned with ICS's mandate and operational realities, and design a competency-based training curriculum tailored to the roles and functions of ICS personnel. The curriculum will operationalize the Training Strategy and be ready for immediate use by ICS trainers in face-to-face settings, ensuring alignment with ICS’s mandate, strategic objectives, and applicable international standards. 

Lot Two — EPU Curriculum Enrichment and Inter-Agency Cooperation: To conduct a comprehensive TCNA of the EPU, including its education and training curriculum design and delivery modalities, assess inter-agency cooperation mechanisms with ICS and other relevant agencies, recommend curriculum enrichment and harmonization measures, and identify and recommend appropriate digital learning systems and platforms.

The Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Migration Management and Governance Sr. Programme Officer at IOM, direct supervision of the IBG Programme Officer at IOM and in close technical coordination with IOM IBG and Capacity Development team, ICS and EPU. All deliverables will be submitted to IOM for review and approval, in consultation with ICS and EPU. 

IOM will facilitate access to key informants, relevant institutional documents, and logistical support for field visits within Ethiopia. The consultant will be responsible for maintaining regular communication with IOM, submitting progress updates on a bi-weekly basis, and incorporating feedback from IOM and national counterparts in a timely manner.

Responsibilities

Once the MMGU Senior Programme Coordinator approves the relevant deliverables, the consultant will receive payments in instalment. The table outlining deliverables, timelines, and instalments will guide the release of regular fees within the designated timeframe.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications and Experience

Education

• An advanced university degree (Master's degree or higher) in education, Curriculum Development, public administration, security studies, criminology, law enforcement, migration studies, international relations, or a closely related field from an accredited institution with 7 years of relevant professional experience and/or a doctoral degree in the above fields with five years of relevant professional experience.

Experience

• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressive professional experience in training needs assessment, curriculum development, institutional capacity building, or related fields, preferably in the context of law enforcement, migration management, or security sector reform, is required.

• Demonstrated experience in conducting training and capacity needs assessments for government institutions, police academies, or immigration services in developing countries, with a preference for experience in Africa or the Horn of Africa region, is required.

• Proven track record in designing competency-based training curricula for law enforcement, immigration, or security sector institutions is required.

• Experience in developing training strategies and institutional capacity development plans for public sector organizations is required.

• Experience in assessing and recommending digital learning platforms and e-learning systems for educational or training institutions is highly desirable.

• Prior experience working with or for international organizations (IOM, UNHCR, UNODC, UNDP, INTERPOL, or similar) is highly desirable.

• Experience in facilitating multi-stakeholder consultations and validation workshops is required.

• Familiarity with Ethiopian or East African institutional, legal, and policy frameworks related to law enforcement and migration is an advantage.

Skills

• Excellent analytical, research, and report-writing skills are required.

• Strong knowledge of international standards and best practices in law enforcement training, migration management, and border governance.

• Demonstrated expertise in competency-based education and training (CBET) design and implementation.

• Knowledge of contemporary digital learning technologies, Learning Management Systems (LMS), and blended learning approaches.

• Strong facilitation, presentation, and stakeholder engagement skills.

• Ability to work independently, manage multiple tasks, and deliver high-quality outputs within tight deadlines.

• Cultural sensitivity and the ability to work effectively in diverse and complex institutional environments.

Languages

For this consultancy, Fluency in English (written and spoken) is required. Knowledge of Amharic is an asset.

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

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.

Travel required

The consultant shall include in-country missions to Ethiopia (Addis Ababa and other relevant locations) as required for data collection, stakeholder consultations, and validation workshops. IOM to cover travel and DSA. The exact schedule of in-country missions shall be agreed upon between the consultant and IOM during the inception phase. 

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

Required Skills

Job info