Integrated Border Management in the Silk Routes countries

Posting Date: 08/04/2021

Deadline for Applications: 30/04/2021 

Duty Station: Home based with travel

Contract Duration: Maximum of 180 working days until 31/12/2022

Organisational overview

The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) is an international organisation tasked with promoting innovative, comprehensive and sustainable migration policies. With 18 Member States and over 60 projects active throughout Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America, ICMPD is a growing and ever-more relevant presence in its field. The organisation’s greatest assets are its 250+ staff members, who personify its values of commitment, integrity, partnership, respect, and innovation in actions and decisions.

Project background

The EU-funded project “Integrated Border Management in the Silk Routes Countries” (IBM Silk Routes) is implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development for the benefit of the Silk Routes countries (SRC), i.e. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq and Pakistan. The duration of the project is 48 months, running from 1/1/2019 – 31/12/2022 

The overall objective of the project is to support the countries of the Silk Routes region in building their capacity of border management and the development of their national Integrated Border Management (IBM) guidelines, to ensure that these are coherent and effectively co-ordinated at a national, and, if possible, at a regional level, with a focus on effective border control, human resources development and preventing irregular migration.

Objective 

The overall objective of the assignment is to support the enhancement of the capacity of the national border management training institutions in the Silk Routes countries. The STE TOT will work in close cooperation with the IBM Silk Routes project implementation team (PIT) and in close collaboration with other Short Term Experts (STE) to contribute to project implementation in the following areas:

• Providing expert advice, training and support to the management of the training institutions;
• Development of a National Trainer Pool Concept for each SRCs;
• Development of a pool of national trainers in each SRC.

Tasks

1. Support to management of the training institutions

The STE ToT will develop and conduct activities to enable representatives of the managerial level of national training institutions to manage personnel and related resources, develop their leadership and management skills, as well as strengthen related HR and training processes within the training institutions. 

The exact focus of activities will be defined based on the needs identified in a Human Resources and Training Capacity Gaps and Needs Assessment (HRGNA) conducted in each SRC and upon consultation with beneficiaries, however these may include seminars, workshops or study visits related to training needs analysis and training design processes, HR management, recruitment (including gender sensitive) practices, planning, management and leadership development, use of IT solutions for HR management, and educational certification and accreditation systems. The STE will design agendas in line with anticipated objectives, prepare and deliver presentations and exercises during the events, and in the case of study visits, identify and facilitate the visit to a suitable external training institution for the exchange of good practice and learning for the SRC training institution management. 

2) National Trainer Pool concept

In cooperation with the project team, the STE ToT will work closely with the national training institutions, the leadership of the border management agencies and thematic STEs, to support development of a National Trainer Pool concept (NTP) for the identification, management and sustainable utilisation of training institution instructors and serving operational officers capable of delivering training on identified thematic topics to their peers.

The STE will be responsible for the development of a national trainer pool concept, in close consultation and agreement with the SRC national training institutions, which shall support institutions in identifying and managing internal experts within their services capable of delivering in-house training for the border authorities (whether these be existing training institution instructors, or front-line border officers with a dual training competence). 

For this activity, taking into consideration the HRGNA findings and Standard Border Management Curriculum (SBMC) developed by the project, the STE will:

• Develop the concept and methodology for a NTP in each beneficiary country/ authority, in close coordination and agreement with the senior management of the training institutions. The concept shall;
• include the criteria to identify and select the candidates for the pool of national experts in each country;
• define the operation and procedures of how the NTP shall be administered and managed by national training institutions via Terms of Reference and Standard Operating Procedures;
• consider necessary measures to ensure the sustainable operation of the training pool, such as development of in-house ToT programmes for the training institutions, development/amendment of job profiles and necessary amendments in regulatory frameworks, and additional measures to integrate the positions of the newly (re-) educated trainers by Tot into an institutional training framework, such as revision of training schedules.
• Support development, implementation and adoption of a NTP concept in each SRC, through meetings, workshops, seminars and pilot-training, as required. 

3) Development of a national pool of trainers

To this end, the expert will:

• work closely with other STEs and PIT to identify potential candidates for further development as trainers and ultimately for inclusion in a National Trainer Pool;
• deliver ToT courses, covering pedagogical and adult learning theory, modern training delivery methodology, tools and materials, and training analysis, design, and evaluation methodologies;
• facilitate pilot training, to be led by ToT graduates delivering training to their peers, via the provision of guidance, coordination and constructive, critical feedback to trainers;
• upon completion of the ToT programme, support the PIT in advocating for the inclusion of successful graduate trainers into the National Trainer Pool in each SRC;
• provide recommendations to the PIT and management of SRC training institutions on additional measures that may be taken to ensure the sustainable development of in-house training capacity on border management in the SRCs.

Deliverables 

The STE TOT is expected to provide the following deliverables:

1. Delivery of seminars, workshops and consultations to management of training institutions (online and face to face).
2. Study visits for management of training institutions to partner training institutions to observe good practice.
3. Development and adoption of concept of a National Training Pool in each beneficiary country.
4. Preparation and delivery of ToT Courses
5. Facilitation of pilot trainings for ToT Trainers

The STE TOT is expected to deliver an activity report after each event/ meeting including a summary of outcomes, results of evaluation (if applicable) and recommendations for future events and support to be provided in the SRCs. The report shall be submitted to ICMPD in English not later than 5 working days after each activity. The STE should also remain available for questions, comments, and feedback needed for the final draft of the report. 

Maximum number of working days: 180

Reporting lines

The Expert will report to the IBM Project Officer who will be in charge of the overall supervision both in terms of administrative and content issues and who will provide input and comments on deliverables as needed. The Expert will work in a collaborative manner with other members of the PIT and international/national STEs. 

Qualifications and Experience

Generic requirements

• At least 15 years of relevant professional experience in education and training in the area of border management
• Master’s degree in Education, Adult Education, Development Studies, Policy analysis, or related field is required
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in HRM and training systems assessment and reform, training programmes development, training materials development and training delivery
• Sound knowledge of EU and international standards, regulations and policies in the field of training in the IBM context
• In depth knowledge of the EU Integrated Border Management concept as well as the IBM concept for EU external cooperation
• Excellent analytical and reporting skills
• Ability to establish good working relations with a multinational, multi-disciplinary team;
• Ability to work effectively in a politically sensitive environment and exercise discretion, impartiality, diplomacy and neutrality
• Excellent presentation and representational skills
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Excellent facilitation and professional training skills
• Excellent language and communication skills (English)
• Knowledge of national languages in the Silk Routes Countries would be an asset

Specific requirements

• Willingness and ability to travel to and work in high-risk countries under security pressure
• Experience in working with senior management of border-related agencies
• Proven experience at the national, as well as international level, in the development of the institutional border management and educational framework
• Knowledge of the good practices in training and HRM policies for law enforcement agencies
• Proven experience of conducting curriculum and HR and training capacity development in non-EU countries
• Proven experience in support of international cooperation development, as well as the information exchange at the bi- and multi-lateral basis
• Understanding of the security context, previous experience in Silk Routes region is an asset 

Background information/documentation to be provided by ICMPD

• IBM Gaps and Needs Assessment reports conducted in the beneficiary countries
• Human Resource Management and Training Capacity Gaps and Needs Assessment reports conducted in the beneficiary countries.
• IBM Silk Routes Capacity Development - Training Component Concept.
• ICMPD rules and regulations relevant to the work of the short-term expert
• Any other relevant documents

Administrative Information 

• Travel 

The Expert shall receive from ICMPD a travel itinerary and be entitled to receive a daily subsistence allowance (DSA) for the foreseen activities abroad. Travel and mission related payments will be processed according to ICMPD Travel Rules applicable at the time when the travel takes place. 

• Payment 

For payment of the fees for the assignment, the Expert needs to submit - on the templates provided by ICMPD and in line with the payment schedule stated in the contract:

• original timesheet(s) in hard copy, duly completed in line with instructions, dated and signed;
• signed payment claim(s) reflecting the days/hours worked as per submitted timesheets

The payment to the bank account indicated by the Expert will only be processed after certification by ICMPD that the required services have been satisfactorily performed. 

Application Process

Interested experts should send their CV with a reference to this announcement in the subject line of the email to ibm_silk_routes@icmpd.org.