Counselling Expert Consultant

Introduction

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations and the leading UN agency in the field of migration. Working closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners, IOM promotes humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It saves lives and protects people on the move, drives solutions to displacement, and facilitates pathways for regular migration, while providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

IOM is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive and supportive workplace where all employees can thrive professionally and feel valued. By creating such an environment, IOM aims to better harness the full potential of migration and strengthen its support to people on the move.

IOM invites candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply and provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process when required. Learn more about IOM’s workplace culture at IOM workplace culture | International Organization for Migration.

Project Context and Scope

Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) represents a key tool for the orderly management of migration, recognized at the European level and implemented across all EU Member States in line with the European Union legal framework. In the context of the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, AVRR is expected to play an increasingly central role, both as an option to be considered for migrants who do not have the legal right to remain within the territory of the Union, and as a voluntary support pathway for migrants who consider their migration project concluded and wish to return to their country of origin in conditions of safety and dignity.

Within this framework, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in partnership with ANCI and CITTALIA, has launched the project Training, Assistance and Support to the Territory for the Efficiency of Returns. The project, which started in March 2026, will have a duration of 24 months. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to strengthening the national Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) system through the development and implementation of an innovative counselling service aimed at facilitating third-country nationals’ access to AVRR option and assistance.

The initiative foresees the selection, training and deployment across the national territory of 60 AVRR counsellors tasked with providing information to migrants who may benefit from Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration interventions, supporting the submission of assistance requests, and ensuring case management up to departure.

To this end, within the framework of the project, a specific training model for AVRR counselling will be developed and tested, and the professional profile of the AVRR counsellor will be defined.

This activity is particularly relevant considering that AVRR information provision and counselling represent the first step of the AVRR process, and that their neutrality, accuracy, methodological quality and operational consistency are key elements in ensuring the integrity, credibility and overall effectiveness of Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration interventions.

In particular, the development of the training model/ curriculum and AVRR counselling manual aims to:

• ensure a harmonised AVRR counselling approach adapted to the specificities of migration management in the Italian context;
• respond to the operational needs of AVRR counsellors selected, trained and deployed across the national territory, operating in diverse contexts and at different stages of the migration pathway of potential AVRR beneficiaries;
• integrate and consolidate knowledge, methodologies and standards related to counselling, AVRR and the protection of migrants in vulnerable situations, in line with the applicable legal framework and IOM policies;
• contribute to defining the professional profile of the AVRR counsellor through the identification of the technical, transversal and operational competencies required for the role.

The materials developed will also include learning assessment instruments, and materials for practical exercises and simulations.

Within this framework, IOM is seeking a professional expert who, under the supervision of the IOM AVRR Unit and the Technical Working Group (TWG) established at the Ministry of the Interior, will be responsible for implementing the activities described below.

Some occasional travel may be required depending on operational needs.

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