Технічний/а Експерт/ка / Grants Management System (GMS) Technical Expert (Consultant)

Kindly note that all applications should be submitted through the IOM Global Career Site (Link). Applications submitted in any other manner will not be considered. 

Annex 2 – TERMS OF REFERENCE

Consultancy Title: Grants Management System (GMS) Technical Expert (Consultant)

1. 1. Duty Station of the consultancy: Remote (home-based) with possible travel to Kyiv, Ukraine
2. Duration of consultancy: November 2025 – May 2026 (55 working days over 6 months, with 30 reserve days available based on needs)
3. Nature of the consultancy: Category B Consultancy

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission in Ukraine and the direct supervision of the Operations Coordinator (TRU), the Consultant will serve as the technical focal point and “super user” for the implementation of the Grants Management System (GMS) for TRU projects. The Consultant will validate technical deliverables from external developers, ensure system quality and integration with IOM corporate systems, and provide technical assurance throughout the development, testing, and deployment phases leading to the February 2026 go-live date.

1. Project Context and Scope:

The Consultant will support TRU projects titled “Hromada Reconstruction and Empowerment Facility (HREF)” funded by Germany’s KfW Development Bank and the “Reconstruction and Localisation Efforts in Hromadas” project funded by Canada. These projects require implementation of a contextualized Grants Management System (GMS) to manage grant applications, capacity assessments, and partner management across 13 Oblasts and 27 hromadas in Ukraine. The GMS development involves implementation of 52 user stories in Phase 1 through an external vendor (GMS developers), requiring specialized technical oversight by an in house “super user” to ensure quality, prevent costly rework, and maintain the compressed timeline.

1. Organizational Department/Unit to which the Consultant is contributing:

Transition and Recovery Unit (TRU)

The Consultant will function as IOM’s dedicated technical resource committed to ensuring developer success by:

• Serving as the primary technical focal point for the vendor, providing minimum 2-hour daily availability for requirement clarifications and technical guidance.
• Ensuring 48-hour turnaround on all technical decisions and clarifications to prevent development delays.
• Translating between IOM business processes and technical requirements without learning curves, leveraging institutional knowledge of IOM systems.
• Bridging communications between IOM HQ ICT and the vendor, eliminating the 5-week response cycles that previously delayed implementation.
• Providing rapid test scenario configuration and UAT coordination based on deep understanding of IOM workflows.
• Supporting data migration requirements leveraging knowledge of existing IOM Ukraine systems (MEAP, PDMS 2).
• Guiding WAVE and GMS integration requirements based on specialized expertise in IOM corporate system interoperability.
• Support stress testing activities with the TRU team to validate system performance under realistic load conditions .
• Providing hands-on technical support during the initial pilot launch with selected CSOs, ensuring smooth rollout and rapid issue resolution.
• Coordinating with pilot users to capture technical feedback and translate it into actionable requirements for the vendor.

1. Category B Consultants: Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment

Category B Consultant hired to deliver the following outputs aligned with GMS development milestones:

PHASE 1: FOUNDATION AND DESIGN VALIDATION (November 2025 – December 2025) - 20 working days

• Deliverable 1.1: Technical architecture validation report
  • Comprehensive review of system architecture against 52 Phase 1 user stories
  • Database schema assessment for scalability
  • API design and integration plan validation
  • Security architecture review (OWASP compliance)
  • Technical risk register with mitigation strategies

Delivery: 30 November 2025

• Deliverable 1.2: Design Phase Sign-off Documentation
  • Validation of UI/UX mockups against user requirements
  • Authentication/authorization implementation review
  • Data model verification for grant workflow support
  • Integration points mapping with WAVE/GMS systems if necessary
  • Go/No-go recommendation for development phase

Delivery: 31 December 2025

PHASE 2: DEVELOPMENT VALIDATION PHASE (January 2026 – February 2026) - 20 working days

• Deliverable 2.1: Core Module Validation Report
• Code quality assessment of implemented user stories (stories 1-26)
• Capacity assessment module implementation review (manual entry)
• Workflow engine validation for parallel processing
• Performance benchmarks establishment
• Critical issues log with required fixes

     Delivery: 15 January 2026

• Deliverable 2.2: Feature Complete Validation Report
• Validation of remaining user stories (stories 27-52)
• Consortium management functionality review
• Offline capability technical assessment
• Ukrainian localization implementation verification
• Integration testing results with IOM systems

   Delivery: 31 January 2026

PHASE 3: TESTING AND DEPLOYMENT READINESS (February 2026) - 10 working days

• Deliverable 3.1: User Acceptance Testing (UAT) Validation Report
• UAT test case coverage verification
• Critical bug resolution confirmation
• Performance testing results (load, stress, scalability)
• Security penetration testing results review
• System stability metrics

   Delivery: 10 February 2026

• Deliverable 3.2: Production Readiness Certification
• Final technical acceptance documentation
• Deployment configuration validation
• Data migration verification report
• Technical handover documentation
• Go-live authorization recommendation

          Delivery: 20 February 2026

PHASE 4: POST-LAUNCH SUPPORT (March 2026 – May 2026) - 5 working days + reserve allocation

• Deliverable 4.1: Post-Launch Stabilization Report
  • Production performance monitoring results
  • Critical issue resolution tracking
  • System optimization recommendations
  • User feedback technical analysis

              Delivery: 31 March 2026

• Deliverable 4.2: Technical Sustainability Assessment
  • System maintenance requirements documentation
  • Knowledge transfer completion certification
  • Technical capacity assessment of IOM team
  • Long-term support recommendations

      Delivery: 15 May 2026

RESERVE ALLOCATION (30 days – specifically allocated for GMS Phase 2 vendor top-up):

The 30 reserve days are strategically budgeted to support the anticipated vendor contract extension when additional funding becomes available for GMS Phase 2 (automated capacity assessment module implementation). These days will be activated when:

• Vendor receives top-up funding to implement automated capacity assessment (user stories 38-48)
• Technical validation needed for BDO methodology algorithm implementation
• Review of automated scoring mechanisms and integration with third-party assessment tools
• Validation of complex automation features replacing Phase 1 manual processes

Additional uses if Phase 2 is delayed:

• Emergency technical interventions during Phase 1 critical issues
• Extended validation for complex modules if vendor struggles
• Post-launch critical issue resolution beyond planned support

This reserve structure ensures budget availability for the consultant’s essential role when Phase 2 development begins, avoiding procurement delays that would leave the vendor without technical oversight during critical automation implementation.

1. Performance indicators for the evaluation of results

Phase 1 Indicators:

• 100% of architecture components reviewed against requirements.
• Risk register identifies all critical technical risks.
• Clear go/no-go recommendation provided with evidence.

Phase 2 Indicators:

• 100% of Phase 1 user stories (52 stories) technically validated.
• Zero critical security vulnerabilities remain unaddressed.
• All high-priority bugs identified and logged for resolution.
• Database structure verified to support future Phase 2 automation.

Phase 3 Indicators:

• System passes all performance benchmarks (<2s page load, <200ms API response).
• All critical and high-priority bugs resolved before go-live.
• Production environment validated and secured.

Phase 4 Indicators:

• Knowledge transfer completed with IOM technical team.
• Sustainability plan accepted by IOM.

Overall Performance:

• All deliverables submitted on time and approved by IOM.
• Effective collaboration with external developers and IOM team.
• No major technical issues missed during validation.

Payment Schedule:

• 30% upon approval of Phase 1 deliverables (December 2025).
• 35% upon approval of Phase 2 deliverables (January 2026)
• 25% upon approval of Phase 3 deliverables and successful go-live (February 2026)
• 10% upon approval of Phase 4 deliverables (May 2026)

1. Education, Experience and/or skills required

• Education:
  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field with at least 5 years of relevant experience.

OR

• Master’s degree in relevant field with at least 3 years of relevant experience.
• Essential Technical Skills:
  • Minimum 5 years experience developing/reviewing web-based management information systems.
  • Proven expertise in enterprise application architecture.
  • Strong database design and optimization skills (MySQL/SQL Server).
  • Advanced knowledge of API development and system integration.
  • Experience with Angular/React or similar frontend frameworks.
  • Backend development expertise (ASP.NET Core/.NET or similar).
  • Security best practices and OWASP compliance knowledge.
  • Performance testing and optimization experience.
• Required IOM Systems Knowledge:
  • Deep understanding of IOM corporate systems architecture.
  • Knowledge of IOM Document Routing System (DRS).
  • Familiarity with IOM data security and compliance standards.
• Preferred Qualifications:
  • Previous experience with IOM systems development (MEAP, PDMS, or similar).
  • Grant management systems implementation experience.
  • Experience with offline-first application architecture.
  • Knowledge of Ukrainian regulatory requirements.
  • Professional certifications in relevant technologies.
• Language Requirements:

Fluency in English required.

Knowledge of Ukrainian desirable.

1. Travel required

Yes, possible travel to Kyiv for critical milestones.

1. Competencies

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.

1. How to apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications ONLY through this link Link (Position number 12061) by  30 October 2025 the latest.  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.  

IOM Careers

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the only international inter-governmental agency with a specific mandate for migration and is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration.