Data and Socioeconomic Analysis Specialist/Consultant - Absorptive Capacity (Consultancy)

Position Title: Data and Socioeconomic Analysis Specialist - Absorptive Capacity Report Duty Station: Kabul, Afghanistan Expected Start Date of Deployment: 15 September 2026 Deployment Duration: 3 months, 16 days Organizational Context and Scope: Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission in Afghanistan and the direct supervision of the Senior Programme Coordinator, DTM, and in close coordination with relevant IOM Afghanistan, regional and headquarters colleagues, the incumbent will support the development of a flagship analytical report: (1) Beyond the Numbers: Afghanistan's Capacity to Absorb Large-Scale Returns. The incumbent will develop the quantitative evidence base, indicators, district typology and reproducible analytical package for Beyond the Numbers: Afghanistan's Capacity to Absorb Large-Scale Returns. The incumbent will begin data inventory, harmonization and exploratory work immediately and proceed in parallel with the Senior Research and Policy Specialist. Maps will be produced in-house using validated geographic data and specifications prepared by the incumbent. The incumbent will work as part of a parallel two-person report team and coordinate closely with the corresponding research or analytical specialist. IOM's in-house information management and GIS teams will support approved data access, validation and map production. All work must comply with IOM standards on data protection, confidentiality, ethical analysis and information security. Where advanced analytics or artificial intelligence-assisted methods are used, they must remain transparent, proportionate, subject to human review and consistent with IOM standards; sensitive or personally identifiable data must not be entered into unauthorized tools or environments. Responsibilities and Accountabilities: Compile an inventory of approved datasets and assess access, coverage, definitions, geographic units, temporal alignment, missingness and comparability to establish a defensible analytical base. Clean, harmonize, merge and document relevant ACVA, RRM, population, return, displacement and secondary datasets using reproducible workflows and clear metadata. Develop and test indicators covering demographic pressure, service access, livelihoods, vulnerability and resilience and document definitions, assumptions, weighting and limitations. Construct and sensitivity-test a district...