Strategic Advocacy Consultant

Background and Project Overview

CARE Iraq is currently running a project on Strengthening Women’s Rights Movements on the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda in three fragile contexts funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).  The project is implemented in partnership with the Women Empowerment Organization (WEO), Better World Organization (BWO), and Baghdad Women Association (BWA) to increase the influence of Women’s Rights Organizations and excluded groups of women and girls in Iraq on the UNSCR 1325 agenda on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) at the local, national, and multi-country levels.

The role of the CARE country office is to provide project coordination and organizational and technical capacity development, focusing on the WPS agenda. During the project, the three partners will take on greater leadership and responsibility, supported by long-term mentorship, coaching, and technical assistance from CARE Iraq.

Consultancy Aim and Objectives

CARE is seeking an external consultant to collaborate with three partner organizations—Better World Organization (BWO), Baghdad Women Association (BWA), and Women Empowerment Organization (WEO)—to develop technical capacity-strengthening plans focused on Strategic Advocacy. The consultancy will emphasize advocacy efforts, including the development and drafting of comprehensive advocacy plans. The consultant will work closely with representatives from these women’s rights organizations (WROs) to conduct a thorough capacity assessment and ensure the plans align with project objectives.

Deliverables

The consultant is expected to:

1. Review and update the existing advocacy plans of the WROs.
2. Conduct a capacity assessment of each WRO, focusing on their knowledge and expertise in advocacy.
3. Develop a tailored technical capacity-building plan for the WROs and share it with the CARE International in Iraq.
4. Enhance the WROs’ capacity in the identified areas through targeted training sessions and direct technical assistance based on the developed plans.
5. Maintain communication with CARE’s focal point for updates, and clarifications, and to address any challenges that may require CARE’s intervention.
6. Submit a draft report to CARE for review and feedback in two weeks duration after the training is concluded.
7. Integrate CARE’s comments and any additional findings into the draft report.
8. Finalize the report, incorporating all necessary revisions.
9. The consultant should deliver an Inception Report to CARE following the partners capacity assessment and desk review. The report should outline the consultancy’s objectives, approach, roles and responsibilities, key stakeholders, and a detailed work plan and timeline. The report, including all tools, should be provided in both English and Arabic, with the main text not exceeding ten pages.

10. Create a PowerPoint presentation in both Arabic and English that summarizes the entire process and outcomes and present it to CARE and the involved partners.

 Duration of the Assignment

1. This consultancy expects 30 working days. These working days will be disaggregated, including travel for field meetings, preparation, and report.
2. Consultancy start date and end date: Second week of October.

General Notes:

1. The external consultant shall adhere to CARE data protection rules and regulations to ensure that data are maintained and stored confidentially so that no external individual or institution can identify any specific individual in the data. Names and address information should only be made available to the consultancy team.
2. The external consultant will be responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions, approvals, insurance, and other required permits needed for data collection. These include required permits related to data collection and health and accident insurance for consultancy team members.
3. CARE will cover the costs for the venue, transportation, and accommodation for participants during the advocacy training.
4. CARE can participate in any activity (service) at any time, unannounced, to monitor the quality of the service provided.
5. The outcome of this consultancy is intellectual property for CARE Iraq. It is not allowed to be used by the “Consultant” in any format nor disseminated or announced through any media channel.
6. CARE Iraq should approve any media outlet and include and attribute credit to CARE Iraq.
7. The service provider should present a detailed work plan upon approval.

Submission Requirements

For the application to be considered the consultants must submit a technical and financial proposal to be with a detailed work plan, including a detailed budget breakdown in Iraqi Dinar including all costs associated with the consultancy. This should be submitted by major activities and line items for CARE’s review and decision.

The service provider should have the following qualifications:  

Educational Background:

• A master’s degree in a relevant field such as Political Science, International Relations, Law, Social Sciences, or a related discipline. A combination of education and relevant work experience may also be considered.

Experience:

• At least 5-7 years of proven experience in advocacy, capacity building, or related fields, preferably within the context of women’s rights organizations (WROs) or civil society organizations (CSOs).
• Demonstrated experience in conducting capacity assessments, developing capacity-building plans, and delivering tailored training programs.
• Previous experience working in conflict or post-conflict settings, with a strong understanding of the local context, particularly in Iraq or the Middle East region, is highly desirable.
• Experience working with international organizations or NGOs, especially those focused on equality between women and men equality, women’s empowerment, or human rights.

 Skills and Competencies:

• Strong expertise in communication, advocacy strategies, tools, and best practices, particularly within the framework of organizational policies and procedures.
• Excellent training and facilitation skills, with the ability to adapt content to different audiences and cultural contexts.
• Strong analytical and assessment skills, with the ability to translate findings into actionable plans.
• Proficiency in both English and Arabic, with excellent written and verbal communication skills in both languages.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders and work collaboratively.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, prioritize effectively, and meet deadlines.

 Other Requirements:

• Willingness and ability to travel to field locations ( Neinwa, Salah Al-Din, and Anbar) if necessary noting that all the travel-related costs and access will be the consultant’s responsibility.
• A strong commitment to equality between women and men, women’s rights, and the principles of Women, Peace, and Security (WPS).
• Familiarity with CARE’s work or similar organizations is an advantage.

Applicants should send their application (CV, a technical and financial proposal to be with a detailed work plan, including a detailed budget breakdown in Iraqi Dinar including all costs associated with the consultancy) to [email protected]  by 28th September 2024 at the latest. Regrettably, applications received after this date will not be considered.

-CARE has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and child abuse. CARE takes all concerns and complaints about sexual harassment, exploitation and sexual abuse as well as child abuse by CARE staff and related personnel very seriously. CARE International has therefore drawn up the CARE International Safeguarding Policy on Protection from Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse, and Child Abuse CARE staff and its related personnel must adhere to CARE’s core values which are Transformation, Integrity, Diversity, Equality, and Excellence.

-For any inquiries regarding this position, please contact CARE Iraq HR Manager through [email protected]