RFP – Proposal Writing Coordinator – MENA

Introduction 

Diakonia is an international Faith Based development organization rooted in two churches in Sweden, the Swedish Alliance Mission and the Uniting Church in Sweden. The organization currently works through local offices in 24 countries in Africa, Latin America, Middle East and Asia by supporting local partners. Diakonia’s vision is a Just, Equal and Sustainable world. Our mission and goal are to change unfair political, economic, social and cultural structures that cause poverty, oppression, inequality and violence.

The basis for all our work is the will of people to change and improve the world. Our efforts are aimed at people whose lives are compromised by poverty, oppression and/or violence in various ways. Our strategy for change is to raise the awareness of individuals of their rights and empower vulnerable groups in society to come together and organize themselves to work for sustainable change. As a result, Diakonia organizes its strategies into the levels of knowledge/awareness, organizing, action and influence. Diakonia wants to give a voice to the poor and seeks to empower the rights holders to be the agents of change and owners of the process of demanding their rights.

We work in strong partnership with local organizations, based on common values, open dialogue and trust. With few exceptions, Diakonia does not implement projects but strengthens and empowers civil-society organizations to change their own reality. The concept of “good donor ship” is key to our work, characterized by partners’ ownership, support to partners’ own agendas and strategies and long-term predictable funding.

In each country the partners form a country program. Diakonia promotes cross fertilizations, encourages synergy and coordination within the partner group in a country program. In each country we identify central obstacles and problems within our thematic areas, as well as forces for change in civil society. We search to find our specific niches, and with whom to build strategic alliances for greater impact.

Diakonia focuses on 6 thematic/intervention areas namely Human Rights, Democracy, Gender Equality, Social & Economic Justice, Conflict and Justice and Emergency Response and Disaster Resilience.

Program Background

Diakonia Middle East and North Africa

Diakonia regional MENA office covers Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), and Egypt. The Organization also runs a regional programme for children’s literature to enhance children’s imagination, creativity and critical thinking through reading and creative writing, research, animation and use of social media.

In Egypt, Diakonia prioritizes support to reform and democratization processes, working to end gender-based violence and discrimination where women, people with disabilities and children at risk are in focus for the work of the partner organizations. Seeks to achieve lasting improvement in people’s lives, the organization supports work carried out on different levels of the Egyptian society by local civil society organizations. With the aim of promoting human rights, democracy and gender equality.

In Occupied Palestine territory, Diakonia works towards promoting peace and security, increasing respect for human rights, building local democracy, and eradicating the multidimensional aspects of poverty.  Through the partnerships with around 10 civil society and non-governmental organizations that together cover five thematic areas: Democracy, human rights, social and economic justice, gender equality and conflict and justice.

In Lebanon, Diakonia’s work aims to ensure that the rights of people living in poverty and vulnerability are respected through improved accountability, democratic culture, and gender justice. Where Diakonia seeks to increase accountability of public institutions in their fulfilment of obligations towards the most vulnerable rights holders, to improve Gender Justice through coordinated advocacy efforts of civil society organizations, and to strengthen and support civil society organizations in their mobilization and advocacy work towards sustainable and systematic change.

Scope of the Assignment

• Lead the conceptualization, development, and writing of concept notes and proposals for funding opportunities from various donors, with a focus on the EU, BPRM, SIDA, and other relevant and potential donors.
• Conduct thorough research on donor priorities, guidelines, and requirements to ensure proposals are compliant and responsive.
• Collaborate with finance, programs, monitoring and evaluation teams, and other relevant departments at Country office and Head office levels to ensure accurate budgeting and logical frameworks are included in proposals.
• Provide guidance and support to program staff on proposal development best practices, including writing techniques, donor compliance, and budgeting.
• Maintain a repository of past proposals, templates, and resources to facilitate efficient proposal development processes.
• Stay informed about trends and developments in humanitarian and development sectors, donor priorities, and funding opportunities relevant to the MENA region.

Objective of the Assignment

The Proposal Writing Consultant will be responsible for leading the development of high-quality concept notes and proposals for funding opportunities from donors such as EU, BPRM, SIDA, and others. The incumbent will work closely with program teams across the MENA region to ensure proposals are aligned with the organization’s strategic priorities and meet donor requirements.

Deliverables 

• Concept note for a proposal, a full proposal, or both based on the assigned task by Diakonia MENA Team.

Qualification of the Consultant and Team Composition

The Consultant should have the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (such as international development, humanitarian assistance, or related field). Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of [7] years of experience in proposal development for international NGOs, with a focus on the MENA region.
• Strong understanding of donor requirements and priorities, particularly EU, ECHO, BPRM, SIDA, and other relevant donors.
• Excellent writing and editing skills, with the ability to translate complex ideas into clear and compelling proposals.
• Proven ability to work effectively under tight deadlines and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Experience working collaboratively with diverse teams and stakeholders in multicultural settings.
• Knowledge of the MENA contextual details, challenges and cultural aspects.
• Proficiency in English required; proficiency in Arabic or other languages spoken in the MENA region preferred.
• Experience with budgeting and monitoring and evaluation concepts preferred.

Time schedule

• Diakonia will share a separate memo with the proposal writing coordinator for each task, this memo will include the timeframe for that specific task.
• After sharing the task with the consultant, he/she will submit the expected level of effort for that specific task.
• More specific and detailed workplan will be discussed with correspondent consultants.

Terms of Payment

Payment will be made and received in USD via bank transfer.

Contract Type

Consultancy Contract-between 2 and 6 months

Application Submission

Please submit your application via this link: https://www.impactpool.org/jobs/1087798  not later than 01 August 2024, 5:00 PM (Stockholm local time). Applications that are submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

The application should include:

Please, combine all the below requirements in a one consolidated document (preferably one .pdf file)

• A Letter stating and sharing similar experience (Cover Letter). 
• Testimonials and/or sample reports of similar assignments completed.
• CV of the consultant. 
• A description of the approach, methodology and modalities for implementing the assignment, with gender mainstreaming, following the Terms of Reference. 
• Action plan to meet the deliverables.
• Cost Proposal with breakdown of cost. All costs shall include VAT.  Please note that local tax laws apply based on the consultant’s location. It is the consultant’s responsibility to comply with all local tax regulations.

For questions ONLY, please email [email protected] and CC [email protected]. the emails must be in English and reference the subject heading. Please, DO NOT use these emails to submit your application.

Kindly note that we are only considering and accepting applications via the link on impactpool.org. Any applications using other channels will not be considered.

Applications and interviews may start before the end of the application period and therefore reviewed on a rolling basis.  

 National & International service providers are welcome to apply.

Important: Diakonia has ZERO tolerance to breaches related to Safeguarding, fraud and corruption