consultant-influencing strategy consultancy

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.

The Role:

    1. Background

Oxfam is an international confederation counting 17 organizations working together with partners and local communities in more than 90 countries.

Oxfam has been working in Iraq since the 1990s with both an expanding and contracting presence. In 2014, Oxfam established its first office in Mosul when the conflict with ISIS began and the country was thrown into a new humanitarian crisis, in an already fragile context. In 2021, Oxfam is amongst the largest NGOs operating in the country. With nine offices and almost 200 employees.

Oxfam in Iraq's strategy is shaped around 3 key pillars 1) Humanitarian response 2) Governance and 3) Equality. Within each of these pillars, intervention covers the following sectors: Emergency Food Security and Vulnerable Livelihoods, Water and Sanitation and Hygiene, Gender and Protection, Emergency lifesaving support, and Local Humanitarian Leadership.

In this framework, Oxfam in Iraq has recently launched a new project, Masarouna, aiming at supporting young people’s advocacy to achieve their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).  The program is implemented in six countries/territories of the MENA region. Masarouna identifies two main interlinked pathways to achieve the desired change. Pathway 1 is focused on the direct influencing of decision-makers and society to address inadequate legislation and harmful traditional social and cultural norms through strengthened youth engagement. Pathway 2 is focused on strengthening civil society, reclaiming civic space, and formation of new partnerships and alliances.

In the specific context of Iraq, young people face a series of challenges that limit their full enjoyment of SRHR: lack of evidence-based information about SRHR, limited access to information, lack of YP-friendly SRHR services, discrimination etc...

In this context, the Masarouna project in Iraq supports YP in accessing comprehensive information about SRHR, with a specific geographical focus on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Through increased knowledge and the building of alliances and solidarity, Masarouna in Iraq will equip YP individuals to demand their SRHR and create a supportive environment to enjoy them.

    2. Influencing under the Masarouna project

Under the Masarouna project, Oxfam in Iraq and the project partners will be working with Young People (YP) to influence decision-makers and different actors of society to address legislation and transform social norms. In addition to creating a lasting systemic and behavioral change while addressing root causes and barriers preventing YP from claiming their SRHR. Furthermore, it will work toward mobilizing, engaging, and building relationships with the communities we work with, starting from the designing process and up to the implementation of the project influencing Strategy. The project influencing work will also include knowledge sharing, creating spaces for engagement and dialogue, and building networks and alliances.

Overall, the influencing work with partners and allies under the project will aim to:

• Cultivate active citizenship by working with young people, underrepresented groups, and social movements to increase their participation in decision-making spaces and secure their rights.
• Provide young people with knowledge and skills to participate in decision-making spaces and work with citizens, partners, civil society, and duty bearers to better engage with young people.
• Shift narratives on SRHR issues that concern young people in MENA to open space for policy change through communications, media networking, and the use of influence.
• Transform public and official attitudes, social norms, and behaviors of the public and officials that deny SRHR and prevent policy implementation.
• Link national-level youth-led activities to relevant regional and global influencing activities within the domain of Gender Justice and SRHR.

     3. Purpose

The Consultancy's overall objective is to develop an Iraq contextualized SRHR influencing strategy for the Masarouna project to support the design and implementation of the influencing interventions under the project. This will include the activities implemented by the Oxfam team and the project partners.

    4. Methodology

The Consultant is expected to develop the Strategy through the following methodology:

• Study the already available documentation on SRHR within the context of Iraq and KRI. Documentation consists of Masarouna baseline documents, Masarouna global influencing strategy.
• Conduct an additional comprehensive and extensive desk review on SRHR within the context of Iraq and KRI. This should include specifications of the context, gaps, and opportunities. The context analysis should provide strong insights into the social, cultural, religious, and legal environment in which SRHR exists in Iraq and KRI. It will also provide a comprehensive analysis of stakeholders and YP’s perception, understanding, and ability to advocate for their SRHR rights.
• Conduct consultation meetings, which will guide the development of the Strategy, with different stakeholders, including:
• members of national civil society,
• members of the international community,
• different and diverse groups of the community, including YP,
• Oxfam team includes the project team in Iraq, regional teams, and relevant members of Oxfam affiliates,
• relevant authorities' representatives,
• Conduct 2-3 workshops with identified stakeholders, mainly Oxfam team, Oxfam partners, and YP, and relevant members of the national civil society, and the international community if relevant to develop the Strategy's objective and framework. The number of workshops can be adjusted according to the consultant's work plan.
• Develop a comprehensive influencing strategy with, but not limited to, clear objectives, stakeholder analysis, messages and indicators, and risk analysis.
• The Consultant will present the draft strategy through a validation work plan with the representatives of the groups who were part of the consultation meetings.

Oxfam will provide all relevant documents under the Masarouna project, including the project proposal, baseline assessment, and an in-depth analysis carried out by the implementing partners.

   5. Deliverables

The Consultant is expected to commit to the following deliverables:

• Inception report outlining the methodological approach and detailed understanding of the assignment (max. 10 pages).
• Comprehensive and complete influencing strategy. The structure and content of the Strategy will need to be agreed on beforehand with Oxfam team.
• At least 3 consultation sessions/meetings with stakeholders, partners and YP's representatives
• At least 1 validation workshop.
• Debriefing session with Oxfam team.
• A final report indicating the summary of the activities, achievements, challenges, and lessons learned.

    6. Supervision and Management

The Masarouna Project Manager in coordination with the Policy, Advocacy, and Communications Manager, who will provide technical and practical supervision of the assignment.

    7. Logistics and Constraints

Oxfam will be responsible for covering the following costs:

• The venue, meals, and other needs for implementing the consultation meetings and workshops..
• Media & photos etc.
• Follow-up on action plans developed and status of scaling.

The Consultant will be responsible for covering the following costs:

• All transportation and logistics-related costs for the Consultant and the team if valid.
• Accommodation throughout the duration.
• Stationary and other material support that are required during the training.
• In the case of an international consultant, visa and tickets.

The Consultant will be paid the agreed rate upon satisfactory completion of the assignment, including submission of deliverables and reports as per the below schedule:

• 40% will be paid upon signing the contract.
• 40% will be paid upon delivering the training.
• 20% will be paid after the submission and approval of the final reports.

    8. Time Frame

The consultancy is expected to be carried out in a period of 30 days. The timeline can be extended and the number of working days can be refined based on the Consultant's work plan, nevertheless, early delivery is considered a plus.

    9. Budget

The Consultant should submit a full financial plan, considering the financial elements mentioned in point 7.

What we are looking for

    10. Knowledge and Experience

The following key technical requirements will be taken into consideration when assessing consultants' technical competencies:

• University degree in journalism, community development and communication studies, sociology, or other relevant fields.
• The Consultant should have proven previous experience in conducting similar training and working with similar groups.
• Proven skills and experience in developing influencing strategies.
• High proficiency in understanding Iraq's context, SRHR, and influencing for it.
• Familiarity with constraints and challenges encountered while working on similar topics.
• Strong English skills, Kurdish and Arabic are recommended as policy documents and other governmental documents might be available in Kurdish or Arabic language.  

    11. Scoring criteria for selection of the service provider/consultant

We offer

This role will give you an opportunity to make a difference in career development, to act as key contributor to consultancy, to work with a group of passionate people that are specialists in their field fields etc, training and development, offer fair pay and competitive benefits package.

Flexfam

We believe flexible working is key to building the Oxfam of the future, so we’re open to talking through the type of flexible arrangements which might work for you. We think this role would work particularly well as a partially home-based role or job share.

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.  In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

How to apply 

Interested individuals or consultancy firms with relevant experience and skills based on the ToR can submit their Expression of Interest (EOI), including the following:

Cover letter of no more than 1 page introducing the consultant/company and intention to deliver the assignment. The cover letter should also indicate the consultants' availability for the proposed period.

Technical proposal should provide details on the proposed methodology responding to the ToR and the deliverables in line with the competencies required for the assignment, including references to experience with similar assignments; a work plan detailing the anticipated timeline to undertake the assignment and finalize the deliverables, clearly indicating the dates of delivery; CVs of the consultant/consulting team directly involved in the assignment, including their specific roles; and three professional referees. A technical proposal should not be longer than 10 pages, excluding annexes.

Financial proposal includes a full budget of the offer, covering all major anticipated costs.

Statement on the willingness to follow Oxfam's Code of Conduct and guidance regarding safe programming.

Please submit the EOI and other documents by midnight Iraq time on the 16^th of August to procurementiraq@OXFAM.org.uk  with  Development of Iraq contextualized SRHR Influencing Strategy in the subject line. No EOIs will be accepted after the deadline.

About us

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

Oxfam GB is a member of international confederation of 21 organisations working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries. 

A thriving diverse Oxfam:

It’s people power that brings about change. To play our part as a global organisation working to overcome poverty and inequality, we need equality, diversity and inclusion across our community of staff, partners and volunteers. Together, we’re committed to becoming a more diverse workforce, better able to tackle the global challenges that face our world today.

To do that:

• We need to dismantle the unequal power structures that exist everywhere, this including Oxfam and the wider development and charity sectors.
• We need an inclusive Oxfam where everyone can bring who they are to our work and feels celebrated for the differences they bring.
• We want and need everyone, and that means we need you.

In response to Covid-19 if you are offered a role where you are required to travel between countries please ensure you have been briefed by the Hiring Manager about any changes to working or precautions you should take as part of your role.