Announcement for a consultancy Project Proposal Developer/writer

Background

The Finnish Refugee Council (FRC) is an international Non-Governmental Organization that has been working in Ethiopia since 2019. FRC works globally with refugees, IDPs, returnees, hosting and receiving communities to promote equality, livelihoods and peaceful development in post-conflict environments and prolonged refugee crisis. FRC’s strategic interventions in Ethiopia focuses on strengthening coping, resilience, and self-reliance of refugees, IDPs and hosting communities in different parts of Ethiopia. This is done through facilitating access to inclusive education and livelihoods opportunities and providing protective life saving and protection in post conflict situations. Components of FRC’s Ethiopia Country Programme are: 1. Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) / vocational training to expand target groups’ livelihood opportunities and expansion of gainful employment/enterprise opportunities; 2. Gender Based Violence Prevention, mitigation, and response and women empowerment; 3. Humanitarian response to meet lifesaving needs and provide new beginnings to IDPs, returnees and hosting communities. 

Current donors are the Finnish Government MFA and BPRM. The portfolio is expected to grow in scope and diversity as FRC expands its operations in Ethiopia. 

Purpose 

Finnish Refugee Council in Ethiopia requires a proposal writer/ project developer and English writer/editor Consultant for six months who can contribute to the drafting and finalization of high-quality proposals, briefing as well as technical notes. The consultant will support in the writing and editing of key concept notes and full applications, some other communication products to be agreed in consultation, and, as per need, donor and external reports. 

The consultant will report to the Country Director (CD) and will work across programme teams to deliver high quality outputs in a timely and effective manner. The consultant will be expected to prioritize competing deliverables and be able to work to meet strict deadlines without compromising the quality of the products. 

The consultant will support with the following areas of work as per need:

Through the CD, overall support to FRC’s Programme Specialists, technical officers, and field teams on: 

• Conducting desk reviews of specific sectoral issues 

• Production and editing of key concept notes and full proposals to a high quality.

• Editing of donor reports, and other key project related documentation as agreed with the CD.

• Facilitating to produce high quality donor reports if surge support is required (as assigned by Country Director). 

• Writing and editing of selected external communications (including short issue- and project - based stories based on existing research and project activities) and other related communication products in consultation with technical officers and M&E Specialist.

• Support in the drafting of programme/project briefing notes. 

Deliverables &Timetable

The provision of the Services is to commence from 1st of October 2024 to 30th of March 2025 unless this agreement starts later than this date or is terminated early in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. During that period, the total maximum number of working days is estimated to be 30 days. The exact working days will be agreed between the FRC’s Country Director in Ethiopia, and the service consultant based on the actual time dedicated to the agreed tasks. 

In all cases, each task will be agreed with the consultant through clearly defined Terms of Reference (TOR) including clear deliverables within an agreed time.

Payment 

• Payment will be made monthly based on the actual days worked as per the approved time sheets. The consultant is responsible for keeping the record of days worked per month and submitting a monthly timesheet at the end of each month

Consultant’s Qualifications & Requirements

• Higher Education (at least at master’s degree level) in communications, journalism, social sciences, international development, or any other relevant field.

• Excellent English writing skills, with a strong ability to summarize content in a tailored, compelling and coherent manner

• Proven track record of writing and editing high quality Concept Notes and proposals with NGOs and donors

• Ability to utilize need assessment reports, data and research findings relating to GBV/PSS, livelihoods and emergency responses to inform the proposal development

• Previous proposal writing experience for Call for Proposals launched by main institutional donors (e.g., EU, USAID, FCDO) and familiarity with their requirements.

• Proven track record of high-quality copy editing of products for external publication and the ability to adhere to style guidelines.

• Experience working with a variety of stakeholders with strong coordination and relationship management skills.

• Knowledge of and ability to write on humanitarian and development issues in relation to the Ethiopia and Eastern/Horn of Africa context. 

• Ability to prioritize competing demands/deadlines and deliver on work according to strict deadlines.

• Ability to work independently and coordinate with team members located in various locations.

• Availability for an estimated 5-8 working days per month. 

How To Apply

Interested applicants are asked to submit their CV, 2-3 examples of original writing, including some concept notes or proposals, 

and their daily consultancy rate (in USD) as soon as possible through

 email address: recruitment.ethiopia@refugeecouncil.fi 

by 17th October 2024

Recruitment will be on a rolling basis, so applicants are encouraged to apply early.Selected candidates will be notified and asked to participate in an interview and to provide professional references.