Consultant at Women for Women International

Overview

• The Terms of Reference for the consultancy are to review existing legal and policy frameworks related to Gender-Based Violence and develop a community-centred GBV Framework that strengthens the leadership role of community and faith-based women in abolishing harmful social norms and traditional practices in Bokkos and Jos East Local Government Areas of Plateau State.

Description

• This term of reference is to identify and engage a consultant or consultancy firm to engage Traditional, religious, and community stakeholders to understand existing laws and develop a gender-based violence (GBV) framework. This will enable structured systemic change and strengthen collective community accountability whilst mobilizing Paramount rulers and key TRC stakeholders to abolish social norms and harmful gender attitudes in Bokkos and Jos East Local Government Areas of Plateau State.
• Women for Women International in Nigeria (WfWI-Nigeria) is seeking an experienced gender-based violence “He4She” qualified legal consultant or consultancy firm for a short-term project to engage TRCs in understanding existing laws and to develop a GBV community framework document/manual.
• This framework will create a community-led system for the abolition of social norms and traditional practices and strengthen protective mechanisms by empowering local actors to drive lasting behavior and social norm change (from police, traditional and Religious Leaders, wives of traditional/religious leaders, men allies, graduates CSOs, etc.) and mobilize these stakeholders to collectively address violence in two target Local Government Areas (Jos East and Bokkos). By strengthening collective community stakeholder accountability for addressing GBV in the target communities, we anticipate this will lead to changes in social norms and reductions in GBV. This would complement our existing work at the individual and household levels.

The Consultant shall:

• Engage with the WfWI project team to understand the project scope, objectives, expectations, methodology, timelines, and deliverables.
• Conduct a comprehensive desk review of relevant national, state, and community-level laws, policies, research, GBV frameworks, guidelines, and existing interventions, including relevant traditional and community structures.
• Assess the GBV prevention and response landscape in Bokkos and Jos East LGAs, identifying gaps, opportunities, barriers, existing practices, and community structures relevant to GBV prevention and response.
• Develop a consultation methodology and facilitate stakeholder consultations and community dialogues with relevant stakeholders, including Paramount Rulers, TRC leaders, women leaders, faith-based leaders, community representatives, and other key stakeholders. The Consultant will gather, analyze, and document stakeholder perspectives and recommendations. WfWI will provide coordination and logistical support, including facilitating access to identified stakeholders and communities.
• Analyze findings from the desk review and stakeholder consultations and use the evidence generated to inform the development of the Community-led GBV Prevention Framework.
• Design and develop a context-specific Community-led GBV Prevention Framework for Bokkos and Jos East LGAs, incorporating practical strategies for community ownership, sustainability, accountability, leadership engagement, prevention of harmful norms and practices, and community-led action.
• Develop recommendations for strengthening women-led advocacy and community action to address harmful gender norms, practices, and other drivers of GBV.
• Present preliminary findings and the draft framework to the WfWI team for technical review and discussion, and incorporate relevant feedback.
• Facilitate a stakeholder validation process for the draft framework. WfWI will support stakeholder mobilization, invitations, logistics, and coordination of the validation sessions.
• Revise and finalize the framework based on stakeholder feedback and validation outcomes, ensuring that the final document is evidence-based, practical, contextually appropriate, locally owned, and implementable.
• Present the final Community-led GBV Prevention Framework to WfWI, including key findings, recommendations, and proposed implementation considerations.
• Present the final framework at the high-level Paramount Rulers’ Roundtable, providing the technical overview and facilitating discussion towards community leadership and endorsement.

Expected Deliverables
The Consultant is expected to deliver the following:

• Inception Report: Outlining the proposed methodology, stakeholder engagement approach, work plan, key activities, deliverables, timelines, and any assumptions or risks identified at the outset of the assignment.
• Desk Review Report: Presenting findings from the review and analysis of relevant national, state, and community-level laws, policies, frameworks, guidelines, research, and existing GBV prevention and response mechanisms.
• Stakeholder Consultation Report: Documenting the consultation process, stakeholders engaged, key findings, community perspectives, identified gaps and opportunities, and recommendations emerging from the consultations.
• Draft Community-led GBV Prevention Framework: A context-specific framework for Bokkos and Jos East LGAs, incorporating practical strategies for community ownership, leadership engagement, accountability, sustainability, prevention of harmful norms and practices, and community-led action.
• Validation Workshop Report: Documenting the validation process, participants, key feedback, areas of consensus and concern, and recommendations for strengthening the draft framework.
• Final Community-led GBV Prevention Framework: A revised and finalized framework incorporating relevant feedback from WfWI and stakeholders and reflecting the realities, priorities, and capacities of communities in Bokkos and Jos East LGAs.
• Final Consultancy Report: Summarizing the overall methodology, activities undertaken, key findings, lessons learned, recommendations, and practical implementation considerations for operationalizing and sustaining the Community-led GBV Prevention Framework.

Methodology
The consultant is expected to adopt participatory approaches, including:

• Literature and document review
• Key informant interviews
• Stakeholder consultations
• Focus group discussions
• Participatory workshops
• Validation meetings

Duration of Assignment

• The assignment is expected to be completed within 9 months of the contract signing date.

Reporting and Supervision:

• The consultant will report directly to the Social Empowerment Manager and work closely with the project team throughout the assignment.

Required Qualifications and Experience
The Consultant should possess:

• A Master’s Degree in Gender Studies, Law, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, International Development, or a related field.
• Must have 7-10 years of demonstrated professional experience in GBV prevention and response, gender equality, social and behavioural norm change, policy or framework development, and community engagement.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and developing GBV-related frameworks, strategies, policies, guidelines, or community action plans, preferably using participatory and community-led approaches.
• Strong knowledge of Nigeria's legal and policy framework on GBV, women's rights, safeguarding, and protection, including relevant state-level legislation and mechanisms.
• Demonstrated understanding of gender norms, power dynamics, harmful social and cultural practices, and community-level drivers of GBV.
• Proven experience engaging and facilitating dialogue with traditional institutions, faith-based organizations, community leaders, women's groups, government stakeholders, and other relevant actors.
• Demonstrated experience conducting qualitative research, stakeholder consultations, community dialogues, and analysis, with the ability to translate findings into practical recommendations and frameworks.
• Excellent facilitation, analytical, communication, and report-writing skills, with demonstrated ability to produce high-quality technical documents for diverse audiences.
• Experience developing frameworks that promote community ownership, accountability, sustainability, leadership engagement, and locally led action.
• Strong understanding of conflict-sensitive, participatory, gender-responsive, and culturally appropriate approaches to community engagement.
• Knowledge and demonstrated experience working in Plateau State or other conflict-affected or culturally diverse contexts in Nigeria will be an added advantage.
• Experience working with international NGOs, development partners, or donor-funded programs will be an added advantage.

Budget and Timeline

• The total budget for this assignment is USD 8,800. This should cover all costs associated with the assignment.
• A budget must be included in the application, demonstrating the distribution of spending across all deliverables /activities. Please detail all costs.
• This assignment needs to be completed on a fast timeline, with a start date of November 2, 2026, and an end date of August 27, 2027.
• Please provide your proposed timing of the key steps and objectives to achieve the project within this timeline.

Essential Skills / Experience

• Demonstrated technical expertise in GBV, gender equality, social norms, and gender-specific issues, including an understanding of the drivers and consequences of GBV at community level.
• Proven experience applying community-led and social norms change approaches, with a strong understanding of community power dynamics and approaches that promote sustainable, locally owned action.
• Demonstrated experience in designing community-level frameworks, strategies, tools, training materials, or action plans addressing GBV, gender equality, or related social issues.
• Strong knowledge of GBV policies, advocacy, and prevention approaches at community, state, and national levels, with the ability to translate policy and evidence into practical community-level interventions.
• Demonstrated experience conducting research, desk reviews, stakeholder consultations, community dialogues, and qualitative analysis, particularly in conflict-affected or post-conflict contexts.
• Ability to identify and synthesize relevant evidence, research findings, lessons learned, and best practices and translate them into contextually appropriate recommendations and framework content.
• Demonstrated ability to develop participatory assessment tools, pre- and post-assessment instruments, implementation/action plans, and other tools required to support framework implementation and monitoring.
• Knowledge and experience applying participatory, gender-sensitive, culturally responsive, and inclusive approaches to community engagement and adult learning.
• Strong written and oral communication skills in Hausa and English, with the ability to facilitate discussions effectively with diverse community stakeholders.
• Excellent analytical, technical writing, facilitation, and presentation skills, with demonstrated ability to communicate complex gender and GBV issues clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to work effectively with traditional, religious, community, women-led, and other local structures, while navigating power dynamics and cultural sensitivities.
• Demonstrated ability to adapt approaches to different community contexts and incorporate local knowledge, perspectives, and priorities into program design.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to work independently, manage multiple deliverables, and meet tight deadlines within the timeframe specified in the ToR.
• Demonstrated experience working on women's rights, gender equality, GBV prevention, or related issues in Nigeria is strongly preferred.
• Preference will be given to Nigerian consultants/consulting teams or consultants based in the region, provided they demonstrate the required technical expertise and can deliver within the approved budget and timeline.

Application Requirements
Interested consultants should submit:

• Technical proposal
• Financial proposal
• Updated CV
• Evidence of previous similar assignments
• Two references
• Sample of relevant work (if available).