Holy See: Emergency Strategy Consultant

Organization: Caritas
Country: Holy See, Italy
Closing date: 19 Jan 2015

Consultancy

Home-based 6 week consultancy with Caritas Internationalis.

Background

Caritas Internationalis (CI) is mid way through a process to draft a four-year strategic framework 2016-2019. To date the diagnosis phase has been successfully completed; effort is now being put into the ideas generation phase to allow the CI Executive Board to make decisions about next actions required to implement the Strategic Framework once complete. CI has defined six Strategic Framework areas; “Compassion in Action”, “Promote Integral Human Development”, “Advocacy for a Better World”, “A Stronger More Effective Confederation”, “A Poor Church for the Poor”, and “Communication”

This terms of reference outlines the effort required from the Emergency Strategy Consultant (ESC) under the “Compassion in Action” work stream. The ESC will report to the CI’s Humanitarian Director, while maintaining a close working relationship with the Strategy Framework Team (SFT) and the Humanitarian Committee (HC).

The Ideal Consultant:

For this consultancy we are looking for a senior humanitarian expert with demonstrable experience in strategy development, strong and up to date knowledge of the humanitarian sector, well versed on how large networks operate (exp. IFRC, ACT Alliance), forward thinker and excellent writer.

Strategic Framework “Compassion in Action” – Process and Outputs

The ESC will produce eight concise reports and recommendations that outline how CI could transform its emergency preparedness and response capabilities and focus over the next four years. The ESC will produce these reports by:

• Traveling to Caritas Internationalis HQ in Rome for one week, starting January 26th, to meet with the Secretary General, the Humanitarian Director, the Chair and vice-Chair of the Humanitarian Committee and other key stakeholders. During this week the ESC will:
• Produce an issues tree that disaggregates the problem for each of the below envisioned reports;
• Prioritize key questions under each ‘problem’ that need additional evidence gathering;
• Map where and how the data will be collected, and where possible conduct face to face stakeholder interviews while in Rome.
• Carrying out five weeks of home based work, conducting literature reviews, further interviews (selected Caritas member organization, donors, the UN, SCHR, SPHERE and other networks including ACT and IFRC) and drafting the eight reports. Once draft outlines are complete work with the Humanitarian Director and the Humanitarian Committee Chair and vice-Chair to assess proposed options against set criteria.
• The ESC maintaining weekly phone calls with the Humanitarian Director.

The eight reports will put forward content and proposals under the following thematic headings:

1. Profile and visibility of Caritas within the humanitarian sector
2. Coordination role of Caritas Internationalis within a Caritas Humanitarian Response
3. Supporting/accompaniment role of Caritas Internationalis members before, during and after emergencies
4. Caritas Internationalis providing Caritas thematic coordination in the areas: Humanitarian Policy and Capacity Strengthening and supporting members in the areas of protection, shelter, WASH, etc
5. Harnessing resources – human, material, financial - within the Caritas network
6. Facilitating linkages across the wider Caritas Internationalis network and creating shared understanding, synergy and joined up working.
7. Provide clarity on Caritas Internationalis Humanitarian Department function, staffing needs and organigram.
8. Funding models for emergency response (beyond Emergency Appeals)

Each report should propose recommendations which include: goals, high-level actions and projected budget implications required if CI were to invest:

1. Heavily to achieve real transformation in capacity,
2. Moderately to achieve substantial but selective change in capacity and focus
3. Minimally, leveraging existing staff and resources, but focusing on organization alignment and clarity of outcomes and interventions.

How to apply:

Please send proposal including your biography, experience in the field, terms of reference, methodology and cost (budget) to Nigel Wallace (wallace@caritas.va) and Suzanna Tkalec (tkalec@caritas.va) by Monday, January 19, 2015.