EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

Lead Technical Adviser — Learning and Partnership Blueprint

VAWG Sustainability Partnership Programme — Zimbabwe

This is an Expression of Interest (EOI). It provides an outline of the assignment to identify suitable advisers. A fuller brief will be shared with shortlisted candidates. The programme and this assignment are subject to confirmation of grant award.

1. Background

Women’s rights organisations (WROs) in Zimbabwe face a sharp contraction in international funding alongside sustained demand for violence against women and girls (VAWG) prevention and response services. In response, a leading Zimbabwean WRO is testing practical ways to diversify its income, including through corporate partnership, paid services and giving.

Under a Donor-funded grant (August 2026 – March 2027), the WRO, a Zimbabwean private-sector partner and CAFOD will pilot a model for mobilising domestic resources for VAWG and strengthening the WRO’s longer-term financial sustainability. A core aim of the programme is to capture transferable learning from the partnership for the wider sector.

2. Purpose of the assignment

The Lead Technical Adviser (LTA) will provide technical assistance to the partnership to produce credible, usable and ethically sound learning from the partnership that (a) informs the WRO’s income strategy, (b) is transferable to other Zimbabwean WROs and private-sector organisations, and (c) meets Donor reporting and quality expectations.

The assignment is advisory and productive, not supervisory: the WRO retains decision-making authority over programme priorities, evidence and external communications throughout.

3. Scope of work

The LTA is expected to lead or oversee the following. Detailed methodology will be agreed with the partners at inception.

3.1 Financial safety study

The financial safety study maps risks of economic abuse within digital services, inbound remittances, and physical cash collection to improve staff practices, customer protection, and product development. The study will provide actionable, sector-wide findings to help financial providers and women’s rights organisations prevent financial abuse.

3.2 Learning study

Design and oversee a bounded, qualitative study on financial safety and economic abuse in the Zimbabwean context, synthesising existing research and limited primary consultation. The LTA will co-design the study with the partners, oversee delivery, and advise on the most appropriate route for delivery and dissemination, including an internal output for the private-sector partner and an agreed external learning product.

3.3 Partnership blueprint

Lead the design, synthesis and quality assurance of a partnership blueprint: a practical, step-by-step account of how the partnership was built, written for other WROs and private-sector organisations to adapt. It will draw on reflection records, work products and partner interviews, and will include a corporate-facing business case and a corporate engagement toolkit.

3.4 Structured partner reflections

Design and facilitate two structured reflections (at approximately three and five months) at which the partners review progress, agree adaptations, and record decisions, learning and actions. The LTA will produce a concise record after each; these form the programme’s principal documented evidence of progress and feed Donor reporting and the blueprint.

3.5 Peer exchange and learning event

Support the partners to design and facilitate a peer exchange event towards the end of the programme, including session design, facilitation and capture of feedback for the final learning products.

3.6 Cross-cutting technical assistance

• Technical coordination and oversight across the programme’s workstreams, ensuring that evidence generated feeds the learning products.
• Technical review of, and advice on, key work products where requested.
• Support to results tracking and evidence compilation ahead of each reflection.
• Technical inputs to Donor reporting as requested.

4. Approach and principles

• WRO-led: the WRO retains authority over priorities, evidence and external communications; the LTA advises and produces to its direction.
• Co-created: study and consultation methodologies are agreed with the partners so they fit the operating context.
• Survivor-centred and ethical: informed consent, confidentiality, safe recruitment, trained facilitation, data minimisation and confirmed referral pathways apply to all research and consultation. No identifiable individual information from consultations or counselling will be shared with the private-sector partner.
• Inclusive: attention to differences across gender, age, disability, caring responsibilities, role and documentation status; accessible materials and formats, including in Shona and Ndebele as required.
• Proportionate: outputs must be bounded, practical and usable within an eight-month pilot.

5. Indicative deliverables

6. Level of effort and fees

The assignment is indicatively budgeted at up to 88 days at an agreed day rate over the period August 2026 – March 2027. Fees are payable against accepted deliverables. Travel, accommodation and other reimbursable costs will be agreed in advance and reimbursed at cost against receipts, in line with CAFOD procurement and donor-eligible cost guidance.

7. Management and reporting

• The LTA is contracted and managed by CAFOD (Country Representative), in close collaboration with the CAFOD Head of Programmes and the WRO.
• The LTA will participate in the monthly partnership meeting as required, and will lead the two structured reflections.
• Escalation of technical or ethical concerns is to CAFOD in the first instance, and to the partnership meeting where a partner decision is required.

8. Required qualifications and experience

Essential:

• Substantial senior experience (minimum 10 years) in gender equality and VAWG programme design, research and evaluation.
• Demonstrated experience designing and delivering qualitative research in VAWG or GBV contexts, including ethical review, survivor-centred protocols and safe fieldwork practice.
• Experience producing practical, transferable learning products for civil society audiences.
• Strong facilitation skills, including structured partner reflection and multi-stakeholder events.
• Ability to work across civil society and corporate cultures and to write credibly for a corporate audience.
• Understanding of economic abuse, financial services, remittances or digital financial inclusion.
• Understanding of issues relating to NGO sustainability and organisational change.
• Excellent written English.

Desirable:

• Experience in Zimbabwe or the Southern Africa region, and familiarity with local ethical review processes.
• Experience of Donor-funded programmes and reporting requirements.
• Experience working with partnership organisations and/or faith-based organisations.
• Working knowledge of Shona and/or Ndebele.

9. Safeguarding, ethics and confidentiality

• The consultant must comply with CAFOD’s safeguarding and code of conduct policies, and will be subject to CAFOD’s due diligence and pre-contract checks.
• Personal data will be collected only where necessary, stored securely and accessed only by authorised personnel. No identifiable survivor material may be used in any learning, fundraising or communications product.
• Intellectual property, ownership of outputs and confidentiality will be governed by CAFOD’s standard consultancy terms, confirmed at contracting. [CAFOD to insert standard IP and confidentiality clauses.]
• Any conflict of interest, including current or prior engagements with financial-service providers relevant to this assignment, must be declared at expression of interest.

10. How to express interest

Interested advisers are invited to submit a short expression of interest comprising:

• A brief statement of suitability and proposed approach (maximum 2 pages).
• CV(s) of the proposed adviser and any associates.
• An indicative day rate.
• Send to: ephiri@cafod.org.uk
• Deadline: 5^th of August 2026