Consultant

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.

Time Frame

Activity/deliverable	Timing
Contracts signed	October 27 2026
WfWI briefs the consultant about the scope of work	November 9, 2026
WfWI shares the community baseline findings on norms that drive GBV in Bokkos and Jos East with the consultant.	November 9, 2026
The consultant produces the inception report, and WfWI-Nigeria approves it. This report will provide a clear work plan for developing the framework and engaging TRCs to understand existing GBV laws, dialogue sessions, and other materials, including dates and any instruments (tools) for information/feedback gathering in the community.	November 23, 2026
Content development - development of different approaches and methodologies using participatory facilitation skills for engagement of TRCs, dialogue discussion approach	November 24 -December 7, 2026
The consultant works with 90 TRC leaders for a three-day peer learning dialogue in the two Local Government Areas to understand the relevant existing laws about GBV, review drivers, identify GBV Champions, and develop the framework/pre/post assessment during training and over the longer course of the project	December 9, 2026 -Feb 10, 2027
The consultant works with the GBV champions (TRC leaders) in the two L.G.A to collect feedback from the engagements and dialogues to inform a community-led GBV prevention framework	Feb 15-March 19, 2027
Consultant submits the first draft of the developed GBV framework document.	March 22-April 12, 2027
Two-day presentation of the developed framework to TRC at Bokkos and Jos East L.G. A. at a workshop for WfWI staff, local partners, and community stakeholders (police, traditional leaders, Change Agents, men, CSOs, etc.) -including group facilitation to support staff and partners' program planning activities	April 19-May 14, 2027
Consultant holds a validation session of the draft GBV Framework with TRC, community stakeholders including CSOs), and the WfWI team and submits the finalized framework to paramount rulers for approval.	May 17 -26, 2027
Final submission of detailed consultancy report and handover of the GBV framework	July 26, 2027

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).

Application Closing Date
28th September, 2026.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should submit the following:

• A proposal that is a maximum of 10 pages, single-spaced, to include:
  • Your qualifications for the project,
  • Relevant work experience, especially conducting work in Plateau State, Nigeria, or similar locations
  • Proposed approach, methodologies, and measurement techniques to use
  • Timeline and work plan discussing your approach to producing the main deliverables described above, including the Gantt chart
  • Anticipated challenges and solutions
  • Budget, in USD and Naira, including all estimated costs and time allocations for personnel. (Detail all costs; no %-based indirect costs line), travel, accommodation, materials, etc
  • 1 or 2 examples of similar work completed, including methodology and final report/presentation products.
  • 2 references that can be contacted to vouch for your technical expertise and financial management.
  • CV/Resume for project lead and any other relevant team members.

Applicants should please submit their proposal by email to:  with the subject line “Support for leadership of community and faith-based women in the abolition of social norms and traditional practices in Bokkos & Jos local government areas of Plateau State”.

Note:  Candidates can also send any questions to the email address above and include the same subject line.

Share this job: