Terms of Reference (ToR) for Consultancy opportunities

Background

TIMRAN is an indigenous, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization registered by the Agency for Civil Societies Organizations in March 2020 under Ethiopia’s Civil Societies Proclamation No. 1113/2019 (Registration No. 4834). TIMRAN’s vision is to see an Ethiopia in which women take their legitimate space in public decision-making and the nation’s political affairs.

Currently, TIMRAN is implementing a project Women Lead Peace and Justice: Empowering Women Leaders and Survivors for Inclusive Peace and Transitional Justice under the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) Rapid Response Window. The project aims to strengthen women’s leadership and meaningful participation in Ethiopia’s Transitional Justice (TJ) and peace-building processes by equipping women leaders, survivors, and key professionals with the knowledge, skills, and platforms necessary to influence policy and institutional frameworks.

Ethiopia is at a critical juncture in operationalizing its Transitional Justice Policy adopted in 2024, alongside ongoing peace processes following the Pretoria Agreement and subsequent negotiations. However, women remain largely excluded from formal decision-making spaces, and survivor-centered, gender-responsive provisions are at risk of being sidelined.

The project addresses these gaps through targeted capacity-building, strategic dialogues, multi-stakeholder engagement, and knowledge-sharing initiatives that advance inclusive peace and justice processes.

Purpose of the Assignment

To engage a consultancy firm to design and deliver capacity-strengthening training for political actors, people’s representatives, survivors, and civil society organizations; and to facilitate strategic dialogue series with national actors, women peace-builders, and survivor groups. Both interventions aim to advance gender-responsive and survivor-centered Transitional Justice in Ethiopia through inclusive learning, consultation, and advocacy platforms.

Scope of Work

The consultancy firm will:

• Develop a comprehensive training curriculum and facilitation guide integrating TJ pillars, gender equality, survivor-centered approaches, and participatory adult learning methods.
• Design and deliver a 2 day capacity-strengthening training for key stakeholders, including political actors, survivors, and civil society organizations, on gender-responsive and survivor-centered TJ, and on reviewing and monitoring policy and legal frameworks for peace and TJ implementation.
• Design and facilitate two strategic dialogue sessions engaging 30 national actors, women peace-builders, and survivor groups as part of advocacy efforts for the integration of gender-responsive provisions and survivor-centered approaches in the transitional justice frameworks and to strengthen collaboration for inclusive TJ frameworks.
• Ensure inclusive and trauma-informed facilitation that enables safe participation and constructive dialogue.
• Document discussions, outcomes, and actionable recommendations from both the training and dialogue series.
• Produce a combined synthesis and outcome report summarizing key lessons, recommendations, and advocacy strategies.
• Participate in preparatory and coordination meetings with TIMRAN to ensure quality, alignment, and timely delivery.

Deliverables

• Training curriculum, facilitation guide, and materials.
• Delivery of a two-day capacity-building training and consultation
• Delivery of two strategic dialogue sessions
• Combined outcome report with lessons learned, recommendations, and advocacy strategies.
• Technical recommendations for follow-up engagement and advocacy actions.

Team Composition

The consultancy firm should propose a compact, multidisciplinary team of 3–4 experts who collectively cover the required areas of technical expertise. The team structure may vary, but it should ensure coverage of justice and legal analysis, policy analysis, gender-responsive approaches, and training/facilitation skills.

Duration & Reporting

• Period: December 2025 – March 2026.
• Reports to: TIMRAN Program Manager.

1. Payment Terms: Milestone-based payments upon approval of deliverables.
2. Submission Requirements

• Technical Proposal: Understanding of the assignment, methodology, and workplan.
• Proposed outline of training and consultation approach (submitted as part of the technical proposal).
• Financial Proposal: Applicants should submit a detailed financial proposal that provides a clear breakdown of the budget for each activity.
• Company Profile: Registration documents including valid business license and tax payers identification number (TIN), evidence of relevant/similar work, and references.
• CVs of Proposed Experts: Highlighting relevant qualifications and experience.
• Applicants must indicate the consultancy title in the email subject line when submitting their application.

Safeguarding and Ethical Considerations

TIMRAN is committed to upholding the highest standards of safeguarding, ethics, and accountability in all its operations. The consultancy team is expected to:

• Adhere to do-no-harm, survivor-centered, and trauma-informed principles in all engagements.
• Ensure that all interactions, particularly with survivors and women participants, are conducted safely, respectfully, and confidentially.
• Comply with TIMRAN’s safeguarding and ethical guidelines, as well as all applicable national and international standards related to gender-based violence, protection, and human rights.

Evaluation Criteria

Required Expertise and Experience

The proposed team should collectively demonstrate:

• Experience, and knowledge/familiarity of Transitional Justice mechanisms, accountability frameworks, and relevant legal and institutional systems in Ethiopia.
• Experience reviewing policies and legal frameworks, designing advocacy strategies, and influencing decision-making preferably in in peace, justice, and governance sectors.
• Experience in gender-responsive and survivor-centered approaches in peacebuilding or Transitional Justice contexts, and leadership therein.
• Demonstrated skills in adult learning, participatory facilitation, and multi-stakeholder dialogue design.

Background

TIMRAN is an indigenous, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization registered by the Agency for Civil Societies Organizations in March 2020 under Ethiopia’s Civil Societies Proclamation No. 1113/2019 (Registration No. 4834). TIMRAN’s vision is to see an Ethiopia in which women take their legitimate space in public decision-making and the nation’s political affairs.

Currently, TIMRAN is implementing a project Women Lead Peace and Justice: Empowering Women Leaders and Survivors for Inclusive Peace and Transitional Justice under the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) Rapid Response Window. The project aims to strengthen women’s leadership and meaningful participation in Ethiopia’s Transitional Justice (TJ) and peace-building processes by equipping women leaders, survivors, and key professionals with the knowledge, skills, and platforms necessary to influence policy and institutional frameworks.

Ethiopia is at a critical juncture in operationalizing its Transitional Justice Policy adopted in 2024, alongside ongoing peace processes following the Pretoria Agreement and subsequent negotiations. However, women remain largely excluded from formal decision-making spaces, and survivor-centered, gender-responsive provisions are at risk of being sidelined.

The project addresses these gaps through targeted capacity-building, strategic dialogues, multi-stakeholder engagement, and knowledge-sharing initiatives that advance inclusive peace and justice processes.

Purpose of the Assignment

To engage a consultancy firm to design and deliver targeted training programs, facilitate a joint learning forum, and consolidate lessons into actionable policy and advocacy outputs. Trainings will prepare participants to assume leadership roles across the pillars of Transitional Justice, Truth Seeking, Accountability, Reparations, Institutional Reform, and Reconciliation & Healing, integrating foundational Transitional Justice concepts, gender equality, and survivor-centered leadership.

Scope of Work

The consultancy firm will:

• Design and deliver 4–5 cohorts of three-day trainings for approximately 100 women leaders, judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and justice professionals, and other key experts relevant to TJ.
• As part of this assignment, the consultant is expected to develop comprehensive and replicable training modules that can be adapted for future capacity-building initiatives by TIMRAN and its partners.
• Facilitate a one-day joint forum that brings together trained women leaders, survivor groups, and legal actors to foster dialogue, collaboration, and joint advocacy priorities.
• Document and synthesize best practices and lessons emerging from the trainings and forum into a policy brief highlighting gender-responsive and survivor-centered approaches to TJ.
• Participate in key meetings, consultations, and project forums as requested by TIMRAN to ensure alignment, coordination, and shared learning across project activities.
• Work closely with TIMRAN’s team to ensure quality assurance, integration of learning, and timely delivery of outputs.

Deliverables

• Finalized, targeted, replicable training modules and facilitation guides (include a proposed outline of the training manual or curriculum)
• Design and delivery of 4–5 cohort-based capacity strengthening trainings
• Comprehensive training synthesis report (capturing lessons and outcomes from all cohorts).
• Joint forum outcome document summarizing key priorities and recommendations.
• Post-visit synthesis, best-practice report,
• Policy brief on women’s leadership and survivor-centered approaches to TJ.
• Technical recommendations for advocacy content.

Expected Team Composition

The consultancy firm is expected to propose a multidisciplinary team with complementary expertise that collectively meets the technical requirements of the assignment. The minimum team composition should include:

• Team Leader / Senior TJ Expert: 7+ years’ experience in Justice, peacebuilding, and governance; responsible for overall design and supervision including experience/familiarity/engagement in TJ.
• Gender & Women’s Leadership Specialist: 5+ years’ experience in gender equality, women’s leadership, and inclusion; ensures gender integration across all modules.
• Legal / Accountability Specialist: 5+ years’ experience in law, experience and familiarity TJ accountability mechanisms, and institutional reforms; leads sessions on legal frameworks.
• Pychosocial Expert: 5+ years’ experience in reparations, trauma-informed facilitation, and psychosocial support; leads reconciliation and healing modules.
• Training & Adult Learning Specialist: 5+ years’ experience in participatory adult learning and facilitation; ensures interactive and practical training sessions.
• Research / Policy Specialist: to supports documentation, synthesis, and policy brief development.

All team members must demonstrate relevant qualifications and experience, be available for the full assignment period, and participate in meetings, consultations, and forums as required by TIMRAN.

Additional Guidance for Applicants:

Given that Transitional Justice is a new scenario in Ethiopia, consultancies are encouraged to include modalities for engaging international or regional experts to complement local expertise where needed. This may include virtual or remote participation and does not imply international travel.

Duration & Reporting

• Period: December 2025 – March 2026.
• Reports to: TIMRAN Program Manager.

Payment Terms:

Milestone-based payments upon approval of deliverables.

Submission Requirements

• Technical Proposal: Understanding of the assignment, methodology, and workplan.
• Proposed outline of training manuals separately for each of the TJ components/pillars (submitted as part of the technical proposal).
• Financial Proposal: Applicants should submit a detailed financial proposal that provides a clear breakdown of the budget for each activity, including professional fees, facilitation costs, materials, and any other relevant expenses.
• Company Profile: Registration documents including valid business license and tax payers identification number (TIN), evidence of relevant/similar work, and references.
• CVs of Proposed Experts: Highlighting relevant qualifications and experience.
• Applicants must indicate the consultancy title in the email subject line when submitting their application.

Safeguarding and Ethical Considerations

TIMRAN is committed to upholding the highest standards of safeguarding, ethics, and accountability in all its operations. The consultancy team is expected to:

• Adhere to do-no-harm, survivor-centered, and trauma-informed principles in all engagements.
• Ensure that all interactions, particularly with survivors and women participants, are conducted safely, respectfully, and confidentially.
• Comply with TIMRAN’s safeguarding and ethical guidelines, as well as all applicable national and international standards related to gender-based violence, protection, and human rights.

Evaluation Criteria

Required Expertise

• Proven experience in gender-responsive facilitation and training.
• At least five years’ experience in adult learning and participatory methodologies.
• Demonstrated experience addressing CRGBV, GBV risk mitigation, and survivor-centered consultations.
• Familiarity and experience in Transitional Justice, peacebuilding, governance, and gender equality.
• Strong capacity for research, writing, and policy analysis.
• Familiarity with survivor-centered and trauma-informed approaches.
• Minimum of five years’ professional experience. trauma-informed facilitation is highly desirable.