Research Consultant

Organization Overview

Search for Common Ground (Search) is a non-governmental organization working to transform the way the world deal with conflict - away from adversarial approaches and toward cooperative solutions. We have acquired over 35 years of experience in peacebuilding and are based in 53 local offices worldwide. We strive to build sustainable peace for generations to come by working with all sides of a conflict. We do this through a type of peacebuilding called “conflict transformation.” We shift the everyday interactions between hostile groups of people, so they can work together to build up their community, choosing joint problem-solving over violent means. Search first worked in Lebanon in 1996, opening a permanent office in 2008. Since then, our activities and capacities have grown significantly.

Project Overview

Search for Common Ground is implementing a 2-year project called Diwan Project and funded by Global Affairs Canada, Canada’s governmental development agency. The Ultimate Outcome of the project is to Ensure that governance in Wadi Khaled is inclusive. To achieve this, the project is working to ensure that local decision making processes are more inclusive in Wadi Khaled and that development is more sustainable, equitable, and accountable. Furthermore, to ensure  a  more  participatory  and  representative  governance  in  the  target  communities,  the  project  is engaging  with local governance actors, youth, women and other marginalized groups within the community at large, to promote the principles of good governance.

Below are the project’s intermediate outcomes:

1. Improve collaboration between local leaders and their constituents in addressing local needs
2. Increase representation of marginalized groups (e.g. youth and women) in addressing local needs

The immediate outcomes of the project are:

1. Local leaders and community members have increased knowledge of the benefits of inclusive governance
2. Local leaders and community members gain skills in participatory governance
3. Local leaders and community members recognize the value of improved collaboration
4. Marginalized groups gain knowledge of how to participate in local governance
5. Marginalized groups gain skills in community mobilization
6. Marginalized groups are confident in playing an active role in community initiatives

The Research Intervention

After the successful implementation of Diwan, Search is looking to conduct an intervention which is expected to investigate a series of research questions that would shape the future implementation of Diwan project in Wadi Khaled area. The research assessment is expected to be conducted between  January and February 2019.

Research Questions:

1. What are the capacities of Wadi Khaled municipalities and what are the possible areas for development by Search?
2. What is the current perception on women involvement within local authorities and how it can be developed? How those women can become an actor for change within the municipality and their communities?
3. What possible projects can the municipalities implement in the areas with the support of private sector or international donors that would help decrease unemployment rate in Wadi Khaled?
4. What are the possible roles that Youth under the age of 21 can play in the area? 
5. What is the best set of suggested activities in that area that would achieve the ultimate possible sustainability?

Consultancy Deliverables

Search is seeking a consultant to deliver the following by mid February 2019:

1. Production of an inception report that includes:
   1. Inception meeting with Search staff to further refine and define the parameters of the research
   2. Desk review and analysis of social stability work conducted by Search and other actors in Wadi Khaled
   3. Research methodology including research tools to be used
2. Presentation of the findings. Includes:
   1. Production of a PowerPoint presentation of the findings
3. Research Report as per the outline agreed with Search

The report should be submitted electronically in a MS – Word document. The consultant is responsible for English editing of the final report which should be well formatted. The report will be credited to the evaluator and potentially placed in the public domain at the decision of Search.

All handwritten and electronic transcripts of data collection, hard copies of survey questionnaires, photographs taken during the assessment and any equipment received from Search for the purpose of the study should be submitted to Search. Furthermore, all information generated during the study will be the sole property of Search and is subject to submission to Search along with the final report, prior to the end of the contract.

Audience

The primary audience of the Research will be Search. Recommendations should emerge from the study to inform current and future programming in Wadi Khaled.

The secondary audience will be the donor, the Canada Global Affairs, Citizens of Wadi Khaled, as well the peacebuilding community at large, which will use the findings and recommendations to strengthen its current and future programming.

Consultant’s Qualifications

Search seeks an experienced consultant or team of consultants with the following qualifications:

• Fluent in Arabic and English, both written and oral
• Advanced University Degree in international relations, political science, conflict studies or related fields
• At least 7 years of experience in research, and/or strategic development
• Extensive experience working on the context of Wadi Khaled
• Experience in organising and facilitating conferences and panel discussions
• Experience in workshop facilitation
• Experience in report writing
• Experience in working with international organisations
• Experience in conflict transformation and peacebuilding
• Strong communication and writing skills
• Ability to be flexible with time and work schedule
• Attention to detail and ability to meet tight deadlines