We are seeking a highly qualified consultant or firm with solid experience in conducting strategic studies, institutional assessments, and organizational planning. You must have a good understanding of the Great Lakes region, expertise in institutional and financial sustainability, and the ability to design hybrid economic models. Proven experience in peacebuilding, conflict sensitivity, or capacity building is essential.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced consultant to conduct a strategic study on the sustainability of the Conflict Sensitivity Center (CSH) in the DRC. The consultancy will analyze the modalities, opportunities, and scenarios to ensure the institutional empowerment and financial viability of the CSH beyond March 2026.
1) Context
Humanitarian, development and peace (HDP) actors are active in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to respond to various humanitarian crises and support communities in organizing development and peace actions. These HDP actors carry out their work in areas, most of which are affected by conflict, particularly in eastern DRC. This assistance provided by HDP actors requires increasing sensitivity to conflict and gender to achieve greater impact.
It is within this framework that International Alert implemented a pilot project of the Conflict Sensitivity Center (CSH) in the DRC, between March 2021 and February 2022 with funding from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). This pilot project made it possible to test the implementation of the conflict sensitivity center and to gather lessons and recommendations to be taken into account to operationalize an effective conflict sensitivity center in the DRC over the long term. Thus, from August 2022, the main phase of setting up the CSH began in the DRC with funding from the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Developed as a center of expertise for the humanitarian, development, and peace community in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), CSH1 aims to strengthen the understanding and capacity of HDP actors in conflict sensitivity. CSH supports these actors in adopting a conflict-sensitive approach to ensure that their actions have a positive and lasting impact on beneficiary communities in the DRC.
The overall objective of this project is to contribute to improving aid delivery and effectiveness in the DRC through increasingly conflict- and gender-sensitive programming by HDP actors. It pursues two main specific objectives:
Specific Objective 1 : Provide HDP actors with continued access to tailored conflict and gender-sensitive resources, capacity building, technical assistance, and learning.
Specific Objective 2 : Increase the credibility, capacity, and sustainability of the CSH.
The DRC CSH is structured around four main areas:
1) Research and analysis . The CSH conducts research and analysis on conflicts and contexts, and makes recommendations to help its partners better guide their interventions. It also assists them in developing their research and analysis skills.
2) Technical capacity building . The CSH supports its partners in creating and sharing tools to monitor contexts and the impact of interventions, in order to ensure that conflict sensitivity is taken into account at both the programmatic and institutional levels.
3) Technical support . The CSH offers three types of training: conflict analysis, conflict-sensitive and gender-sensitive programming and management. Thematic regulations are also offered for specific areas (humanitarian aid, education, cash transfers, etc.).
4) Learning . The CSH facilitates and encourages peer learning, sharing of experiences and lessons learned between local organizations, national and international NGOs as well as donors, within a community of practice.
For nearly three years, the CSH has demonstrated its relevance and added value by supporting a wide range of actors – international NGOs, UN agencies, local CSOs and clusters – in strengthening their capacities and ensuring the accountability of their interventions in the face of local conflict dynamics. However, this experience remains heavily dependent on external institutional funding, several of which will end in March 2026.
The CSH is entering a critical phase of its development because it must lay the foundations for its sustainability beyond the funding of the current phase, by strengthening its financial, institutional and operational autonomy.
Furthermore, the CSH is currently hosted by the NGO International Alert, which is responsible for its administrative and logistical management. This arrangement was designed to be transitional, as the CSH aims to become an autonomous structure, supported by a consortium of national and international stakeholders involved in its governance. Consideration of the CSH’s sustainability must be part of this perspective of empowering the CSH.
This dual challenge—reducing financial dependence and transitioning to autonomous governance—calls for in-depth strategic thinking, fueled by concrete data on the CSH services market, viable economic models, risks and opportunities related to empowerment, as well as a clear implementation plan.
There are several Conflict Sensitivity Centers around the world that have different models. The consultant will need to contact these centers to conduct a comparative analysis to identify lessons learned and models that could be adapted to the CSH in the DRC2.
2) Objectives of the study
The main objective of this study is to examine the modalities, opportunities and possible scenarios to ensure the autonomy and sustainability of the CSH after March 2026, and to propose a concrete and realistic strategy that will ensure its institutional independence and financial stability. It must make it possible to identify and analyze the different options for the financial sustainability of the CSH, including the feasibility of partial or complete monetization of its services, access to new types of financing (including private funds), and the market’s capacity to absorb a paid offer. The analysis must include an action plan to be implemented from January 2026 and which will specify the steps and a timetable to enable the transition to financial and institutional autonomy of the CSH.
It will have to include several components:
- Mapping potential demand for CSH services/market analysis: What types of organizations (NGOs, donors, public institutions, CSOs, private sector) would have an interest in contracting or directly financing CSH services? What is their capacity and willingness to pay? Who could pay and who could not?
- A comparative analysis of relevant business models and proposal of a business model with varied financing : Which service model would work in practice – for example, payments by training, subscription, private contributions to the CSH which would essentially replace current institutional financing, the cost of these services.
- Identification of institutional empowerment scenarios , assessing the legal, logistical, human and strategic implications of moving from hosted project status to autonomous organization or consortium entity.
- Identification of risks, opportunities and success factors related to the transition to independent governance and autonomous financing, and proposing a strategy to overcome the risks
- Based on the analysis of the current operating mode, proposal of a clear and operational roadmap to implement the chosen sustainability strategy, with a timetable, milestones, necessary resources and shared responsibilities.
3) Proposed methodology
The methodology will be defined by the consultant but may include the following elements for information purposes:
• Document review: internal documentation, evaluation reports, similar experiences of CSHs around the world.
• Focus groups: in particular with national and international organizations and agencies of the United Nations system.
• Organization of workshops to validate the findings and scenarios.
4) Deliverables
•A methodological note/start-up report 10 days after the start of the consultancy
•A final report including all analyses and recommendations including an executive summary
•An operational roadmap for the sustainability of the CSH with stages, priorities, and needs (legal, HR, technical).
•A PowerPoint presentation for donors
5) Duration and schedule
The mission is planned for a period of 50 days, starting in September 2025. The deadline for completing the consultancy is November 30, 2025.
6) Profile of the consultant or firm sought
•Academic qualifications: University degree at Master’s level or higher in political science, international relations, development, economics, project management or related fields.
•Minimum 7 to 10 years of experience in conducting strategic studies, institutional assessments or organizational planning.
•In-depth knowledge of the context of the Great Lakes region or the DRC.
•Mastery of institutional sustainability and financial viability approaches: demonstrated expertise in institutional analysis, organizational sustainability, ability to develop hybrid economic models and organizational development, ability to develop prospective scenarios.
•Proven experience in the peacebuilding sector, conflict sensitivity or capacity building of national and international organizations and agencies of the United Nations system.
•Good knowledge of the Congolese context and financing dynamics in the humanitarian, development and peace sectors.
•Ability to work in French and English an asset.
7) Submission Terms
Interested candidates are invited to submit:
•A technical note detailing the understanding of the ToR, the methodology and the proposed timetable.
•A detailed CV of the consultant(s).
•A financial offer.
•Examples of similar studies conducted.
How to apply
Tenders will be sent only by email to the addresses drc-hr@international-alert.org and a copy to drc-programmes@international-alert.org and no later than 05/09/2025 at 5:00 p.m. Any late tender will be automatically rejected.
In the subject line of your email, please mention: ” CALL FOR TENDER FILE ALERT/DRC/007/2025 ,
All applicants must have permanent work authorization in the Democratic Republic of Congo. International Alert does not sponsor work visas to the DRC, or any other country where this position is offered.
International Alert is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and particularly encourages applications from underrepresented individuals, including women, individuals from the Global South, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ individuals, individuals with disabilities, and other historically marginalized individuals.
Although International Alert strives to contact all applicants within a reasonable timeframe, this is not always possible due to limited resources. Therefore, if you have not received a response from us within two weeks of the closing date, you can assume that your application has not been successful this time.