Participatory Lessons Learned Consultant for Social Movements Programme

Location:

Remote / hybrid, with in-person meetings (as required) and in-country travel

Contract duration

1.5 months, 15/11/2025 – 31/12/2025

Contract Type:

Consultancy

Open to:

National candidates only

Budget

4500 EURO incl. travel and all related expenses

Reporting to:

Social Movements Programme Lead

Direct Reports:

N/A

Recruitment

External candidates

1. Introduction

ActionAid Eastern Europe, through the Spark Programme and its SPAII and BAF-funded initiatives, works to strengthen democratic participation, feminist leadership, and youth-driven social justice in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. The programmes collectively focus on enabling youth-led and women-led movements, organizations, and informal groups to influence systems and decision-making processes that affect their lives — from humanitarian response to long-term democratic recovery.

As part of this ongoing effort, ActionAid seeks to engage a short-term consultant to document key achievements, lessons learned, and impact stories from the 2025 programming cycle across Spark, SPAII, and BAF-supported initiatives. The consultancy will also facilitate a participatory evaluation process with partners, movements, and teams to identify practical recommendations for enhancing collaboration, impact measurement, and feminist learning systems in 2026.

This process aims to strengthen the capacity of youth-led activists and partner organizations to reflect on their progress, exchange learning, and co-design improved strategies for movement building, civic participation, and collective care. By grounding reflection in the lived experiences of activists, the evaluation will support more relevant, responsive, and sustainable capacity-building approaches in the next phase of programming

2. Background

In 2025, ActionAid Eastern Europe’s Spark Programme and its SPAII and BAF-supported initiatives in Eastern Europe have continued to strengthen locally led action for feminist leadership, youth activism, and resilient civil society. Through capacity-building, mentorship, and movement support, these initiatives have contributed to a growing ecosystem of youth- and women-led organizations that are shaping narratives, influencing local governance, and driving social change in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.

As the civic space and funding landscape continue to evolve, there is an increasing need to capture collective learning, reflect on approaches, and adapt capacity-building models to better serve the needs of young activists and partner movements.

This consultancy will directly contribute to the programme’s accountability, learning, and capacity-strengthening agenda by producing two core documents — the Lessons Learned Report (2025) and the Annual Report (2025) — and by facilitating reflection processes with partners and activists. The outputs will serve as a foundation for improving ActionAid’s movement-support methodologies and co-creating more effective, inclusive, and sustainable strategies for 2026 and beyond.

3. Goal and Objectives

Goal:

To document lessons learned and consolidate achievements from 2025 while strengthening strategic engagement with partners through in-dept participatory reflections.

Objectives:

• Consolidate and analyse programme achievements, outcomes, and learnings across SPAII, BAF, and related Spark initiatives.
• Identify and document key lessons, success stories, innovations, and challenges to inform strategic priorities and programme design for 2026.
• Support the development of Spark’s Annual Report (2025) and the SPAII Lessons Learned Report (2025) through evidence-based and participatory approaches.
• Facilitate structured reflection and learning spaces with partners, youth-led groups, and feminist movements to enhance future capacity-building and collaboration models.
• Strengthen internal coordination and communication within the department to ensure coherent planning and shared learning across country and regional teams.

4. Scope of Work

The consultant will carry out the following tasks:

1.  Reporting and Documentation
   1. Collect and review information from team members, partners, and project documentation across Spark, SPAII, and BAF initiatives.
   2. Draft and finalise the SPAII Lessons Learned Report (2025) and the Spark Annual Report (2025).
   3. Ensure analytical consistency and alignment with ActionAid’s Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA), feminist principles, and global strategy.
   4. Develop clear narratives, success stories, and communication materials highlighting youth-led innovation, movement achievements, and community-driven impact.
2. Participatory Learning and Partner Engagement
   1. Conduct five learning visits to different locations where ActionAid supports youth- and women-led initiatives to facilitate participatory learning sessions, reflection circles, and field-based consultations.
   2. Document key lessons, challenges, and transformative practices from these sessions and integrate them into the final reports.
   3. Support partners in identifying capacity-strengthening needs and developing practical recommendations for 2026 programming.
3. Strategic Coordination and Reflection Processes
   1. Coordinate with the Social Movements Programme team and country-level partners to gather, validate, and analyse data and evidence.
   2. Support the organisation and facilitation of two key reflection events:
      1. Annual Partner Reflection – 15–17 December 2025
   3. Incorporate key insights, visual learning highlights, and strategic recommendations emerging from this session into the SPAII Lessons Learned Report and Annual Report.

5. Deliverables

The consultant will be expected to produce the following:

1). Deliverable: Inception Brief and Work Plan

Description: A short inception notes outlining the proposed methodology, timeline, travel plan (five field visits), and data collection tools for participatory learning sessions.

Timeline: By 21 November 2025

2). Deliverable: Participatory Learning Sessions (5 locations)

Description: Facilitation of five in-person learning and reflection sessions with ActionAid-supported youth- and women-led initiatives. Each session should generate qualitative data, key lessons, and visual documentation (photos, quotes, stories).

Timeline: November–31 December 2025

3). Deliverable: Data Compilation and Validation Summary

Description: Consolidated notes from partner consultations, reflection circles, and internal meetings — including a brief synthesis of key themes and recommendations.

Timeline: By 10 December 2025

4). Deliverable: Annual Partner Reflection (15–17 December)

Description: Co-design and co-facilitate a session during the annual partner reflection workshop, ensuring participatory engagement and documentation of insights relevant for the completion of deliverables 5&6.

Timeline: 15–17 December 2025

5). Deliverable: SPAII Lessons Learned Report (2025)

Description: A 15–20 page analytical report summarising lessons learned, key achievements, success stories, and strategic recommendations. Includes annexes with field data and visual materials.

Timeline: By 20 December 2025

6). Deliverable: Spark Annual Report (2025)

Description: A narrative report (max. 10 pages) integrating key results, partner achievements, movement highlights, and impact stories, formatted for external sharing.

Timeline: By 22 December 2025

7). Deliverable: Final Debrief and Handover Package

Description: Presentation of main findings and recommendations to the team (virtual), and submission of all final documents and source materials.

Timeline: By 30 December 2025

6. Timeline 

The consultancy will run from 15 November to 31 December 2025 (approx. 30-35 working days).
 A detailed work plan and schedule will be defined during the first week of the consultancy.

The table as outline above, in section 5, is indicative.

7. Consultant Profile & Requirements

Requirements:

• Advanced degree in Political Science, International Relations, Humanitarian Studies, or related field.
• At least 7 years of experience in project management, partner relations, or strategic reporting.
• At least 3 years of experience working in INGOs
• Proven experience drafting analytical and narrative reports for INGOs or development agencies.
• Excellent writing, coordination, and communication skills in English and Ukrainian.
• Strong understanding of localisation, feminist, and human rights-based approaches.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and coordinate across teams.
• Proven experience of working with / within social movements in Ukraine

Proven experience in relationship-building with Ukrainian institutions

Strongly desirable:

• Previous experience with financing from Danish institutions
• Previous experience of work within the ActionAid family
• Experience or training on Political Economy Analysis

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Reporting & Coordination

The consultant will report directly to the Social Movements Programme Lead, with weekly check-ins for progress updates and alignment.
 

Coordination with team members responsible for reporting, learning and methodological alignment is expected throughout the assignment.

 

9. Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

• Consultant’s qualifications and experience (60%)
• Motivational Letter (40%)

10. Submission of Proposals

Interested consultants should submit:

• A CV detailing previous experience and qualifications
• A motivational letter 
• Any relevant examples of previously completed work.

11. Renumeration

The total budget available for this consultancy is EUR 4,500 (four thousand five hundred euros).
 

This amount is inclusive of all professional fees, travel, accommodation, communication, taxes, and any other related expenses incurred in the delivery of the assignment.

Payment will be made in 2 instalments based on the completion and approval of agreed deliverables, as outlined in the final contract and work plan.

 

12. Deadline for Applications:

Please, submit all the required documents to  Відправити резюме before 23.59 on 13th of November 2025. Only applications submitted in full will be reviewed.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and ActionAid Eastern Europe reserves the right to close the recruitment process ahead of the scheduled deadline if a suitable candidate is identified. All recruitment processes will be conducted with full respect for confidentiality, fairness, and ethical standards.

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This offer is contingent upon pending funding applications for the role.

ActionAid conducts thorough reference checks before making an offer. 

Due to high volumes of applications received, we can only correspond with short-listed applicants. Should you not have received feedback on your application within two weeks of the closing date, please consider your application as unsuccessful. 

ActionAid will not consider unsolicited candidates from recruitment agencies. 

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