Introduction
Plan International Nigeria’s Country Strategy (FY2024–2028) outlines a bold ambition to ensure that girls and boys, particularly those from vulnerable and crisis-affected communities, can learn, lead, decide and thrive. This ambition aligns with Plan International’s Global Strategy: “All Girls Standing Strong Creating Global Change.”
Nigeria continues to face protracted humanitarian crises in the Northeast, particularly in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States, where conflict, displacement, climate shocks, and economic hardship have significantly disrupted access to essential services such as education, protection, food security, and nutrition.
In response to the upcoming Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) humanitarian funding call, Plan International Nigeria intends to develop a multi-sectoral humanitarian proposal focusing on:
- Education in Emergencies (EiE) as the entry point
- Child protection
- Food security and nutrition
- Anticipatory action and disaster risk reduction (DRR)
- Humanitarian access and community resilience
The proposal will be designed in line with AECID’s humanitarian action priorities, including a rights‑based approach, localisation, gender equality, and coherence across the humanitarian–development–peace nexus, while ensuring strong accountability to affected populations.
To support the development of a high-quality, competitive proposal, Plan International Nigeria seeks to engage an experienced Proposal Development Consultant who will lead and drive the proposal design process, ensuring strong technical coherence, evidence-based programming, and full compliance with AECID requirements.
Purpose and Specific Objectives
The purpose of this consultancy is to lead the end-to-end design and development of a competitive multi-sectoral humanitarian proposal for submission to the AECID funding call.
The consultant will guide the proposal development process, coordinate inputs from technical teams and partners, and ensure the proposal demonstrates strong humanitarian relevance, technical quality, and value for money.
Specific Objectives:
- Lead the design and development of a multi-sectoral humanitarian proposal aligned with AECID priorities.
- Develop a strong Theory of Change and Results Framework reflecting humanitarian needs in Northeast Nigeria.
- Ensure Education in Emergencies serves as the core entry point while integrating protection, food security, nutrition, and DRR components.
- Coordinate technical inputs from sector specialists, programme teams, and consortium partners.
- Ensure the proposal demonstrates cost-effectiveness, impact, and sustainability in line with AECID evaluation criteria.
- Produce a fully costed workplan and activity budget ready for submission within the required timeline.
- Produce a high-quality, submission-ready proposal package within the required timeline.
- Ensure the proposal clearly articulates cost drivers, efficiency assumptions, and value‑for‑money considerations, in line with AECID evaluation criteria.
Main tasks and duties:
- Lead the design and development of a high-quality, evidence-based multi-sectoral humanitarian proposal in response to the AECID funding call, with Education in Emergencies as the entry point and integration of protection, food security, nutrition, and DRR components.
- Ensure the proposal design and documentation are fully compliant with AECID guidelines, including the logical framework, results chain, theory of change, and donor evaluation criteria.
- Integrate Plan International Nigeria’s programme evidence and learning, particularly from the Accelerated Basic Education Programme (ABEP) and other relevant humanitarian, Education in Emergencies, and resilience interventions in Northeast Nigeria.
- Develop a comprehensive Theory of Change, results framework, and measurable indicators aligned with humanitarian programming standards and AECID requirements.
- Facilitate and coordinate consultations with internal technical teams, consortium partners, and key stakeholders to ensure strong technical coherence and contextual relevance of the proposed intervention.
- Lead the drafting and editing of the full technical narrative proposal, ensuring clarity, coherence, and alignment with AECID priorities and humanitarian principles.
- Work closely with finance and programme teams to ensure consistency between the technical design and budget, including clear justification of cost-effectiveness and value for money.
- Ensure gender equality, inclusion (including children with disabilities), safeguarding, and climate resilience are effectively mainstreamed across the proposal design.
- Support the preparation of supporting documents, including the logical framework, implementation strategy, risk analysis, and sustainability approach.
- Participate in proposal review and validation sessions, incorporate feedback from internal teams and partners, and ensure timely delivery of a high-quality submission-ready proposal.
- Coordinate inputs and compliance documentation from consortium partners, including roles, responsibilities, added value, and contribution narratives, in line with AECID partnership requirements.
The consultant will work closely with the Business Development Manager (BDM), who oversees the proposal development process and final approval, as well as with technical teams, consortium partners, and relevant stakeholders involved in the proposal preparation.
Scope of Work
To achieve the above objectives, the consultant will carry out the following activities:
- Hold inception meeting with BD/Technical team
- Review the AECID call guidelines, funding priorities, and evaluation criteria.
- Review relevant programme evidence, including Plan International Nigeria’s humanitarian and education programmes.
- Facilitate consultations with technical teams and potential consortium partners to define the project design and sectoral approach.
- Develop the project Theory of Change, logical framework, and results chain.
- Lead the drafting of the technical proposal narrative, ensuring coherence and alignment with AECID requirements.
- Ensure integration of gender equality, inclusion, safeguarding, localisation, and climate resilience across the proposal.
- Work closely with finance and programme teams to ensure alignment between the technical design and budget.
- Facilitate proposal review sessions and integrate feedback from Plan International Nigeria and partners.
- Produce Draft 1 for internal technical review, Draft 2 incorporating consolidated feedback, and a final submission‑ready version of the proposal.
- Produce draft workplan and costed activity budget for review by the technical and finance team
- Finalise a submission-ready proposal package in line with donor requirements.
Deliverables
- Inception meeting report
- An inception/design note outlining the agreed project concept, Theory of Change, and sectoral approach.
- A complete AECID-compliant proposal package, including technical narrative and logical framework.
- A clear Theory of Change and Results Framework for the multi-sectoral intervention.
- A presentation deck summarising the proposed intervention for internal validation purposes.
- A fully costed workplan and activity budget ready for submission with the proposal
- A final submission-ready proposal incorporating all feedback.
- Final consultancy report
REQUIRED QUALIFICATION, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES
Education: An advanced degree (Master) in Education or Social Science, and experience in Humanitarian fields is an added advantage
- Minimum 7 years of experience in humanitarian programme design and proposal development.
- Demonstrated experience developing successful proposals for institutional donors (AECID, ECHO, EU, FCDO, etc.).
- Strong experience in Education in Emergencies, protection, or multi-sectoral humanitarian programming.
- Proven ability to lead complex proposal development processes involving multiple stakeholders.
- Experience working in the Northeast Nigeria humanitarian context is highly desirable.
- Strong knowledge of humanitarian coordination structures and sectoral approaches.
Competencies:
- Strong networking skills
- Ability to work under pressure, manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines with minimum supervision;
- Demonstrated initiative, tact and a high sense of responsibility and discretion;
- Strong teamwork skills;
- Excellent communication skills, written and oral;
- Strong computer literacy and data analytical proficiency.
Ethics and Child Protection
Plan International Nigeria places a high premium on CHILD PROTECTION issues in all its working relationships with its partners and associates, and mandates all its working partners and associates to adhere to its CHILD PROTECTION Policy.
As such, the activity must ensure appropriate, safe, non-discriminatory participation; a process of free and uncoerced consent and withdrawal; confidentiality and anonymity of participants. Consultants are required to provide a statement within their proposal on how they will ensure ethics and child protection in the development process. This must also include consideration of any risks related to the activity and how these will be mitigated.
Plan International Values
Any organisation or individual working with Plan International Nigeria must share, agree and commit to the following values:
- We strive for lasting impact: We strive to achieve significant and lasting impact on the lives of children and young people, and to secure equality for girls. We challenge ourselves to be bold, courageous, focused and innovative.
- We are open and accountable: We create a climate of trust inside and outside the organisation by being open, honest and transparent. We hold ourselves and others to account for the decisions we make and for our impact on others, while doing what we say we will do.
- We work well together: We succeed by working effectively with others, inside and outside the organisation, including our sponsors and donors. We actively support our colleagues, helping them to achieve their goals. We come together to create and implement solutions in our teams, across Plan International, with children, girls, young people, communities and our partners.
- We are inclusive and empowering: We respect all people, appreciate differences and challenge inequality in our programmes and our workplace. We support children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and to change their own lives. We empower our staff to give their best and develop their potential.
Disclosure of Information/Child Protection
It is understood and agreed that the Consultant shall, during and after the effective period of the contract, treat as confidential and not divulge, unless authorised in writing by Plan International Nigeria, any information obtained during the performance of the Contract. Information will be made available for the consultant on a need-to-know basis. Any field visits necessary to complete this task must be budgeted for in the consultant’s proposal. Plan International Nigeria staff, under the coordination of the Business Development Manager, will support the consultant in facilitating all necessary engagements required by the Consultant. The selected consultant will commit to respect Plan’s Child Protection Policy, to prevent any harm to participating children and youth.
Anti – Corruption
The Consultant and partners declare and guarantee that no offer, gift or payment, consideration or benefit of any kind, which constitutes an illegal or corrupt practice, has been or will be made to anyone by the Consultant either directly or indirectly, as an inducement or reward for the award or execution of this agreement.
The Consultant declares and guarantees that neither the Consultant, nor partners or associates, temporary nor permanent, who would be involved in the implementation of this agreement:
- Have been convicted during a period of three (3) years before the submission of their proposals for this project, by a court of law in Nigeria or in any other jurisdiction for an offence involving bribery or corruption.
- Are under sanction, for an offence involving bribery or corruption, imposed by a government, a governmental organisation or a development organisation providing development assistance.
Anti – Terrorism
The Consultant or partners declare and guarantee that the funds provided by Plan International Nigeria for the service shall not knowingly be used to benefit terrorist groups as defined in the criminal code of Nigeria, or individual members of those groups, or for terrorist activities either directly or indirectly.
Whistle Blower Policy
Plan International Nigeria has a Code of Conduct including a Whistle Blower Policy (attached) and enjoins its entire staff and associates to “whistle blow” (raise legitimate concerns about violation of the Code of Conduct without fear of recrimination during their engagement with Plan International Nigeria).
Application and Management of the Consultancy
The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Business Development Manager, who will serve as the primary focal point for this assignment.
Interested consultants are required to submit:
- A technical proposal not exceeding 10 pages outlining approach and methodology
- A financial proposal (daily rate and total cost)
- An updated CV highlighting relevant experience
- At least one sample of a recent humanitarian proposal developed for an institutional donor
Payment will be tied to agreed deliverables, in line with Plan International Nigeria’s consultancy payment procedures.
Information regarding this consultancy including all annexes can be found in this link:https://tinyurl.com/sf7w6akc
How to apply
Submission Guidelines
- All requested documents must be included in the submission package.
- All attached annexes must be duly completed and included in the submission package.
- All submissions must carry the reference number PIN/CNSLT/026/002 – AECID Proposal Writing Consultant in the email title.
All submissions are to be sent to [email protected] no later than 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Submissions beyond this timeline will not be considered.
Women and Young People are strongly encouraged to apply.
More Information
- Job City Nigeria
