Social Cohesion Consultant- Syria Country Program

Syria

Humanitarian/Disasters

Not Specified

Terms of Reference (TOR)

1)Location: Damascus, Syria, with hybrid engagement (in-country travel and remote coordination if feasible).

2)Contract Type: Short-Term local Consultancy

3)Duration / Timeframe: 3 months

4)Reporting Line:
Reports to HOP, Caritas Switzerland, and coordinates closely with Program Managers, Social Cohesion Focal Point and MEAL Team.

5)Background

Caritas Switzerland (CACH) has operated in Syria since 2012, responding to one of the world’s most complex and protracted humanitarian crises. Through its country program, CACH supports conflict-affected communities in building resilience, ensuring basic service access, and fostering peacebuilding and social cohesion.
Syria’s long conflict has led to extensive displacement, broken communities, and a breakdown in trust among population groups. The socio-economic crisis, compounded by infrastructure collapse and weak governance, has further weakened social cohesion at the community and institutional levels. CACH's programming addresses these challenges by mainstreaming social cohesion across all sectors, including education, livelihoods, basic needs, and protection.
The consultant will play a fundamental role in reviewing, strengthening and harmonizing CACH’s social cohesion interventions across its project portfolio in Syria, including but not limited to the LIFE II and START programs. The assignment will focus on review of current approaches, institutional capacity assessment, development of SOPs and tools, staff training, and ongoing technical support to ensure high-impact, inclusive, and sustainable programming.

6) Objectives

• To assess Caritas Switzerland’s institutional capacity and readiness to implement and scale social cohesion programming.
• To develop comprehensive SOPs, tools, and frameworks that guide inclusive and conflict-sensitive programming.
• To strengthen the technical capacity of staff through targeted training and coaching.
• To institutionalize social cohesion and conflict sensitivity best practices across the project lifecycle.
• To provide continuous technical advice and integration support for ongoing projects and potential proposals.
• Participate in workshops organized jointly by CACH staff, implementing partners, and/or stakeholders, as needed, based on the results of the capacity assessment and the corresponding development plan.

7) Expected Outcomes

• A thorough understanding of internal capacity gaps and opportunities is established.
• Institutional tools, SOPs, and guidance documents for social cohesion are developed and adopted.
• Program and MEAL staff are trained and equipped to implement cohesive, inclusive interventions. They are also prepared to provide strategic direction and operational support to implementing partners, as well as to monitor implementation and evaluate impact.
• Cross-sectoral integration of social cohesion principles is enhanced.
• Key lessons, findings, and recommendations are documented and disseminated internally.

8) Methodology

• Desk review of existing documentation, tools, and strategies.
• Participatory assessment through interviews, focus group discussions, and online surveys.
• Development and piloting of tools and training packages.
• Facilitation of training, workshops and coaching sessions.
• Provide technical advisory throughout the consultancy.

Scope of Work

i. Organizational Capacity Assessment

• Assess CACH’s current social cohesion-related capacities across governance, staffing, partnerships, and programming.
• Map integration levels across sectors and identify areas of improvement.
• Develop a comprehensive report including key findings and strategic recommendations.

ii. SOP and Tool Development

• Develop a harmonized set of Standard Operating Procedures for community group formation, facilitation, inclusion, conflict-sensitivity, and safeguarding.
• Create standardized MEAL tools for social cohesion indicators.
• Support the translation and field validation of tools.

iii. Training and Capacity Building

• Design a modular training curriculum tailored to different staff levels and responsibilities. The curriculum should be based on capacity assessments and identified gaps, as well as topics requested by the team based on their feedback regarding areas for development. These areas may include implementing, guiding, and monitoring the impact of social cohesion activities.
• Conduct in-person training workshops in operational areas.
• Offer tailored coaching sessions for key personnel.

iv. Technical Advisory and Mainstreaming

• Review and advise on the social cohesion alignment of community support projects.
• Guide the integration of cohesion principles in cross-sectoral project design (education, protection, livelihoods).
• Provide rolling advisory notes and participate in internal coordination meetings.

v. Deliverables

a) Inception Report (by Week 2)
- Work plan, methodology, and stakeholder engagement strategy.
b) Institutional Capacity Assessment Report (by Week 4)
- Conduct and report the assessment of internal capacity and readiness for social cohesion programming.
c) Training Curriculum and Learning Materials (by Week 4)
- Finalize and prepare facilitator guides and session plans for the urgent training sessions.
d) Training Sessions to CACH team; Delivered (by Week 4)
- Immediate delivery of the first round of training sessions for staff in key operational areas.
e) SOP Package (by Week 6)
- Standardized and translated SOP package for social cohesion, field-tested and validated.
f) Technical Advisory Notes (Throughout)
- Provide rolling feedback, templates, and support to integrate learning from training sessions.
g) Final Report (Final Week)
- Summary of achievements, lessons learned, and strategic recommendations for scaling social cohesion.

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Additional Requirements:

A) Reporting

The consultant will report to CD/HoP and collaborate closely with the Program Management team. Bi-weekly progress check-ins and written updates are expected. All outputs will be reviewed and approved by the supervisor.

B) Confidentiality

All project data, beneficiary information, and internal documents are considered confidential. The consultant is prohibited from disclosing any information without prior written consent from Caritas Switzerland.

C) Ethics and Safeguarding

The consultant is expected to uphold Caritas Switzerland’s code of conduct, safeguarding policy, do-no-harm approach, and the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS). Engagements with communities must promote dignity, inclusion, and non-discrimination.

D) Application Process

Interested applicants should submit the following documents to(recruitment.scr@caritas.ch) by 08/07/2025
• Updated CV highlighting relevant experience.
• Technical proposal (max. 4 pages) outlining methodology, approach, and timeline.
• Financial proposal including daily rate and estimated total cost.

Notes:
Kindly ensure that you send your application with the title 'Application – Social Cohesion Consultant – Syria' to the above-mentioned email address. Any application not submitted to this email address will not be considered in the recruitment process.

The organization is a member of a global network of faith-based organizations and has responded to the Syrian Crisis by engaging in relief activities, education, and livelihoods programming together with local partners.

Jun 24, 2025

English