Search for Common Ground, seeks the services of a Research Consultant who can lead the review/drafting of tools, comprehensive desk review, analysis of data and report writing for Conflict Scan on all Search’s projects in Nigeria for a period of a year. In this consultancy, Search is primarily interested in understanding the trends and background of the conflict in the project being implemented. The scan will also provide an analysis of the impact of the conflict along gender dimensions, and the responses of monitoring and conflict resolution agents like the Security Agencies, Traditional and Government Authorities, etc as well the policies, legislations and analysis of emerging issues around the project of concern and interest to Search for Common Ground, Nigeria. Currently, we have seven projects cutting across the peacebuilding and

development nexus and implemented in 15 states in the North-East, North-Central, North-West and South-South geo-political zones of the country: Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Niger, Kebbi, Kwara, Katsina, Zamfara and the Federal Capital Territory. This does not exclude the possibility of expanding to other states of the federation, as our mandate requires us to work in any part of Nigeria, depending on the availability of funding.

These conflict scans and its recommendations will provide strategic programming guidance to the project which Search for Common Ground and the Project consortium are implementing. The Consultant is expected to work remotely. He/she should have experiences in similar conflict scans and assessments in all the geo-political zones of Nigeria.

Search is an international peacebuilding NGO that aims to transform the way individuals, groups, governments and companies deal with conflict, away from adversarial approaches and towards collaborative solutions. Headquartered in Washington DC, USA, and Brussels, Belgium, with 52 field offices in 33 countries, Search designs and implements multifaceted, culturally appropriate and conflict-sensitive programs using a diverse range of tools, including media and

training, to promote dialogue, increase knowledge and determine a positive shift in behaviors.

Search launched its programming in Nigeria in 2004 and since then, have remained the major stakeholder in the peacebuilding sector. We work with partners in target states to support the peaceful resolution and transformation of conflict.

The overall plan of this consultancy is to bring on board, on retainership, a reliable, vest, and experienced firm that has conducted conflict scans, especially in our current project locations. This organization will be intimated of all Search’s projects that require conflict scan, their objectives, timelines and deliverables and will ensure that the mandate of Search and the donor are met.

Search for Common Ground (Search) considers all forms of abuse towards children, youth and vulnerable adults to be unacceptable. Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy set out the measures we will take to safeguard children, youth, and vulnerable adults. This includes proactive actions to prevent situations of abuse and harm occurring, and reactive actions to respond to situations where a child, youth or vulnerable adult is, or may be, suffering abuse.

Who is a child? A child is any human under the age of 18 as stipulated by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989.

Who is considered youth? Youth is the transitional period between adolescence and adulthood, for this policy we focus on the group of individuals ages 15 to 25 years old.

Who is a vulnerable adult? A person who by reason of disability, age, gender, social and economic status, illness, or the context they are in, may be unable to take care of or protect him or herself against abuse, harm or exploitation.

As part of our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, it is a requirement that all staff including but not limited to all permanent and temporary members of staff; Community based staff or incentive worker; Volunteers and interns; Consultants; Translators; Search’s Board of Directors; Invited visitors (including donors/ funders; media/ journalists); Partner organisations; Third-party contractors (i.e. supplies, builders, etc); Members of research bodies, academic

institutions, associates, and all Search’s affiliates, agree to abide by the Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and have signed it before commencing any work with the children. The umbrella term ‘Search affiliates’ will be used to refer to all people associated with Search.

It is a Mandatory requirement that any form of unacceptable behaviour which breaches this safeguarding policy must be reported. In the case of situations which are not covered by the safeguarding policy, Search expects its representatives to apply common sense whilst focusing on the “child’s best interests”.

Due to the complex and sensitive nature of the assessment, the data collection process should respect strict rules of confidentiality and ethical guidelines. The Consultant will take as many precautions as possible to be in line with the ethical considerations below:

Comprehensive and systematic inquiry: Consultant should make the most of the existing information and full range of stakeholders available at the time of the review. Consultant should conduct systematic, data-based inquiries. He or she should communicate his or her methods and approaches accurately and in sufficient detail to allow others to understand, interpret and critique his or her work. He or she should make clear the limitations of the review and its results.

Competence: Consultant should possess the abilities and skills and experience appropriate to undertake the tasks proposed and should practice within the limits of his or her professional training and competence.

Honesty and integrity: Consultant should be transparent with the contractor/constituent about: any conflict of interest, any change made in the negotiated project plan and the reasons why those changes were made, any risk that certain procedures or activities produce misleading review information.

Transparency and accountability: Consultant should be transparent with all stakeholders included in the process of creating the toolkit. Participants should be made aware that their tools, activities and ideas may be used in the toolkit, with reference, and the consultant should be accountable to them.

Respect for people: Consultant respect the security, dignity and self-worth of respondents, program participants. Consultant has the responsibility to be sensitive to and respect differences amongst participants in culture, religion, gender, disability, age and ethnicity.

Gender and Cultural Sensitivity: The consultant should be gender and culturally sensitive in its data collection methods and segregate all data by sex and age. Further, the consultant should ensure women are interviewed by a female enumerator. The consultant must ensure that the team is culture-sensitive, respectful and adheres to all cultural pointers.

Safeguarding: Search will support the consultant in training data collectors on Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH) safeguard principles. However, the consultant should ensure safeguard principles and practices are observed and respected throughout the assignment. To ensure quality, all deliverables will be reviewed and approved by our Country office and Regional Program Manager/Institutional Learning Team prior to acceptance of the final product.

Data Quality Assurance and Management Search has high standards for data quality and has put into place several quality assurance mechanisms. Search’s Conflict scan approach is largely guided by its Common Ground

Approach – a set of principles and tools that have been applied across over 33 countries around the world. Search’s toolkits provide guidance on various aspects of conflict assessments.

Timeline: The timeline for any conflict scan is dependent on the scope of the research and the urgency attached to the deliverables. A scope of work with clearly agreed upon timelines will be signed with the successful candidate prior to any conflict scan engagement.

● Curriculum vitae (CV);

● A technical proposal proposing a methodology for data analysis, report writing and report development together with a current estimated financial proposal for a conflict scan in the geo-political zones we are presently working in.

● A short cover letter.

● The proposal should also highlight examples of similar assignments undertaken in the past.

Applications must be submitted on or before [2nd October 2024].