Strategic Consultancy for Mobilizing Local Financing for ECD in Emergencies

International Rescue Committee, Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The International Rescue Committee is seeking a consultant to develop strategies for mobilizing resources for early childhood development in emergencies. This role involves advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and the creation of actionable plans to enhance financing flows affected by local and refugee leaders. The consultancy aims to build impactful local financing strategies and partnerships.

Qualifications

• Experience in domestic financing and advocacy.
• Collaboration with refugee-led organizations.
• Desirable knowledge of ECD in emergencies.

Responsibilities

• Develop practical strategies for mobilizing local funding for ECDiE.
• Conduct interviews and gather insights from stakeholders.
• Map financing opportunities across various public systems.

Skills

Advocacy

Stakeholder Engagement

Collaboration

Financing Intelligence

Job description

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), operating in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities, helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future, and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity, and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people worldwide for a better future.

About Moving Minds Alliance: The Moving Minds Alliance (MMA) is a multistakeholder alliance advocating for better outcomes and equity for young children affected by crises everywhere. The Alliance leverages the strengths of diverse local and global actors to advocate for early childhood development to be prioritized in every crisis response.

Background and Context

Since 2019, MMA has led efforts to surface the severe underfunding of early childhood development in emergencies (ECDiE)—only 2–3% of total humanitarian and development aid reaches young children in crisis settings. In today’s context of declining official development assistance from donor governments, MMA seeks to understand how to mobilize resources closer to the point of impact.

This consultancy will support MMA’s commitment to mobilizing resources through national public institutions, collaborating with municipal and national-level donor representatives, and identifying non-traditional funders—including regional institutions, local philanthropies, and innovative finance actors—who can help fund and scale locally-led ECDiE programmes and strengthen ECDiE ecosystems.

The consultancy aims to bring in new partners and collaborators, including those well-positioned to map financing opportunities and contribute to executing and sustaining local financing shifts. A key emphasis will be placed on elevating local and refugee leaders and locally-led and refugee-led organizations as central actors in local financing strategies.

Purpose of Consultancy

To develop a practical, evidence-based strategy which will equip MMA and its members to:

·Advocate for increased domestic and regional funding for ECDiE;

·Analyze opportunities and develop strategies to mobilize local demand for ECDiE, including supporting local champions;

·Engage public sector decision-makers and collaborate with donor representatives at local and regional levels;

·Build the investment case for locally led ECDiE systems aligned with available financing;

·Develop engagement strategies and roadmaps to support partnerships, advocacy coalitions, and sustained engagement.

Timeline: The work is expected to be completed within 3 to 6 months, with an estimated 30-40 days of work.

Scope of Work

The strategy should be developed through the following key activities (not exhaustive and to be agreed upon with the consultant):

1. Landscape and Stakeholder Analysis: Map financing flows and potential entry points for ECDiE across 3-4 priority countries in at least 2 regions, selected in collaboration with MMA based on a country typology and risk matrix.

Countries may include: Middle East/North Africa (Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen), South Asia (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh), Sub-Saharan Africa (South Sudan, Somalia, DRC, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Mozambique), Latin America and the Caribbean (Colombia, Haiti, Honduras, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala).

Identify financing opportunities across public systems, development banks, donor missions, innovative finance actors, private sector, and less-conventional stakeholders like climate or tech donors.

2. Consultations and Intelligence Gathering: Conduct interviews with government officials, donor reps, regional funders, philanthropies, and local/refugee-led organizations to identify political opportunities, champions, stakeholders for coalitions, and key moments for advocacy.

3. Country Profiles, Strategic Guidance, and Investment Case: Develop concise profiles, identify advocacy entry points, profile emerging financing actors, and co-create investment cases and pathways for locally led ECDiE ecosystems.

4. Tailored Engagement Plans: Draft donor- or geography-specific strategies, including key entry points, stakeholder profiles, partnership opportunities, messaging, and participatory methodologies to measure demand and advocacy impact, especially among vulnerable populations.

Deliverables include inception report, mid-line report, stakeholder profiles, engagement tip-sheets, tailored engagement plans, participatory change methodology, and final presentation. Deadlines are to be negotiated with MMA.

Expected outcomes include enhanced financing intelligence, positioning of ECDiE within budgets and mechanisms, and shifts in financing flows led by local and refugee actors.

Qualifications & requirements include experience in domestic financing, advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and collaboration with refugee-led organizations. Knowledge of ECD in emergencies is desirable. Applications should include a proposal, CV, references, and writing samples. The deadline is approximately three weeks from publishing, with rolling review.

All applicants should adhere to the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct, emphasizing integrity, service, accountability, and equality.