Proposal Writing Consultant

Icap At Columbia University; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 700,000 - 1,150,000; Full time

Job summary

Girl Effect South Africa is seeking an experienced Consultant Project Manager to drive delivery of the Jik’izinto 2.0 work plan, manage the budget, and coordinate with CBO partners and government officials. The role requires strong project governance and hands-on implementation across GBV, SRHR, MHWB and EE domains.

The consultant will report to the Country Director and work from Cape Town, with travel between project sites as required.

Qualifications

• 5-8 years of relevant project management experience in NGO/development sectors.
• Experience managing community-based organisations or grassroots partners.
• Strong budget management and funder reporting experience.
• Fluency in English; isiZulu preferred; other SA languages advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Drive delivery of the Jik’izinto 2.0 work plan across the contract period with milestones and budgets.
• Lead planning, milestone tracking and risk management with the Country Director and team.
• Oversee CBO partners and ensure safe, girl-centred activities across four domains (GBV, SRHR, MHWB, EE).
• Strengthen on-the-ground implementation where capacity gaps exist and escalate only when needed.
• Build relationships with community gatekeepers, NGOs, service providers and government officials.

Skills

Project management

Budgeting

Stakeholder engagement

Partnerships

Education

Bachelor's degree in Social Work/Development Studies/Public Health/Social Sciences

Tools

MS Office

Budget tracking tools

Job description

Job Description

Request for Proposal: Consultant Project Manager September 2026

South Africa Who We Are

Girl Effect (GE) is an international non‑profit that builds media that girls want, trust and need. From chatbots to chat shows and TV dramas to technology, our content helps adolescent girls in Africa and Asia make choices and changes in their lives. We create safe spaces for girls, sharing facts and answering questions about health, nutrition, education and relationships, empowering girls with the skills to negotiate and redefine what they are told is possible "for a girl". Our reach is 50 million and counting. We use technology and media to reach girls at scale so every girl can choose to be in control of her body, health, learning and livelihood. Because when a girl unlocks her power to make different choices that change her life, it inspires others to do so too. She starts a ripple effect that impacts her family, community and country. That’s the Girl Effect.

Background

South Africa continues to experience extremely high levels of gender-based violence (GBV), particularly against adolescent girls and young women. Despite significant investment by government and civil society, responses remain fragmented, with limited coordination between prevention initiatives, service providers and community actors. Girl Effect South Africa’s strategy, Jik’izinto 2.0, addresses this fragmentation by positioning the organisation as a systems orchestrator within the GBV ecosystem. Rather than implementing isolated interventions, Girl Effect convenes, aligns and amplifies existing actors, linking community-based organisations (CBOs), service providers, digital platforms, media and government institutions into a coordinated response. Central to this approach is the establishment of physical, youth‑centred safe spaces that function as local ecosystem anchors, connecting girls and young women to services across four core domains: Gender-based Violence prevention and response (GBV) Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Mental Health and Wellbeing (MHWB) Economic Empowerment (EE) The safe-space model integrates physical infrastructure, community programming and digital engagement platforms, including the Big Sis chatbot and the wider Jik’izinto media ecosystem.

Objective

Girl Effect South Africa is seeking an experienced Consultant Project Manager to provide hands-on project management, implementation oversight and partnership coordination for Jik’izinto 2.0 during a critical phase of delivery. This is not intended to be a purely advisory assignment. The successful consultant will be expected to work closely with the Country Director, Girl Effect teams, CBO partners, community stakeholders, government representatives and other service providers to ensure that agreed activities are translated into effective delivery on the ground. The consultant will combine strong project management disciplines including planning, budgeting, reporting, risk management and partner coordination with practical implementation support. The assignment therefore requires someone equally comfortable managing a project plan and budget and working directly with partners and communities to resolve delivery challenges.

What You will Do

Project Management & Delivery Drive delivery of the Jik’izinto 2.0 work plan across the contract period, ensuring milestones, quality standards and timelines are met. Own the Project budget forecasting, expenditure tracking and value-for-money and flagging variances early and working with Finance to keep spend on track.

Lead work‑planning, milestone tracking and risk management, working closely with the Country Director and wider team to keep delivery on track.

Ensure the Jik’izinto 2.0 strategy, including the systems orchestrator approach and the four thematic domains, are well understood and consistently applied across the Project.

Provide oversight in the management of CBO partners, moving between strategic oversight and practical, day‑to‑day delivery support as circumstances require.

Step in to strengthen on‑the‑ground implementation wherever capacity gaps or delivery risks emerge without waiting for problems to emerge.

Quality‑assure Project activities against the four thematic domains (GBV, SRHR, MHWB, EE), ensuring they are safe, girl‑centred and aligned to the model.

Troubleshoot operational and delivery issues in real time, making practical decisions on the ground and escalating only what genuinely needs escalating.

Ensure a steady, well‑planned flow of activities at the safe spaces and support larger quarterly activations that attract young people to the facilities.

Partnerships & Ecosystem Orchestration

Develop and maintain strong relationships with community gatekeepers, civil society organisations, service providers, government officials and government facilities.

Restructure, re‑contract and actively manage the existing CBO partnerships transitioning from the broader Jik’izinto Project into the Ubomi Hub model.

Maintain an up‑to‑date partnership tracker and pipeline, proactively identifying opportunities for growth and gaps for intervention in target communities.

Represent Girl Effect in relevant government and partnership engagements at local and municipal level.

This list should not be considered exhaustive; you will be expected to deliver other duties relevant and appropriate to this position.

Duration, Location & Level of Effort

The consultancy is expected to run for 6-12 months, with the final duration to be confirmed during contracting. The consultant will be based in Cape Town, South Africa, and should be available to provide the level of effort necessary to deliver the agreed scope and outputs throughout the consultancy period. The assignment requires regular hands‑on engagement with safe spaces, CBO partners, communities and relevant stakeholders. The consultant should therefore be willing and able to travel between project locations as required. The consultant will manage their time and approach to delivery in coordination with the Country Director and in accordance with agreed work plans, milestones and deliverables.

Management

The consultant will report to the Country Director, Girl Effect South Africa, who will serve as the primary contract supervisor. The consultant will work closely with relevant Girl Effect programmes, Evidence & Insights, Finance, Operations and other technical teams as required. The consultant will also coordinate closely with CBOs, service providers, government representatives, community stakeholders and other project partners. All formal reports and deliverables shall be submitted in English unless otherwise agreed.

Who You Are

This role needs more than one skill set. The strongest candidates will combine solid Project management with genuine, demonstrable hands‑on implementation experience and a solid social behaviour change background and understanding.

5-8 years of relevant experience, including proven Project or project management within the NGO / development sector (adolescent‑facing GBV, SRHR or health programming strongly preferred). A track record of managing projects at a strategic and budget‑holding level, and separate, credible experience of hands‑on, on‑the‑ground implementation and CBO / grassroots partner management.

Direct experience managing community‑based organisations or grassroots partners — including re‑contracting, capacity support and quality assurance.

Sound budget management and funder‑reporting experience, with the ability to produce timely, accurate Project and financial reports.

Line‑management experience and strong stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills, working confidently with community leaders, NGOs and government representatives.

Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Development Studies, Public Health, Social Sciences or a related field (a Master’s / postgraduate qualification is an advantage).

Excellent organisational, written and oral communication skills, with a proven ability to engage and influence diverse stakeholders.

A genuine willingness to be hands‑on, adaptable and mobile, comfortable travelling between hub sites and stepping into delivery when needed.

Fluency in English essential; isiZulu strongly preferred, with Sesotho, isiXhosa or another South African language an advantage.

Proposal Submission

Interested consultants should submit a proposal of no more than 5 pages covering: Understanding & Approach: Brief understanding of the assignment and proposed approach to delivering the scope, including key priorities for the first 30-60 days. Relevant Experience: Summary of relevant project management, hands‑on implementation, CBO/partner management and stakeholder engagement experience. CV: Current CV demonstrating relevant qualifications and experience. References: At least three contactable professional references for similar assignments. Financial Proposal: Proposed discounted monthly consultancy fee in ZAR , underlying daily rate and applicable taxes, quoted separately.

Proposals should clearly demonstrate how the consultant meets the requirements and evaluation criteria set out in this RFP. Girl Effect may conduct reference checks and/or invite shortlisted consultants to an interview before final selection.

Evaluation Criteria

The criteria against which proposals will be evaluated are listed below: Criterion Weight Understanding of the assignment and proposed approach 15% Relevant project management and hands‑on implementation experience 25% CBO/partner and stakeholder management experience 20% Relevant qualifications, sector experience and references 10% Technical Total 70% Financial proposal/value for money 30% Total 100% Procurement Timelines

Procurement Timelines

RFP Published 21st September 2026

General and Commercial Terms

Contracting: The successful consultant will enter into Girl Effect's standard consultancy agreement, with