Job Description

Terms of Reference

Short-term consultant staffs for supporting the Innovation Challenge Project in Somalia

Date: 27th May 2024

1. Background

The Somali Response Innovation Lab (SomRIL) is an inter-agency partnership. It seeks to create and apply effective innovations to enhance the impact of humanitarian and development interventions to improve the resilience of the Somali people. This is achieved through providing a supportive and safe environment where NGOs, the private sector, UN agencies, government and academia can share specific challenges they face when delivering humanitarian and resilience programming, and identify innovative solutions which can be brought to scale. The SomRIL is part of the Global Response Innovation Lab partnership whose founding members include World Vision, Save the Children, Oxfam, Civic, and Danish Refugee Council. The SomRIL is hosted under the Somali Resilience Program (SomReP), which is a consortium of eight NGOs – World Vision, Action Against Hunger, ADRA, CARE, COOPI, Danish Refugee Council, Oxfam, and Shaqadoon. 

Somali Response Innovation Lab is seeking short-term innovation experts to support the several innovation projects in terms of running the innovation challenge. The innovators will be assisting the SomRIL team in terms of developing and delivering human centred design workshops to the local innovators, development of innovation challenge brief, supporting the SomRIL team and donors in shortlisting the applicants, technically lead the process of conducting accelerator program with the innovators to prepare them for the pitch, and incubate promising ideas for the innovation program.

2. Objective

The objective of this consultancy is to provide short-term technical expertise to various Innovation Projects led by Somali Response Innovation Lab in Somalia in running its Innovation Challenge. This will involve leading various aspects of the challenge, from curriculum development to post-challenge support.

3. Scope of Work

The consultant(s) will be responsible for the following tasks:

Innovation Challenge Management:

• Curriculum Development: Lead the development of a comprehensive training curriculum for shortlisted innovators. The curriculum should cover topics relevant to innovation, business development, prototyping, pitching, and intellectual property.
• Selection & Shortlisting: Participate in developing and implementing the selection criteria for the Innovation Challenge. Assist in evaluating applications and shortlisting promising local innovators.
• Capacity Building: Facilitate Human-Centred Design workshops for shortlisted innovators based on the developed curriculum. This may involve hands-on sessions, mentorship, and guest speaker interactions.
• Private Sector Collaboration: Foster partnerships with relevant private sector entities (e.g., businesses, investors, innovation hubs). This could involve securing funding, mentorship opportunities, or potential market access for the winning innovations.

Innovation Acceleration:

• Accelerator Program Design: Collaborate in designing a short-term accelerator program to further develop the capabilities of the winning innovators. This program could provide access to mentorship, resources, and networks.
• Mentorship & Coaching: Provide mentorship or identify mentors to support the winners during the accelerator program.
• Pitching Preparation: Assist the winners in refining their pitches for potential investors or partners.

4. Deliverables

• Comprehensive curriculum for the innovation challenge training program.
• Development of challenge brief and selection criteria
• Shortlisted list of qualified innovators with supporting justification.
• Delivery of all human-centred design workshops and capacity building activities.
• Report outlining established partnerships and collaborations with the private sector.
• Designed accelerator program framework.
• Mentorship support or identification of qualified mentors.
• Final report summarizing the consultancy's achievements and recommendations for future challenges.

Experiences and Qualifications

Consultant(s) Qualifications

• Bachelors’ degree in Innovation Management, Entrepreneurship, or a related field (preferred).
• Minimum of 5 years of experience working with innovation challenges or accelerator programs in the East African context
• Proven experience in curriculum development and training facilitation in East Africa, particularly in Somalia
• Experience working in developing countries, particularly Africa (desirable).
• Strong understanding of the Somali context and innovation ecosystem (desirable).
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and teamwork skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks effectively.
• Fluency in English and good understanding of the local culture (highly desirable).

6. Timeframe

The consultancy is expected to be a short-term assignment lasting six months, starting on the 1st of July, 2024.

7. Reporting

The consultant(s) will report to SomRIL lead and technical advisors at SomReP.

8. Payment

The consultant(s) will be paid a fee of [amount] according to the following schedule:

• 20% upon commencement of the consultancy
• 20% upon delivery of the curriculum and selection criteria
• 20% upon completion of the training workshops
• 20% upon completion of the accelerator program design
• 20% upon submission of the final report

9. Confidentiality

The consultant(s) will treat all information obtained during the course of this consultancy as confidential.

Additional Notes

• The consultant may be required to travel to Somalia for specific project activities (dependent on security situation).
• SomRIL will provide logistical support (e.g., translation services) within Somalia.
• The consultant is encouraged to propose additional activities or approaches that could enhance the effectiveness of the Innovation Challenge.

Skills Required

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