CIVICUS is seeking an experienced Strategy Consultant for a remote global consultancy to lead the development of its July 2027–June 2032 strategy. The assignment has an indicative budget of US$25,000–$30,000, with applications due September 4, 2026.
The CIVICUS Strategy Consultant Consultancy 2026–2027 offers an opportunity for an experienced organisational strategy professional, consultant or consulting firm to lead a major strategic planning process for the global civil society alliance.
The assignment is designed to support CIVICUS as it prepares its next five-year strategy covering July 2027 to June 2032. The selected consultant will facilitate an evidence-based and participatory process involving CIVICUS members, staff, leadership, committees and other stakeholders across regions.
The consultancy is fully remote and globally open, with an indicative budget of US$25,000 to US$30,000. Applications must be submitted by 4 September 2026 at 23:59 GMT.
CIVICUS Strategy Consultant Consultancy 2026–2027 Overview
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Organisation | CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation |
| Position | External Strategy Consultant |
| Contract type | Consultancy |
| Location | Remote, Global |
| Process period | August 2026 – September 2027 |
| New strategy period | July 2027 – June 2032 |
| Indicative budget | US$25,000–US$30,000 |
| Application deadline | 4 September 2026 |
| Deadline time | 23:59 GMT |
| Application method | Technical and financial proposal |
| Target applicants | Experienced consultants or consulting firms |
About CIVICUS
CIVICUS is a global alliance focused on strengthening citizen participation and defending civic space.
According to the supplied vacancy, CIVICUS has more than 17,000 member organisations and individuals across 189 countries. The alliance has worked since 1993 to support citizen participation and civil society globally.
Its work includes generating knowledge and analysis, coordinating advocacy, strengthening civil society ecosystems, advancing civil society narratives and building counterpower with affected communities.
CIVICUS is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, and operates through a distributed structure with hubs connected to multilateral institutions in New York, Geneva and London.
About the Strategy Consultancy
CIVICUS is approaching the end of its 2022–2027 strategic period and is preparing a new strategy for July 2027–June 2032.
The selected consultant will act as an external facilitator and help design and lead a participatory, evidence-based strategic planning process.
The objective is to produce a strategy that is:
- Credible
- Actionable
- Inclusive
- Evidence-based
- Member-owned
- Adaptive
- Transparent
- Ethical
The consultant will work closely with CIVICUS’ Strategy Core Team and Membership Committee throughout the process.
Key Responsibilities
The assignment covers several stages of strategic development.
Facilitate Participatory Strategy Development
The consultant will facilitate inclusive strategy processes involving stakeholders from a globally distributed and multi-regional organisation.
This includes designing approaches that allow different CIVICUS members, teams and stakeholders to contribute meaningfully to the strategy.
The consultant should be comfortable working across different cultures, regions and time zones.
Analyse Evidence and Organisational Learning
The consultant will synthesise evidence from CIVICUS sources and external research.
Relevant CIVICUS sources identified in the terms of reference include:
- CIVICUS Monitor
- CIVICUS Lens
- State of Civil Society Reports
- Programme evaluations
- Staff input
The consultant will use this evidence to help identify strategic choices and priorities for the next five-year period.
Conduct Consultations and Workshops
The successful consultant will design and facilitate:
- Regional online workshops
- Focus groups
- Membership sessions
- Other stakeholder consultations
The consultation process is intended to ensure that the strategy reflects perspectives from across CIVICUS’ global membership and operating environment.
Develop the Strategic Framework
A central responsibility will be leading the drafting and validation of the new strategic framework.
This includes developing:
- Strategic goals
- Outcomes
- Indicators
- Theory of Change
- Results frameworks
- Performance measurement approaches
The consultant will also help ensure that the strategy is practical and capable of guiding implementation.
Facilitate Board-Level Strategy Discussions
The consultant will facilitate a Board Strategy session supporting the final approval of the strategy.
This requires strong experience working with boards, senior leadership teams and governing bodies.
Support Implementation Transition
The assignment does not end with the production of the strategy.
The consultant will also support the transition toward implementation, including operational planning and development of monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) frameworks.
Required Qualifications and Experience
CIVICUS is seeking an experienced strategy professional rather than an entry-level consultant.
Applicants should have at least 10 years of progressively responsible experience leading or facilitating:
- Organisational strategy development
- Strategic reviews
- Transformation processes
Experience should ideally be with international NGOs, membership organisations, networks or global alliances.
Candidates should also demonstrate experience with participatory strategy processes involving diverse stakeholders across geographically distributed organisations.
Strategic and Analytical Skills
The successful consultant should have experience integrating:
- Evaluation findings
- Organisational learning
- Research evidence
- Environmental scans
- Political economy analysis
- Scenario planning
- Organisational assessments
into strategic planning and decision-making.
Strong systems thinking, strategic analysis, qualitative research, synthesis and report-writing skills are also required.
Theory of Change and Performance Management Experience
Applicants should have experience designing, facilitating or refining:
- Theories of Change
- Results frameworks
- Performance measurement systems
- MEL frameworks
This experience will be important because the new CIVICUS strategy is expected to translate strategic priorities into measurable outcomes and indicators.
Board and Stakeholder Facilitation
The role requires a consultant capable of engaging senior decision-makers and facilitating discussions involving potentially diverse or competing perspectives.
Relevant experience includes working with:
- Boards
- Governing bodies
- Senior leadership teams
- Membership committees
- Multi-stakeholder groups
Strong facilitation, consensus-building and conflict-management skills are particularly important.
Knowledge of Civil Society and Civic Space
CIVICUS places significant emphasis on applicants understanding the environment in which global civil society organisations operate.
Candidates should have a strong understanding of:
- Global civil society
- Civic space
- Human rights
- Democracy
- Citizen participation
- Membership-based organisations
- Network governance
Knowledge of philanthropy, international development financing and donor landscapes is also expected.
The terms of reference additionally highlight familiarity with digital transformation and emerging technology trends, as well as safeguarding, diversity, equity and inclusion, feminist approaches and decolonial approaches to organisational strategy.
Desirable Qualifications
The following would strengthen an application:
- Previous experience working with CIVICUS or a comparable global civil society alliance.
- Experience supporting organisations operating across Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Europe.
- Knowledge of civic-space monitoring and advocacy.
- Experience integrating organisational evaluation into strategic planning.
- Fluency in English.
- French, Spanish or Arabic language skills.
- A diverse consultancy team with strong Global South representation.
CIVICUS particularly welcomes candidates based in the Global South.
Consultancy Budget
The indicative budget for the assignment is US$25,000 to US$30,000.
The amount is intended to cover professional fees and associated costs.
Applicants are expected to submit a detailed financial proposal demonstrating value for money. The financial proposal should itemise anticipated costs and provide daily rates and total fees.
Any assumptions concerning travel should also be clearly stated.
Importantly, the stated amount is an indicative consultancy budget, not a conventional annual salary.
Application Requirements
Interested consultants or consulting firms should submit three main components.
1. Technical Proposal
The technical proposal should be no more than 10 pages, excluding annexes.
It should demonstrate:
- Understanding of the assignment
- Proposed methodology
- Workplan
- Team composition, where applicable
2. Financial Proposal
Applicants must provide a detailed financial proposal covering:
- Daily rates
- Professional fees
- Total costs
- Other anticipated expenses
- Travel assumptions, where relevant
3. Supporting Annexes
The application should include:
- Examples of previous work
- At least three client references
- CVs of key personnel
These materials should demonstrate relevant experience delivering complex organisational strategy assignments.
AI Use Disclosure
An important feature of this consultancy is CIVICUS’ requirement concerning artificial intelligence.
Consultants and firms must disclose any use of AI when preparing or delivering their proposed solutions.
Applicants remain responsible for ensuring that any AI-assisted content is accurate, original and compliant with the requirements of the assignment.
Interview Process
CIVICUS expects to shortlist approximately three to five candidates for interview.
Shortlisted applicants will typically participate in a 45-minute virtual interview with a selection panel.
Candidates should therefore be prepared to explain their proposed strategy methodology, facilitation approach, relevant international experience and how they would manage a complex, participatory process involving stakeholders across different regions.
Key Dates
The consultancy follows a longer strategic planning timeline.
| Date/Period | Milestone |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | Consultancy process begins |
| 4 September 2026 | Application deadline |
| August 2026 – September 2027 | Strategy development process |
| 1 July 2027 | New strategy goes live |
The deadline is 4 September 2026 at 23:59 GMT.
How to Apply
Qualified consultants and firms should submit their applications to strategy32@civicus.org.
The email subject line should follow the format:
Strategy Consultant_[Your Name/Name of Firm]
The full terms of reference should be reviewed carefully before submitting an application.
View the official CIVICUS Strategy Consultant vacancy
Read the full CIVICUS Strategy Review and Design Terms of Reference
What Makes This Consultancy Competitive?
This is a senior-level strategic consultancy requiring considerably more than general project-management experience.
The strongest proposals are likely to demonstrate a clear track record of leading strategy development for international, membership-based or network organisations, combined with strong facilitation and evidence-synthesis capabilities.
Applicants should also show that they understand the complexities of working with a global civil society alliance, including different regional perspectives, civic-space challenges, governance structures and stakeholder expectations.
A proposal that clearly connects methodology, consultation, evidence analysis, strategic choices, Theory of Change, MEL and implementation is likely to be stronger than one that focuses only on producing a final strategy document.
Final Thoughts
The CIVICUS Strategy Consultant Consultancy 2026–2027 is a significant global consulting opportunity for an experienced strategy specialist or firm with a background in international civil society, NGO, network or membership-based organisations.
The assignment will contribute directly to CIVICUS’ next strategic period from July 2027 to June 2032 and involves extensive stakeholder engagement, evidence analysis, strategic framework development, Board facilitation and implementation planning.
With an indicative budget of US$25,000–US$30,000 and a remote global arrangement, the opportunity may be particularly attractive to experienced consultants with strong Global South networks and demonstrated expertise in participatory organisational strategy.
Applicants should review the official terms of reference carefully and ensure that their technical and financial proposals directly address the requirements before the 4 September 2026 deadline.
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