Application Cycle Concluded
The listed deadline for this opening was July 29, 2026. Application criteria, required documents, and preparation guidelines below remain active for upcoming academic cycles. Explore active live openings below.
About this opportunity
SPARK is hiring a Senior Capacity Strengthening Advisor for a consultancy based at home, with travel to Morocco and Tunisia. The contract runs approximately 60 to 75 working days during the programme's inception phase, expected between September and December 2026, with a start date of 01 September 2026. The consultancy fee is competitive and agreed based on qualifications and relevant experience. Applications must be submitted by 07 August 2026. The programme focuses on strengthening women's entrepreneurship in Morocco and Tunisia. SPARK will select and support in-country implementing partners (IPs) through tailored financial and non-financial support. These IPs will address barriers to women entrepreneurs through co-designed interventions. The work includes building gender-responsive business development services, with skill-building for climate-vulnerable and informal women entrepreneurs in business management, financial literacy, and digital tools, alongside mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) and soft skills training. At the societal level, IPs will run community sensitisation and norm-change dialogues, promote positive narratives on women's economic participation, and establish networks for business linkages, resilience, and safety. SPARK is an international non-governmental organisation that creates opportunities for young people in fragile and conflict-affected contexts through entrepreneurship development and higher education. It strengthens local ecosystems, supports entrepreneurs, and builds institutional capacities to contribute to inclusive economic growth and sustainable employment. This role is central to the programme's design phase, shaping how partners are selected, assessed, and developed. The advisor will lead the development of the programme's Capacity Strengthening Framework, refine partner selection and assessment tools, and co-design tailored Capacity Development Plans with selected IPs. The work involves facilitating workshops, coaching sessions, and peer learning, while integrating advice from GESI, MEL, and Compliance & Subgrants Advisors. The role also supports programme kick-off clinics and contributes to SPARK's broader partnership approach. Morocco and Tunisia offer a dynamic working environment for this consultancy. Both countries have growing entrepreneurship ecosystems, with a strong push toward women's economic participation. Travel between the two countries is manageable, with short flights and a shared time zone. Living costs are moderate, and the climate is Mediterranean, with hot summers and mild winters. The consultancy is home-based, so you will need to manage your own schedule and travel logistics, with flexibility for in-country workshops and partner meetings.
Responsibilities
- Lead the development of the programme's Capacity Strengthening Framework and facilitate its refinement with implementing partners to ensure local ownership, contextual relevance and long-term sustainability.
- Lead, in consultation with the Programme Lead and SPARK senior staff, the development and enhancement of Implementing Partner selection, organisational capacity assessment and capacity development tools, ensuring they effectively identify institutional strengths, development needs and organisational readiness.
- Support the selection process of implementing partners by providing technical guidance on organisational capacity and development potential and needs.
- Facilitate organisational capacity assessments and work closely with selected implementing partners to analyse assessment findings and co-design tailored Capacity Development Plans that respond to their specific institutional context, priorities and maturity.
- Support SPARK team with planning of training, coaching, mentoring and peer learning approaches with implementing partners to strengthen their institutional performance and enable them to deliver high-quality, gender-responsive and sustainable entrepreneurship support services.
- Develop practical methodologies, tools and quality assurance mechanisms that support the implementation, monitoring and continuous refinement of organisational development interventions throughout the programme.
- Support the preparation and delivery of in-country programme kick-off clinics and facilitate organisational capacity strengthening workshops and coaching sessions for SPARK staff and implementing partners.
- Promote organisational learning, collaboration and knowledge exchange by facilitating peer learning, documenting lessons learned and good practices, and contributing to adaptive programme management.
- Work closely with the GESI, MEL and Compliance & Subgrants Advisors to ensure that their expert advice is fully integrated in Capacity Development plans.
- Support the continuous strengthening of SPARK's partnership approach by contributing technical advice, practical tools and lessons learned that enhance organisational capacity strengthening, partner engagement and institutional development across SPARK's programmes.
Benefits
- Competitive daily consultancy fee, agreed based on qualifications and relevant experience.
- Home-based work with flexibility to manage your own schedule.
- Travel to Morocco and Tunisia for in-country workshops and partner meetings, with related expenses covered.
- Opportunity to shape the design of a major women's entrepreneurship programme from its inception.
- Engagement with a respected international NGO working across fragile and conflict-affected contexts.
Requirements & Qualifications
- A Master's degree in Organisational Development, International Development, or a related field.
- Proven experience in organisational capacity strengthening, institutional development, and partner capacity assessment in international development contexts.
- Strong facilitation and coaching skills, with experience delivering workshops and peer learning sessions.
- Knowledge of gender-responsive and transformative approaches to business development services.
- Experience working with implementing partners in fragile or conflict-affected contexts.
- Familiarity with the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Morocco and Tunisia is an advantage.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; proficiency in French or Arabic is a plus.
- Ability to work independently in a home-based consultancy role, with travel to Morocco and Tunisia.
How to Apply
- Prepare your CV and a cover letter outlining your relevant experience and qualifications for this consultancy.
- Submit your application before the deadline of 07 August 2026.
- Click the Apply button below to submit your application.
Ready to start your application?
Submit your materials before the official deadline.
Verify all official guidelines and eligibility criteria directly with the host institution before submitting. Prepare your transcript evaluation, referee letters, and motivational statement early to avoid deadline bottleneck delays.
Official Application Strategy & Recommended Tools
Selection Committee Priorities
- •Academic/Professional Alignment: Ensure your statement explicitly ties your past work in to Organization's strategic goals.
- •Leadership Evidence: Selection panels heavily weigh demonstrated initiative, community impact, or research output.
- •Financial & Language Prerequisites: Confirm if Medium of Instruction (MOI) certificates can substitute for formal standardized language test fees.




