Terms of Reference: Prototype Refinement – Local Leadership Labs
CIVICUS is seeking a consultant (or consultancy team) with strong experience in user-centred design and civil society ecosystem dynamics. The consultant will help refine existing prototypes so that it is coherent, usable, and aligned with the needs and capacities of diverse civil society actors.
Interested consultants should submit a proposal by email to Taís Siqueira ([email protected]) with the subject line: Proposal for LLL Prototype Refinement.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and should be received no later than 5 January 2026.
Introduction to CIVICUS
CIVICUS exists to defend people power. As a growing global alliance of over 15,000 members in 188 countries, we work together to monitor violations of basic civic freedoms, call out the perpetrators of violations and strengthen the power of people to organise by supporting a more accountable, effective and innovative civil society. We strive to promote excluded voices, especially from the Global South.
Local Leadership Labs (LLL)
The LLL is a three-year learning, influencing and convening initiative aimed at transforming the enabling environment for locally led development. The initiative focuses on political, technical, and behavioural barriers that prevent governments, donors, and other stakeholders from meaningfully recognizing, including, and resourcing diverse grassroots civil society actors.
Across Southeast Africa and Southeast Asia, six convening partners lead regional, national, and subnational Labs that enable sustained safe dialogue processes as well as inclusive co-creation spaces so that policies, practices, and enablement approaches of different stakeholders are more joined up and responsive to the lived experiences, priorities and asks of diverse local civil society actors. Besides enhancing reciprocal accountability, in the end this process wishes to positively impact the relevance and accessibility of resources, support infrastructure and solidarity available to local civil society actors.
Purpose of the Consultancy
The purpose of this consultancy is to strengthen and refine existing prototypes—whether a tool, model, learning journey, or methodology—so it is ready for real-world testing with civil society partners. The consultant will:
- Strengthen usability, accessibility, and clarity
- Improve alignment with organisational values, resourcing realities, and ecosystem practices
- Produce a refined prototype and a practical roadmap for piloting
Deliverables
- Updated prototype (e.g., methodology, process map, toolset, user journey, facilitation guide)
- Key insights and implications for prototype evolution
- User testing protocol, facilitation script, or survey instruments
- Proposed indicators and feedback mechanisms
- Fully refined, user-ready prototype materials bundled for internal and external use
- Slide deck
Knowledge & Experience
- Demonstrated experience in user-centered design or participatory design processes
- Strong understanding of civil society ecosystems, movement support, or solidarity-based approaches
- Experience working with diverse stakeholders, especially in the Global South
- Ability to synthesise complex information into clear, accessible materials
- Excellent facilitation and communication skills
- Excellent writing skills and ability to be concise and clear – providing actionable analysis and recommendations in English with other UN languages an advantage.
Estimated Workdays and Timeframe
Estimated 25 – 30 workdays between 15 January and 23 February 2026. Please note that the typical CIVICUS consultancy fee ranges from USD 300–350 per day.
Application process
Your application should include the following (no longer than 12 pages) in ONE merged PDF document:
- Motivation, technical approach, workplan for this consultancy
- Example of previous work.
- Capabilities and experience, including CVs and two contactable references. Financial quotation, including your proposed daily remuneration rate in US$, number of workdays envisioned for this consultancy and any additional costs.
Interested consultants should submit a proposal for the anticipated contract by email to Tais Siqueira at [email protected]. Applications should be received not later than 5 January 2026.
Please read the application process carefully and follow all steps exactly. Only applicants submitting the application in the required format and components will be considered.