Issue Date: 10.29.25

Proposal Due Date: 11.17.25 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time  

Anticipated Award Date: As soon as possible

Location of the consultant: Based in East African countries preferred, remote possible 

Estimated dates of work: up to 30 days, with potential adjustments based on scope.

Competitive Procurement

To Whom It May Concern:

IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board) is seeking proposals from qualified individuals to provide psychosocial safety expertise for short-term SAFE operations in East Africa – these may include trainings, individual risk mitigation, and workshops tailed to local contexts. This will include providing training, and contextualized physical safety and risk management support, to journalists, media practitioners, and media organizations. The remaining time of the project is between 2-5 months. Please note this position is a consultancy-based job with a timeline depending on the needs of the project and funding.

IREX will prioritize local nationals based in East Africa with experience of working in the region and continent on physical safety or holistic safety issues.

IREX reserves the right to withdrawal this request for proposals at any time up to the award of the contract. 

Proposal Requirements

• Deliver one or more trainings promoting physical safety to journalists and media organizations including risk assessment and management
• Provide risk assessment and mitigation planning to at-risk individuals and organizations;
• Create and contextualize physical safety and risk management lessons, content, and toolkits;
• Ensure integrated approach to safety in work with participants through close coordination with other domain experts, as well as other program staff and consultants;
• Deliver contextualized lessons/assistance in physical safety and risk management that reflect an integrated safety framework;
• Build capacity and train others on becoming physical safety experts and provide mentorship after the training;
• Coordinate with the Manager on risk-mitigation strategies and participant follow-up;
• As needed assist with ensuring safety of project participants, staff, activities, and assets;
• As needed support participants and the project in creating and maintaining Standard Operating procedures (SOPs);
• Report on activities as required;
• Participate in skill share with team and peers;
• Participate in meetings and/or calls with team; and
• Other duties as assigned by Manager and/or Program Director.

The ideal consultant will possess the following qualifications:

• Minimum 5 years of experience providing Physical Security and Risk Management
• support including but not limited to topics such as planning, first aid, and incident management;
• Demonstrated expertise in conducting risk assessments, leading risk management processes, and developing and implementing Standard Operating Procedures for individuals and organizations (preferably from a holistic perspective);
• Demonstrated experience training and mentoring at risk individuals or organizations on physical safety; Experience in conducting ToTs is a plus;
• Demonstrated understanding of adult learning techniques; knowledge and use of interactive methods in training;
• In-depth knowledge of the journalism sector and safety needs of journalists and media practitioners;
• In-depth knowledge of journalism sector as well as operating environment and media landscape in Africa;
• Experience working in high-risk environments or emergency situations;
• Excellent management, communication, and interpersonal skills;
• Experience working in global settings and across various cultures;
• Demonstrated ability to communicate professionally and provide written reporting in English;
• Proficiency in regional languages is highly preferred (e.g. Hausa, Yoruba, Lingala, Swahili, Amharic or Somali).
• Ability to travel within East Africa is a plus
• Ability to work under minimal supervision and adapt to new program activity requirements;
• Experience of working constructively as part of a team in person and online.

IREX may at its discretion ask for additional information, including references. Issuing this call does not commit IREX to select any applicant/expert. IREX might select more than one candidate from this call. IREX reserves the right, based on availability of funding and consultant(s) performance, to enter into subsequent contractual agreements with the winning vendor(s) for a period of up to three years without issuing a new call for applications.  

Proposal Submission Requirements

If you are interested in furnishing this service, please submit a CV to this application that includes your daily rate requirements.  

If you decide to submit a proposal, it must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the closing date indicated above. Late submissions will only be considered if in the best interests of the project, and then at IREX’s sole discretion. All proposals submitted must be valid for a period of not less than sixty (60) calendar days from the closing date indicated above.

If you are interested in furnishing this service, please email a CV to sdoroshenko@irex.org that includes your daily rate requirements.

Candidate Evaluation

The criteria are listed in descending order starting with the most important factors to be evaluated.

• Previous experience (40%)
• Qualifications (50%)
• Immediate Start Availability (10%)

Renewal

IREX reserves the right, based on availability of funding and vendor performance, to enter into subsequent contractual agreements with the winning vendor for a period of up to three years without issuing a new RFP.