Management and Leadership Consultant

The Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) is a global coalition of over 150 organizations dedicated to advancing the forest, land, and resource rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, Afro-descendant Peoples, and in particular the women within these groups. RRI’s members capitalize on each other’s strengths, expertise, and geographic reach to achieve solutions more effectively and efficiently. RRI leverages the power of its global coalition to amplify the voices of local peoples and proactively engage governments, multilateral institutions, and private sector actors to adopt institutional and market reforms that support the realization of rights.

Purpose and Scope

The Executive Team (ET) of RRI seeks a seasoned management consultant to provide ongoing advisory services on issues relating to organizational structure and governance, cross-team collaboration, and strategy development and implementation. The ET is comprised of the President, Chief Operating Officer, and Senior Director of Programs. The ET would like to grow a deep understanding with a consultant who will increasingly learn about RRI programs, people, challenges, and opportunities over the course of up to 24 months.

Consultant Activities and Deliverables

The consultant will be responsible for the following activities:

1. Familiarization with the ET and RRI priorities:

• Review internal governance, strategy, and planning documents and outcomes from a March 2024 Senior Management Team (SMT) retreat. 
• Meet with ET members to establish priorities for work to be carried out under the consultancy.
• Expected deliverable(s):
• Plan for work to be carried out under the consultancy, including meeting cadence, communications protocols, and priority focus areas for recommendations and feedback.

2. Provide ongoing advice, coaching, and thought partnership to ET members and SMT members as requested:

• The consultant will provide advice and feedback on plans developed by the ET to clarify organizational management and accountabilities, promote greater cross-team collaboration, and create space for organizational strategy review and development. 
• The consultant will work with the ET to ensure follow-up and accountability for organizational commitments made at a March 2024 SMT retreat.
• This may be in the form of meetings with the whole ET, or in 1-on-1 coaching or strategy sessions, depending on the needs of the team.
• For planning purposes, the consultant should consider up to 8 hours per month, which will vary across the year. Preference is for a flexible arrangement that allows for the carryover of unused hours from one month to the next.
• Expected deliverable(s):
• Recommendations and feedback to ET as requested on issues described above.
• Monthly activity reports (brief in narrative) of the coaching conducted, activities supported, or the resources shared with the ET.

3. Advise the ET on current and evolving industry best practices on nonprofit management, collaboration, leadership, and strategy.

• The consultant will stay abreast of developments in the nonprofit sector on these issues and share new learning and research with ET members as appropriate and relevant.
• The consultant will make themselves available for questions and support on a regular basis, as needed.
• Expected deliverable(s):
• Monthly activity report will include details of any advice or resources shared.

4. In-person meeting facilitation, if requested

• If requested, facilitate in-person meetings for the ET or SMT in Washington, DC of up to 3 days at a time. Frequency is anticipated at 2 per year or less.
• Expected deliverable(s):
• Meeting planning documents (e.g., agenda, presentations, outline, etc.)
• Final report and next steps from meeting.

Minimum Requirements

• Experience providing targeted strategic advice and coaching to senior nonprofit officials.
• Demonstrated expertise in nonprofit management and strategy development and implementation.
• Experience working with diverse leadership teams in a nonprofit setting.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with issues like climate change solutions, land rights, Indigenous and community livelihoods, and women and youth leadership is highly desired.  

Budget: TBD

Proposed Timeline

Activities will begin as soon as the agreement is executed, ideally by June 2024 and continue through December 31, 2026 (a period of roughly 30 months).

The deadline for submission is May 26, 2024.

Key Contract Terms

This will be a time plus materials contract, with a monthly retainer possible, but requiring rollover of unused time into future months. The consultant may propose a monthly retainer rate and specify the hourly cost for various anticipated types of services (e.g., 1-on-1 coaching, reviewing materials, attending meetings, facilitating meetings, etc.) which will be reconciled and reported at the end of each month. Unused hours from each month may be accessed in future months at no additional cost. The consultant will be accountable for tracking the unused balance.

Proposal Requirements

Please submit your proposal through this website with the documents listed below.

1. Narrative proposal describing your understanding of the tasksand your approach to delivering the project (no longer than 3 pages);
2. Summary of qualifications describing how your background, or that of your team, positions you to deliver the project (no longer than 1 page);
3. Financial proposal with all costs to deliver the project; detail the types of rates/costs per activity. For the purpose of budget drafting, please include 3 illustrative trips to DC for in-person meeting facilitation over the course of the agreement.
4. Annexes, including CVs for relevant team members (each no longer than 2 pages), and any other relevant information. Annexes must be combined into a single file for upload.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be scored based on the following parameters:

• Proposed approach (35%)
• Understanding of the work (20%)
• Consultant work history and experience (20%)
• Costs (25%)