Terms of Reference Summary
This consultancy will support the design and delivery of a small-scale pilot leadership course, targeting mid to senior level public servants from 5 ASEAN-ACT partner countries working in countering-trafficking in persons, namely government agencies in Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
We are seeking adaptive and collaborative consultant/s to: (1) design a fit-for-purpose small-scale leadership course for the ASEAN context, (2) develop and deliver a course for public sector leaders. Through this course of up to 12 months, leaders will be addressing specific institutional challenges that strengthens counter-trafficking efforts.
The consultant/s will have experience in professional development with an understanding of how public sector leadership can strengthen governance. The course, commencing in early 2025, will be co-designed and co-delivered with the ASEAN-ACT team, incorporating inputs from a wide range of actors.

About the program
The ASEAN–Australia Counter Trafficking program (ASEAN-ACT) continues Australia’s long-running collaboration with ASEAN to counter trafficking in persons in the region. The program is a ten-year investment (2018 to 2028) supporting ASEAN Member States to implement the ASEAN Convention against Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children. The program works with a broad and diverse range of partners in the region to strengthen responses to trafficking in persons, while upholding the rights of victims. We engage with all 10 ASEAN Member States in some capacity and have national-level programming in Cambodia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. We are establishing programming in Indonesia, and currently on hold in Myanmar. ASEAN-ACT supports ASEAN Member States to integrate gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) and protect the rights of trafficked victims.

Overview of the Project

Background

Institutional capacity to implement the ASEAN Convention against Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children is hindered by unclear, overlapping or inefficient policies, procedures and systems, siloed ways of work, limited access to resources and budget, and competing priorities.

Leadership and staff transitions create barriers to longer-term changes in the organisational structure and to multi-agency cooperation among the ASEAN Member States. The findings from ASEAN-ACT- supported research with a political economy lens, point to gaps in leadership capacity and lack of accountability and transparency as a significant barrier to progressing reform.

Objective

For effective counter-trafficking implementation to take place, institutions require robust and aligned operational functions. For change to happen, key individuals with adaptive leadership qualities – beyond technical counter-trafficking capabilities – are needed to drive solutions to challenges and ensure sustainability.

ASEAN-ACT recognises an investment in leadership capacity within government agencies – especially for a complex and constantly evolving challenge like human trafficking – is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach.

This is a pilot project for the second phase of the ASEAN-ACT program (2024-2028), oriented towards institutional strengthening and policy reform.

Duration

The consultancy is expected to commence around the middle of June 2024, with the first cohort (suggested 2-3 leaders per country) to commence late 2024/ early 2025. The course length will be designed as up to but not exceeding 12 months. ASEAN-ACT will assess the implementation of the pilot project, which will inform the development of future programs.

Participants

Selected leaders will come from 5 countries in the ASEAN region where ASEAN-ACT has established programming – Cambodia, Lao PDR, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. ASEAN-ACT will consult with partner agencies and support the selection process and any approvals required for participants to commit to the program. The selection criteria will target mid-level to senior-level public servants working directly on counter-trafficking initiatives within their institution or government agency. They will have demonstrated experience, ideas or capabilities to address institutional challenges. English proficiency may be varied.

Components of leadership course:

• Theoretical concepts of leadership and management
• Practical applications of learnings
• Adult learning principles
• Dynamic networking across sectors and countries to encourage peer-to-peer learning
• Professional mentoring and coaching
• Project collaboration on shared institutional challenges
• Applying human rights based approaches
• Integrating Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) approaches
• ASEAN context and the ASEAN Convention on Trafficking in Persons, especially of Women and Children (ACTIP)

• ASEAN-ACT will be responsible for:

  • outreach and selection of leaders, including any approvals required by candidates to participate in the course
  • consultation and engagement of partner agencies
  • pastoral care of leaders
  • virtual and in-person networking events in the region
  • travel, administration and logistical arrangements
  • subject matter expertise relating to trafficking in persons
  • providing relevant background documents
  • external communications and branding elements
  • review and approval of any outputs

   

  Consultancy scope of work

  ASEAN-ACT is seeking a consultant/s to:

  • design a leadership course
  • develop and deliver modules for a small-scale leadership course. The consultancy is expected to commence around the middle of June 2024, with the first cohort to commence late 2024/ early 2025.

  The consultant/s will work closely with the ASEAN Program Director and the ASEAN-ACT program team, responsible for the following:

  1. Course Design – desktop review and analysis of existing leadership programs in the region and develop recommendations for course effectiveness including scale and length of the course, ideal number of participants, theoretical structure, tools and platforms, participant commitment, expert speakers and mentoring/coaching arrangements, budget and other considerations. The design will be informed by a contextual analysis and feedback from partner agencies (conducted concurrently by ASEAN-ACT). ASEAN-ACT will share analysis to inform the course
  2. Curriculum development – draw on existing training materials (in various formats) and tailor based on the approved course design. The modules and relevant resources must incorporate theoretical and practical applications of leadership and management concepts. Participant diagnostic tools (eg DISC) and relevant professional development tools must be
  3. Leadership course delivery – deliver selected course modules, together with ASEAN-ACT and expert speakers. This may include facilitating workshops and training sessions (in-person and
  4. Mentorship & coaching – in consultation with ASEAN-ACT, provide mentorship or coaching support to delegates throughout the course duration. Support delegates in the development of personal leadership plans. Mentoring and coaching sessions should combine face to face and online elements.

  Expected Outputs

  The consultant/s shall be contracted initially for the first cohort of 2025 and shall deliver the following outputs:

   

  Inception report, including timeframe of delivery	Mid-June 2024
  Design document, including contextual analysis and references	July-September 2024
  Course curriculum, including powerpoint presentations, tools and resources, training agenda, facilitation guides	October-December 2024
  Presentation and facilitation of selected course modules, together with ASEAN-ACT and expert speakers	January-June 2025
  Completion report	TBD

   

  Selection Criteria

  Qualifications

  • Subject Matter Expertise – The consultant/s should possess a strong understanding of leadership development principles, leadership theory and practice, organisational development, stakeholder engagement and cross-cultural communication. The consultant/s must be familiar with public sector leaders, working with institutions and government agencies. The consultant/s must be able to demonstrate understanding and application of GEDSI approaches in leadership course development. Experience with counter-trafficking programs or using human rights-based approaches is desirable.
  • Experience – The consultant/s must have demonstrated experience in delivering a similar project. Extensive experience in working with international development
  • Facilitation Skills – Demonstrated experience as a skilled facilitator and organiser who can create an interactive, respectful and engaging learning environment for adult learners from diverse
  • Nominated Experts – An established network of experts, including from the ASEAN region, in various sectors and fields is favoured to provide lectures or coaching/mentoring.
  • Communication skills – Demonstrated strong communication skills including writing, editing and formatting of documents to a high quality in English. They must also be able to demonstrate excellent interpersonal

   

   

  Evaluation Criteria

  EOIs and full proposals will be evaluated based on the technical and financial criteria indicated in the table below. Proposals must score a minimum of 50 points in the technical assessment to proceed to the financial assessment.

   

  Technical assessment
  Responsive to the consultancy scope, objectives, expertise required and timeline	25
  Relevant experience in conducting similar work	25
  Proposed experts, approach to the design and development of course	20
  Financial assessment
  Cost proposal to complete consultancy	30
  Total score	100

  Selection process

  The consultancy will be selected through a competitive process. The selection process involves 2 stages:

   

  Round 1	Consultant/s submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to explain their proposal, using the template provided.
  Round 2	Shortlisted consultant/s will be notified to attend a briefing session with ASEAN- ACT, followed by a submission of a full proposal. A final shortlist of consultant/s may be asked to present to a panel.

   

  Eligibility

  International and local consultants from the ASEAN region are encouraged to apply. Teaming arrangements are also encouraged if appropriate. Firms/companies/organisations are also eligible to apply.

   

  How to Apply

   

  Send the EOI using the template to info@aseanact.org by 30 April 2024. Visit www.aseanact.org/contact/work-with-us/ for more information.

   

  ASEAN-ACT is committed to achieving workplace diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individual from minority groups, indigenous groups, people with a disability, women and ASEAN nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.

   

  All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

   

   

  Other Information

  Amendments to the position’s terms of reference may be made during the period of the engagement as required.

   

  DT Global Asia Pacific Pty Ltd is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or national origin. DT Global Asia Pacific Pty Ltd prohibits discriminating against employees and job applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose the compensation of the employee or applicant or another employee or applicant.

   

  Our organisation is committed to child protection and safeguarding the welfare of children in the delivery of our international development programs. Recruitment and selection procedures reflect this commitment. We are committed to safety and the prevention of sexual abuse and harassment, child protection and bribery prevention.

   

  We want to engage with the right people to deliver our client programs. As part of our approach you will be subjected to formal background screening, criminal record checks, employment verification, and periodic compliance checks. All our staff receive safety, compliance and safeguards training and are responsible for contributing to a safer working culture.

  About DT Global

  DT Global partners with communities, governments, and the private sector to provide award-winning, technical expertise focused on promoting local leadership and global accountability to deliver innovative, sustainable, data-driven solutions and inclusive development.

   

  Our business has a global presence—almost 2,500 staff and experts in over 100 countries—and a strong commitment to use and build local capacity and empower local voices. We meet communities on the development spectrum and help them navigate to where they want to be.

   

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  With corporate offices in Australia, USA, the United Kingdom, and Spain, in addition to project field offices around the world, DT Global implements projects funded from a wide array of clients, including DFAT, MFAT, DFID, USAID, EU, NC, and other public and private stakeholders. We value learning, research, and rapid program adaptation in response to changing realities on the ground. Together with our global team of experts, we are building technical capabilities across sectors in order to deliver high-quality interventions and transform lives around the world.

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