Consultant - Evidence Synthesis: Capacity Strengthening and Learning as Strategic Investment

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The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future. Title: Consultant - Evidence Synthesis: Capacity Strengthening and Learning as Strategic Investment Total number of Consultants: 1 Country Program: Global / Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action Proposed Dates: 1 July 2027 - 31 December 2027 Duration: 6 months Total Budget: USD 10,500.00 Location: Remote Reporting to: IRC Senior Researcher Background of the Project The humanitarian child protection sector faces a critical inflection point. Chronic underfunding, compounded by sharp contractions in humanitarian assistance budgets, is placing essential prevention and response services at risk at a time when children's protection needs are escalating in scale and complexity. Donors and decision-makers increasingly require credible, outcome-oriented, and economic evidence to justify continued investment in child protection in humanitarian action. In response, the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian has developed an Evidence-to-Advocacy Research Agenda to close the most urgent evidence gaps undermining the sector's ability to advocate for sustained funding. The Research Agenda identifies three priority areas, of which this consultancy addresses Priority 3: Capacity Strengthening and Learning as Strategic Investment. This priority recognizes that child protection is a service-delivery sector: without a trained, supported, and adequately resourced workforce, child protection services cannot function. Staffing, supervision, and learning and development (L&D) are often the first budget lines cut when funding is reduced, undermining all child protection interventions and compromising the ability to meet the Child Protection Minimum Standards (CPMS). The consequences are immediate-service quality deteriorates, protection risks increase, and frontline workers face burnout and attrition. This consultancy will generate the foundational evidence synthesis needed to reframe workforce capacity as core humanitarian infrastructure rather than discretionary overhead, and document practical and innovative solutions to meet L&D demands with reduced resources to equip the Alliance and its members with advocacy-ready evidence products. The work will be carried out in close coordination with the Alliance's Assessment Measurement and Evidence (AME) and Learning and Development (L&D) Working Group, which bring critical technical expertise in research methods and evidence synthesis and on workforce capacity issues and will serve as key validation bodies throughout the consultancy. Scope of Work This is a remote consultancy includes a rapid literature review and key informant interviews conducted online to collect case studies. The aim of this consultancy is to lead an evidence synthesis that demonstrates the essential role of workforce capacity-including training, supervision, and technical support-in delivering effective child protection outcomes in humanitarian contexts, and to document the consequences when such investments are reduced or eliminated. Specific Objectives Conduct a rapid review and synthesis of published and grey literature mapping existing evidence that links capacity strengthening to improved program quality and child-level outcomes in child protection. Synthesize evidence on the consequences for children, services, and staff when workforce investments (training, supervision, L&D) are reduced or eliminated. Identify and document practical and innovative solutions reported in the literature or through case studies for meeting L&D demands with reduced resources, particularly for local NGOs and volunteer workforces. Produce an comprehensive report and evidence brief, validated by the Alliance Working Groups, that elevate workforce capacity as a strategic investment essential to delivering quality child protection services. Support the organization of online dissemination event (format tbc) to share the findings and promote capacity sharing/exchange of experiences Methodology The consultant is expected to employ the following methodological approach: Rapid Literature Review: Systematic search of academic databases (e.g., PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane) and practitioner repositories (e.g., Save the Children Resource Centre, ALNAP