Project Design Consultant - (MENA)

Request for Proposal (RFP)

Solicitation Number: CSLT SAHA****FY2501

CONSULTANCY OPPORTUNITIES (MENA)

Issued on: July 28, 2025

Deadline: August 15, 2025

This document presents the Terms of Reference for a series of consultancy positions supporting the development of Pathfinder International’s Funding Proposal to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for the SAHA Programme. These consultancies will provide expertise across critical thematic areas – ranging from environmental and social safeguards to financial structuring – to ensure the programme is technically robust, gender-responsive, and implementation-ready. The SAHA programme aims to enhance the climate resilience of healthcare systems across Oman, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq by addressing climate-health risks, strengthening institutional capacity, and promoting inclusive, sustainable approaches.

Position Title:

Level of Effort (days):

Deliverable-Based

Period of Performance:

4 months

Country(s) of Performance:

Multiple Countries in the MENA

Supervisor:

Pathfinder Project Lead

Activity:

Sustainable Adaptation for Healthcare Advancement in the MENA Region (SAHA)

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is one of the most climate-vulnerable areas globally. The region has experienced a warming trend of 1-2°C in the last century and is projected to witness more frequent and severe extreme weather events as a result of anticipated shifts in the region’s climatic patterns. The health burden of climate change is significantly understudied across the MENA region. However, changing temperature and precipitation patterns related to climate change have broad effects on these countries, threatening agriculture, food and water security, and overall human health and well-being.

To answer these challenges, Pathfinder is working with a range of stakeholders to develop a comprehensive programme aimed at reducing the impact of climate change on the health sector in five target countries: Oman, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq.

The Sustainable Adaptation for Healthcare Advancement in the MENA Region (SAHA) programme will address the root causes and barriers that contribute to and exacerbate climate and health challenges in the region, including 1) insufficient information on climate change’s impact on disease burden and health, 2) strained administrative capacity, 3) limited capacity of healthcare workers, 4) limited private sector investment and financial resources, 5) barriers to healthcare access, and 6) gender inequity. The programme proposal will be submitted to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) under the Project Specific Assessment Approach (PSAA) mechanism.

The overarching aim of the SAHA programme is to enhance the climate resilience of healthcare systems and health-related community practices in 200 health facilities and their catchment areas across 14 districts/regions in the target countries.

The SAHA programme will use a gender-responsive, community-based approach to integrate cross-sectoral issues that contribute to adverse climate-health outcomes, including climate-health information and warnings, agriculture, food and water security, and energy access. By doing so, SAHA increases the potential for substantial and sustained climate change mitigation and adaptation action in the health sector.

The programme goal has four outcomes:

1. Climate-Informed Health Early Warning Systems are widely available and used to monitor and address the health impacts of climate hazards locally and regionally.
2. Health facility staff can anticipate and respond to climate risks to healthand have increased adaptive capacity to maintain climate-resilient health facilities.
3. Health facilities and infrastructure are more resilient, sustainable, and prepared for climate risks.
4. Multisectoral community initiatives improve climate-sensitive health outcomes and inspire agents of change.

Pathfinder is seeking the services of a qualified consultant to lead the development of the technical project design for the SAHA programme Funding Proposal to be submitted to the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The objective of this assignment is to define and detail the programme’s technical interventions, implementation arrangements, and operational architecture across the five target countries.

Scope of Work

The consultant will be responsible for developing preliminary technical designs/specifications and costings, identifying potential implementing partners, and contribute to the finalization of operational arrangements in line with GCF investment criteria. This includes -among others- drafting the operations plan and manuals and supporting the development of implementation tools such as write-shops. The consultant will also address, within the deliverables, gaps and concerns identified by GCF at CN assessment stage.

Throughout the duration of the assignment, the selected consultant will work closely with Pathfinder’s project team and relevant stakeholders in the countries of interest. The consultant will be required to coordinate and interface closely with consultants leading other specialistic studies as well as the drafting of the Financing Proposal (FP), to provide inputs from its deliverables and to ensure coherence of approach, alignment, and avoidance of duplication across activities. The consultant will also be required to interface with external stakeholders as required by the client.

Detailed Tasks

Guided by the draft Concept Note, existing programme documentation, GCF guidelines, and inputs from Pathfinder staff and in coordination with consultants performing other specific studies and writing the Financing Proposal (FP), the selected consultants are expected to complete the following tasks:

1. Technical Design and Costing

• Develop preliminary technical designs/technical specifications and cost estimates for the shortlisted interventions in the selected areas/sites of each country.
• Ensure consistency with feasibility study findings, E&S specifications and alignment with national technical and permitting regulatory frameworks.

1. Setup and implementation of co-design processes

• Design and facilitate write-shops or other participatory tools to support co-design and validation of programme components.
• Document write-shop outcomes and incorporate feedback into programme design.

1. Identification of Implementing Partners

• Map and propose potential executing and implementing partners to cover the range of shortlisted interventions and areas/sites.
• Suggest and facilitate viable partnerships mechanisms in accordance with GCF implementation requirements.
• Draft TORs for implementation partners.

1. Inputs to Operations Plan and Manual

• Contribute to the drafting of the programme’s operations plan and manual, including internal controls, reporting protocols, exit strategy and sustainability mechanisms.

1. Input to implementation Scheduling

• Contribute with inputs to the drafting of the detailed implementation schedule.

Deliverables & Outputs

1. Preliminary Technical Designs and Costings: High-level technical design or technical specification documents for the proposed investments; And cost estimates for the proposed investments
2. Reports on Write-shops and Design Activities: Documentation of tools and sessions used to co-develop programme design elements, including write-shop summaries and outcomes/ resulting design recommendations.
3. Inputs to Operations Plan and Manual and to implementation Scheduling: Comprehensive documentation of implementation arrangements, including:

• An outline of the Governance structure and institutional roles
• list of implementation partners, with their proposed roles in the programme and engagement strategy
• TORs for key partners
• internal controls, reporting mechanisms, and exit strategy

The above description is indicative, and the final structure and content of the deliverables is to be finalized with and validated by the client.

Required Skills, Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum 10 years of professional experience in drafting project design documents, technical plans, or in project development in the sectors of energy, water or health, including costings and operational plans. Experience in at least one country and at least one sector is required, with experience in more than one country or in more than one sector being a distinct advantage.
• Experience interfacing with institutional stakeholders, implementing agencies, and technical partners to co-develop interventions.
• Familiarity with programme planning frameworks and legal/institutional systems in at least one of the countries of interest is required, with familiarity in more than one country being an advantage.
• Strong facilitation skills and experience leading participatory design activities, including write-shops and technical validation sessions.
• Experience in climate mitigation and adaptation, including climate-informed early warning systems, and/or resilience planning will be a distinct advantage, particularly if in connection with the health sector.
• Demonstrated experience contributing to GCF or other international climate finance or development banks proposals will be a distinct advantage.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English; proficiency in Arabic is desirable.

Guidelines and Instructions

Interested candidates are requested to submit Curriculum Vitaes (CVs), including your daily rate to ... by August 15, 2025. Additionally, kindly visit Pathfinder’s Consultant Database, and complete the Pathfinder Consultant Application Form at Careers - Pathfinder International

Consultants who are shortlisted, may be invited for short interviews prior to engagement on a particular Terms of Reference.

Inquiries

If you have any questions/inquiries, please e-mail ... no later than close of business August 5, 2025

Deadline

All submissions must be received by Pathfinder no later than 11:59 PM for electronic submission (Washington, D.C. time) on August 15, 2025.

Please email information directly to: ...

Agreement

Any resulting contract will be subject to terms and conditions.

Thank you,

Procurement Department

Pathfinder International