Consultancy: Country Program Lead, Cote d'Ivoire

About Trickle Up

Trickle Up works with women living in extreme poverty to build sustainable livelihoods. We partner with local organizations and governments to expand access to Economic Inclusion, including through the Graduation Approach.

About the Role

Trickle Up seeks an experienced development professional to build and strengthen its Economic Inclusion work in Côte d’Ivoire. This role offers the opportunity to provide ongoing technical and implementation support, develop lasting government and partner relationships, and help shape a growing country program.

The Country Program Lead will work closely with the Vice President, Africa, and the Economic Inclusion team to support partners, resolve implementation challenges, and turn learning into better results. We are looking for someone who takes initiative, follows through on commitments, and is interested in contributing to the continued development of Trickle Up’s work in Côte d’Ivoire. This is intended as a longer-term engagement, initially offered through a one-year consultancy agreement. Any extension will depend on funding, program needs, satisfactory completion of agreed deliverables, and the appropriate engagement arrangement.

Key Responsibilities

Program planning and implementation

• Coordinate agreed implementation priorities for the Man pilot and other funded initiatives, supporting partners to address challenges and follow through on actions.
• Maintain a practical monthly work plan and track progress, budgets, donor commitments, risks, and dependencies. Recommend corrective actions and follow up on agreed decisions.

Government and partner relationships

• Build and maintain productive relationships with relevant ministries, implementation partners, development partners, financial institutions, cooperatives, and other stakeholders.
• Clarify roles and technical assistance priorities, prepare inputs for stakeholder and financing discussions, and follow up on commitments that support program adoption and expansion.

Program quality and partner capacity

• Provide technical support on operating procedures, targeting, coaching, training, supervision, assessments, livelihoods, and market linkages.
• Work closely with the Economic Inclusion team to adapt tools, curricula, and delivery approaches and strengthen partner capacity. Promote women’s agency, inclusion, safeguarding, and accessible participant feedback.

Evidence and learning

• Work with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Manager and technical specialists on data collection and quality, locally appropriate tools, key indicators, and issues requiring technical guidance.
• Use evidence, participant feedback, delivery capacity, costs, and risks to improve implementation and inform expansion and financing plans. Document lessons for Trickle Up’s wider Economic Inclusion practice and approved external use.

Program development

• Develop agreed concept notes, proposals, partnership opportunities, and future program designs with Trickle Up’s Africa, Economic Inclusion, and business development teams.
• Identify practical opportunities to strengthen and grow the country portfolio, taking account of partner capacity and confirmed or potential funding.

Country establishment

• Coordinate requested information and documentation with designated legal, tax, registration, and other advisers, and follow up on establishment activities.
• Track progress, dependencies, and risks.

Monthly priorities and results

At the beginning of each month, the Consultant and the Vice President, Africa will agree on specific deliverables, expected results, timelines, estimated consulting days, and criteria for assessing completion or satisfactory progress. The recurring areas below will guide this work as the country program develops.

• Workplan and priorities: An updated plan with agreed activities, expected outputs, timelines, and dependencies.
• Implementation and partner support: Evidence of progress, support provided, implementation challenges, and corrective actions.
• Program quality and technical support: Completion or advancement of agreed technical outputs, tools, training, and livelihood or market activities.
• MEL and learning: Progress on data collection and quality, indicators, lessons, and issues requiring technical guidance.
• Partnerships and stakeholder engagement: A brief record of engagement, decisions, and agreed follow-up actions.
• Program development: Progress on concepts, proposals, partnerships, and future program design.
• Progress and action report: A concise monthly summary of work and outputs, days worked, outstanding actions, risks or dependencies, and priorities for the following month.

Working Relationships and Authority

• The Consultant will coordinate with Trickle Up’s Africa and Economic Inclusion teams, relevant Côte d’Ivoire personnel, implementation partners, and approved advisers.
• The Consultant may provide technical guidance, coordination, mentoring, and recommendations within the agreed scope. The engagement does not include authority to hire, terminate, discipline, set compensation for, or formally evaluate Trickle Up employees.
• The Consultant may participate in technical discussions with government agencies, donors, partners, and other stakeholders as authorized. The Consultant may not sign agreements, make financial, legal, programmatic, employment, or institutional commitments, issue formal correspondence in Trickle Up’s name, or publicly state an organizational position without prior written authorization.
• The Consultant is responsible for organizing how and when the services are performed, meeting agreed deadlines, safeguarding standards, confidentiality and data-protection requirements, and applicable laws.

Required Qualifications

• At least seven years of relevant experience in Economic Inclusion, social protection, livelihoods, or a closely related field, including at least five years advising or leading complex programs, multidisciplinary teams, partnerships, or technical-assistance engagements.
• Fluent French and strong professional English, including written reporting and collaboration with international teams.
• Demonstrated experience supporting Ivorian government programs or institutions through technical assistance, such as operating procedures, capacity strengthening, frontline training, costing, budgeting, or implementation support.
• Experience working with government and development partners on program adoption, scale, public financing, cash transfers, or related social-protection initiatives.
• Applied understanding of Economic Inclusion and the Graduation Approach, including program delivery, partner management, budgeting, donor commitments, and capacity strengthening.
• Ability to assess data quality, interpret findings, synthesize stakeholder input, and translate evidence into clear recommendations.
• Demonstrated experience working as an independent consultant or adviser and managing deliverable-based assignments requiring independent professional judgment.
• A relevant degree or equivalent professional experience and a demonstrated commitment to women’s agency, inclusion, safeguarding, and ethical practice.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with market systems, digital coaching tools, or field coordination of impact evaluations, including randomized trials.
• Established professional knowledge of Côte d’Ivoire’s social protection, livelihoods, public finance, and development-partner environment.

Application Requirements

Applicants should submit the following by November 30, 2026:

• A résumé or curriculum vitae.
• A brief cover letter describing relevant experience and proposed approach to the consultancy.
• A financial proposal stating the proposed professional fee, currency, and any applicable taxes.
• Availability during the anticipated consultancy period.
• Contact information for at least two professional references.

Independent Consultancy and Safeguards

The selected consultant will be engaged under a written consultancy agreement and Terms of Reference. The engagement is not intended to create an employer-employee relationship. The consultant will be responsible for applicable registration, tax, social protection, insurance, and other obligations associated with independent professional activity, subject to applicable law and the final agreement.

Trickle Up is committed to safeguarding, inclusion, confidentiality, responsible data handling, and preventing sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. The selected consultant will be required to comply with applicable contractual safeguards and Trickle Up policies relevant to the assignment.

How to Apply

Please submit the required application materials by clicking the "Apply" button by November 30, 2026. We will review applications based on qualifications, proposed approach, availability, and financial proposal. Only shortlisted applicants may be contacted.

Originally posted on Himalayas