About this role

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.

Individual Consultant Roster – ECHO HIP FY27 Proposal Development Support

1. About the International Rescue Committee

This call is issued by IRC's Awards Management Unit (AMU), which leads on securing and managing funding from public donors, including the European Commission's Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).

2. Purpose of this call

IRC is updating its roster of individual consultants to support ECHO Humanitarian Implementation Plan (HIP) proposal development across five regions – Asia; East Africa; Latin America; Middle East, North Africa and Ukraine (MENAU); and West and Central Africa (WACAR). This call is issued ahead of the FY27 HIP season, but the roster itself is ongoing: consultants selected will be retained beyond FY27 and contacted directly for future ECHO HIP cycles as country-level and regional needs are confirmed. Each assignment is issued as an individual Statement of Work, scoped and agreed on its own terms.

3. Consultant categories

This call covers four consultant categories:

- Bid leadership

- Pricing and budget support

- Technical leadership

- Proposal writing

Candidates may apply for one or more categories. Applications should clearly state which category or categories, and which region or regions, the candidate is available to support, as language and availability requirements differ by region (see Section 5).

4. Duties and responsibilities

A. Bid leadership

- Lead the end-to-end development of an ECHO HIP proposal for an assigned country or opportunity

- Coordinate between country programme technical teams, grants staff and the IRC Awards Management Unit

- Ensure narrative quality, compliance with ECHO's Single Form requirements, and overall proposal coherence

B. Proposal writing

- Draft and revise proposal narrative components, log-frames and annexes to a publication-ready standard

- Incorporate feedback from country and headquarters review cycles

- Work within IRC's proposal templates and formatting requirements

C. Pricing and budget support

- Develop and quality-assure ECHO-compliant budgets

- Ensure alignment between narrative, log-frame and financial submission

- Apply ECHO's budget templates and cost-eligibility rules accurately

D. Technical leadership

- Provide sector-specific technical design input for ECHO HIP proposals, for example Education in Emergencies

- Ensure technical design aligns with donor priorities and IRC's technical standards

- Support integration of technical content into the proposal narrative and log-frame

5. Language and geographic considerations

Language and availability requirements vary by region. French is essential for WACAR, with English an advantage. Spanish is essential for Latin America. English is required across all regions, with Arabic an advantage for MENAU. Time-zone alignment and in-country presence are an advantage for Asia. Applicants should indicate the region(s), and corresponding language(s), they are able to support.

6. Required qualifications and experience

Essential (all categories)

- Demonstrated experience developing ECHO HIP proposals, ideally with a track record with IRC or comparable international NGOs

- Familiarity with ECHO's Single Form, budget templates and quality standards

- Language capability matching the region(s) applied for (see Section 5)

- Availability to work remotely; in-country or time-zone-aligned availability is an advantage for Asia

- Availability to work concurrently with other assignments during peak proposal submission periods

Category-specific

- Bid leadership: demonstrated experience leading proposal teams and managing donor compliance requirements

- Pricing and budget support: demonstrated experience applying ECHO cost-eligibility rules and donor budget templates

- Technical leadership: sector-specific technical qualifications and experience, for example in Education in Emergencies

- Proposal writing: strong technical writing skills in the required language, with experience incorporating reviewer feedback under time pressure

7. How to apply

Interested consultants are requested to submit the following to express interest in this roster:

- A CV setting out relevant ECHO/HIP experience and the language(s) the applicant can work in

- A short cover note indicating the expert category or categories and region(s) applied for, together with an indicative day rate

- Confirmation of availability during the FY27 ECHO HIP season (October 2026 to March 2027), noting any periods of unavailability

- Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis as received; early submission is encouraged. To be considered for the FY27 HIP season, applications should be submitted by 7 October 2026. Applications will be acknowledged, but only candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted directly.

8. Selection process

Applications will be reviewed against the qualifications and experience set out in Section 6. Shortlisted candidates may be asked to provide two professional references, a redacted work sample (for example, a section of a previous ECHO or donor proposal – applicants should only share material they are authorised to share), complete a short written assessment, or attend a brief interview. Successful candidates will be added to the IRC consultant roster and contacted directly as assignments are confirmed, including for ECHO HIP cycles beyond FY27. Inclusion on the roster does not guarantee an assignment.

Professional Standards: All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct . Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding , Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

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Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.