NEF Business Development Support Consultancy – Northeast Syria

Near East Foundation (NEF) – Syria

CONSULTANCY TERMS OF REFERENCE

Consultancy Title: NEF Business Development Support Consultancy – Northeast Syria

Job Class: Professional

Reporting to: Program Manager

Approximate Duration: 3 months

Level of Effort (Days): Up to 20 Days

Background

For over 100 years, the Near East Foundation (NEF) has been a non-profit international development organization supporting livelihoods recovery and community-based economic development across the Middle East, Africa, and the Caucasus since 1915. NEF draws on local teams, experience, and partnerships in these regions to develop community-led solutions that reduce poverty, create economic opportunities, and empower conflict- and crisis-affected populations to improve their outlook and well-being.

Working through a network of country offices and local partners, NEF currently operates in ten countries: Armenia, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Mali, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, South Sudan, and Syria. Our programs are organized around three core pillars: Inclusive Economic Development, Climate-Resilient Development, and Stabilization and Peacebuilding.

NEF has maintained a continuous presence in Syria since 2017, focusing on strengthening food security, supporting agricultural development, facilitating small enterprise lending, fostering institutional development, and promoting community-led economic recovery and social cohesion.

NEF currently implements programs across six districts in Aleppo (Northwest Syria) and three governorates in Northeast Syria (Raqqa, Hassakeh, and Deir Ezzor). The organization also implemented programs in southern Syria prior to 2018.

The project will be implemented over a period of twelve months and aims to support the creation of a conducive environment for business growth and development among local partners and communities. Through this initiative, NEF seeks to contribute to the economic recovery and stability of conflict-affected communities.

A key challenge facing local economic development is the limited capacity of community-based organizations and local business associations. These organizations play an important role in strengthening the agricultural sector, improving agricultural knowledge and practices, and supporting local businesses.

Project Objective

The project aims to address these challenges by strengthening the institutional and operational capacity of NEF’s local partner through a combination of workshops, coaching sessions, and tailored capacity-building strategies.

The capacity-building approach will focus on the following areas:

1. Operational innovation
2. Financial literacy and budgeting
3. Grant management
4. Organizational sustainability
5. Digital literacy
6. Inclusion of women in economic activities
7. By strengthening these capacities, the project aims to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of local business associations and improve their ability to support local enterprises.

Terms of Reference

Considering the broader objectives of the project (economic recovery, stability, and inclusivity in conflict-affected areas) the consultant is expected to ensure that their approach promotes inclusive participation, particularly for women and marginalized groups.

Given the operating environment in Northeast Syria, the consultant should also consider risk mitigation strategies, including adapting activities in response to potential security or operational challenges.

Scope of Work

The consultant will undertake the following tasks:

• Review the outputs of the initial organizational assessment conducted by NEF.
• Adapt and contextualize existing training materials to meet the needs of the project.
• Support the local partner in developing a strategic action plan and budget aimed at improving organizational performance, grant management, and sustainability.
• Design and implement coaching and mentoring sessions to strengthen the organizational capacity of the local partner.
• Document key observations, lessons learned, and progress throughout the consultancy period.
• Submit a final consultancy report summarizing the process, outcomes, and recommendations.

Deliverables

The consultant will be expected to deliver:

• Adapted training curriculum and coaching materials
• Deliver a capacity training based on the findings of connected assessment
• Stakeholder and community engagement strategy
• Final consultancy report documenting activities, findings, and lessons learned

Selection Criteria

Applicants will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• University degree in a relevant field; executive coaching or emotional intelligence certifications are an asset
• Proven experience in designing training materials, workshops, and capacity-building programs for business associations, cooperatives, or unions
• Experience in SWOT analyses and organizational capacity assessments
• Strong background in financial management, budgeting, and organizational planning
• Demonstrated experience in stakeholder engagement and facilitation
• Hands-on experience in coaching and mentoring leaders or teams
• Experience in designing and implementing capacity-building plans tailored to organizational needs
• Proven track record of conducting similar assignments
• Clear and practical methodological approach to the assignment
• Native Arabic speaker
• Good command of English (reading, writing, and speaking)
• Submission of all required documents
• Value for money

Submission Requirements

Interested applicants should submit the following documents in one PDF file (except samples of previous work, which may be submitted separately):

• Cover letter explaining how the applicant’s experience fits the requirements of the consultancy
• Updated Curriculum Vitae
• Technical proposal describing the proposed methodology and its alignment with project needs
• Financial proposal, including a breakdown of costs and level of effort for each delivery
• Sample of similar previous work
• Three professional references
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Deadline for applications: May 16th, 2026