Baseline Study Consultant

Baseline Study Consultant Organisation Amal Organization for Relief and Development Position Baseline Study Consultant Type of Contract Short-Term Consultancy Location Home-based with field mission travel to Aleppo, Syria Relevant languages English, Arabic Application Deadline 17.11.2026 Starting Date 01.12.2026 Project Title Fostering climate-resilient livelihoods, inclusive learning environments, and social cohesion in conflict-affected Aleppo Background and Organisational Setting This baseline study is commissioned, prior to project implementation, under the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) budget for development projects run by private organisations. SoH will be the private German executing agency and the contracting party, with Amal Organization for Relief and Development (Amal)being the local implementing partner. The project aims to sustainably strengthen the resilience and recovery capacities of conflict-affected communities in Eastern Aleppo through an integrated approach that links livelihoods, education, and social cohesion. In the livelihoods component, market-oriented and sustainable vocational training, entrepreneurship support, on-the-job training and apprenticeship schemes, as well as small grants will be provided to promote sustainable income opportunities. In parallel, the project supports access to quality education by rehabilitating educational infrastructure, integrating mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) and social-emotional learning (SEL), and strengthening teachers’ capacities. Complementary activities will foster social cohesion through dialogue-based youth- and women-led initiatives, contributing to trust-building in conflict-affected Aleppo. By combining these components, the project contributes to community stabilisation and the creation of long-term development prospects. Direct target group: 3,850 people Baseline Study Objectives The purpose of the baseline study is to provide SoH with a sound basis for developing a complete project concept, by identifying project prerequisites, opportunities and risks. This process includes an assessment of the baseline of the proposed project intervention to assess if it can plausibly achieve planned objectives given existing contextual realities. This comprehensive study will verify relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the proposed project intervention. The study will provide concrete and practical recommendations that will assist with the finalisation of project design elements, including the logframe, risk analysis, problem analysis and relevance of the proposed project intervention, stakeholder analysis, among others. The study will support the project quality assurance measures implemented by SoH and contribute to the decision-making process regarding the funding of the proposed project activities. Duties and Responsibilities The selected Consultant will work in close cooperation with the responsible SoH Officer and the local implementing partner. The duties and responsibilities of the consultant will include: • Develop a work plan outlining the proposed research methodology, geographical coverage, and schedule to conduct the baseline study, • Carry out a project site visit to the project location to conduct research, collect data and establish contact with the local implementing partner, potential beneficiaries and relevant project stakeholders, • Review existing policies and structures, government development strategies as well as relevant studies and research projects that could serve as a basis for the baseline study, Identify relevant project stakeholders at various levels (local, district and national if applicable), including local governing bodies, academia and industry as well as lessons learned and best practises of similar on-going and implemented projects relevant to the project, including the identification and assessment of existing formal and informal organisational structures among the target groups, comprising their composition, membership, roles, capacities, representativeness and level of participation, • Evaluate all available data and sources providing background information on identified issues, the problem analysis as well as the selected intervention and establish the baseline values for all indicators included in the project impact matrix using appropriate qualitative and quantitative methods, including the respective data sources and measurement methods, • Assess the proposed activities, as well as their timing and required financial resources. • Assess the physical condition, safety, accessibility and functionality of the four selected schools and the existing VTC facilities, including relevant equipment and refurbishment needs, • Examine institutional, technical, staffing and financial capacities of the selected implementing partner, as well as its relationship with the target group. Based on the findings, determine if there are areas in which capacities of the local implementing partner need to be developed, • Review main governmental and non-governmental stakeholders with a purpose to see if there is a potential overlap or conflict of interest as well as opportunities for coordination with the aim of creating synergies and new cooperation partnerships, while also assessing the alignment of the proposed project with the national recovery plan, • Examine the identified target group, its needs and role in the broader social context as well as the relevance of the planned project activities for addressing their needs, • Assess the environmental and climate-related production practices of selected enterprises, including energy and water use, waste generation, raw material efficiency, procurement and processing practices. • Identify potential obstacles and alternatives to overcome the foreseen challenges, • Review and analyse all available project design elements and draft documents related to the project concept, if necessary, • Critically review the planned project in terms of OECD/DAC criteria of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability (please see http://www.oecd.org/development/evaluation/daccriteriaforevaluatingdevelopmentassistance.html), • Prepare a report containing the findings on the above items, specific recommendations for the project concept with a view to planning and implementing foreseen project activities. Expected Deliverables The study will produce the following deliverables: • a baseline study outline, including the proposed methodology and data collection tools, table of content and a timeline of research activities (inception report) prior to the site visit to the project location, • a summary containing a brief overview and the main findings of the study, • Baseline values for all indicators included in the project impact matrix, specifying the respective data sources and measurement methods. • a comprehensive report of a maximum of 30 pages with practical recommendations and relevant annexes, • Findings and recommendations regarding the condition of the four selected schools and the existing VTC facilities, including identified refurbishment and equipment needs. • a review of the main project design elements and provision of concrete recommendations for improvement, • an analysis of the institutional structure required for project implementation, stipulating the roles and responsibilities of staff members involved, a detailed problem analysis, a stakeholder analysis, a revision of the target group, an analysis of the potential risks and recommendations on how to mitigate these risks, a schedule of project activities, a financial plan (planning budget), a detailed project logframe with SMART indicators for the project objective and results listing related activities and required resources, • a “Do-no-harm analysis” including recommendations on how to miti