Project Coordinator – Project ENSEMBLE (West Africa) Short term contract

Project ENSEMBLE (West Africa)

Advancing collective action against sexual exploitation of children

Project Coordinator

(Estimated 100 working days during June 2026 – June 2027)

Organisational Context

ECPAT International is a global network of organisations working together for the elimination of the sexual exploitation of children (SEC) in all its manifestations i.e., exploitation of children in prostitution, online child sexual exploitation, sale and trafficking of children for sexual purposes, sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism and some forms of child, early and forced marriage. The ECPAT Network currently consists of 141 member organisations working at national and local levels in 113 countries.

The ECPAT International Secretariat coordinates the global work of the organisation and is based in Bangkok, Thailand. The Secretariat designs and implements global and regional level programmes, and undertakes programming, advocacy and research and facilitates a range of network initiatives.

Background of the Project

Across West Africa and the Sahel, children face growing risks of sexual exploitation and abuse. Conflict, instability, displacement, gender inequality, and rigid norms all contribute, with girls and boys affected by crisis or on the move among the most at risk.

ECPAT International is implementing the project ENSEMBLE to strengthen civil society, build shared knowledge, and support action to protect children across the region. The project is implemented in collaboration with partner organisations in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger and Mauritania.

Consultancy Objectives

This objective of the consultancy is the overall coordination and implementation of the ENSEMBLE project, in direct collaboration with partner organisations in the region and under the oversight of ECPAT’s Director of Programmes.

Scope of Work

Serve as the primary coordinator for regional advocacy planning and oversee all partner workplans and national-level activities, with particular attention to building the evidence-base, advancing advocacy and strengthening CSO capacities in each country.

• Serve as the primary focal point with a contracted advocacy agency, ensuring timely delivery of regional and national advocacy plans
• Review and provide substantive feedback on national advocacy plan drafts, ensuring alignment with project objectives and ECPAT’s strategic priorities
• Oversee the workplans of all partner organisations, monitoring progress and providing guidance and support to ensure quality implementation
• Oversee and support the design and delivery of national training activities for CSOs in each of the 4 target countries, ensuring training is grounded in evidence and contributes to strengthening CSO capacities to prevent and respond to SEC
• Establish and maintain a monitoring framework to track implementation of advocacy activities by member organisations across the 4 countries
• Participate in regular coordination calls with the consultancy and partners, flagging risks or delays to relevant internal stakeholders

Lead the scoping and implementation of the research component on sexual exploitation of children (SEC) in humanitarian contexts.

• Lead the scoping and preparatory work for the planned research on SEC in humanitarian contexts, including overseeing the research process, from methodology to data collection and analysis, identifying key partners and liaising with research leads in each country
• Coordinate with relevant ECPAT staff and external advisors to ensure the research design is contextually appropriate and ethically sound
• Develop a clear workplan and timeline for the research phase, ensuring readiness for full implementation
• Accompany and support partner organisations through the research implementation phase, providing guidance and quality assurance

Maintain overall oversight of project implementation, ensuring activities are delivered on time, within budget, and in line with donor requirements.

• Maintain an up-to-date overview of all project activities, tracking progress against the project plan and flagging deviations in a timely manner
• Liaise with member organisations, consultants and partners to ensure coordinated and on-schedule delivery across all workstreams
• Lead the preparation of the annual donor report (June–July), compiling inputs from all workstreams, ensuring quality and consistency, and submitting within donor deadlines
• Monitor partner’s annual country budgets, spending and timely reporting, support the ECPAT Finance Officer in liaising with partners regarding their financial report submissions and documentation, and support the financial reporting to the project donor.

Animate the West Africa francophone network of ECPAT member organisations, fostering collective learning and solidarity on SEC prevention and response.

• Animate and coordinate regular exchanges between member organisations, fostering peer learning and experience-sharing on SEC prevention and response in the West Africa region
• Facilitate the Community of Practice, including organising meetings or webinars, curating relevant resources, and capturing and circulating key outputs and learnings
• Ensure members feel supported and connected to the broader project objectives and the ECPAT network

Timeline

The assignment will be carried out between June 2026 and June 2027. A detailed plan and timeline will be defined and agreed with the Consultant at the start of the assignment. The work is expected to take approximately 100 working days.

Consultancy Profile

The ideal candidate will have:

• University degree or equivalent qualification in law, human rights, international relations, project management, or another related field.
• Proven experience in managing complex, multi-stakeholder, donor-funded projects in an NGO.
• Experience in managing research projects is desirable
• Strong project planning and coordination skills using appropriate tools, logical frameworks, and budget tracking.
• Fluency in French is mandatory, English is necessary
• Knowledge of child rights, child protection issues is essential, with knowledge about sexual exploitation of children highly desirable
• Excellent interpersonal, leadership, and team coordination skills.
• Ability to manage cross-cultural teams without formal supervisory authority (matrix management).
• Proactive problem-solver with the ability to adapt to changing situations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience in reporting to donors.
• High level of integrity and commitment to ECPAT’s child safeguarding standards.

Additional Information

• This is a home-based position using own equipment and communication tools of the consultant.
• Ideally the consultant will be from/ based in West Africa
• The consultant should be available for online calls with West Africa and Southeast Asia (Thailand) time zones.
• Availability for 2-3 short travel trips to partner organizations
• The Consultant is expected to act at all times in a manner consistent with the values of ECPAT International and in compliance with the organisation’s policies and procedures including Child Safeguarding Policy and the Code of Conduct.

How to apply

Interested individuals or firms should submit:

• CV and a cover letter
• Indication of daily rate (USD)

To vacancy@ecpat.org by 15 May 2026 specifying ‘ENSEMBLE’

Due to the high volume of applications, we receive, we are not able to respond to every application. If you have not heard back from us within 3 weeks from the deadline, it means that your application has not been successful.

Tagged as: Agriculture, Food Security and Livelihoods