Civic Space Research Consultant @CIVICUS

Description of the role

The CIVICUS Monitor is an online platform, providing information on civic space – the respect, in law and in practice, of the fundamental freedoms of association, expression and peaceful assembly and the state’s duty to protect civil society – in 198 countries and territories. It also provides civic space ratings for each of the 198 countries and territories, calculated following an elaborate methodology.

The CIVICUS Monitor collaborates with over 20 regional research partners across the globe to gather information on civic space developments. Monitor country updates for these countries and territories, outlining the latest civic space developments and restrictions, are published regularly. Monitor country briefs for selected countries, outlining recent civic space trends, are also published regularly.

We are looking for research consultants with regional expertise in civic space issues to assist the team with drafting and editing of Monitor country updates and country briefs, on a needs basis.

The successful applicants will be added to CIVICUS’ Preferred Supplier List and may receive additional requests which can be assessed based on relevance and availability.

Qualifications and experience

We are looking for a consultant with the following background:

• A Masters degree in following domains will be taken into account, although in cases of relevant experience is not mandatory for this position: Political Science; Law; Sociology; International relations; Journalism and relevant regional studies;
• Have at least three years professional experience working directly with civil society organisations and/or human rights defenders;
• Excellent understanding of global civil society, human rights and development issues and global and regional civic space trends
• An understanding of international human rights frameworks related to fundamental freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression.
• Basic computer literacy, with any web-based publication experience an advantage.
• Previous experience of civic space research and drafting documents for publication in English
• Experience with identifing, organising and verifying relevant information from multiple sources.
• Language skills applicable to the regional expertise (e.g. Spanish for Latin America, French for West and Central Africa, Arabic for Middle East, Russian for Central Asia)
• Well-organised, with the ability to work independently.
• Ability to analyse complex sets of information and reveal trends.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.

Budget

Please provide a proposal with an accompanying budget (daily and hourly rate).

Application process 

Please include the following elements in your proposal and submit to comms.proposals@civicus.org(subject line: TOR regional civic space research) by COB 8 July 2026

• Motivation/interest in applying for this opportunity, clearly indicating the region your expertise pertains to (e.g. Latin America, Europe and Central Asia, Asia Pacific, (West, Central, East and Horn, Southern, North Africa, Middle East)
• Experience and examples: Include your CV, relevant experience and capabilities to deliver this consultancy along with any testimonials of similar completed work. Please also add relevant writing samples.
• Budget: Proposed hourly and daily rate. All financial information must be expressed in United States Dollars (USD), unless the applicant is based in South Africa, in which case rates should be included in South African Rand (ZAR).

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Shortlisted candidates may be required to undertake a practical short editing exercise.