Application Guide
How to Apply for Comparative Learning Study on Cash Consortium Models in East Africa and the Horn
at Concern Worldwide
🏢 About Concern Worldwide
Concern Worldwide is a major international humanitarian organisation known for its work in fragile contexts, and this consultancy is anchored by the Somali Cash Consortium (SCC), a leading multi-donor cash consortium in Somalia. Working on this assignment means contributing directly to sector-wide learning on how cash consortia can deliver better value for money and accountability in some of the world's most complex crises.
About This Role
This is a roughly three-month regional consultancy to conduct a comparative learning study of cash consortium models across East Africa and the Horn of Africa, with the SCC as administrative anchor. You will assess multiple country cases on an equal analytical basis, examining whether consortium arrangements generate value relative to their coordination, governance and management costs, and produce practical recommendations for humanitarian actors and donors.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might involve reviewing consortium documents and country-level cash working group materials, conducting remote key informant interviews with consortium staff and donors, and drafting comparative analysis sections of the study. You would also coordinate with the Somali Cash Consortium as administrative anchor, manage any national researchers, and refine recommendations for the final learning report.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Concern Worldwide Is Looking For
- Demonstrated experience designing and delivering qualitative or mixed-methods research and learning studies in humanitarian settings, ideally focused on cash and voucher assistance (CVA).
- Strong understanding of cash consortium models, humanitarian coordination architecture, and the trade-offs between harmonisation, accountability, donor confidence and management overhead.
- Regional expertise in East Africa and the Horn of Africa, with the ability to compare country contexts such as Somalia, Uganda and Sudan on an equal analytical basis.
- Excellent written English and the ability to translate complex findings into clear, actionable recommendations for consortium leads, donors and implementing partners.
📝 Tips for Applying to Concern Worldwide
Frame your proposal around a comparative methodology that treats all country cases equally, rather than centring Somalia simply because the SCC is the administrative anchor.
Explicitly address how you will assess value relative to cost, including coordination requirements, governance complexity and management costs, as this is the core question of the study.
Show that you can deliver within approximately three months by outlining a realistic phased workplan with clear milestones for inception, data collection, analysis and final reporting.
Reference specific cash consortium experiences in East Africa and the Horn, and explain how your team would access and engage stakeholders in multiple countries remotely or with limited travel.
Include a concise budget and team composition that matches the consultancy scope, and clarify the roles of any national or regional co-researchers you plan to engage.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
Emphasise your direct experience evaluating or researching cash consortia or large-scale CVA programmes, and quantify the value-for-money or coordination questions you have addressed before. Highlight your regional networks and ability to compare multiple country cases without privileging any single context. Demonstrate familiarity with the Somali Cash Consortium and the wider consortium landscape in East Africa and the Horn. Finally, show how your deliverables will be practical and usable for donors and consortium leads, not just academically interesting.
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Read published materials and evaluations on the Somali Cash Consortium and other cash consortia in East Africa and the Horn to understand their structure, donors and operating models.
- → Familiarise yourself with key cash and voucher assistance coordination standards and debates, including the Grand Bargain, cash working groups and donor consortium funding mechanisms.
- → Research the specific country contexts mentioned, such as Somalia, Uganda and Sudan, including recent humanitarian funding trends and access constraints that affect cash programming.
- → Look into Concern Worldwide's broader humanitarian portfolio and the SCC's partners and donors so you can speak credibly about the institutional landscape around this assignment.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Submitting a generic research proposal that does not engage with the specific value-versus-cost question at the heart of this consultancy.
- Treating the study as a single-country Somalia evaluation rather than a genuinely regional comparative study across multiple contexts.
- Proposing an unrealistic timeline or budget that ignores the approximately three-month duration and the complexity of multi-country data collection.
📅 Application Timeline
⏰ Deadline: October 23, 2026
We recommend applying at least a few days early to avoid last-minute technical issues.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to Concern Worldwide!