Request for Proposal: Consultant Project Manager September 2026

Who We Are Girl Effect (GE) is an international non-profit that builds media that girls want, trust and need. From chatbots to chat shows and TV dramas to technology, our content helps adolescent girls in Africa and Asia make choices and changes in their lives. We create safe spaces for girls, sharing facts and answering questions about health, nutrition, education and relationships, empowering girls with the skills to negotiate and redefine what they are told is possible “for a girl”. Our reach is 50 million and counting. We use technology and media to reach girls at scale so every girl can choose to be in control of her body, health, learning and livelihood. Because when a girl unlocks her power to make different choices that change her life, it inspires others to do so too. She starts a ripple effect that impacts her family, community and country. That’s the Girl Effect. Backgrou nd South Africa continues to experience extremely high levels of gender-based violence (GBV), particularly against adolescent girls and young women. Despite significant investment by government and civil society, responses remain fragmented, with limited coordination between prevention initiatives, service providers and community actors. Girl Effect South Africa’s strategy, Jik’izinto 2.0, addresses this fragmentation by positioning the organisation as a systems orchestrator within the GBV ecosystem. Rather than implementing isolated interventions, Girl Effect convenes, aligns and amplifies existing actors, linking community-based organisations (CBOs), service providers, digital platforms, media and government institutions into a coordinated response. Central to this approach is the establishment of physical, youth-centred safe spaces that function as local ecosystem anchors, connecting girls and young women to services across four core domains:

• Gender-Based Violence prevention and response (GBV)
• Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)
• Mental Health and Wellbeing (MHWB)
• Economic Empowerment (EE) The safe-space model integrates physical infrastructure, community programming and digital engagement platforms, including the Big Sis chatbot and the wider Jik’izinto media ecosystem. Objective Girl Effect South Africa is seeking an experienced Consultant Project Manager to provide hands-on project management, implementation oversight and partnership coordination for Jik’izinto 2.0 during a critical phase of delivery. This is not intended to be a purely advisory assignment. The successful consultant will be expected to work closely with the Country Director, Girl Effect teams, CBO partners, community stakeholders, government representatives and other service providers to ensure that agreed activities are translated into effective delivery on the ground. The consultant will combine strong project management disciplines including planning, budgeting, reporting, risk management and partner coordination with practical implementation support. The assignment therefore requires someone equally comfortable managing a project plan and budget and working directly with partners and communities to resolve delivery challenges. What You will Do Project Management & Delivery
• Drive delivery of the Jik’izinto 2.0 work plan across the contract period, ensuring milestones, quality standards and timelines are met.
• Own the Project budget forecasting, expenditure tracking and value-for-money and flagging variances early and working with Finance to keep spend on track.
• Lead work-planning, milestone tracking and risk management, working closely with the Country Director and wider team to keep delivery on track.
• Ensure the Jik’izinto 2.0 strategy, including the systems orchestrator approach and the four thematic domains, are well understood and consistently applied across the Project.
• Provide oversight in the management of CBO partners, moving between strategic oversight and practical, day-to-day delivery support as circumstances require.
• Step in to strengthen on-the-ground implementation wherever capacity gaps or delivery risks emerge without waiting for problems to escalate.
• Quality-assure Project activities against the four thematic domains (GBV, SRHR, MHWB, EE), ensuring they are safe, girl-centred and aligned to the model.
• Troubleshoot operational and delivery issues in real time, making practical decisions on the ground and escalating only what genuinely needs escalating.
• Ensure a steady, well-planned flow of activities at the safe spaces and support larger quarterly activations that attract young people to the facilities. Partnerships & Ecosystem Orchestration
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with community gatekeepers, civil society organisations, service providers, government officials and government facilities.
• Restructure, re-contract and actively manage the existing CBO partnerships transitioning from the broader Jik’izinto Project into the Ubomi Hub model.
• Maintain an up-to-date partnership tracker and pipeline, proactively identifying opportunities for growth and gaps for intervention in target communities.
• Represent Girl Effect in relevant government and partnership engagements at local and municipal level. This list should not be considered exhaustive; you will be expected to deliver other duties relevant and appropriate to this position. Duration, Location & Level of Effort The consultancy is expected to run for 6–12 months, with the final duration to be confirmed during contracting. The consultant will be based in Cape Town, South Africa, and should be available to provide the level of effort necessary to deliver the agreed scope and outputs throughout the consultancy period. The assignment requires regular hands-on engagement with safe spaces, CBO partners, communities and relevant stakeholders. The consultant should therefore be willing and able to travel between project locations as required. The consultant will manage their time and approach to delivery in coordination with the Country Director and in accordance with agreed work plans, milestones and deliverables. Management The consultant will report to the Country Director, Girl Effect South Africa, who will serve as the primary contract supervisor. The consultant will work closely with relevant Girl Effect programmes, Evidence & Insights, Finance, Operations and other technical teams as required. The consultant will also coordinate closely with CBOs, service providers, government representatives, community stakeholders and other project partners. All formal reports and deliverables shall be submitted in English unless otherwise agreed. Who You Are This role needs more than one skill set. The strongest candidates will combine solid Project management with genuine, demonstrable hands-on implementation experience and a solid social behaviour change background and understanding.
• 5–8 years of relevant experience, including proven Project or project management within the NGO / development sector (adolescent-facing GBV, SRHR or health programming strongly preferred).
• A track record of managing projects at a strategic and budget-holding level, and separate, credible experience of hands-on, on-the-ground implementation and CBO / grassroots partner management.
• Direct experience managing community-based organisations or grassroots partners — including re-contracting, capacity support and quality assurance.
• Sound budget management and funder-reporting experience, with the ability to produce timely, accurate Project and financial reports.
• Line-management experience and strong stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills, working confidently with community leaders, NGOs and government representatives.
• Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Development Studies, Public Health, Social Sciences or a related field (a Master’s / postgraduate qualification is an advantage).
• Excellent organisational, writ