Short-Term Consultant - Research and Knowledge Management

Background

Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)

The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is a global partnership that aims to promote resilience in infrastructure systems against disaster and climate risks. CDRI works to enhance the sustainability and resilience of infrastructure systems globally, with a particular focus on countries most vulnerable to natural hazards. Through collaborative efforts with governments, multilateral organisations, the private sector, and academic institutions, CDRI supports the integration of disaster resilience into infrastructure development and policy frameworks.

CDRI has been envisioned and established as a global network to advance the agenda, support coordinated action among stakeholders and focus on bringing voices from vulnerable geographies and populations to international policy forums. Internationally agreed-upon goals in the SDFRR, the SDGs, and the Paris Climate Agreement provide the foundational framework that guides the Coalition's vision and mission. As a global partnership, the Coalition aims to ensure that the investments of its members and partners are aligned and well-coordinated in support of the shared ambition of disaster and climate resilience of new and existing infrastructure.

The two unique yet interconnected roles that CDRI shoulders in this direction are:

• A Strong Coalition Driving Collaborative DRI Action: In March 2025, CDRI stands as a partnership of 50 national governments and ten international organisations. The Coalition enjoys robust political support, which propels its efforts to advance the interests of its members and partners.
• A Solution-Focused Centre of Excellence for DRI: As a Centre of Excellence for DRI, the Coalition strengthens the individual and collective capacities of its members and partners by aggregating and sharing knowledge, brokering need-based partnerships, and strengthening capacities through collaborative learning and action.

Strategic Work Plan (SWP) 2023-26

Following the completion of the CDRI's Work Plan 2020-2022, CDRI conducted a thorough multi-stakeholder review to gather lessons from the implementation of the previous work plan and to shape a vision in response to emerging issues related to infrastructure resilience. The SWP 2023-2026 was approved in March 2023.

CDRI's Strategic Work Plan 2023-26 describes the broad contours of its priority actions and planned initiatives in the next four years. Initiatives include work across Transport, Telecom, Power, Health, and Urban Development, whilst ensuring technical standards and capacity development. In the next four years, the Coalition will continue to leverage the expertise of its Member Countries and partners to develop context-specific, innovative solutions for resilient infrastructure towards the achievement of national priorities and global commitments of its members.

With the SWP for 2023 - 2026, CDRI has set out the following Strategic Outcomes (SOs):

• Strategic Outcome 1: A strong Coalition that has the membership, resources, and global leadership to drive global, national, regional, and local DRI action.
• Strategic Outcome 2: Global DRI research, Coalition-led peer engagement, and CDRI-curated and generated knowledge promote risk-informed policy and practice.
• Strategic Outcome 3: Enhanced capacities of government, private enterprises, and communities to implement post-disaster recovery and DRI action at scale.

CDRI Headquarters (Secretariat)

The CDRI headquarters is established in New Delhi, India, to act as the Secretariat of the Coalition. The Secretariat functions under the direction of the International Governing Council and Executive Committee to implement the programmes of CDRI.

Objective of this assignment

The incumbent will work under the direct guidance of the Director-Research, Knowledge & Management & Capacity Development (RKM&CD) and Lead Specialist-Research. The work will mainly involve supporting the Infrastructure Resilience Academic Exchange (IRAX) programme and its day-to-day affairs. The incumbent will also support other research and knowledge management tasks, such as management of the DRI Connect knowledge platform and fellowship.

Scope of Work

The consultant is expected to work on-site and will work closely with the designated team from CDRI. In executing this assignment, the consultant will undertake the following indicative (but not limited to) tasks:

1. Supporting IRAX programme which includes liaising with academic partners, facilitating addition of new universities in the consortium, processing of MOUs, conducting steering committee meetings and other important consultations, drafting Call for Proposals (CFPs) through consultations with internal team and chalking out CDRI's research needs, preparation and of procedures and processing of agreements, and other required facilitation to support day-to-day functioning the programme (70%).
2. Supporting the RKM&CD team in its other knowledge initiatives, such as DRI connect, Fellowships and Capacity Development by preparation of documents such as event/workshop/meeting summaries, data factsheets and any other support as and when entrusted by the Director RKM&CD. (30%).

Skills Required

The consultant should demonstrate the following skills and competencies essential for this assignment.

• Proven track record of working within international or UN-system organisations-indicating the ability to engage and coordinate with universities, research institutions, and academic partners.
• Experience in planning, coordinating, and monitoring multi-stakeholder programmes/consortia.
• Strong skills in preparing MoUs, agreements, Calls for Proposals (CFPs), meeting notes, event summaries, fact sheets, and reports.
• Familiarity with developing procedures, synthesising knowledge products, and managing research-related documentation.
• Excellent organisational skills to manage multiple tasks under tight deadlines while maintaining composure and a constructive approach.

Timeframe

• Start Date: The assignment is expected to commence in October 2025.
• Completion Date: The assignment should be completed by March 2026.
• Duration: 6 months (with possible 6-month extension contingent on performance).

Qualifications and Expertise of the Consultant

Educational Criteria

The Consultant should have a minimum of a Master's degree in programme or project management, engineering, international affairs and development cooperation, urban/infrastructure planning/management, monitoring and evaluation, climate studies, disaster management, or other relevant fields. The candidate should have excellent writing, communication and analytical skills and the ability to understand and summarise technical documents.

Experience Criteria

A minimum of 3 years of progressively responsible experience in programme management, monitoring and evaluation, public relations or advocacy, preferably with an international development cooperation organisation, and/or the private sector.

Proven experience in developing content and producing high-quality reports.

Proven experience in coordinating events and teams.

Reporting

The consultant will report to the Lead Specialist-Research.

Submission 

Please share proposals in two separate PDF files: 

a) Technical Proposal (Open PDF file) catering to, but not limited to, the following: 

i. Technical Summary Sheet: Use the template in Annexure I to state: (i) a brief understanding of the TOR, (ii) a 6-month workplan (one line per month) and (iii) availability for this consultancy 

ii. Curriculum Vitae (CV required): The CV should clearly cover total years of experience, core expertise in programme management, academic/research partnerships, knowledge management, and documentation, and highlight any experience with international or UN- system organisations. 

Note: A CV without the 1-page Technical Summary Sheet will be non-responsive. 

b) Financial Proposal (Password-Protected PDF File): Use the template in Annexure II to provide the monthly professional fee (INR), inclusive of GST and the 6-month total fees. This should also include the bank details for payment. 

Note: The Financial Proposal PDF must be password-protected. Under no circumstances should the password be shared at the time of submission. It will be requested separately after the RFP submission deadline has passed. (password requested only from technically qualified consultants).

The consultants are requested to submit their proposal through email to [email protected] by 23:59 hrs (IST) on 13th October 2025. 

Responses received after the stipulated time or not in accordance will be summarily rejected. Please ensure that your proposal is sent ONLY to the ABOVE-MENTIONED email ID before the closing date & time. Proposals sent/copied to any other email ID (other than above) OR received after the bid closing date & time (mentioned above) will not be accepted.