Zurich Climate Resilience Influencing Learning Journey

About the role

This consultancy is part of the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance (ZCRA), a partnership that aims to improve systems and shift policies to build climate resilience. The Alliance defines influencing as systematic efforts to address structural causes of climate vulnerability through changes in policy, practice, power, attitudes, behaviors, and/or social norms. This work supports the Influencing Function, which enables high-quality influencing at all levels to achieve Alliance objectives.

The consultancy will design and deliver an influencing learning journey based on a recent review of influencing strategies and country-level capacity across the Alliance. The goal is to increase the confidence, capacity, and effectiveness of Alliance colleagues in planning, delivering, and assessing influencing strategies through interactive online learning and practical resources.

Responsibilities

• Review relevant Alliance materials, including findings from the influencing review and existing guidance notes.
• Design the content and facilitation approach for four interactive workshops, incorporating opportunities for skills practice.
• Develop accompanying materials to support participants in applying learning, such as message templates, stakeholder mapping tools, media briefing notes, case studies, and audience segmentation guidance.
• Deliver each of the four online workshops twice to accommodate participation across multiple time zones.
• Collaborate with Mercy Corps colleagues throughout the process.

Deliverables

• Initial outline of the approach to the learning journey.
• Six online sessions (each workshop delivered twice).
• Workshop materials (slides, exercises, facilitation notes) for the four topics, including session recordings.
• Resource packs and practical tools accompanying each workshop.

Schedule

• August–September: Review existing materials, plan outline, and design content.
• October: Deliver Workshop 1 and associated materials.
• November: Deliver Workshop 2 and associated materials.
• January: Deliver Workshop 3 and associated materials.

Topics Covered

• Strategic communications: Media training and guidance on influencing public opinion.
• Stakeholder engagement: Support, guidance, and practice pitching to key decision-makers and partners.
• Partnership skills: Coalition building, convening, and maximizing partnerships for greater influence.
• Measuring influencing impact: Assessing, capturing, and learning from influencing outcomes.

Requirements

• Demonstrable expertise in advocacy, influencing, and campaigning, with a strong understanding of effective strategies across different audiences and contexts.
• Extensive experience designing and delivering engaging online advocacy training for diverse participants, adapting content to varying levels of knowledge and experience.
• Proven ability to develop high-quality, practical online learning resources that are accessible, engaging, and easy to apply.
• Strong facilitation skills, including experience delivering interactive virtual workshops that encourage participation, discussion, and skills development.
• Experience working with charities, NGOs, membership organizations, or the public sector, with an understanding of advocacy challenges in these settings.
• Excellent written and spoken English. Additional language skills, particularly Spanish, are an advantage.