Networking and Communication Expert

Position Title: Networking and Communication Expert
Location: West Bank
Contracting Organization: Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development (PWWSD)
Project: Anchoring Women’s Livelihoods in Local Economies: A Resilience Approach in Tulkarem – Funded by the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation
Contract Type: Individual Consultancy Contract
Level of Effort: Up to 35 working days
Contract Duration: From contract signature until 30 March 2028

 

1. Background on PWWSD

The Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development (PWWSD) is a leading feminist, human rights-based civil society organization established in Palestine in 1981. PWWSD works to promote gender equality, social justice, and the full realization of women’s human rights in the economic, social, political, and legal spheres.

PWWSD adopts an integrated, rights-based approach that combines direct service provision, community empowerment, advocacy, and policy influence. The organization provides psychological, social, and legal services to women survivors of violence, while also working at the community and national levels to address structural discrimination, strengthen women’s political participation, protect civic space, and promote accountability and access to justice.

Through its programs, PWWSD works closely with grassroots women’s groups, youth initiatives, civil society organizations, and decision-makers to promote inclusive participation, democratic governance, and social cohesion. Feminist values, participation, accountability, and social justice are at the core of all PWWSD’s interventions.

 

2. Project Background

The project “Anchoring Women’s Livelihoods in Local Economies: A Resilience Approach in Tulkarem”, implemented by PWWSD with the support of the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, runs from 1 February 2026 to 30 March 2028 in Tulkarem Governorate. It responds to the collapse of household incomes caused by the loss of work permits, repeated military incursions, and the displacement of families from Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps, which have left many women as the main breadwinners of their households.

The project works with 30 women entrepreneurs organized in 10 women-led micro-businesses (two cohorts of five businesses, three women each) from displaced and hosting communities, prioritizing female heads of households and young women. Supported sectors include pottery and ceramics, food production and catering, natural cosmetics using honey, candle making, educational tools using gypsum, Arabic calligraphy and drawing, handicrafts using recycled materials, and herbal products.

The project is structured around three outcomes:

• Outcome 1 – Economic viability: foundational business training (including green and circular economy principles), business planning, sector-specific technical coaching and mentoring, and catalytic sub-grants of USD 1,000–2,000 to 10 women-led businesses (five per year).
• Outcome 2 – Psychosocial resilience and solidarity: eco-psychology group activities, “Yalla Nehki” dialogue sessions, and linkage to PWWSD’s 24/7 psychosocial hotline.
• Outcome 3 – Market visibility and collective voice: public markets/bazaars, a journalist field visit and media engagement, a short documentary film, a social media campaign, advocacy preparation workshops, and policy roundtables with Tulkarem Municipality and the Chamber of Commerce.

Within this framework, networking and communication are strategic tools to make women’s economic contribution visible, connect women-led businesses to customers, markets and local decision-makers, and document results in a safe, ethical and dignified way.

 

3. Purpose of the Assignment

PWWSD seeks to engage a Networking and Communication Expert to coordinate and deliver the networking, documentation, visibility and communication actions of the project across all activities, ensuring:

• Consistent messaging that presents participating women as economic actors, entrepreneurs and rights-holders.
• Systematic documentation of project activities, results and women’s business journeys.
• Effective linkages between women-led businesses and customers, media, local authorities and economic actors.
• Compliance with Kvinna till Kvinna visibility requirements and PWWSD’s brand guidelines.
• Ethical, do-no-harm and conflict-sensitive storytelling that protects women’s safety, privacy and control over their stories.

The expert is responsible for planning, coordination, content production and quality assurance. Production of the documentary film, paid promotion of social media content, and logistics costs of the journalist field visit and bazaars are covered under separate budget lines and are not part of this contract’s financial value.

All communication and visibility outputs produced under this assignment shall comply with Kvinna till Kvinna’s communication and visibility requirements as communicated by PWWSD, including correct acknowledgement and use of logos, and shall be subject to prior validation by PWWSD.

 

4. Scope of Work and Key Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Project Coordinator, and in close coordination with PWWSD’s Communication and Development Unit, the expert will undertake the following:

A. Communication and Networking Planning

• Develop a project-specific Communication and Networking Plan within the first three weeks of the contract, setting out key messages, target audiences (customers, local authorities, economic actors, media, CBOs, feminist networks), channels, and an editorial calendar linked to the project timeline (training cycles, sub-grant milestones, bazaars, roundtables, documentary release).
• Prepare a stakeholder and media map for Tulkarem, including Tulkarem Municipality, the Chamber of Commerce, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Popular Committees in Tulkarem and Nur Shams camps, local CBOs and women’s business circles, local journalists and social media influencers.
• Prepare an ethical storytelling and informed-consent protocol, with Arabic consent forms and options for anonymity, in line with feminist and do-no-harm principles.

 

B. Documentation of Activities and Women’s Business Journeys

• Document key project milestones through photos, short videos and brief written updates, including outreach and group formation, foundational training, business planning, sector-specific technical workshops and green-practice demonstrations, and the award and follow-up of sub-grants.
• Document eco-psychology and solidarity activities only with participants’ explicit consent and without capturing confidential or identifying psychosocial content.
• Produce a short profile for each of the 5 supported women-led businesses and at least 5 success stories (Arabic and English) capturing skills development, product improvement, income stabilization and adoption of green practices.
• Maintain an organized archive of photos, videos and stories together with the related consent records.

 

C. Social Media Campaign

• Design and run the project’s social media campaign on PWWSD’s platforms in waves across the project period, in line with the approved timeline.
• Produce campaign content, including posts, short videos/reels, product showcases, women’s testimonies and promotion of bazaars and markets.
• Prepare content and targeting for sponsored posts (promotion costs are paid by PWWSD) and track reach and engagement.

 

D. Media Engagement and Journalist Field Visit 

• Prepare press releases and media advisories for key project milestones.
• Organize the journalist field visit in coordination with the project team: media list and invitations, press kit (fact sheet, key messages, selected stories), preparation of women spokespersons, and on-site coordination.
• Follow up with journalists and media outlets to secure and track coverage, contributing to the project target of at least eight media features highlighting women-led businesses.

E. Networking and Advocacy Support

• Build and maintain working relationships with Tulkarem Municipality, the Chamber of Commerce, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Popular Committees, CBOs and private-sector actors to open market and partnership opportunities for women-led businesses.
• Contribute a session on media engagement, public speaking and presenting business interests to the advocacy preparation workshops.
• Support the preparation, invitations, documentation and public communication of the three policy roundtables with local authorities and economic actors.
• Support participating women to document their needs and recommendations in a concise recommendations paper and accompanying communication products, and to present them to local authorities.
• Share project results and lessons through PWWSD’s local, national and regional networks and coalitions.

F. Visibility, Ethics and Do No Harm

• Ensure all materials comply with Kvinna till Kvinna visibility requirements and PWWSD’s brand guidelines, and obtain PWWSD approval before any publication.
• Ensure women give informed consent, keep control over their stories and may remain anonymous; avoid identifying locations or politically sensitive information that could put participants at risk.

 

G. Monitoring and Reporting

• Maintain a media and communication log (media features, reach, engagement, events covered) aligned with the project’s results framework.
• Submit monthly progress updates with timesheets.
• Provide communication and networking inputs to the project’s annual and final reports to Kvinna till Kvinna and to the project learning brief.
• Submit a final communication and networking report summarizing outputs, results, and lessons learned.

 

5. Expected Deliverables

The expert will deliver the following, in Arabic and English where relevant:

	1. Communication and Networking Plan, including editorial calendar, stakeholder and media map, and consent protocol and forms. Indicative timing: Within 3 weeks of contract signature.
	2. Activity documentation packages (photos, short videos, brief write-ups) for key activities. Indicative timing: After each key activity.
	3. Profiles of the 5 supported businesses and at least 5 success stories. Indicative timing: Progressively for each cohort.
	4. Social media campaign content and a short performance summary for each campaign wave. Indicative timing: Per campaign wave.
	5. Press releases, press kit, journalist field visit report and media log (target: at least eight media features). Indicative timing: Around the field visit and key milestones.
	6. Documentary creative brief and documented review and approval of the rough and final cuts. Indicative timing: Before production and at final edit.
	7. Roundtable summaries and the women’s recommendations paper with accompanying communication products. Indicative timing: After each roundtable.
	8. Final communication and networking report. Indicative timing: By 31 December 2026.

 

 

6. Duration and Level of Effort

The consultancy will run from contract signature until 31 December 2026, with up to 35 working days distributed across the project period according to the activity timeline.

Payments will be made in instalments against approved timesheets and deliverables. The distribution of days may be adjusted by mutual agreement in line with the project’s needs, within the overall ceiling.

 

7. Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Media, Communication, Journalism, Marketing, or a related field (Master’s is an asset).
• Minimum 5 years of experience in communication, media relations, or networking/outreach, preferably with civil society or donor-funded projects.
• Proven experience in documentation and storytelling (writing, photography and short video), and in managing social media campaigns.
• Established relationships with local media, local authorities, and economic actors in Tulkarem or the northern West Bank; residence in or easy access to Tulkarem is a strong asset.
• Understanding of women’s economic empowerment, small business and market linkages, and of gender-sensitive, rights-based approaches.
• Excellent writing and editing skills in Arabic and English.
• Experience in donor visibility compliance and ethical, do-no-harm communication with vulnerable groups, including displaced women.

 

8. Ethical Commitment and PSEA Policy

The Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development (PWWSD) is fully committed to preventing all forms of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA). Any practices that fall under this category by employees, volunteers, or contractors working with the organization are strictly prohibited.

PWWSD adopts the United Nations definitions of SEA as outlined in document ST/SGB/2003/13:

• Sexual Exploitation: Any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially, or politically from the sexual exploitation of another.
• Sexual Abuse: The actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.

All PWWSD employees, volunteers, partners, and contractors are obligated to report any suspicions, allegations, or confirmed incidents of SEA through the organization’s secure reporting mechanisms. Compliance with PWWSD’s Code of Conduct and PSEA policies is mandatory under this contract.

The selected consultant will be subject to vetting procedures, including reference checks. Upon selection and prior to contract signature, the consultant will be required to read and understand PWWSD’s official  PSEA Policy and to sign the PSEA Self-Declaration Form. Failure to comply with these requirements constitutes grounds for contract termination.

 

9. Reporting

The expert will report directly to the Project Coordinator for day-to-day implementation and coordinate with PWWSD’s Communication and Development Unit on the technical quality, branding and approval of all communication products.

Requirements

 

10. Application and Financial Proposal

Interested candidates must submit:

Technical Proposal

• Updated CV.
• Cover letter detailing relevant experience, including networks in Tulkarem.
• Brief methodology and work plan (max 2 pages).

Financial Proposal

• Proposed all-inclusive daily rate in USD.
• Total financial offer (daily rate × 35 days).
• Deduction at Source Certificate (otherwise 10% withholding applies per Palestinian law).

 

11. Submission

Applications must be submitted to:
admin@pwwsd.org

Email subject line:
Networking and Communication Expert – KtK Tulkarem Project

Deadline for submission: [10 September 2026], at 3:00 PM.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Non-compliant or incomplete bids shall be rejected and excluded from the evaluation process.