Request for quotations

Senior Learning and Impact Independent Consultant

 (5 months consultancy contract)

About the European Climate Foundation

The European Climate Foundation (ECF) is a major philanthropic initiative working to help tackle the climate crisis by fostering the transition to a net-zero emissions society at national, European and global levels.

ECF supports a broad network of partner organisations working to advance ambitious climate and energy policies, contribute to public debate on climate action, and help deliver a socially responsible transition to a sustainable economy and society.

About the Executive Office Strategy Unit

The Executive Office plays a key role in ensuring effective governance of the organisation, supporting the consolidation of coherent strategies across teams, alignment between strategy, budget and operations, and external engagement. Within the Executive Office, the Strategy Unit anchors ECF's strategic thinking and planning. It supports the development and learning of teams' strategies, ensures coherence with the organisation's overall strategic direction, and acts as an interface between executive management, finance and programme teams so that grant-making and planning are aligned with strategy. 

Objectives of the mission

ECF is seeking proposals from an experienced Learning and Impact independent consultant to support the development and operationalisation of ECF's approach to organisational learning and impact management over a five-month period, from January to May 2027, for approximately 2–3 days per week.

Working closely with the Strategy and Impact Manager and Director of Strategy, the consultant will help ensure that ECF can systematically capture, interpret and use evidence and learning to assess progress against its strategy and inform strategic decision-making. A central part of the assignment will be to design ECF's Impact Management Framework and to plan its operationalisation (translation into practical tools, processes and ways of working across the organisation).

The consultant shall determine the most appropriate methodology, work organisation and approach to deliver the agreed services and outputs.

Scope of the assignment

Impact Management Framework:

§ Support the design and operationalisation of ECF's Impact Management Framework, including shared principles, terminology and approaches to learning and impact across the organisation.

§ Support the translation of the framework into practical tools, processes and guidance that programme teams can apply in strategic planning and implementation.

Evidence, data and impact measurement:

§ Work with relevant teams, including the Data Team, to strengthen the way evidence and data are captured, analysed and used to understand progress and impact.

§ Support the development of requirements for dashboards and data visualisations that enable teams and leadership to track progress against strategy.

§ Advise on proportionate approaches to monitoring, evaluation and learning across different teams and strategies.

Organisational learning and strategic decision-making:

§ Help embed learning and reflection into strategic planning and review processes.

§ Support the use of evidence and learning in organisational and programme-level decision-making.

Expected deliverables

Deliverables may include:

§ A practical approach for operationalising ECF's Impact Management Framework, including shared principles, terminology and ways of working.

§ Practical tools and guidance to support programme teams in applying the framework to strategy development, implementation and review.

§ Recommendations for strengthening ECF's use of evidence and data, including requirements for dashboards or other tools for tracking progress and impact against strategy.

§ Design and facilitation of learning and reflection processes that bring evidence and insights into strategic discussions and decision-making.

§ Presentations and working sessions with senior leadership and programme teams to support understanding and adoption of the framework and associated approaches.

Specific deliverables, priorities and timelines will be agreed with the selected consultant on an ongoing basis and documented in email exchanges.

Consultant profile

The consultant should demonstrate:

§ Substantial experience in designing and implementing monitoring, evaluation, learning and/or impact frameworks, ideally within philanthropic, not-for-profit or public-sector organisations.

§ Strong understanding of organisational learning and how evidence can inform strategy and decision-making.

§ Experience translating monitoring, evaluation and learning approaches into practical tools, processes and ways of working for teams.

§ Experience using qualitative and quantitative evidence to understand progress and impact; experience with dashboards and data visualisation is an advantage.

§ Experience working in grant-making environments is an advantage.

§ Strong facilitation and stakeholder-engagement skills, including experience working with senior leadership and diverse teams.

§ Excellent analytical, written and verbal communication skills in English.

§ Ability to work independently, manage priorities and deliver high-quality outputs within agreed timelines.

§ Interest in climate, sustainability, energy transition or public policy is an advantage.

Contractual basis

§ The engagement will be structured as an independent consultancy agreement with a duration of 5 months, on an anticipated part-time basis of approximately 2-3 days per week, with a (mutual) 1 month notice period.

§ Nothing in this Request for Quotations or any resulting agreement shall be construed as creating an employment relationship, agency relationship or entitlement to employee benefits.

§ The selected consultant shall remain responsible for the management of their own business activities, taxes, social security obligations, professional insurance and working arrangements, unless otherwise agreed in writing.

§ The assignment can be carried out flexibly. A location where ECF has an office is preferred but not required: Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, London, Madrid, Paris, The Hague or Warsaw.

Proposal Submission Requirements

By 20 November 2026, interested consultants are invited to submit one single PDF document combining:

1.        A cover letter (max. 1 page) outlining:

• Relevant experience;
• Motivation;
• Availability;

o  Fee proposal: your expected daily rate.

2.        Curriculum Vitae.

Start date

January 2027

Diversity and inclusion

ECF is committed to building diverse and inclusive partnerships and encourages proposals from qualified consultants regardless of background, identity, disability, age, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic.

Reasonable accommodations can be discussed throughout the procurement and selection process where required.