Legal Aid Society (LAS) is implementing a UNFPA-funded programme to strengthen the state’s response to sexual violence, child marriage, and domestic violence across Pakistan. Under this programme, one of the key interventions in Sindh is the development of a standardised onboarding manual for Women’s Development Department (WDD) government officials on the Sindh Domestic Violence Act 2013.

Currently, WDD lacks a formal, standardised induction process for government officials joining the department. This results in inconsistent understanding of the DV Act’s provisions, roles and responsibilities, referral mechanisms, and case handling protocols across cadres. The onboarding manual will serve as a foundational resource to formalise and standardise the induction process, strengthen WDD’s institutional capacity to implement the DV Act, and support the long-term institutional adoption of survivor-centred, trauma-informed service delivery standards.

The objective of this consultancy is to develop a comprehensive, practical, and institutionally tailored onboarding manual for WDD government officials on the Sindh Domestic Violence Act 2013 – covering the legal framework, WDD’s mandate and structure, roles and responsibilities, referral pathways, case handling protocols, and survivor-centred approaches.

The Technical Consultant will undertake the following:

• Review relevant legal and regulatory frameworks including the Sindh DV Act 2013, related rules, WDD’s rules of business, inter-departmental coordination frameworks, and referral mechanisms.
• Map WDD’s organisational structure, staff cadres, and existing induction and onboarding processes to ensure the manual is tailored to institutional realities.
• Conduct key informant interviews (KIIs) with current and former WDD staff across cadres to identify knowledge gaps, onboarding challenges, and expectations.
• Develop a comprehensive onboarding manual covering all required content areas (detailed under Deliverable 4).
• Facilitate a structured review session with LAS and WDD representatives and incorporate feedback into the final manual.
• Deliver a publication-ready final manual for institutional adoption by WDD.

Payment will be made per deliverable upon submission and written approval by LAS. The consultant must receive written approval before proceeding to the next deliverable.

• Minimum 10 years of hands-on experience in legal, policy, or technical advisory work in the gender, GBV, social protection, or governance sector in Pakistan.
• Demonstrated experience developing institutional manuals, SOPs, training curricula, or policy documents for government departments – preferably at provincial level in Sindh.
• Strong knowledge of the Sindh Domestic Violence Act 2013 and its implementing rules, and familiarity with WDD’s mandate and operational structure.
• Prior experience working with or for government departments including WDD, Social Welfare, or related line departments is strongly preferred.
• Experience conducting key informant interviews and applying qualitative research methods for policy or programme purposes.
• Track record of delivering high-quality written outputs on time in a multi-stakeholder environment.

• Legal and policy analysis – ability to interpret and translate complex legislation into accessible institutional guidance.
• Technical writing – ability to produce clear, structured, and professionally formatted manuals and reports.
• Qualitative research – KII design, facilitation, and synthesis.
• Stakeholder facilitation – ability to lead review sessions with government and civil society representatives.
• Gender and GBV expertise – understanding of survivor-centred, trauma-informed approaches in service delivery.
• Government systems knowledge – familiarity with Sindh government departmental procedures, rules of business, and inter-departmental coordination.
• Strong written and verbal communication in English and Urdu. Sindhi language skills are an asset.
• Proficiency in MS Word and MS Office for document production.

The Technical Consultant will report directly to the Assistant Manager – UNFPA Programme, Legal Aid Society. All deliverables must be submitted to the Assistant Manager for review. Written approval from LAS is required before the consultant may proceed to the next deliverable and before any payment is processed.

LAS reserves the right to request revisions to any deliverable within 10 working days of submission. The consultant must incorporate all feedback and resubmit within 5 working days of receiving comments.

All data, documents, interview records, and materials produced under this consultancy are the sole property of Legal Aid Society and UNFPA. The consultant may not share, publish, or use any project materials without prior written consent from LAS. All KII respondents must be anonymised in all outputs.

LAS is committed to diversity and equal opportunity. All applications will receive consideration regardless of sex, age, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.

LAS is committed to the prevention and protection from all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse. The selected consultant will be required to sign and adhere to LAS’s PSEA policy throughout the engagement.