Location: Ottawa, ON, Canada
Application Deadline: December 24, 2025, 17:00 EST
Period of Assignment: January 5 – February 28, 2026
In-Person Facilitation: February 9 – 13, 2026
1. Background and Context
The Parliamentary Centre (PC) will host an exchange visit for senior parliamentary leadership
from the Parliaments of Ghana, Kenya, and Togo to Ottawa and Quebec City, Canada, from
February 7–14, 2026. This visit is organized under the project Inclusive Legislatures for
Gender-Responsive Policies (ILGRP), implemented by the Parliamentary Centre in partnership
with the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) and funded by Global Affairs Canada.
The ILGRP project supports the Parliaments of Ghana, Kenya, and Togo to strengthen
institutional capacities for gender-responsive administration, legislation, budgeting, oversight,
and representation. The project places particular emphasis on advancing the rights and
inclusion of women, girls, and marginalized groups, while enhancing legislative effectiveness,
transparency, and inclusiveness. It also promotes meaningful engagement between
parliaments, civil society organizations, and women’s rights organizations.
Since 2022, in the three partner countries, ILGRP has worked closely with parliamentary
divisions, departments, and units to develop and apply gender-responsive tools across
law-making, budgeting, oversight, and public engagement. To consolidate and institutionalize
these gains, the project is organizing an exchange visit for Clerks and senior parliamentary staff
from Ghana, Kenya, and Togo.
The exchange program will focus on:
- Sharing experiences and lessons learned from ILGRP implementation;
- Discussing the institutionalization of gender-responsive practices in parliament, and
- Exploring the Canadian experience in the areas of gender-responsive Human Resource
- Management, gender-responsive corporate culture, including values, ethics, codes of
- Exploring the Canadian experience in the areas of gender-responsive Human Resource Management, gender-responsive corporate culture, including values, ethics, codes of conduct, and anti-harassment measures, gender-responsive review of strategic plans, gender-responsive legislation, budgeting, and oversight and strengthening gender-responsive and inclusive parliamentary engagement with citizens and civil society.
2. Objective of the Assignment
To support the planning, organization, and facilitation of the ILGRP exchange visit by providing
technical expertise, facilitation, and coordination to ensure a high-quality, focused, and
outcome-oriented knowledge exchange.
3. Scope of Work
Working under the guidance of the Project Manager, the Consultant will support the implementation of the ILGRP project by assisting in the organization and facilitation of the exchange visit. The Consultant’s responsibilities will include, but are not limited to, the following:
3.1 Programme Design and Preparation:
- Support the design and refinement of the visit agenda in collaboration with the Parliamentary Centre team.
- Prepare and deliver a 1.5-hour introductory session providing
- An overview of the legislative framework and administrative structures of the House of Commons and the Senate of Canada; and
- An overview of key past and ongoing reforms relevant to the themes of the visit
- Personal reflections from executive-level working experiences in managing reforms in a Canadian parliamentary setting
- Support the preparation and coordination of meetings between the delegation and parliamentary staff in the House of Commons and the Senate, as requested.
- Participate in preparatory meetings with the Parliamentary Centre team.
3.2 Facilitation During the Visit
- Act as the main facilitator during the exchange visit.
- Provide daily orientation sessions (Monday to Friday).
- Facilitate key meetings and discussions, including but not limited to:
- Administration of the House of Commons and Senate of Canada;
- Human Resource Management;
- Values and Ethics;
- Other thematic sessions as relevant.
- Support Canadian presenters during meetings, ensuring discussions remain focused, participatory, and aligned with visit objectives; share ongoing personal reflections from executive-level working experiences in managing reforms in a Canadian parliamentary setting.
- Participate in and facilitate the final wrap-up session
3.3 Follow-up and Reporting
- Support the preparation of a summary report highlighting key takeaways and recommendations for continued ILGRP support, including for the Togo component.
- Provide any other visit-related support required by the Parliamentary Centre team.
4. Required Experience and Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have substantial experience as executive-level parliamentary staff with
in-depth, practical experience in the thematic areas of the visit from the Parliament of Canada
and/or a provincial legislature. Prior international experience, especially with African
parliaments, is strongly preferred. The candidate will bring both subject-matter expertise and
strong facilitation skills to support a high-level international parliamentary exchange.
- Executive-level experience as parliamentary staff at the Parliament of Canada and/or a
provincial legislature, including central administration, procedural services, corporate
services, or strategic leadership functions. - Demonstrated experience advising senior parliamentary leadership, including Clerks, Deputy Clerks, Directors General, or equivalent executive-level officials.
- In-depth knowledge of the legislative and administrative framework of the Parliament of Canada and/or provincial legislatures, including governance structures, decision-making processes, and inter-institutional coordination between the House of Commons and the Senate.
- Proven expertise in managing parliamentary administration and reform, particularly in areas such as:
- Demonstrated experience in facilitating exchanges of experience and training of staff from foreign parliaments.
- Demonstrated strong facilitation and moderation skills, with the ability to lead high-level discussions, frame strategic questions, and translate complex institutional practices into accessible and comparative learning for international audiences.
- Proven ability to design and deliver executive-level briefings and presentations, tailored to senior parliamentary audiences.
- Established professional networks within the Parliament of Canada, and ideally within provincial or subnational legislatures (including Quebec), enabling effective coordination of meetings and exchanges.
- Full professional fluency in English and French, with excellent oral and written communication.
5. Additional Assets
- Prior experience supporting parliamentary strengthening or governance reform projects
funded by international donors, including Global Affairs Canada. - Familiarity with gender-responsive governance, inclusive parliamentary practices, and engagement with civil society.
- Experience mentoring or coaching parliamentary officials on institutional reform and organizational change.
6. Application Process
Interested candidates are invited to submit their application by December 24, 2025, at 17:00
EST to anastasiya.shtaltovna@parlcent.org
Applications should include:
- A CV highlighting relevant experience;
- A brief proposal outlining the candidate’s understanding of the assignment and proposed approach and methodology;
- The proposed daily rate, estimated duration, and level of effort.
