Social Network Analysis Consultant (SNA)

Reporting to: Director of Women’s Economic Advancement

Start date: January 2027

Counterpart International is seeking a short-term consultant to design and conduct a social network analysis of Counterpart’s global alumni network, specifically within the organization’s women’s economic advancement portfolio (1,000+ women leaders and entrepreneurs in more than 70 countries). The SNA will examine the state and strength of the existing network and its connections, how the network functions, its value to alumni, and how the network supports or facilitates alumni’s access to professional and financial opportunities, economic advancement, and resilience.

Through this SNA, Counterpart seeks to understand the nature, scope, and strength of its alumni network and the connections therein, such as their frequency, direction, strength, and reciprocity, within countries, across regions, and globally; which alumni or groups serve as key connectors; what types of support and opportunities are exchanged through the network; and how alumni connections through the network contribute to women’s economic opportunities and advancement. The findings should also include clear evidence of the network’s value to alumni and identify what is working well, which connections and activities generate meaningful value, where the network is strongest, where there are gaps, and how/where the network can be more effectively activated to benefit alumni. The analysis must distinguish perceived or reported contributions from an independently verifiable or causally attributable impact. These findings will help Counterpart generate key evidence on how the alumni network functions in practice, what types of connections create real value for women leaders, and how the impact of this network can be communicated in different ways to a diverse group of stakeholders.

Based on the SNA findings, the consultant will provide practical recommendations for how Counterpart can strengthen its alumni network and expand the economic opportunities it generates for alumni. Recommendations will also detail how additional investment, partnerships, or targeted support could help the network reach more alumni, deepen high-value connections, and further strengthen women’s access to markets, finance, referrals, visibility, collaboration, and other pathways for economic advancement.

At this time, we expect the consultant to fulfill the work scope remotely, communicating virtually with the Counterpart team and alumni. The consultancy may include in-person meetings at Counterpart’s office in Washington, DC if the need arises.

Under the supervision of Counterpart’s Director of Women’s Economic Advancement, the SNA Consultant will lead the design and implementation of the SNA, as described below:

Design the SNA methodology and data collection instruments:

The consultant will develop the SNA methodology and data collection plan for selected countries and regions, which will include collecting at least 200 alumni-completed surveys, conducting 20–30 key informant interviews, and completing up to six online focus group discussions. The consultant will design, test, and finalize survey, interview, and focus group tools, which must address data security, privacy, informed consent, and ethical considerations.

In coordination with the Counterpart team, the consultant will define the network boundaries, distinguishing the core alumni network from external relationships and the broader institutional ecosystem. The SNA inception report will define these boundaries and specify who is included in the formal SNA. The consultant will select appropriate measures—such as density, centrality, reciprocity, clustering, brokerage, bridging ties, and cross-country or cross-sector connectivity—and explain their relevance and limitations.

Counterpart will provide a list of alumni to engage in the SNA, and the consultant will propose the sampling and outreach approach and confirm participant targets for each data collection method. During the SNA inception phase, the consultant, in collaboration with the Counterpart team, may refine the sample size and data collection methods based on network boundaries, geographic coverage, feasibility, and expected response rates.

In addition, the consultant will develop and implement a data protection and risk mitigation plan, including informed consent procedures, data minimization, role-based access, secure storage and transfer, anonymization or pseudonymization, retention and deletion procedures, and safeguards for presenting network maps where individuals may be identifiable by their position in the network.

Lead and oversee the data collection process

The consultant will lead a remote data collection effort, including collecting surveys, conducting key informant interviews, and facilitating focus group discussions. Throughout data collection, the consultant will use an online data collection system to organize and manage responses. The consultant may also use appropriate AI-assisted tools to support data review, coding, pattern identification, and synthesis, in accordance with Counterpart’s organizational policies and with prior approval where required. Identifiable participant data should not be uploaded to public AI systems. The consultant will detail the data collection and management approach through data management, security, and analysis plan.

Throughout the data collection process, the consultant must ensure strong data quality, privacy, confidentiality, informed consent, and ethical safeguards.

Local consultants: The consultant may recommend working with local consultants or country-based data collectors in selected target countries to support outreach, in-country data collection, contextual interpretation, respondent follow-up, and quality assurance. Applicants should state whether local consultants or data collectors are required, identify their anticipated functions, and include associated costs in the financial proposal. The final contracting, management, and payment arrangement will be agreed during the contract negotiation phase and documented in writing.

The consultant will analyze the SNA data and identify key findings on the structure, strength, and economic value of the alumni network. The analysis should identify key connectors, bridgebuilders, clusters, isolated groups, cross-country and cross-sector linkages, and the types of support, information, and opportunities exchanged value to alumni, and how the network supports or facilitates alumni’s access to financial opportunities, economic advancement, and resilience

The consultant will produce a report that includes the following:

The consultant will assess disclosure and security risks before presenting individual-level network findings. Public-facing products should use aggregated, anonymized, or pseudonymized visualizations unless Counterpart provides written approval, and appropriate consent has been obtained.

The consultancy is expected to require up to 40 working days over approximately four months. Applicants should propose a realistic workplan and level of effort, including assumptions related to inception and design, tool testing and revision, data collection, local consultant or data collector support, data cleaning and analysis, validation, reporting, and final handover. The proposal should clearly identify key review periods, expected Counterpart inputs, and the final completion date.

Deliverables will be reviewed against agreed criteria, including methodological rigor, completeness, data quality, ethical compliance, data protection, reproducibility, accessibility for non-technical audiences, practical relevance, consistency with the approved inception report, and incorporation of consolidated feedback.

Note: Only qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview and invited to provide details on the approach, cost, and timeline.