Capacity Building Specialist (Civil Society)

The Capacity Building Specialist (Civil Society) supports civil society actors across Sri Lanka by designing and delivering online awareness sessions to strengthen CSOs' understanding of key legislation and enhance organizational governance, legal compliance, digital safety, and civic space resilience. The role involves developing participatory learning materials and facilitating practical discussions to build institutional capacity within civil society organizations.

Responsibilities

• Design and deliver six (06) online awareness sessions (three in Tamil and three in Sinhala) covering Protection of the State from Terrorism Act (PSTA), NGO Act, and Online Safety Act.
• Develop a comprehensive curriculum, detailed session plans, presentations, facilitator notes, practical exercises, case studies, group work, scenario-based discussions, and learning materials aligned with adult learning principles.
• Prepare all training materials in Tamil and Sinhala, with English reference materials where required, and submit all materials for UNOPS review and approval prior to delivery.
• Develop practical learning tools including organizational compliance checklists, PowerPoint presentations, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and scenario-based discussion guides.
• Integrate practical organizational guidance covering legal compliance obligations, financial accountability, digital communication practices, risk mitigation strategies, and organizational do's and don'ts under relevant legislation.
• Facilitate highly participatory online sessions using discussions, breakout exercises, case studies, polls, and peer learning methodologies.
• Design, administer, and analyse pre-session and post-session assessments to measure participant learning outcomes.
• Compile assessment summaries, participant feedback, and recommendations following each session.
• Submit a summary report in English upon completion of each session summarizing activities conducted, participant engagement, learning outcomes, evaluation findings, key recommendations, and lessons learned.
• Submit a comprehensive final consultancy report in English upon completing all six sessions summarizing activities conducted, participant engagement, learning outcomes, evaluation findings, key recommendations, and lessons learned.
• Maintain confidentiality, impartiality, and adherence to UNOPS ethical standards throughout the consultancy.
• Coordinate closely with the Programme Manager and relevant UNOPS personnel throughout planning, implementation, reporting, and quality assurance processes.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Law, Human Rights, Criminal Justice, Governance, Public Policy, or another relevant discipline.
• Advanced degree in Law, Human Rights, Criminal Justice, Governance, Public Policy, or a relevant field (desired).
• Attorney at Law Qualification from Sri Lanka Law College (desired).
• Minimum Seven (07) years of professional experience in legal practice, access to justice, human rights, governance, or protection programming.
• Demonstrated experience designing and delivering legal awareness programmes, training, or capacity-building initiatives for civil society organizations.
• Experience working with Sri Lanka's legal and regulatory environment affecting civic space, including national security legislation, civil society regulation, digital rights, and governance.
• Demonstrated experience facilitating participatory adult learning methodologies.
• Experience developing training curricula, learning materials, evaluation tools, and training reports.
• Proficiency in virtual facilitation platforms (Google Meet), and online learning tools.
• Previous experience working with UN agencies, international organizations, or donor-funded programmes (desired).
• Experience working with grassroots CSOs and community-based organizations (desired).
• Experience providing legal or policy advice relating to civic space, digital rights, organizational governance, or regulatory compliance (desired).

Skills

• Legal Practice
• Access to Justice
• Human Rights
• Governance
• Protection Programming
• Legal Awareness Programmes
• Capacity Building
• Civil Society Engagement
• Sri Lanka Legal Environment
• Regulatory Compliance
• National Security Legislation
• Civil Society Regulation
• Digital Rights
• Participatory Adult Learning
• Training Curriculum Development
• Learning Material Development
• Training Evaluation
• Training Reporting
• Virtual Facilitation
• Google Meets
• Online Learning Tools
• Legal Advice
• Policy Advice

Languages

English, Sinhala, Tamil