DAI

Strategic Consultant for using AI in Advisory and Training Workflows

Background to the Centre

The Centre for Disaster Protection works to prevent disasters devastating lives, by helping people, countries, and organisations change how they plan and pay for disasters. We focus on disaster risk financing to help ensure that money and plans are in place before a disaster strikes, so that the poorest and most vulnerable people are better protected. We are committed to work in partnerships across sectors and geographies to drive more impactful and more equitable disaster risk finance that leaves no one behind. Specifically, through a focus on:

• Delivering excellent client outcomes and promoting lasting disaster risk finance expertise. We provide clients with impartial and evidence-based advice, quality assurance and training that meets their needs and drives more effective disaster risk finance.
• Quality evidence and learning. We work to strengthen the evidence base for prearranged financing and document and share what shows the greatest potential to achieve system change.
• Impactful communications and global policy engagement. We seek to engage and influence through evidence-led policy and inclusive policy dialogue that bridges both ‘local to global’ and the humanitarian development climate nexus, targeting the bottlenecks key to effect transformative change of the international crisis financing architecture.

Additionally, we are focused on building effective systems and processes for people and operations that support the Centre to rapidly, yet strategically, scale and grow in a way that supports our people to do their best work through safe challenge, promoting and integrating diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Centre is funded with UK aid through the UK government. Read more about us in our updated strategy (2022-2025) and find out more at www.disasterprotection.org.

About the role

As part of our commitment to innovation, the Centre is developing a plan to incorporate AI tools to support the function of the advisory and training team. This will enable our team to access and consolidate information, analyse financial documents and use existing knowledge when developing work products. The Centre seeks to move beyond basic ChatGPT functionality to implement AI solutions that can change how we manage our knowledge and work together as a team.

Objective

The Centre seeks a Strategic Consultant to consider different AI tools that support the delivery of our disaster risk financing advisory services. The consultant will first run a needs assessment and based on the findings of the assessment, suggest AI-based solutions and tools that can securely and confidentially access diverse data sources, summarise documentation, capture relationships, and provide quantitative analysis capabilities. Before any final tool implementation, the consultant will help the Centre’s advisory team make informed strategic decisions about adoption and develop internal capabilities for ongoing utilisation.

Approach & methodology

The consultant will be responsible for the following key areas, which will be delivered in the order defined below and each new phase will be dependent on the successful delivery and adoption of the previous phase of work with the Centre.

The work will be divided in 4 parts, that are enumerated below and for which a detailed description of expected deliverables and activities are presented in Annex 1 of this TOR.

Part 1: Strategic implementation and needs assessment (30% of the contract)

Part 2: Use Case Assessments (25% of contract)

Part 3: Feasibility of Knowledge Management Systems (20% of contract)

Part 4: Capacity Building and Training (25% of contract)

Timeline and Phasing

Phase 1 (Month 1-2): Foundation and Implementation – part 1 above

• Comprehensive needs assessment and AI strategy development – including understanding of the processes of work development within the A&T team
• Core process and system mapping and implementation plan

Phase 2 (Months 2 – 6)

• Core process and system design and initial implementation
• Priority use case development and testing
• Basic training delivery and user onboarding
• Long-term sustainability planning (including maintenance strategy and governance frameworks)

Evaluation Point (latest at the end of Month 6), done by the Centre team, to review and approve recommendations and strategic implementation plan, based on:

• Performance review and impact assessment
• Stakeholder feedback collection and analysis
• Refinement of systems based on user experience
• Decision point for initiating phase 3

Phase 3 (Months 7-12): Enhancement and Expansion (Parts 3 and 4 above)

(Subject to successful delivery of Phases 1-2 and adoption of proposed AI methods)

• Core integration with Knowledge Management system
• Advanced feature development and system optimisation
• Expanded training and capacity building
• Additional use case implementation

Competencies

Essential Requirements:

• Expert-level knowledge of AI technologies beyond basic LLMs, including knowledge graphs, data integration platforms, and specialised AI tools
• Understanding of knowledge management systems and proven experience developing enterprise-level integrations with Sharepoint and Microsoft systems.
• Strong technical capabilities in AI/ML development, including experience with secure, private AI implementations for public sector entities
• Demonstrated experience with data integration from multiple sources and formats
• Deep understanding of AI governance, information security, data protection, and privacy protocols
• Experience designing and implementing organizational AI strategies
• Excellent communication skills with ability to translate complex technical concepts for diverse audiences

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with the international development or humanitarian sector
• Knowledge of multilingual AI processing and analysis
• Background in quantitative analysis and portfolio assessment methodologies
• Familiarity with humanitarian data standards, and development sector knowledge management practices

Contract Structure

This consultancy will initially be a 6-months contract to implement phases 1-2 and further scope the activity. Upon receipt of the strategic recommendations’ deliverable, and based on performance, impact assessment, and evolving organisational needs, the Centre retains the option to activate phase 3 and extend the contract for an additional 6 months.

The Centre recognizes the potential for broader organizational AI adoption and may seek to expand this initiative to additional functions based on the success of initial implementation outcomes. Any scope expansion would be subject to separate discussions regarding updated timelines, deliverables, and contractual arrangements.

Reporting and Collaboration

The consultant will report to Amar Patel, Risk Finance Advisor for technical outputs and deliverables. They will also work closely with the advisory and training teams within the Centre for Disaster Protection. Regular progress reviews will be conducted monthly.

Open Innovation Approach

The Centre recognises that AI technology and applications are rapidly evolving. We encourage the consultant to propose innovative approaches, emerging technologies, and creative solutions that may not be explicitly outlined in this ToR. The consultant's expertise and recommendations will be valued in shaping the Centre's AI strategy and implementation approach.

Location and Working Arrangements

The Centre is based near the City of London. Whilst the role is primarily remote, preference may be given to a consultant who is available to intermittently be in the office to train and support Centre staff. However, other flexible, part-time and remote working arrangements will be considered.

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit:

• CV/Resume highlighting relevant AI and knowledge management experience
• Portfolio of previous enterprise AI implementations, particularly knowledge management systems
• Proposed daily rate for consultancy

Inquiries can be sent by email to jobs_centre@disasterprotection.org with the subject line "AI Knowledge Management Consultant Application". Deadline for applications 11:59 PM UK Time on Sunday, 16th November 2025.

The Centre for Disaster Protection is committed to diversity and inclusion in our hiring practices and welcomes applications from candidates of all backgrounds.

Fee Rates and Payments

Remuneration will be based on individual experience and skills while, as the Centre is a UK aid-funded project, all rates for consultants and staff are subject to controls.

Payment

Fees will be payable on actual usage of days evidenced by timesheets, subject to completion and approval of key deliverables due at the invoicing point. Any expenses will be paid on actual costs (against receipts) using an agreed invoice and timesheet template.

Correctly submitted invoices will be paid within 30 days of receipt of invoice and/or approval of relevant work (whichever is the later).

Negotiation and finalisation of commercial terms

DAI on behalf of the Centre reserves the right to negotiate on any aspects of the proposed costs and payment and is not bound to accept any offer.

DAI Eligibility Criteria

All individual(s) shortlisted will undergo an initial eligibility criteria assessment. This includes vetting of the organisations in line with terrorism checks, company history of improper conduct, any legal acts against the organisation(s) and initial vetting of proposed personnel. Where disqualification factors are discovered, the application may be rejected without notification.

Successful individual(s) will be subject to detailed vetting analysis and relevant reference checks, and, in the case of organisations, also a due diligence assessment through DAI’s Management Capacity Assessment Tool (MCAT). This will include an assessment of:

• Organisational details
• Safeguarding policies, procedures and systems
• Financial management policies, procedures, practises and systems
• Duty of care
• Modern Slavery policies and procedures.

Final award of contract will not be confirmed until these checks are complete.

Intellectual property

Any Foreground Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) arising out of the performance of project will belong to the Managing Agent of the Centre for the purposes of awarding to the Centre perpetual, irrevocable licence to use, sub-licence or commercially exploit such IPRs in the delivery of its mission and likewise to the Centre’s funder, the UK FCDO. The Management Agent, on behalf of the Centre, will provide the Service Provider right to use such IPRs and other Centre IPRs to the extent needed to perform their obligations under this project. IPRs relating to any background intellectual property drawn upon by the Service Provider in delivery of the assignment shall remain with the Service Provider, who will provide the Centre (through its Managing Agent) and FCDO rights to use such intellectual property to the extent it is integrally required to enjoy their rights to use the results of the Project and the foreground IPRs.

Annex 1 – Detailed description of activities and deliverables

Part 1: Strategic AI Implementation and needs assessment

AI Strategy:

• Conduct comprehensive assessment of the Advisory and Training team's current AI readiness and knowledge management challenges
• Develop institutional AI strategy recommendations tailored to the Centre’s work, including tool selection , implementation priorities, and resource requirements
• Provide expert guidance on emerging AI technologies and their potential applications in disaster risk financing
• Design governance frameworks for AI use, including quality assurance, ethical considerations, and risk management

Walled LLM Implementation:

• Evaluate options for implementing secure, private large language model solutions for sensitive work
• Design and potentially implement a walled LLM environment that maintains data security while providing advanced AI capabilities
• Develop governance protocols for secure AI usage that protect client confidentiality and sensitive country information
• Create frameworks for measuring and optimising AI performance within the Centre's specific use cases

Part 2: Use Case Assessments

The consultant should develop solutions for the following priority use cases to demonstrate the fitness for purpose for the proposed AI solutions:

1. Country diagnostics and briefs: Based on existing work delivered, build AI system that can process all available information (whilst appropriately handling sensitive and confidential information – such as flagging this information in internal results) about a specific country's disaster risk profile, existing financial mechanisms, and policy landscape to generate comprehensive disaster risk diagnostic foundations

2. Portfolio Analysis Dashboard: Quantitative analysis tool that can assess performance of financial instruments across multiple countries, identifying trends, successes, and areas for improvement

3. Real-time Knowledge Updates: Alert system that notifies team members of new relevant publications, policy changes, or developments in their areas of focus

4. Evidence Synthesis: Tool that can process multiple sources of evidence on specific DRF topics and generate balanced, nuanced summaries to inform decision-making

Part 3: AI-Powered Knowledge Management Systems

Data Access and Integration:

• Develop AI systems capable of accessing and integrating multiple data sources including large portfolio databases, SharePoint repositories, and external documentation and publications (in multiple languages)
• Create automated data ingestion pipelines for continuous knowledge base updates
• Implement solutions for processing multilingual content (such as French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian) and converting documents into searchable, analysable formats
• Design systems for real-time monitoring of new relevant publications, reports, and data releases

Document Processing and Analysis:

• Build AI capabilities to summarise documents of 100+ pages whilst preserving critical technical details and nuances
• Support the team to learn how to create quantitative analysis capabilities for portfolio assessment, including trend identification, performance metrics, and comparative analysis of complex financial solutions
• Implement natural language processing solutions for extracting key insights from unstructured data

Internal Knowledge Integration:

• Design SharePoint integration solutions that enable AI-powered search and retrieval across internal documents, presentations, and project materials
• Develop systems for automatically building presentation decks from existing slide libraries based on specific project requirements
• Implement version control and knowledge systems to ensure teams are working with the most up-to-date information

Part 4: Capacity Building and Training

Capacity building for internal team:

• Develop and deliver comprehensive training programs for approximately 7 immediate team members
• Tailored training modules that address different levels of AI literacy and job functions
• Deliver hands-on workshops focused on practical AI applications relevant to the disaster risk finance domain

Knowledge Transfer and Quality Assurance:

• Create detailed documentation and user guides for all implemented AI systems
• Develop troubleshooting resources and support protocols for team members encouraging responsible use of AI in the professional setting.
• Design evaluation frameworks to measure AI adoption and effectiveness
• Provide ongoing coaching and support during the implementation phase

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