Consultant for Resilient States Project - (Minnesota and other states)
United States
Programs – Common Ground USA /
Consultant – Local (Minnesota) / Remote
Summary
Common Ground USA (CG-USA) is seeking a consultant to scope and support the development of Resilient State programming in Minnesota and additional states. The consultant will establish key connections and relationships in Minnesota, provide feedback and outside perspectives on project implementation, and deliver project curriculum and other subject-matter expertise on relevant topics. The consultant will distill lessons learned and apply those to additional states. This consultancy is program-funded.
Context
Common Ground USA
Common Ground USA (CG-USA)
fosters collaboration across differences to address America’s most significant challenges and build a society where everyone can belong and thrive. As part of Search for Common Ground, with 40 years of global conflict resolution experience, CG-USA transforms conflict into cooperation with programming focused in the United States. At CG-USA, we believe that most Americans want to overcome the divisions we face in our society and that we all have a role to play. Engaging across political and other divides, we view disagreement as an opportunity to transform conflict into cooperation and solve our most pressing problems. All of our work is rooted in an evidence base where we strengthen the five vital signs of peace: safety, social cohesion, institutional legitimacy, personal agency, and resourcing peace.
The Project
The Resilient States Project is a collaboration between CG-USA and Over Zero that convenes and empowers broad-based networks of diverse leaders to build resilience and mitigate risks for division and political violence in key states (currently: Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas). Our networks unite diverse leaders across various sectors, ideologies, and geographies. These networks collaborate to mitigate divisions and risks of conflict within their states and unify their communities.
From 2022 to 2025, the first phase of this project’s four pilot states demonstrated the promise and potential of the Resilient State model in mobilizing and coordinating new and diverse leaders with the aim of reducing risks and harms in their states. This next phase of the project will expand to new states and contexts, further incorporating lessons learned across the project.
Geographic Locations
The consultant must be based in Minnesota. This role may require significant travel within Minnesota for meetings, training, and other convenings, and occasional travel to other states. This may include multiple trips within a month, and weekend travel is possible. Day trips should be included in the consultant’s proposed costs. Pre-approved overnight travel (within Minnesota and to other states) may be expensed to Common Ground USA.
Logistical Support
The consultant will be responsible for organizing their logistics, and these costs must be reasonably budgeted into the proposal. CG-USA can provide some support in arranging logistics as agreed upon based on the consultant’s proposal. At least one CG-USA staff member will serve as the primary point of contact and project manager.
Additionally, the Resilient States Project team will share background materials, including related project curricula, training materials, and existing relationships.
Ethical Considerations
Consultancy activities should conform to Do No Harm and inclusion principles (i.e., age, gender/gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity, race, religion, ideology, etc.). The consultant will also be asked to sign Search for Common Ground’s Code of Conduct.
In addition, the consultancy should be conducted in a manner that builds and maintains the Resilient States Project’s relationships and legitimacy with partners and leaders in the state. Nothing in the consultant’s work should suggest, or give the appearance of suggesting, that the Resilient States Project team, its partners, Common Ground USA, or Search for Common Ground as a whole are participating in political activity or lobbying that would violate the requirements of their 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. The Resilient States Project team also requires consultants to maintain a balanced, unbiased, and respectful relationship with all staff and local contacts.
Timeline
The contract will span 12 months from approximately September 2025 to August 2026, with an expected level of effort equal to 16-25 working days per month.
Budget
Candidates are encouraged to submit a budget, including a proposed daily/monthly rate, as part of their application.
Selection Criteria
Consultants should include a proposal for review. Consultant proposals will be selected for:
Relevance of their expression of interests as it relates to the applicant’s ability to meet the goal and objectives.
Qualifications; and
Proposed budget with proposed methodology and deliverables.
Application Deadline is July 31, 2025
To apply, interested candidates (individuals or teams) are requested to submit the following two documents:
1. Curriculum vitae
2. Expression of intent outlining the following: (1) any relevant research and analysis experience; (2) relevant networks, community connections, and other key relationships in Minnesota that can be leveraged for this process; (3) a budget and/or proposed pay rate; and (4) any other relevant experience as applicable to these terms of reference.
As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.
Ethical Considerations
Consultancy activities should conform to Do No Harm and inclusion principles (i.e., age, gender/gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity, race, religion, ideology, etc.). The consultant will also be asked to sign Search for Common Ground’s Code of Conduct.
In addition, the consultancy should be conducted in a manner that builds and maintains the Resilient States Project’s relationships and legitimacy with partners and actors in the geographical area of study. Nothing in the study design or execution should suggest, or give the appearance of suggesting, that the Resilient States Project team, its partners, Common Ground USA, or Search for Common Ground as a whole are participating in political activity or lobbying that would violate the requirements of their 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. The Resilient States Project team also requires consultants to maintain a balanced, unbiased, and respectful relationship with all parties involved in the research.
As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.
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Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please. Please see our website
www.sfcg.org
for full details of our work.
All Search Employees must adhere to the values: Collaboration- Audacity - Tenacity - Empathy - Results. In accordance with these values, Search enforces compliance with the Code of Conduct and related policies on Anti Workplace Harassment, Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Conflict of Interest, and Anti-fraud. Search is committed to safeguarding the interests, rights, and well-being of children, youth, and vulnerable adults with whom it is in contact and to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for children, youth, and vulnerable adults.
Search for Common Ground does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.
View our code of conduct
here
and our privacy policy
here
.
Les descriptifs de pouvant ne pouvant être exhaustifs, le titulaire du poste pourra être amené à entreprendre d'autres tâches qui correspondent globalement aux responsabilités clés ci-dessus.
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Seuls les candidats invités à un entretien seront contactés. Pas d'appels téléphoniques s'il vous plaît. Veuillez consulter notre site Web
www.sfcg.org
pour tous les détails de notre mission.
Tous les employés de Search doivent adhérer aux valeurs de Search : Collaboration- Audace - Ténacité - Empathie - Résultats. Conformément à ces valeurs, Search fait respecter le code de conduite et les politiques connexes sur la lutte contre le harcèlement au travail, la protection contre l'exploitation et les abus, la protection des enfants, les conflits d'intérêts et la lutte contre la fraude. Search s'engage à préserver les intérêts, les droits et le bien-être des enfants, des jeunes et des adultes vulnérables avec lesquels elle est en contact et à mener ses programmes et ses opérations d'une manière qui soit sûre pour les enfants, les jeunes et les adultes vulnérables.
Search for Common Ground ne fait pas et ne doit pas faire de discrimination fondée sur la race, la couleur, la religion (croyance), le sexe, l'expression de genre, l'âge, l'origine nationale (ascendance), le handicap, l'état matrimonial, l'orientation sexuelle ou le statut militaire, dans aucune de ses activités ou opérations.
Dado que la descripción de funciones no puede ser exhaustiva, el titular del puesto puede tener que realizar otras tareas que coinciden en líneas generales con las responsabilidades clave mencionadas.
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Sólo se contactará con los candidatos invitados a una entrevista. Se agradece no recibir llamadas telefónicas. Consulte nuestro sitio web
www.sfcg.org
para conocer todos los detalles de nuestro trabajo. Todos los empleados de Search deben adherirse a los valores de la organización: Colaboración - Audacia - Tenacidad - Empatía - Resultados. De acuerdo con estos valores, Search hace cumplir el Código de Conducta y las políticas relacionadas con luchar contra el acoso en el lugar de trabajo, la protección contra la explotación y el abuso, la protección de la infancia, los conflictos de intereses y la lucha contra el fraude. Search se compromete a salvaguardar los intereses, derechos y bienestar de los niños, jóvenes y adultos vulnerables con los que está en contacto y a llevar a cabo sus programas y operaciones de una manera que sea segura para los niños, jóvenes y adultos vulnerables. Search for Common Ground no discrimina ni discriminará por motivos de raza, color, religión (credo), género, expresión de género, edad, origen nacional (ascendencia), discapacidad, estado civil, orientación sexual o condición militar, en ninguna de sus actividades u operaciones. Consulte nuestro código de conducta
aquí
y nuestra política de privacidad
aquí
.