Harnessing Consultant

Harnessing Consultant to review and validate the proposed harnessing training modules.

Duration: Until end of January 2026 (flexible on discussion) 

Time commitment: Negotiable 

Location: Global 

Contract Type: Consultancy 

Consultant details: One person with expertise and significant experience in working equid harnessing in low- and middle-income countries 

SPANA – The Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad is the global charity for working animals in low-income countries. Since 1923, we have supported the welfare of working animals, including donkeys, horses, camels, oxen and dogs, in communities that depend on working animals for various purposes linked to their livelihoods. Today, we support working animals across several countries, through a series of global projects and partnerships. In 2023 SPANA launched our new five-year strategy outlining the results we aim to achieve under each of our goals of Welfare, Worth, World and Harnessing Global Potential. Further information on SPANA’s strategy can be found on our website at www.spana.org/strategy  Alongside this, we are giving a higher focus to activities related to improving quality of harnessing and preventing harness-related wounds, one of the main clinical concerns in working animals globally. These include two major activities in 2025/2026, namely: 

We are seeking a consultant to work alongside the Animal Health and Welfare (AHW) team as well as the Education and Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) team to conduct a technical review of the working equid harnessing training modules developed.

This will consist of a desk-based review and proof-reading of the training plan and training content of both the community training and technical college modules, inputting technical corrections and suggestions where relevant. Additionally, the consultant will review the technical accuracy of the training of trainer’s (TOT) module designed to equip community trainers with the knowledge they need to deliver the community training module. 

The overall aim is to validate and ensure the technical accuracy and adequacy of the training modules developed, since SPANA does not have a dedicated harnessing expert in-house. 

The role will be remote and managed within SPANA’s Animal Health and Welfare team. The work will also be fully supported by the Education and SBCC teams as required, with further collaborations across the organisation as needed.   

Specific Activities: 

• Meet with the AHW and Education/SBCC teams to be briefed on the: 

• Context for harnessing concerns and common harness-related injuries in SPANA’s partner projects. 

• Scope and aims of the harnessing training modules being developed. 

• Results of the needs assessment to inform the content of the modules. 

• Review and validate the adequacy of the module outlines as well as the accuracy of the information contained within the modules from a technical perspective (expertise on harnessing), offering constructive input and recommendations as needed.  

Further details about each of the training modules are available on request.  

Structure of the work: 

The consultant will manage their workload independently to ensure the deliverables agreed with SPANA are completed within the agreed timeframes. However, the following overall structure will be expected: 

• One initial briefing meeting (online) with the relevant SPANA team members. In this meeting, SPANA will provide an overview of the training modules and their aims in more detail, as well as share any relevant background materials or data. SPANA and the consultant will discuss any questions or concerns related to the work and agree on the consultancy deliverables and structure. 

• 1-2 review meetings (online) with the relevant SPANA team members. These meetings are an opportunity to review the input and recommendations provided by the consultant, clarify and discuss the reports.  

• Further meetings may be required and arranged throughout the consultancy period upon agreement between SPANA and the consultant.    

Timeframe:  

The timeframe for the work is flexible and will be decided in conversation between the consultant and SPANA. However, this work is expected to require the equivalent of approximately 10-12 working days at 7hs/day. The deliverables for this work are to be completed and submitted to SPANA by the end of January 2026 (flexible on discussion and agreement by both parties). 

Skills & Experience: 

• Minimum of 8 years’ technical experience in working equid harnessing, both using and advising/training 

• Excellent understanding of harnessing principles and different harness designs, including an understanding of common equipment used by working equids in low-income countries 

• Knowledge and experience of working with international animal health and welfare programmes in the Global South 

• Experience in developing and/or providing technical training is desirable, ideally using participatory and/or experiential training methods in low- and middle-income countries 

• Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate across teams 

• Fluency in English  

How to apply