Terms of Reference UI/UX Designer (Individual Consultant) July 2026 Kenya Consultancy NEW

Terms of Reference

UI/UX Designer (Individual Consultant)

July 2026

Kenya

Top Line Objective:
Girl Effect Kenya is looking to procure the services of a UI/UX /Designer. You will be designing and prototyping analogue and digital experiences with human-centred insights and needs at their core. You’ll be inspired by how technology can unlock new possibilities and choices for our audiences, and you’ll imagine new uses of technology to address access, literacy, security, and other barriers.

Who We Are
Girl Effect is an international non-profit that builds media that girls want, trust, and need.From chatbots to chat shows and TV dramas to tech, our content helps adolescent girls in Africa and Asia make choices and changes in their lives. We create safe spaces for girls, sharing facts and answering questions about health, nutrition, education, and relationships, empowering girls with the skills to negotiate and redefine what they are told is possible “for a girl”.

Our reach is 50 million and counting, and we use technology to reach girls at scale so every girl can choose to be in control of her body, health, learning, and livelihood.

Because when a girl unlocks her power to make different choices that change her life, it inspires others to do so too. She starts a ripple effect that impacts her family, community, and country.

That’s the Girl Effect.

The Brand
Girl Effect uses a branded media approach to deliver behavioural change programmes.

We reach girls across the world, where they are online and offline, to support them at the critical moments in life when choices around their health, education, and economic future need to be made.

We use our expertise in behavior change science to motivate and equip girls with information and support to help them see a different future for themselves, act on those choices, and drive greater demand for the opportunities and services available to them.

Chhaa Jaa in India, Jikizinto in South Africa, Yegna in Ethiopia, Tukisonga and WAZZII in Kenya are some of our youth brands. They exist across multiple channels – digital ( Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, WhatsApp, Telegram), TV, radio, print, and offline.

Our Approach
Girl Effect reaches girls where they are via multiple media programs.

Girl Effect operates multiple media programs, including TV shows, radio dramas, magazines, hotlines, and digital and social media content. We also operate a suite of digital products, including chatbots, websites, and content Apps. Our target audience, adolescent girls and young women worldwide, is now using digital products and social media like never before. Access is managed through a mix of lo-fi and hi-fi devices ranging from feature phones, smartphones, and tablets to laptops. To ensure that our programmes reach girls effectively and efficiently in this complicated maze of media consumption, we focus on reaching them where they are.

Girl Effect in Kenya
Over the last two and a half years, we have invested in setting up key online assets and infrastructure that can be leveraged to deliver programmes under a range of thematics for older adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 years. We have built a multi-product digital ecosystem of products – across ‘broadcast’ and ‘interactive’ features – that are social media-based and available to girls whenever they need them. This includes, but is not limited to:

Existing products

Inspiring and enabling social and behaviour change content on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Including TV and short-form fictional drama series, Podcasts such as Space Yako and Tuki the podcast.
An AI and menu-based English and Sheng chatbot called WAZZII, on WhatsApp and WEB chat, that allows youth to explore taboo topics on Love, Sex, and Relationships in a safe 1:1 space and nudges them to connect with health services. Including integration with a 24/7 toll-free call and chat concierge-style human support service
Tukisonga and WAZZII websites are aggregating youth-friendly services and blog content.
Community engagement through the Champions Application, which delivers in-person, youth-friendly sessions to reach audiences with limited access to digital media through curated experiential events.
Upcoming Projects
To meet the ever-evolving and dynamic needs of the youth we serve in Kenya and help them achieve their dreams and aspirations, we constantly partner with our audience to build fresh digital solutions and optimize existing tools, ensuring our technology effectively supports their health, personal growth, and future ambitions.

Throughout the upcoming year, we will design and launch various digital and offline tools alongside young people, our funding partners, and the Ministry of Health. These initiatives encompass government-led digital platforms for youth and a specialized digital marketplace designed to help youth access livelihood-enhancing opportunities. Additionally, we are committed to advancing the capabilities of our chatbots to assist Kenyan youth in navigating the complexities associated with reproductive health service access using AI.

Scope of Work
Your main goal will be to design with youth fresh digital solutions and refine existing digital products owned by Girl Effect by developing creative answers to diverse design questions. Every solution must be deeply rooted in our behavioral change objectives and the specific requirements of our target audience in Kenya. You will utilize a human-centered design methodology, looking beyond individual tools to consider the broader Girl Effect ecosystem and the intricate pathways girls navigate as they move between our various products.

This consultant will conduct design sprints,consolidate outputs of design sessions, andsupport the running of feature prioritization sessions. They will also conduct prototyping activities collaboratively with a cohort of young people and other stakeholders across products such as chatbots, mobile applications, and brand websites, among others, related to upcoming and existing products.

In this role, you should be an analytical and creative designer who can grasp user needs and solve problems. A strong portfolio of successful UX and other technical projects is essential. The engagement will start from August 2026 to January 2027.

UX Analysis:

Devise and conduct a consultation plan with key stakeholders and target audiences, including questionnaires, focus groups, or interviews.
Conduct a thorough assessment of the current UX design, identifying usability challenges and opportunities for improvement.
Create user personas and scenarios to guide the design improvements based on user needs and goals.
Conduct concept and usability testing in the field with users
Provide a detailed report summarizing the findings, including prioritized recommendations for UX enhancements to stakeholders and developers.
Work with data to optimize and enhance products.
Own and conduct design reviews with data, engineering, and content teams to ensure a successful deployment with an appropriate go-ahead.
UI Enhancement:

Utilize the insights from the UX analysis to redesign and enhance the visual appearance of the web platform’s user interface.
Define interaction models, UI components, and navigation structures to optimize user engagement and facilitate information discovery.
Incorporate interactive elements to enhance usability and convey complex concepts effectively.
Develop wireframes, interactive prototypes, and mockups to illustrate proposed UI changes.
Implement modern design principles, including responsiveness, consistency, and visual hierarchy, while aligning with our brand identity.
Ensure the new UI design elements fit seamlessly into the existing platform’s technical framework, ensuring a consistent and cohesive user experience across all website components.
Collaborate with Designers and Developers to create intuitive, user-friendly software to ensure that the updated UI maintains or improves the platform’s overall performance and loading speed.
Support UI content creation as and when required.
Who You Are
Skills, expertise, and requirements:

You must be based in Kenya with the ability to attend in-person sessions in Nairobi and Migori counties.
Female candidates are encouraged to apply.
You must be fluent in Swahili and English.
4+ years of professional experience in a design consultancy or equivalent position, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams
Fluency in the human-centred design process from qualitative research and synthesis to ideation, prototyping, and implementation.
Service Design, UX, UI – Proficiency in wireframing, prototyping, and design tools such as InVision, Figma, Miro, etc.
You are solution-focused and medium-agnostic, willing to step out of your core skill set or discipline to find the correct solution to a design challenge.
You have cultural sensitivity, creativity, and resourcefulness—comfortable finding your way through.
You deliver precise and effective written and verbal communication to convey ideas, instructions, and feedback to team members, girls, and young women.
Highly Desirable

Experience in health-related content/Behavior change content production in the field of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Economic Empowerment would be a massive bonus.
Experience in Conversational Interfaces such as Chatbots,
Understanding/development of Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning
Cross-cultural design experience and/or working in design for ICT4D
Experience working in emerging markets.
Experience collaborating with in-house and third-party developers in agile sprints, stewarding the transfer of design to development.
Familiarity with tools such as Google Suite, Asana, and Slack is a bonus.
Attitudes we are looking for:

Comfortable with complex organizational structures and multiple stakeholders
Comfortable with shared decision-making
A ‘do-er thinker’
Enthusiastic about talking to and interacting with people across cultures and geographies – this role will require extensive conversations, presentations, documentation, and fire-fighting
Highly empathetic and context-sensitive – able to balance conflicting needs and priorities decisively
Mission-driven and cares about making a difference in the lives of young people and vulnerable sections of society.
Expected Commitment
The assignment will take approximately 6 months to complete.
The consultant will be expected to spend a maximum of 5 days a week or up to 40 hours each week on this assignment, depending on the programme’s needs.
The consultant’s assignment period is from August 2026 to Jan 2027 with the possibility of extension.
Location
The consultant must be based in and have extensive experience in Kenya. The Assignment is to be carried out in Kenya.

Management
The consultant will have a primary point of contact with the Girl Effect Kenya Program Lead and work closely with the Global Tech Manager. The language of the materials and reports shall be English. The contract supervisor shall approve all deliverables submitted by the agency before any payment is made.

Tentative Timelines
Terms of reference published: 1st July 2026
Bid Submission Deadline: 14th July 2026
Supplier selection, contracting, and briefing: End of July
Project commencement: August
Proposal Submission
Interested consultants are asked to submit the following to support their candidature (max 10 pages):

Your understanding of the brief and why you feel you are well-placed to advise us on this
Credentials/Profile/CV – Please showcase any previous work that you consider relevant to what we are trying to achieve, how we approach our work, and the audience we cater to. Describe the qualifications, experience, and capabilities of the consultant in providing the requested services.
Portfolio Submission: A portfolio/Link showcasing at least three relevant UX/UI design projects.
Reference: Provide at least three references for similar contracts with a description of the service provided, the value of the contract, and the contract periods of performance.
Breakdown of Costs with applicable taxes and other charges clearly identified in KES. Consultants should provide their monthly costs. All applicable taxes should be quoted separately.
In their proposal, the bidder must demonstrate an understanding of the requirements described in the TOR and demonstrate how the bidder will meet the requirements of the evaluation criteria.

GE is not liable for any cost incurred during the award/contract preparation, submission, or negotiation of the award/contract. All submitted documentation and/or materials shall become and remain the property of GE.

VALIDITY of the proposal shall be for 90 days from the date of bid closure.

Evaluation Criteria
The criteria against which proposals will be evaluated are listed below:

Technical Evaluation

Interpretation and understanding of this TOR-10%
Relevant technical UI/UX experience as demonstrated by CV/Profile – 20%
Samples of previous UX/UI Design work- 20%
Geographical Experience in Kenya-10%
Evidence of a minimum of three contactable references – 10%
Financial Evaluation

Value for money/proposed budget breakdown – 30%
Tax
Girl Effect is obliged by the Kenyan tax authorities to withhold taxes on service contract fees as well as ensure that 16% VAT is charged where applicable. Applicants are advised to ensure that they have a clear understanding of their tax position regarding provisions of the Kenya tax legislation when developing their proposals

Copyright
All materials/documents arising from this consultancy work shall remain the property of Girl Effect.

Disclaimer
GE Kenya reserves the right to determine the structure of the process, the number of short-listed participants, the right to withdraw from the proposal process, the right to change this timetable at any time without notice, and reserves the right to withdraw this tender at any time, without prior notice and without liability to compensate and/or reimburse any party. GE shall inform ONLY the successful applicant(s). The process of negotiation and signing of the contract with the successful applicant(s) will follow.

Please note: We will evaluate only proposals submitted following the application process outlined in the TOR and using our specified email address ([email protected]).

Safeguarding
You may be required to undertake safeguarding checks. Shortlisted consultants will be assessed on our organizational values at the interview stage, and the successful consultant will be expected to adhere to our safeguarding policy. We encourage you to read and understand our safeguarding policy, the executive summary of which can be found here. We have zero tolerance for forms of violence against children, beneficiaries, and staff.

Equal Opportunities
Girl Effect Services is committed to equal opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity, or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

We are committed to building an organization that is increasingly representative of and works extensively with the communities that we serve. To this end, due regard will be paid to procuring consultancy service organizations and individuals with diverse professional, academic, and cultural backgrounds.

How to apply
How to Apply
Please submit proposals, as described above, to [email protected] by14th July 2026. Please clearly mark your email with the subject ‘Kenya UI/UX Designer.’

Tagged as: Girl Effect, Kenya