Description

Background:

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action – helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.

Over the past eight years, Mercy Corps has established a reputation for quality and timely data and analysis through its network of Crisis Analysis teams. Through Crisis Analysis, the agency has carved out a niche among information providers in the humanitarian and development space, owing to the granularity, reactivity, and holistic approach of our products, which focus on some of the most hard-to-reach, data-poor and complex contexts requiring assistance. This is underpinned by our status as an operational INGO, which ensures that our analysis products are practicable and relevant for humanitarian actors.

The Sahel region is facing multiple complex crises including recent military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. This fast-changing environment is directly impacting, and disturbing, humanitarian operations in the concerned countries and in the region. Mercy Corps wants to establish a Crisis Analysis capacity at the regional level to better understand the current political and conflict dynamics to adapt our operations and continue to deliver assistance to communities in the region.

Purpose / Project Description:

Mercy Corps seeks to establish a dedicated Crisis Analysis capacity for the (central) Sahel region (Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso), led by a consultant analyst, with technical support from Global Crisis Analysis and collaborating closely with the Regional Team and other HQ support teams.

The Crisis Analysis Lead is expected to bring and maintain a comprehensive knowledge of the dynamics of the complex crises in Sahelian countries and will have the responsibility for the developing and drafting of regular, timely and detailed contextual analysis reports, flash updates, oral briefings, and other outputs as relevant. The consultant will leverage their understanding of the humanitarian and development sector, and their ability to meaningfully engage with the Mercy Corps program teams and external stakeholders to identify social, economic, displacement, conflict, humanitarian, and other trends and issues to monitor and explore. These outputs will improve the ability of Mercy Corps to make effective strategic decisions and operate with impact.

This analysis will be used to support adaptive management, conflict-sensitive responses, operational pivoting in Mercy Corps programming, and support the country team’s influence objectives around donor engagement to support resource allocation to the Sahel. As well as producing analysis for the country team, selected analysis outputs could be shared externally with donors, policymakers, peers INGOs and UN agencies, and country/regional coordination mechanisms.

Priority areas of analytical focus include general context and conflict analysis tracking conflict and political economy developments, stakeholder mapping, scenario building and program area-based analysis; tracking evolutions of the humanitarian and development space including operations/suspensions by other aid actors and related advocacy opportunities.

Consultant Activities:

• Produce regular high quality, time-sensitive, data-driven analysis products to support programmatic and strategic decision making in the Sahel region. The consultant is expected to deliver at least three (3) analytical reports, including a scenario planning report (following a workshop involving country teams to be facilitated by the consultant) that will directly influence program modalities in the region. The topics covered by other reports will be agreed between the consultant and Mercy Corps.
• Lead development of an analysis agenda created with the Sahel regional team, with support from the Global Crisis Analysis team.
• Identify relevant trends and new areas of focus that would meet the current and future information needs of the target audiences and raise alerts in the event of new emerging shocks.
• Work closely with program teams to understand their information needs and provide timely and relevant advice.
• Leverage a pre-existing network of contacts in the region to gain timely and actionable insights on developing trends.
• Leverage an excellent understanding of the evolving information and analysis space in the Sahel to ensure the value-add Crisis Analysis products, effective use of resources, and identify opportunities for partnerships or collaborations with other data, information, and analysis providers – particularly local entities.
• Present analysis findings in internal and external fora and represent Mercy Corps in relevant working groups as required. Deliver briefings for potential donors as required.
• Develop and maintain an awareness of humanitarian principles, international humanitarian law and Mercy Corps’ culture and values.
• Produce high-quality graphics including geospatial data visualization to accompany narrative analysis.
• Engage proactively in the editorial review and risk management process for analytical products.
• Supports business development initiatives as directed by the Deputy Regional Director and/or the Global Crisis Analysis Team.

Required Experience & Skills:

• 5-10 years’ experience in relevant roles including humanitarian analysis, research projects, Think Tanks or Journalism;
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience working on/in the Sahel with extensive local network;
• Excellent analytical, writing and briefing skills;
• Excellent data visualization and GIS skills an asset;
• Excellent understanding of the humanitarian analysis field and information requirements of aid actors;
• Experience working on the interplay of conflict, displacement and climatic shocks is an asset;
• Strong verbal and written communication skills;
• MA/S or equivalent in international development, political or social science management, journalism, research or other relevant fields;
• Fluency in French and English.

Timeframe / Schedule:

Three-month full-time consultancy (other projects can be accommodated), with possibility of extension dependent on availability of funds.

The Consultant will report to:

Deputy Regional Director, Africa Region

Consultant will work closely with:

The Senior Director, Crisis Analysis and the Global Crisis Analysis Team, Country Directors and Program Teams in the region.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.