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.

The Cash Consortium of Sudan (CCS), a collaborative platform to advance a progressive vision of the potential of cash assistance to transform humanitarian response and recovery in partnership with vulnerable conflict-affected populations in Sudan. CCS is led by Mercy Corps, building on its extensive global experience as lead agency within a cash consortium, with cash coordination and breadth of technical resources. International partners include Acted, CARE, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), each of which bring strong cash and complementary technical competencies, as well as expansive operational coverage in Sudan. The CCS also includes ten Sudanese NGOs as partners in alignment with global aid sector commitments to enhance the prominence of local actors in driving humanitarian response and recovery. IMPACT is a non-implementing partner dedicated to Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning. IMPACT will support quality data systems and an objective evidence base that will be essential to CCS’ accountability and adaptive management to refine programming approaches to enhance impact as the Sudan crisis context evolves. The CCS will work closely with other consortia and actors in Sudan to deliver an effective CVA response for communities affected by the crisis.

Purpose / Project Description:

The CCS requires support from a consultant to work with the CCS Technical Working Group (TWG) to expedite its review of market functionality in Sudan, with specific consideration to the dynamics of commercial market actors (both those operating within Sudan as well as those operating cross-border from Chad and South Sudan). The consultant is expected to build from the base of data, analysis and materials that exist across the Cash Working Group (CWG) Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI), WFP’s VAM, the Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster, and the Logistics Cluster.

It is expected that commercial market actors face relatively less access constraints in comparison to international humanitarian actors, and that an improved understanding of the commercial market landscape and dynamics affecting commercial actors may enable humanitarian actors to plan more strategic response activities that would leverage and enhance the role of these actors.

Consultant Objectives:

• Work with TWG and key stakeholders to complete key analysis questions/ framework for consultancy
• Produce analysis on landscape of commercial market actors
• In discussion with TWG and key stakeholders, document recommendations for actions humanitarian actors

Consultant Activities:

The Consultant will:

• Review existing documentation from CWG, WFP, FSL and Logistics Clusters – 2 days
• Establish key analysis questions/ framework for consultancy with input from key stakeholders – 2 days
• Establish tools for data collection – 2 days
• Training with partner data collection leads – 1 day
• Oversee data collection with commercial market actors – 5 days
• Synthesize findings – 2 days
• Initial presentation and discussion of findings with TWG and key stakeholders – 1 day
• Document analysis within a brief report oriented toward practitioners, including recommended actions for humanitarian actors on how to strengthen practices to work with and through commercial actors (including considerations for monitoring/ updates over time) – 5 days

Consultant Deliverables:

The Consultant will deliver:

• Key analysis questions/ framework
• Data collection tools
• Presentation of findings (draft)
• Brief report oriented toward practitioners, including recommended actions

Timeframe / Schedule:

1 May – 28 June 2024

The Consultant will report to:

Cash Consortium of Sudan Director

The Consultant will work closely with:

Cash Consortium of Sudan Technical Working Group, Cash Working Group (CWG) Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI) team, WFP VAM team, the Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster, and the Logistics Cluster, Mercy Corps’ global Cash and Markets Technical Support Unit.

Required Experience & Skills:

• 3-5 years of experience supporting cash and markets emergency response programs, including market analysis

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.