Consultant – Markets in Crisis – Remote and Nigeria

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.

To respond to the COVID crisis, the Nigeria Rural Resilience Activity (RRA) team recently completed a humanitarian response that layered onto the Program’s development focus. The team would now like to document the learning from this experience, particularly the successful layering of cash transfers with their ongoing development activities. At the same time, the Markets TSU intends to include a Nigeria case study in the Markets in Crisis (MIC) refresh, focusing on this sequencing and layering approach.

Purpose / Project Description:

The aim of this learning activity is to:

1. Document the success of the donor/implementer collaboration in layering a cash-based humanitarian response with market systems development activities in Nigeria, with lessons for donors, government, and implementers on how to successfully collaborate to increase program impact;
2. Document the operational learning that came from this endeavor, with a particular focus on internal team processes, dynamics, and tips for future responses; and
3. Better understand the medium and longer term impact on program participants of combining humanitarian cash transfers with market systems development activities, in terms of market systems changes as well as impacts for direct participants.

Consultant Objectives:

The consultant will lead the learning process by conducting relevant internal and external interviews, advising on additional data collection, and completing documentation of the conclusions in various formats to meet the needs of both the Nigeria team and the Economic Growth TSU.

Consultant Activities:

The Consultant will:

• Collect all relevant information from key stakeholders on the collaborative process, key steps, main takeaways, and tips for future response. This will include:
  • With the Nigeria Team, develop an interview list of all key stakeholders including donors, government counterparts, colleague agencies, implementing partners, Mercy Corps team members, and program participants.
  • Complete all interviews, including travel to Nigeria to conduct as many interviews in person as possible.
  • Debrief with the team and hold a lessons-learned brainstorm session.
• Complete a learning document(s) with the format to be finalized after discussions with the Nigeria and TSU teams. This will likely include two different papers, one for an external audience and one internal to MC, or a single document with an internal-only supplement on the more detailed operational lessons
• Work with the Nigeria team and Research and Learning Team to develop additional questions to be included in the annual program assessment in November to understand the cash transfers’ impact on the recipients six months after the post-distribution monitoring report.
• In collaboration with the RRA and TSU teams, identify any additional market systems intervention “stories” that would be valuable to document for internal case studies and learning, and if prioritized, develop these

Consultant Deliverables:

The Consultant will:

• 1-2 learning documents covering the coordination and operational lessons learned.
• Documents summary of guidance and suggested questions for annual data gathering to understand longer term impact of cash transfers.
• If agreed upon, case study materials (such as slides, briefs, and/or talking points) for market systems interventions

Timeframe / Schedule:

August 15 – October 31, including a Nigeria field visit in September.

Maximum of 20 days.

The Consultant will report to:

• Mercy Corps Chief of Party for the Feed the Future Rural Resilience Activity and Director: Markets and Cash

The Consultant will work closely with:

• Economic Growth TSU, Resilience TSU and Rural Resilience Activity team members

Required Experience & Skills:

• 5-10 years of senior experience in Market Systems Development or other closely related relevant technical field (required)
• Demonstrated experience leading / managing / overseeing the application of market-based approaches in crisis contexts, or hands-on experience assessing or evaluating market-based approaches in crisis contexts
• Exceptional English language writing skills for both technical and lay audiences
• Experience leading or managing mixed-methods evaluations for cash transfer or development programs is a plus.
• Strong multicultural communication skills

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.