Consultant – Participation Adaptations in the COVID-19 Era (PACE), Qualitative Data Collection – Remote

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.

Mercy Corps is currently conducting a research project to understand the adaptation strategies and decisions made by the organization’s community mobilization programs worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main purpose of the project, called Participation Adaptations in the COVID-19 Era (PACE) is to systematically gather and synthesize information about the broad range of participatory projects implemented by Mercy Corps and its partners throughout the course of the COVID-19 Pandemic (March 2020 to December 2022). The aim of this synthesis is to enhance the effectiveness of program teams’ use of community participation in future crises and shocks characterized by rapid, large-scale reductions in access to communities and partners.

This project aims to highlight all forms of adaptations to participatory activities (online, offline, and hybrid) taken by Mercy Corps teams and partners from March 2020 to December 2022, including cases where there were minimal or no adaptations related to the pandemic. This project will jointly focus on research that fills gaps in evidence and theory about community participation during the COVID-19 era and the development of technical support resources that can be used by program teams to draw on Mercy Corps approaches (such as CATALYSE) when designing and adapting participatory programming in future crises.

Purpose / Project Description:

The purpose of this consultancy is to support qualitative data collection and analysis for the PACE research project, primarily through desk review and qualitative interviews, and qualitative coding and analysis. The consultant will serve as a co-author for some of the project’s learning products (such as memos, briefs, and reports) and will also facilitate/participate in webinars and learning sessions to share these findings with Mercy Corps teams, peer organizations, donors, and other stakeholders.

Consultant Objectives:

• Contribute to data collection and analysis for the PACE Project
• Help to draft synthesis products such as memos, briefs, and reports to summarize, share, and disseminate findings
• Participate in conversations within the Research and Learning Team, Technical Support Unit, and Mercy Corps more broadly about the organization’s program adaptations during the COVID-19 pandemic

Consultant Activities:

The Consultant will:

• Support with a literature review of academic and practitioner literature and programming documents on both remote and in-person community mobilization and participation during COVID-19 to help solidify our mapping of existing theory and evidence
• Develop data collection tools for remote surveys and/or semi-structured interviews with current/former Mercy Corps team members and partners
• Conduct interviews with current/former Mercy Corps team members and partners
• Analyze and synthesize the collected data in the qualitative data analysis software Dedoose
• Write short synthesis products of the study findings (these products would be either internal or interim external for sharing)

Consultant Deliverables:

Under this consultancy, the Consultant will deliver:

• Deliverable 1: Targeted reviews of assigned academic and practitioner literature on community mobilization and participation during the COVID-19 pandemic and selected Mercy Corps program documents
• Deliverable 2: Inputs into data collection tools (such as survey instrument and/or semi-structured interview question guide)
• Deliverable 3: Compilation of English-language transcripts/notes of assigned interviews
• Deliverable 4: Coding of assigned interviews completed in Dedoose
• Deliverable 5: Short written products synthesizing findings from the research

Schedule of Deliverables:

• Deliverable 1: Summary notes on assigned literature – By January 23, 2023
• Deliverable 2: Inputs into assigned data collection tools – By January 30, 2023
• Deliverable 3: Transcripts for assigned cases – By February 22, 2023
• Deliverable 4: Coding for assigned cases – By March 22, 2023
• Deliverable 5: Drafts of assigned written products – By April 15, 2023

The Consultant will report to:

• Director of Research – Peace, Conflict, and Governance
• Researcher – Peace, Conflict, and Governance

The Consultant will work closely with:

Research and Learning Team, Technical Support Unit (TSU), Mercy Corps global country teams

EVALUATION OF APPLICATIONS

In a separate document titled “Criteria Response”, please summarize your experience with respect to the criteria below and upload into the PORTFOLIO section of the online application form. Percentages next to the criteria indicate the weights that the selection committee will use to grade applicant responses.

1. Experience implementing qualitative research studies, specifically:
   1. Developing qualitative data collection tools (25%)
   2. Conducting qualitative data collection (25%)
   3. Conducting qualitative data analysis and summarizing findings (25%)
2. Experience with qualitative data analysis software (Dedoose preferred) (10%)
3. Experience developing and disseminating learning products for policy/practitioner audiences (10%)
4. English fluency is required (5%)
5. French, Spanish, and/or Arabic language are all desirable (but not required)

APPLICATION AND SELECTION TIMELINE:

• Opportunity Posting: December 1, 2022
• Questions and Answers December 1-8, 2022
• Applications due by December 15, 2022 @ 3PM PST
• Vendor selected and notified by December 23, 2022

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.