Consultant - Conceptual Framework - Democratic Republic of Congo

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. Mercy Corps partners to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future. Program / Department Summary Mercy Corps has been operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since August 2007, with a staff of around 400 people working in Eastern DRC, with the overall country goal being to support vulnerable communities through crises while fostering programs that build resilience and promote long-term change. Mercy Corps’ national office is in Goma, with sub-field offices in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri. Mercy Corps DRC’s key programming areas include a combination of longer-term development and immediate humanitarian response programs in order to 1) Improve water service delivery and ensure equitable access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene services in urban and rural areas; 2) Improve food security and nutrition; 3) Promote diversified livelihoods, economic recovery, and development; 4) Support peacebuilding and local governance. Mercy Corps DRC’s humanitarian programs aim specifically to assist populations affected by the conflict and crisis in Eastern Congo. In September of 2023, Mercy Corps signed an agreement with the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA-USAID) for the implementation of the Graduating to Sustainable Agriculture, Income, Nutrition, and food Security (GAINS) Program. GAINS is a five-year, USD 105.7 million Resilient Food Security Activity (RFSA) with the goal of sustainably improving Food, Nutrition and Economic Security (FNES) in Kasai through two Purposes and five Sub-Purposes.

• Purpose 1: Strengthened Livelihoods and Increased Incomes SP1.1: Improved usage of credit and capital SP1.2: Increased profitable, diverse enterprises and IGAs SP1.3: Increased sustainable agricultural production
  • Purpose 2: Improved utilization of quality food among vulnerable people SP2.1: Improved maternal, infant, and young child nutrition behaviors (MIYCN) SP2.2: Improved WASH behaviors The Mercy Corps-led GAINS consortium includes four international (World Vision, AVSI, and IITA/CIP) and five local (Action Paysanne, APC, Inter-Actions, SDC, SANRU) organizations. The design of GAINS is guided by four foundational principles - locally led and people-centered, sensitivity to power and conflict dynamics, and landscape vision for climate adaptation at scale. GAINS will be implemented through a multi-sectoral and gender transformative approach to address social inequalities, unequal power relations, and other marginalization affecting women and girls. GAINS’s Theory of Change is built around women’s and youth's equal ability to build demand-driven knowledge and skills, access income-generating activities, improve nutrition and sanitation practices, and participate in community governance for more resilient, equitable, and economically secure communities. The conceptual framework is intended to be updated during the Refinement and Implementation (R&I) phase into a more comprehensive and practical version for implementation. To this end, GAINS is seeking a consultant to update the conceptual framework. Consultant Objectives:
    • Develop a comprehensive and practical version of the GAINS Theory of Change (ToC)
    • Provide templates, prototypes, and ongoing guidance in developing additional conceptual framework products.
    • Engage with the GAINS team to ensure ToC meets consortium and BHA/PCS expectations. Consultant Activities:The Consultant is expected to achieve the following tasks:
      • Convert the existing GAINS Program Theory of Change (ToC) into an interactive and printable format, ideally in Adobe InDesign. Consultant Deliverables:The Consultant will deliver:
        • An updated source file for the Program ToC in Adobe InDesign. Timeframe / Schedule: This assignment will need to start latest on January 2, 2024 and needs to be completed by January 5, 2025. The Consultant will report to: The consultant will report to the Senior Portfolio Advisor - Resilience Integration and Learning.The Consultant will work closely with:S/he will work with the Chief of Party (CoP), Deputy Chief of Party (DCoP), M&E Lead, Start-up Lead, Program component Lead (GYSI, P1, P2), Technical Support Unit (TSU) team.Required Experience & Skills:
          • 5-10 years of experience in program design and conceptual framework development
          • Master's Degree in Program Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, Business Development, Gender Studies, or any other relevant field.
          • Specific experience and expertise in complex multi-sectoral programs, ideally within a USAID/BHA-funded Resilient Food Security Activity (RFSA), is an asset.
          • Experience with Adobe InDesign.
          • Strong knowledge of participatory, Gender-transformative, and inclusive Monitoring Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) approaches and methodologies are an asset.
          • Ability to work effectively and collaboratively under tight deadlines. 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.