Description
Background:
Crisis Analysis - Syria (CA-SYR) supports MC Syriaโs programming in four key areas: programs, strategy, advocacy, and security. CA-SYRโs analytical unit monitors social media, communicates with partners, validates data through primary sources, and interfaces with relevant international organizations in order to gather and collate relevant conflict, access, and stakeholder information. CA-SYR focuses on humanitarian and security strategic analysis, both individual incidents and trends, present and forecasted, and then links this with its respective impact on the local population. CA-SYR, therefore, analyzes social, political, economic and security issues, including underlying factors that trigger conflict and displacement such as governance and service provision, war economy dynamics, past displacement patterns, local, regional, and international politics, social identity and inter-communal relationships, and Syrian modern history. CA-SYR also serves as a real-time information hub; screens potential partners; assesses programmatic, partner, and operational risk; identifies and maps stakeholders; and maintains a mapped database displaying program locations, the locations of commodities and their values, and disaggregates this data by donor and risk threshold.
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, and in more than 40 countries worldwide, we partner to put bold solutions into action โ helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Purpose / Project Description:
The CA-SYR Business Development Consultant will help guide CA-SYR senior management in navigating the ever-shifting donor landscape and identify potential opportunities - both institutional and non-institutional - for fundraising. S/he will work closely with the CA-SYR team to pre-position Mercy Corps Syria with donors and prepare for funding opportunities, and develop and disseminate internal and external communications products. The consultant will support in creating promotional materials, mapping potential donors and associated entry points, and creating a system for scanning and scoping potential funding opportunities. The consultancy involves strategic thinking, vision, and dedication to establishing/refining internal and external communications strategies, and strategies for visualizing/conveying information to various internal and external audiences, within Syria, the region, and globally. The Crisis Analysis Business Development Consultant will report to the CA-SYR Director while working closely with unit managers and other senior staff within Mercy Corps Syria.
Consultant Objectives:
Encourage more systematic fundraising and external engagement Provide guidance and direction for CA-SYR program development Provide thorough and in-depth donor mapping and fundraising strategy in anticipation of handover to appropriate CA-SYR staff for continuityConsultant Activities:
The Consultant will:
Draft materials based on CA-SYR core competencies/capacities, value-add, and overall purpose/objective Interact, interview, and collaborate with CA-SYR and other direct stakeholders (MC Syria staff, regional, etc) Undertake extensive desk research on donor priorities, funding capacities, current projects/programs, and potential entry points Provide coherence, strategy, and organization to CA-SYRโs external engagement Ad-hoc proposal writing support, for either live opportunities and to create โoff-the-shelfโ materialsConsultant Deliverables:
The Consultant will deliver:
Compose promotional materials (prospectus, capacity statement, standardized pitch decks with talking points, etc) for internal and external communications purposes, including CA-SYR website content. Undertake and document extensive donor mapping of institutional and non-institutional/traditional donors that currently or may potentially fund crisis analysis in Syria to include generating a pipeline for potential opportunities (identifying and engaging with points of contact, planning/coordinating engagements, etc) Create a system to better plan, track, and prioritize external engagement If and when possible, support proposal writing for potential funding opportunities and/or standardized text (e.g., concept notes, either generic or specific to thematic/topical priority areas) for use in future proposals. At the conclusion of the consultancy, a presentation to CA-SYR and Mercy Corps Syria senior staff to outline the best use of materials developed as well as a prognosis of future opportunities for Crisis AnalysisTimeframe / Schedule:
Timeframe: Two to three months, part-time as necessary. Total of 45 days total.
The Consultant will report to:
CA-SYR Director
The Consultant will work closely with:
CA-SYR unit managers, managing editor
Required Experience & Skills:
At least 5 years of experience in proposal writing, programme development, donor relations management, or other related experience. Demonstrated experience in external engagement strategies and donor mapping. Demonstrated experience in business development for research, assessment, and analysis-focused funding Understanding of donor landscape related to disaster assistance, humanitarian, early recovery, stabilization, and/or development. Strong, persuasive English-language communication skills - particularly written. Ability to work autonomously and in an organized, coherent, and strategic manner Ability to work and interact with a diverse staff from different ethnicities and backgrounds. Ability to conduct oneself with sensitivity and respect toward others.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 worldโs 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.