Consultant – Technology for Development Communications Strategy – Remote At Mercy Corps

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 Technology for Development (T4D) team is housed within the Program Department’s Technical Support Unit. It collaborates with Mercy Corps’ global teams and external partners to unlock new possibilities that increase program quality, impact, and innovation, helping improve more lives through the power of technology. Our mission and purpose are to drive sustainable program impact through responsible application of existing and emerging digital technologies.

Purpose / Project Description:

The Technology for Development (T4D) team is concluding a 5-year funding partnership which provided considerable support for agency activities like deepening data science capacity, rolling out a unified MEL tech suite, and digitizing program approaches to governance, and cash and voucher assistance. T4D is now looking to share our tools and learnings with the wider humanitarian and development communities. Recognizing that there are many channels and formats for such resources, we are recruiting short term support to help identify, plan, and roll-out T4D’s resources.

Consultant Objectives:

• Raise awareness of T4D’s work to digitize humanitarian and development programs, especially in the sectoral areas of digital cash and voucher transfers, digital peacebuilding, data science and analysis, and connectivity as aid.
• Share tools and learnings so that other organizations can build on our experience, rather than repeat our challenges.
• Demonstrate Mercy Corps’ leadership in digital technology and the importance of the Technology for Impact partnership in helping achieve that.

Consultant Activities:

The Consultant will:

• Review Communications Strategy and provide suggestions to strengthen marketing and communications for T4D team and activities.
• Review T4D tools to improve messaging, targeting and tactical outreach channels.
• Review platforms (i.e. DevEx, NetHope Solutions Library, ICTWorks, CaLP, ALNAP, Humanitarian Library, as well as internal TSU newsletter, and Mercy Corps Hub, etc.) and formats for relevancy and engagement.
• Strategize dissemination for relevant platforms.
• Revise documents and tools as needed to fit format requirements for each platform.

Consultant Deliverables:

The Consultant will:

• Conduct a thorough review and assessment of ~12 T4D documents in the areas of M&E, digital cash and voucher transfers, digital peacebuilding, data science and analysis, and connectivity as aid, among others.
• Review humanitarian communications platforms with an eye towards the relevancy of T4D documents.
• Produce a dissemination plan as part of the larger T4D communications strategy for most strategic and impactful documents across a number of platforms, as identified.
• As needed, revise documents to fit format and style of relevant platform.

Timeframe / Schedule:

Timeframe is 12 business days across 1 month period, ideally 3 days per week for 4 weeks.

• Complete document review by end of February
• Review dissemination platforms by March 11th
• Revise and post documents by end of March

The Consultant will report to:

Director, Technology for Development

The Consultant will work closely with:

Technology for Development team members, the Marketing and Communications Team, and curators/librarians of dissemination platforms as needed.

Required Experience & Skills:

• 5-10 years of experience in the international development or humanitarian sector, with focus on M&E, capacity building, and/or technology & digital platforms.
• 5-10 years of experience in communications, with a preference for previous communications strategy development and/or implementation experience

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.