Jobs and Careers

Consultant - SPARC – Learning from Markets in Sudan – Primary GIS - Remote

United States, United StatesRemotefull_timeVerifiedPosted 9 Oct 2024

About the role

BackgroundMercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. At Mercy Corps, we aim to be on the cutting edge of developing more efficient, effective paths to social impact at scale. We believe that solutions - to even the most “sticky” problems - are within reach, be that at the community level or the global level. Our years of experience have taught us that often, to break through on a particularly tough challenge, we have to be bold in our thinking and disrupt, we have to innovate, to achieve a lasting and transformative solution. For solutions to advance along a pathway to scale, data, research, and evidence are needed at key stages. Mercy Corps is committed to generating and using evidence to understand and improve our impact, and to enhance the humanitarian and development community’s ability to address the world’s most complex challenges. As part of this commitment, Mercy Corps is a member of the Supporting Pastoralism & Agriculture in Recurrent & Protracted Crises (SPARC) consortium led by Cowater International in partnership with the Overseas Development Institute and the International Livestock Research Institute. SPARC is a six-year (2020-2026) initiative funded by FCDO. The goal is to generate and promote the application of evidence on what works to strengthen the resilience of agricultural and pastoral livelihoods in fragile, drylands contexts in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. The program aims to advance research on livelihoods, agriculture and pastoralism that can be used by FCDO and other agencies to guide decisions on programs and policies to support livelihoods resilience in the drylands. Through research and evidence, SPARC will develop knowledge to enhance the ability of FCDO, the donor community, NGOs, local and national governments and other stakeholders to assist pastoralists, agro-pastoralists and farmers in the context of conflict, climate change, and other shocks and stressors. Project DescriptionMarket actors play critical roles in sustaining livelihoods and supporting resilience during and following crises. Yet most aid overlooks or even undermines these local, market-based sources of resilience. The conflict in Sudan has drastically affected food and market systems in the country, driving a famine in Zamzam camp and the risk of famine in numerous other areas. Access limitations have hindered international humanitarian and development actors from collecting sufficient data to predict acute need and specific areas of possible famine. However, operating on the assumption of non-functional markets can also lead to over-provision of in-kind support which undermines local economies. Donors and implementers require more extensive and nuanced data on conflict impacts and market recovery trends to prioritize need and select appropriate modalities of support, particular cash versus in-kind. This study will combine remote sensing techniques with large-scale primary household data collected by the Cash Consortium for Sudan (CCS) to identify trends in economic activity, food access, and food consumption, particularly in relation to changing levels of conflict intensity. Key questions are detailed below:

To what extent has conflict impacted market functioning and households’ access to markets in Sudan, and do key factors lead to different recovery trajectories or continuity through conflict?
What is the relationship between market recovery or continuity and trends in household market engagement?
How can remote sensing techniques be combined with typical monitoring data collected by humanitarian programs to understand market functioning and household economic engagement in contexts of extreme insecurity and inaccessibility?

Consultant ObjectivesThe Primary GIS Analyst (“The Analyst”) will be responsible for developing an appropriate analytical design, in collaboration with the Research Lead and other stakeholders, to address the objectives of the study listed above, as well as leading the analysis and presenting results in both visual and written format calibrated towards different audiences, including implementing teams and international donors and policymakers. Additionally, they will join and contribute to leading the final sensemaking workshop bringing these audiences together in person. Consultant Activities The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks: