Consultant - Livelihoods for the Caribbean - Remote with travel

Background:

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

Mercy Corps’ Caribbean Resilience Initiative (CRI) identifies and implements strategies that measurably improve resilience for vulnerable communities within Caribbean small island developing States (SIDS). Successful strategies are scalable across diverse communities within the region, and have the potential to measurably improve resilience over several decades of changing climate risks. Under CRI’s resilience framework, we focus on three thematic areas: infrastructure, livelihoods, and (eco)systems.

Purpose / Project Description:

As part of CRI’s strategy, the team is seeking to expand its geographic footprint, participant reach, and diversify its pool of funding, while strengthening and broadening its localization efforts in the Caribbean. Part of this work requires initial scoping and pre-positioning efforts in SIDs that are of the agency’s interest: Barbados, the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Jamaica. Recognizing that funding opportunities tend to be multi-country for this sub-region, CRI would like to enhance its decentralized operation model and remote implementation approach to take on a wider scope in the Caribbean and bring successful projects to vulnerable communities in more diverse and disparate areas faster. In turn, CRI’s success also depends on cultivating and maintaining strong partnerships with local communities, CBOs and government agencies.

The Livelihoods Consultant will focus on CRI’s livelihoods priority, and its linkages to supporting vulnerable populations to build resilience to and recover from the impacts of climate shocks, as well as re-integrate into segments of society, and reduce negative coping mechanisms, and conflict and violence. The Livelihoods Consultant would focus on the following four Livelihood subjects:

• Climate-smart technology and practices for smallholder producers/business owners.
• Enhanced watershed governance and strengthened adaptation practices on key water sources.
• Increased access to positive livelihood opportunities to reduce youth recidivism.

Consultant Objectives:

The consultancy will support in the fulfillment of four objectives:

• Identify and, where appropriate, connect CRI to local and regional partners for potential collaboration opportunities.
• Pre-position CRI’s business development efforts for future USAID opportunities.
• Map priority needs, program gaps and technical opportunities in the Caribbean for Mercy Corps’ added value.
• Identify strategic geographic areas of livelihood interventions in the identified Caribbean SIDs.

Consultant Activities:

The consultant will:

• Conduct a desk-review of past and current programming (focus on USAID-funded), and participant needs in the identified SIDs, including recent literature and research on livelihoods in the region.
• Gather USAID policies and past program reports (including from the DEC) as well as recent literature and research in priority technical areas; summarize key documents
• Compile, analyze, and consolidate input from key stakeholders (civil society, local partners, regional actors, and the private sector) in the identified geographies to identify potential gaps/opportunities in livelihoods programming and potential participant targeting criteria.
• Develop and map out potential partnership opportunities with local and regional stakeholders.
• Provide holistic recommendations of proposal design elements and technical approaches that target the most vulnerable population, with a particular focus on youth, women & girls, migrants, LGBTQ+ and people with disabilities.
• Conduct in-country visits for in-person meetings, interviews, and potential site visits.
• Conduct regular meetings with the CRI Director to discuss preliminary findings.
• Review key internal programmatic and background documents.
• Address all Mercy Corps comments and feedback.

Consultant Deliverables:

The Consultant will deliver on the following:

• Survey tool and/or data collection methodology to be used for interviews and assessments.
• General Capacity Statement that includes Mercy Corps’ added value and tailored to USAID opportunities.
• Recommendations Matrix for expected technical outcome areas related to livelihoods.
• Final Report including context summary, needs and program gaps/opportunities, and technical recommendations and design approaches.
• Stakeholder list and engagement plan of potential partners (civil society, local partners, regional actors, private sector) and contact information where appropriate.
• Final Presentation on findings, results and recommendations to the Regional Program and CRI team.
• Service Completion Report.

Timeframe / Schedule:

22 May 2023  - 14 July 2023 (up to 35 business days within that time frame). The preliminary schedule for the consultancy is as follows:

• 15 May 2023 - Start Date
• 31 May 2023 - Desk research, as well as review of key programmatic and background information at the agency level
• 31 May 2023 - Completion of Assessment tool and data collection methodology
• 06 June 2023 - First draft of the context analysis
• 07 June 2023 -  Map of potential partners and community stakeholder list and engagement plan
• 01 June 2023 -20 June 2023- field assessments (KIIs, FGDs, site visits)
• 26 June 2023 - Presentation of findings to the Caribbean Resilience Initiative Country team
• 04 July 2023 - Final Report
• 07 July 2023 - End Date

The Consultant will report to: Caribbean Resilience Initiative Director

The Consultant will work closely with:

• Regional program and Country team
• Regional technical advisors ‌
• External stakeholders (e.g. local partners, donors, partner organizations)

Required Experience & Skills:

• 7-10 years of experience in program management and implementation, including 4 years leading field assessments and providing technical assistance, preferably in the Caribbean region.
• MA/MSc in international relations, livelihoods, environmental policy, development, agriculture, disaster risk management, or related degrees required;
• Technical knowledge linking livelihoods in one or more of the following sectors/thematics: climate change adaptation, resilience,  conflict and violence prevention, disaster risk reduction, market systems strengthening., youth and justice.
• Experience managing and implementing programs, developing proposals, and/or lead writing USG, preferably USAID, funded opportunities;
• Experience‌ ‌conducting‌ ‌research,‌ ‌including‌ ‌data‌ ‌collection‌ and evaluation, and ‌synthesizing‌ ‌qualitative‌ ‌data;
• Experience managing relationships and conducting interviews with multiple stakeholders and program participants across technical sectors;
• Expertise in either qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods;
• Ability to work remotely and coordinate with multiple team members based in different locations;
• Spanish fluency is a plus.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The consultancy is remote, but will require a travel commitment of up to 50% in the Caribbean region.

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

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

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 is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.