Climate Data & Technology Advisor

About Mercy Corps

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.

The Department

Mercy Corps’ Technical Support Unit (TSU) is a key part of the Program Department. TSU subject-matter experts help set agency strategy and provide consultation – from assessment and design through project implementation and results measurement – to field offices worldwide, in some of the world’s toughest places. TSU team members lead research, foster organizational learning, represent Mercy Corps to external audiences, and develop partnerships. The TSU is also integral to global business development and revenue.

The Environment Team is a central part of the TSU. The team provides technical leadership as it relates to climate resilience, water security, energy access and environmental safeguarding.

The Position

The Climate Data & Technology Advisor will help grow Mercy Corps’ ability to integrate high quality geospatial data and decision making tools into their programs and operations. In 2022 Mercy Corps completed its new 2030 Global Strategy. The new strategy established an ambitious new global climate commitment, which charges the agency with scaling up our climate programming. Improving the agencies capacity to utilize climate data for key decision making, strategy and program approaches is critical to the success of this commitment. The Sr. Advisor reports to the Sr. Director of Climate & Water Security, and will become part of a strategic team working to advance Mercy Corps global climate commitment.

The Sr. Advisor is responsible for supporting Mercy Corps teams (global, regional, country and program) on two fronts. First, the Advisor will work across teams to improve the utilization of climate and environment data and associated technologies to inform strategic decisions making, program design and other relevant operations. This will involve working across teams (TSU, Crisis Analytics, Technology, Compliance) to foster a coherent strategy and coordination around the use and scale-up of climate information at Mercy corps. Provide technical assistance, training, and capacity building support to Mercy Corps’s Climate IQ on the use of climate, weather and other relevant environment information for decision-making and risk management. The Sr. Advisor will also foster partnerships with global, regional and national stakeholders to support and facilitate these efforts.

Second, the Sr. Advisor will work in partnership with country and program teams on the design and implementation of on-the-ground program strategies that extend access to climate information services for most vulnerable populations. In this regard the Sr. Advisor will collaborate with country teams to understand and interpret climate and weather services data that address the needs of various stakeholders, including government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private sector partners. The Sr. Advisor will work with country teams to undertake assessments, and design program models necessary to improve access to these services. In support of this work, the Sr. Advisor will also develop assessment guidelines, technical tools, program approaches, partnerships and research to help Mercy Corps teams advance its climate and weather services programming. Finally, the Sr. Advisor will work with Mercy Corps’ Research and Learning team to evaluate programmatic interventions and undertake assessments to understand “what works”.

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY

• Work across teams (TSU, Crisis Analytics, Technology, Compliance) to foster a coherent strategy and coordination around the use and scale-up of climate and environment information at Mercy Corps.
• Articulate and develop regional and country strategies for establishing and/or scaling up approaches to address inequitable access to climate and weather information services for vulnerable populations.
• Develop analytical products to support the application of climate data for strategy processes such as country strategies and national level climate action plans.
• Keep up to date on relevant strategies being developed or applied by significant governmental, academic, and non-profit groups. Work with Mercy Corps to determine how the agency can best work with and/or influence such materials.

PROGRAM AND PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT

• Cultivate and nurture donor relationships and strategic partnerships that positively impact Mercy Corps ability to influence program strategies and proposal design, as well as strategic partnerships that result in stronger and impactful program development efforts.
• Research and articulate Mercy Corps’ portfolio and capacity to use technology, data, and data science to drive climate adaptation, resilience, and water security approaches, adding that strategic vision to proposals and concept notes.
• Write/review relevant proposals and concept notes for funding from donors including foundations, corporations and US, European, and UN agencies.
• Work with programs, country/regional teams, and technical support units on prepositioning and development of strategies.
• Gather/analyze data and complete assessments to determine community needs and priorities and Mercy Corps’ competitive advantage for funding.
• Work with other TSU members on the design and support of multi-sectoral programs that encompass elements of broader agency goals such as water security, economic development, peace and governance and food security.

PROGRAM QUALITY & TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION

• Identify data sources that link climate and environmental data to program design and adaptation; work with T4D and IT to evaluate opportunities for wider data and technology use and to pilot data analysis and technical tools that support use of climate and environmental data in program decision cycles.
• In collaboration with other tech/data actors at Mercy Corps, work with programs and country teams to pilot data analyses that promote the use of climate and environmental data in program design and adaptation.
• Participate as an active, integrated member of the team providing technical support to a portfolio of field programs including those in complex crisis environments.
• Build capacity with Mercy Corps staff and partners to better design and implement programs.
• Take leadership in identifying and addressing program quality needs. Collaborate with field leaders to problem solve.

LEARNING AND IMPACT

• Work with the research and learning team to evaluate the impact of program interventions to inform replication and scaling up of effective approaches.
• Contribute to agency-wide initiatives such as the research agenda around Thought Leadership priority topics.
• Provide in-country and remote training and support for Mercy Corps staff, partners, and others.
• Support new and ongoing programs with best practice advice and assistance on assessment, implementation, research, and evaluation needs.
• Conduct assessments; write case studies, learning documents, short articles, and blogs; and develop internal and external disseminate plan for all products.
• Nurture partnerships with universities, research institutions, and other organizations to produce case studies, assessments, and other learning documentation, as well as enhance program quality.

POLICY, ADVOCACY, REPRESENTATION

• Represent Mercy Corps at academic events, conferences, media forums, and other events; contribute to thought leadership in area of expertise.
• Identify and nurture strategic partnerships with other organizations and institutions.
• Present concepts and ideas to donors, partners, and peer organizations that influence them to drive innovation and positive change.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING

· As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

ACCOUNTABILITY TO BENEFICIARIES

· Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Supervisory Responsibility

Consultants on managed projects

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Sr. Director, Climate and Water Security, Technical Support Unit.

Works Directly With: Other TSU Teams, Relevant field-based PMs, Global Crisis Analytics and field teams, program and country teams, HQ-based Program Operations, Finance, PAQ/MEL.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field preferred, including but not limited to international development (and related subject areas), climate and environmental sciences, data sciences, geographic information sciences. Demonstrated advanced skill and experience will be considered in lieu of educational requirements.
• Demonstrated experience in the use of climate and environment data for development and humanitarian outcomes.
• Demonstrated understanding of the landscape of actors engaged in climate and weather services work, and common approaches being applied by development actors in strengthening access to climate and weather services.
• Experience working on (or with) programming which improves access to, or utilization of, climate information for marginalized and vulnerable populations.
• Demonstrated skill and experience with basic geospatial analysis including desktop GIS tools is required; advanced geospatial programming (including with Google Earth Engine) and data visualization skills are desirable, but not necessary.
• Experience in the application of geospatial data science for international development and/ or environmental applications (such as natural resource management or conservation, environmental change or land-use data) is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in training/capacity-building (in person or and/or remote) and in fostering collaborative relationships with practitioners and project management is preferred.
• Demonstrated familiarity with technical product design, including user needs assessments, specifications drafting, etc is an asset.
• Ability to work effectively with ethnically diverse teams in a sensitive environment, and work with geographically dispersed teams.
• Excellent oral and written English skills required; proficiency in French, Spanish, and/or Arabic desirable.

Success Factors

First and foremost the successful candidate will have demonstrated experience working at the intersection of climate change and humanitarian aid and development as well as data and technology. They will understand the opportunities and challenges faced by NGOs working at this intersection and demonstrate and understanding of practical approaches to using data and technology to help them. They will demonstrate a commitment to user-centered design, that prioritizes end users and their decision making needs.

All members of our TSU team are expected to be strong communicators who can effectively work with colleagues from a variety of technical and non-technical backgrounds. They are support oriented. They take a user-centered approach, working to meet potential end-users where they are to achieve the best outcome. They do not hesitate to seek clarification and assistance when needed and are able to explain technical concepts to a non-technical audience. They see themselves as part of a team. They are curious about other people’s ideas and perspectives and willing to share their own. They welcome and proactively seek feedback and are interested in exploring alternative paths to solving a problem.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This is a position open to applicants authorized to work in the US, UK, Netherland and Switzerland.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

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.