Background:
Crisis Analysis supports Mercy Corps programs throughout the region in four key areas: programs, strategy, advocacy, and security. Since 2015, Crisis Analysis – Syria (CA–SYR) has been supporting Mercy Corps Syria, the broader response, and international donors by analyzing tightly woven aspects that are crucial to understanding Syria’s conflict legacy, current status quo, and future trajectory to paint a detailed picture of the reality of Syrian communities. 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 monitors social media, communicates with partners, validates data through primary sources, and interfaces with relevant international organizations to gather and collate relevant conflict, access, and stakeholder information. CA–SYR also serves as a real-time information hub; vets 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, 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.
Purpose / Project Description:
As Syria’s protracted crisis continues to be multi-dimensional, highly localized, and significantly complex, the need for geographic-specific primary data is a necessity. Humanitarian needs continue to be acute throughout the country, due to their sheer size and complex interconnected systems. Building on experience, Mercy Corps, thus, aims to further contribute to better information and analysis of these geographies throughout the country for evidence-based planning, targeting, and monitoring of humanitarian and recovery interventions. CA–SYR contributes to this goal by covering six main themes. These themes include geopolitics, political economics of survival, post-conflict challenges to governance and stability, social identity and ideology, proliferation, the impacts of negative coping mechanisms, and lastly, climate, crisis, and local adaptation.
CA–SYR has been granted funding to deliver water-related quantitative and qualitative analysis deliverables. The Climate and Water Research Consultant will be a member of CA–SYR and will drive the production of a variety of bespoke, context-driven qualitative analytical reports that are relevant to water in Syria. These reports cover a wide variety of topics, ranging from the geopolitics of water to the consequences of drought and pollution, presenting the findings of these reports to external stakeholders if needed. In general, the Consultant will be a proficient all-source analyst and manager with a wealth of experience and knowledge regarding Syria’s climate and water-related issues.
Consultant Objectives:
- Lead on the timely composition of two analytical products over a span of four months, focused on water-related topics in northeast Syria.
- Support on developing terms of reference (eg., research and analysis plans) for upcoming deliverables.
- In coordination with the Climate and Water Research Lead Consultant and other CA–SYR staff, conduct desk reviews and collection of relevant secondary data.
- In tandem with the Climate and Water Research Lead Consultant and other CA–SYR staff, support and develop relevant data collection tools specific to discrete deliverables.
- Coordinate with the Climate and Water Research Lead Consultant, Field Coordinator and Deputy Field Coordinator to ensure the dissemination of research tools and data processing.
- Under the supervision of the Climate and Water Research Lead Consultant, draft narrative sections of reports and support the Climate and Water Research Lead Consultant in data visualization, finalization and dissemination of products.
Consultant Activities:
The Consultant will:
- Support the Climate and Water Research Lead Consultant in coordinating with CA–SYR’s Lead Analyst to align team effort with project plans, program objectives, and strategic goals, and ensure project progress and implementation are punctual and accurate.
- Support data analysis and report production in coordination with the Climate and Water Research Lead Consultant, Lead Analyst, field coordinator/deputy field coordinator, and other research consultant(s).
- As necessary, update data collection plans with the field coordinator and deputy field coordinator for specific projects.
- Perform other tasks identified by the Climate and Water Research Lead Consultant.
Consultant Deliverables:
The Consultant will:
- Two thematic reports centered around water scarcity, water pollution, water governance, and the geopolitics of water in northeast Syria. Topics to be presented by CA–SYR to the donor, and finalized pending their approval. Thematic briefs are intended to be deep yet narrow investigations on specific topics and dynamics, utilizing primary and secondary data sources, both qualitative and quantitative.
Timeframe / Schedule: Deliverables to be completed by 31 March 2025 and in alignment with overall project workplan, with a maximum of 20 billable days.
The Consultant will report to:
Climate and Water Research Lead Consultant, CA–SYR Lead Analyst, or CA–SYR Director
The Consultant will work closely with:
Climate and Water Research Consultant (international), CA–SYR Field Coordinator, CA–SYR Deputy Field Coordinator, CA–SYR Data & GIS Specialist, CA–SYR Analysts
Required Experience & Skills:
- 2-5 years experience conducting analysis on conflict-affected areas in the Middle East for a think tank/research organization, UN agency, or NGO is required. Syria-specific and climate/water/natural resource-focused experience is preferred.
- Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience in Climate, Water, Conflict, Political Science, International Relations, Economics, or a related field is required. A master’s degree is an asset
- Demonstrated experience in managing research processes including open-source desk research, creating data collection tools, data processing skills, analyzing mixed-methods data, and report production.
- Demonstrated experience producing deliverables related to humanitarian, security, governance, essential services, and livelihoods contexts in Syria is an asset.
- Experience in managing researchers and coordinating with other teams.
- Fluency, both written and verbal, in English and Arabic is necessary.
- 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 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.