Description

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.

Project Description:

Mercy Corps’ ten-year Pathway to Possibility strategy identifies Climate Change as one of two primary drivers of fragility globally. It also outlines five core organization-wide commitments, one of which commits Mercy Corps to being a ‘Climate-Smart’ organization.

Two key strategies for meeting this climate smart commitment are to increase our funding from private philanthropic sources focused on climate change, and influence the priorities of these and other target donors. To help us achieve this, we aim to develop a series of thought leadership position papers on climate-related themes for use in discussions and media promotion in advance of, during, and after key climate events (e.g., New York Climate Week, COP29) this year.

Mercy Corps is in search of an experienced consultant capable of writing this series of papers based on outlines and content provided by our program and technical teams. Mercy Corps has deep experience with and evidence on climate issues and solutions that we believe will be of high relevance to these audiences and fora; however, we often struggle to communicate these ideas in ways that increase Mercy Corps’ visibility as an experienced, sophisticated, and thoughtful actor in climate action spaces and among key stakeholder groups. A successful consultant will help ensure that these technical papers cut through the crowded climate space, compellingly communicating our bold solutions and viewpoints while serving as the foundation for additional products and messaging.

Priority themes for the series cover a range of technical areas, including climate-smart livestock production in arid lands, access to energy as adaptation, and climate and migration. Mercy Corps has technical and research experts who will serve as contributors. The consultant writer must have experience working with technical experts to translate evidence and examples into clear and compelling narratives and recommendations.

Consultant Activities:

The Consultant will:

• Write three to four compelling papers:
  • Identify Review the draft structure and content of the series and propose changes to ensure maximum impact and coherence across the series.
  • Based on the outlines and content provided, create first drafts of the papers for review and discussion with Mercy Corps co-authors and other key stakeholders.
  • Refine papers based on feedback, creating additional drafts (within reason—1-2 revisions per paper expected)
  • Finalize drafts
• Engage with the communications and climate teams to identify spin-off (secondary) products (e.g., op-eds, blogs) to communicate high-priority messages
  • Discuss and identify high priority messages emerging from writing process
  • Brainstorm secondary products critical for communicating priority messages
  • Engage in communications product planning meetings to discuss generated ideas

Consultant Deliverables:

The Consultant will deliver:

• Three to four 5-10 page compelling technical papers
• One short framing paper to define the series purpose and tie the papers together
• Engagement in communications planning processes to determine

Timeframe / Schedule:

May – August 2024

Level of Effort:

We expect the consultant to require an average of 10 days per major products (i.e., three to four papers, plus one framing piece), for a total of 40 full days of work.

The Consultant will report to:

Chief Climate Officer & Senior Director, Research and Learning

The Consultant will work closely with:

Resource Development Team

Technical Support Team

Policy and Advocacy Team

Required Experience & Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant technical field (Master’s preferred)
• 5-10 years of technical writing experience, ideally specializing in climate writing
• Climate relevant knowledge and expertise
• Track record of producing high quality written products

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.