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

Background

Mercy 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 Description

Market 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:

1. 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?
2. What is the relationship between market recovery or continuity and trends in household market engagement?
3. 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 Objectives

The 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:

• Study design: Develop, in consultation with Research Lead and other stakeholders, design report detailing how datasets will be combined and analyses conducted to address the research questions. The design should draw on available datasets, including remote market monitoring, post-distribution surveys from the Cash Consortium for Sudan, as well as other secondary or remote sensing data available. Analytical methods should be calibrated to maximize rigor given the constraints of the environment and potential limitations or gaps in datasets, particularly primary data.
• Conduct analysis: Lead analysis of multiple datasets according to the approaches outlined in the design report.
• Prepare initial results: In collaboration with Research Lead and other team members, draft initial brief and slide deck detailing initial results to feed into sensemaking and stakeholder feedback.
• Contribute to sensemaking session: In collaboration with other team members, prepare materials for sensemaking session engaging key stakeholders to review and interpret results and identify additional analyses needed, and lead relevant sessions as needed
• Update results and prepare for dissemination: Following sensemaking session, contribute to additional data collection if warranted, and use results of analysis and discussions to prepare final results brief and other targeted dissemination materials such as video or interactive story map.

Deliverables

The consultant in partnership with the study co-lead will provide the following deliverables:

1. Design report detailing research questions, data sources, and analytical approaches
2. Analytical outputs, such as written descriptions of results, tables and figures, and graphics
3. Finalized dataset and replicable analysis code/methodology
4. Contributions to sensemaking materials and relevant notes from sensemaking discussions
5. Finalized brief and other dissemination products (video, story map, etc.)

Timeframe

The consultancy will be from October 2024 to June 30, 2025. A more detailed initial timeline is below, which will be updated during the development of the design report:

• Inception meeting with Research Lead: By week of Oct 14, 2024
• Participate in routine check-in meetings with study partners: Ongoing
• Review datasets and draft design report: Oct 24, 2024
• Finalize design report: Nov 8, 2024
• Contribute to additional data collection as needed Cash Consortium PDM, other data collection events): Ongoing
• Conduct analysis and draft first round of results: Nov 22, 2024
• Finalize results and prepare presentation materials: Feb 28, 2025
• Prepare brief of first round of analysis: Feb 28, 2025
• Participate in sensemaking sessions: Mar 31, 2025
• Additional analysis as needed from sensemaking feedback: Apr 30, 2025
• Contribute to final brief and other dissemination methods video, story mapping): May 30, 2025

The Consultant will report to:

• Study Principal Investigator

The Consultant will work closely with:

• Study research leads & assistants
  • Director Evidence & Learning for Dryland Production Systems
  • Geospatial Technology Lead
  • Chief of Party, Cash Consortium of Sudan
  • Other study team members as detailed

Required Experience & Skills:

1. 5-10 years of experience in relevant technical field (required)
2. Advanced degree in a relevant field, such as geospatial measurement and remote sensing, environmental studies, or development economics.
3. At least 5 years of experience in conducting analysis of agricultural and economic production in developing contexts
4. Prior experience conducting analysis of the impact of conflict or other shocks on agricultural production and food or market systems
5. Strong analytical and writing skills including consolidation of large amounts of information into relatable and actionable findings.
6. Familiarity with gender considerations in drawing on remote sensing and secondary data.
7. Knowledge of statistical analysis software such as STATA, R, or Python, as well as GIS software such as ARCGIS or equivalent.
8. Knowledge of Sudan and previous experience leading fieldwork in sub-Saharan Africa is preferred

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.