Crisis Analysis Consultant

**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. Now, and for the future. 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 has developed a Crisis Analysis (CA) function to support our programming in the most complex contexts, including Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Ukraine, and others. The Crisis Analysis supports Mercy Corps’ in-country programming as well as the wider humanitarian and development response in the region through the provision of quality, timely and relevant analytical products. This analysis is grounded in Mercy Corps’ position as an operational NGO, keeping our products constructive and relevant for humanitarian, early recovery, and development responders and donors within a given crisis. The work leverages Mercy Corps’ Crisis Analysis to support ongoing and emerging policy and advocacy efforts underpinned by a bespoke body of evidence and grounded in contextual realities. **Purpose / Project Description**: Mercy Corps’ Regional Crisis Analysis team is creating a roster of consults with expertise in humanitarian cash programming to support upcoming research projects. Specifically, the team is looking for experts with programmatic, coordination, and/or research experience in MPCA, Cash Plus, Digital Cash, and/or Anticipatory Cash programming. The consultant should be capable of qualitative research design, coordinating and conducting key informant interviews,and independently writing research findings into publication-level reports. Experts with quantitative analysis skills are welcome to apply, though such skills are not required, as the planned cash research is qualitative Further, the planned cash research is centred on Yemen; therefore, experts with experience in the Yemen context will be prioritised. However, experts with experience elsewhere are encouraged to apply, as the geographic scope of Crisis Analysis cash research is likely to expand. Lastly, based on the current research plan, experts specialising in cash programming coordination (particularly its linkages with social protection systems) and digital cash delivery are especially encouraged to apply. **Consultant Deliverables:** ◼ Develop a research design, based on qualitative data collection and analysis, to gain information from cash actors in the field about operational realities as related to the topic at hand. ◼ Arrange and conduct key informant interviews (remotely or in-person) with a wide variety of actors working in the context of interest, such as cash actors, social protection actors, coordination bodies, and financial service providers. ◼ Synthesize the collected qualitative data into a polished research paper, in collaboration with the Crisis Analysis Team. **Timeframe / Schedule** The consultant should be available for the duration allocated to the research product, which generally spans a threemonth period from inception to paper submission. **Reporting Line** The Consultant will report to the Regional Crisis Analysis Senior Manager **Working Relationships:** The Consultant will work closely with: • Crisis Analysis team • Mercy Corps’ country teams **Required Experience & Skills:** • Extensive experience (>5 years) researching humanitarian cash programming, with at least one project concerning the Middle East/North Africa region. In this case, specific citations of the relevant publication(s) isrequired. • Significant experience (>1 year) supporting the Yemen response is highly valued; specifically, cash programming in a management of coordination role for an INGO. Experience working w…