Purpose / Project Description:

The Consultant will be tasked with working closely with Mercy Corps country teams in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, and relevant regional and HQ teams to inform and help establish the strategic direction for Mercy Corps’ climate change related work in the Sahel. The Consultant will lead a process to develop country specific climate action plans and business development strategies, and will be tasked with articulating areas of distinction at the regional level to feed into Mercy Corps’ Sahel regional strategy and positioning.

The Consultant will be supported by the Deputy Regional Director, the Director of the Environment Technical Support Unit, the Global Resilience Director and will work closely with country focal points.  

Required Experience & Skills:

• 5-10 years of relevant experience 


• Familiarity with climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and natural resource management sectors and associated strategies


• Strong understanding of existing and future climate finance structures and opportunities at country and regional scales. 


• Demonstrated experience with business development and/or strategy development 


• French oral fluency highly desired


• Experience working with teams to strengthen knowledge related to climate change or other relevant topics  


• The ability to work closely with, and motivate, multiple teams remotely

Responsibilities

Consultant Objectives:

The work produced by the consultant should help Mercy Corps:

• Develop an updated understanding of the primary climate challenges needing to be addressed at the country and regional levels.


• Understand the priorities of donors investing in climate action, and strategies to influence them. 


• Analyze and prioritize which climate challenges are most pressing for Mercy Corps’ attention at country and regional levels considering their influence on Mercy Corps’ strategic objectives in the Sahel related to food security, economic opportunity and youth development, and donor priorities.


• Refine a vision for country teams’ climate niche, and the priority partnerships which will elevate business development opportunities


• Develop draft strategies to adapt existing work and undertake new programming, in line with donor priorities and existing funding opportunities. 


• Develop a vision for climate action at the Sahel regional level and strategic business development positioning recommendations, to be incorporated into a newly updated Sahel regional strategy for Mercy Corps

The consultant will also be expected to work closely with country leadership, and their leadership teams, to secure important remote meetings, undertake in-person key informant interviews, and secure endorsement potential partner institutions.