Consultancy - Anticipatory Action Consultant - Remote

Description

Location : Remote

Background:

Myanmar is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, frequently facing cyclones, floods, and droughts that severely impact livelihoods, infrastructure, and food systems. Compounding these challenges is a protracted humanitarian crisis characterized by displacement, political instability, leaving communities particularly unprepared to address climate shocks proactively.

Recognizing these critical needs, Mercy Corps is initiating the development of a scalable Anticipatory Action (AA) framework tailored specifically to Myanmar’s complex environment. This initiative seeks to transition from reactive disaster response to proactive preparedness, equipping communities with the tools, resources, and knowledge to mitigate the impacts of climate-related disasters.

Purpose / Project Description:

The purpose of this consultancy is to develop a comprehensive and scalable Anticipatory Action (AA) framework tailored to Myanmar’s unique socio-political and environmental context. This framework will provide vulnerable communities with the tools, resources, and knowledge to anticipate and mitigate the impacts of climate shocks, addressing both immediate needs and long-term resilience.

The framework will focus on three core components:

• Predictive Climate Analytics: Leveraging historical and real-time data, the framework will define clear triggers and thresholds for action, ensuring communities can act proactively before disasters strike.
• Innovative Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA): Developing protocols for rapid and reliable cash transfers ensuring timely support.
• Market Resilience Strategies: Designing interventions to support market actors, enabling them to protect assets and maintain supply chains during and after disasters, ensuring communities have continued access to essential goods and services.

The consultant will lead the design and development of this framework, working closely with Mercy Corps, local partners, and stakeholders to ensure it is contextually appropriate and locally led. This includes conducting research, facilitating stakeholder consultations, integrating innovative technologies, and creating training materials to build local capacity for implementation.

Consultant Activities:

The consultant will lead the design and development of an Anticipatory Action (AA) framework for Myanmar. The consultant’s activities will include the following:

1. Research and Analysis

• Conduct an in-depth analysis of Myanmar’s disaster risk landscape, identifying vulnerabilities, historical disaster trends, and gaps in current disaster management systems.

2. Framework Design and Development

• Develop a comprehensive AA framework tailored to Myanmar’s context, incorporating:
• Triggers and Thresholds: Use predictive analytics, remote sensing data, and historical climate trends to define actionable triggers and thresholds.
• Preparedness Actions: Design pre-agreed actions for climate hazards, ensuring they are actionable, timely, and community-specific.
• CVA Protocols: Develop detailed guidance for CVA, addressing timing, transfer sizes, and eligibility criteria, while ensuring alignment with humanitarian standards.
• Market Resilience Strategies: Propose vendor-focused interventions to maintain supply chains and ensure operability during and after disasters.

3. Stakeholder Engagement and Coordination

• Facilitate consultations with Mercy Corps staff, local partners, civil society organizations (CSOs) and technical experts to ensure the framework reflects community priorities and local realities.

4. Capacity Building

• Design and deliver capacity building workshop for local partners and stakeholders to strengthen their ability to implement the AA framework.

5. Documentation and Reporting

• Develop and comprehensive AA framework document, including operational guidelines, triggers, preparedness actions and implementation protocols.
• Submit final report with:
  • Key findings from the pilot phase
  • Lessons learned and challenges encountered.
  • Recommendations for scaling and adapting the framework to other fragile contexts.

NB: Mercy Corps teams will support and work collaboratively with the consultant on the above processes wherever possible.

Consultant Deliverables:

• Inception Report:

• A detailed report outlining the objectives methodology, timelines and stakeholder engagement plan for the consultancy.

• Deadline: Two weeks after contract start date.

• Stakeholder Consultation Reports:

• Summaries of consultations conducted with Mercy Corps staff, local partners, civil society organizations (CSOs), and relevant technical experts and stakeholders.

• Deadline: Submitted within one week of each consultation.

• Comprehensive Anticipatory Action Framework:

• A finalized AA framework tailored to Myanmar, including:

• Defined triggers and thresholds for anticipatory action.

• Guidelines for digital/stable-coin based CVA, including timing eligibility criteria and transfer amounts.

• Detailed preparedness actions for climate related hazards.

• Market resilience strategies for vendor support and supply chain continuity.

• Practical tools, templates, and operational protocols for implementing the framework.

• Deadline: Six weeks after the contract start date.

• Training materials:

• User-friendly materials for building local partner capacity, including:

• Manuals and guides on implementing the AA framework.

• Presentations for workshops on CVA processes, early warning systems and market resilience strategies.

• Deadline: Eight weeks after the contract start date.

• Final Report:

• A comprehensive report summarizing:

• The AA framework and its alignment with Mercy Corps’ corporate guidance.

• Key findings, lessons learned, and challenges encountered during the consultancy.

• Recommendation for scaling and replicating the framework in other regions or contexts.

• Deadline: Ten weeks after the contract start date

• Presentation:

• A presentation to Mercy Corps staff and key stakeholders to validate the framework and findings.

• Includes an overview of the AA framework, pilot implementation insights and recommendations for next steps.

• Deadline: prior to finalizing the framework and report.

Time Schedule:

Work to take place between March – May 2025 over the course of approximately 60 workdays.

The Consultant will report to:

Senior Advisor, Cash and Markets (pilot lead)

The Consultant will work closely with:

• Country Director
• Director of Programs
• Senior MEL Manager
• Senior Program Managers and Coordinators (Pilot team)
• Myanmar Analysis Team (MAT) Consultants
• Market Analysis Unit (MAU)
• Technology Partner
• Local partner focal points and communities (pilot participants)
• Other relevant MC Myanmar team members
• Relevant MC Regional and Global team members

Desired experience & Skills:

• Advanced degree in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Humanitarian Assistance, Climate Change Adaptation, Environmental Science, or a related field.
• Strong technical knowledge and proven experience in designing and implementing Anticipatory Action (AA) frameworks, particularly in disaster-prone or fragile contexts.
• Demonstrated expertise in cash and voucher assistance (CVA) programming, market-based approaches, and digital financial systems, including blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
• Experience conducting stakeholder consultations and facilitating workshops with the UN, NGOs, INGOs, and community-based organizations (CSOs).
• Proven ability to develop operational frameworks, policies, and guidance documents, with examples of successfully completed frameworks in similar contexts.
• Strong analytical capabilities, including experience with beneficiary vulnerability assessments, risk analysis, and integrating predictive tools (e.g., remote sensing, forecasting).
• Excellent technical writing and report development skills, with the ability to produce high-quality documents tailored to diverse audiences.
• Effective communication and facilitation skills, including the ability to engage with multi-stakeholder groups and synthesize their inputs into actionable frameworks.
• Familiarity with the socio-political and economic context of Myanmar or similar fragile settings, including understanding of local governance systems and humanitarian challenges.
• Experience working in conflict-sensitive environments and addressing the needs of vulnerable populations, including displaced communities, women, children, and persons with disabilities.
• Culturally sensitive and adaptable, with the ability to work effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Proficiency in using data analysis tools and predictive models to inform disaster preparedness and anticipatory action planning.
• Knowledge of Mercy Corps’ Anticipatory Action guidance (or similar institutional approaches) is highly desirable.

Diversity, Equity & InclusionAchieving 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.

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