Consultant - East Africa Cash and Social Protection Advisor - Remote

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.

Across Eastern Africa, Mercy Corps is a recognized leader in resilience and innovative food security strengthening approaches. We recognize that interconnected and complex shocks and stresses affecting the East Africa region, especially in the Horn of Africa, must be met with sophisticated approaches that span sectors and strategically bridge all forms of aid. We are also a recognized lead player in mobilizing large-scale humanitarian responses, including to crises in the drylands. With a distinct agency-wide resilience framework, expertise in and an expansive platform of programs focused on multiyear approaches to strengthening food security, and strong humanitarian response track record in the drylands, Mercy Corps is well placed to work differently and play a meaningful role in responding to the ongoing acute drought in the Horn of Africa as well as the broader Food Crisis escalating across Africa due to the war in Ukraine.

Purpose / Project Description:

The Cash and Social Protection Advisor is a consultant role to provide strategic and operational technical support as needed to strengthen and scale CVA programming, alignment and as possible integration with government-led social protection initiatives as a core component of Mercy Corps’ humanitarian assistance portfolio in East Africa. The Cash and Social Protection Advisor will work closely with Mercy Corps country and program teams in East Africa (Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda), as well as regional and headquarters teams, to mobilize and lead effective humanitarian CVA in response to food insecurity. The role will partner with a dedicated regional CVA Advisor, a deployable role anticipated to spend majority of time working directly on-the-ground with program teams. The Cash and Social Protection Advisor will support the regional CVA Advisor and country teams in strengthening existing CVA programs as well as supporting program development to scale portfolios. Potential areas of support include: leading program design and adaptation processes to strengthen ‘Cash Plus’ approaches with emphasis on how humanitarian interventions can be delivered in ways that contribute to resilience (eg social protection linkages and systems strengthening with key government stakeholders, complementary activities to support functionality of critical market actors and value chains, financial inclusion, enhanced nutrition outcomes, etc); leading design and analysis of market and financial service provider assessments, supporting needs assessments, leading program design and adaptation processes, reviewing and refining existing program guidance materials, etc. This will require significant coordination and engagement with other actors in the response.

Consultant Activities:

The Consultant will:

Month 1

1. Provide technical review of Mercy Corps’ regional drought response and global food crisis approach documentation, as well as existing programmatic design materials from Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia and consult with regional and country teams on priority areas for refinement (eg targeting, social protection alignment, complementary market systems strengthening, nutrition integration, etc)
2. Lead subsequent targeted discussions with country teams and program teams on refinement priorities (expected to focus on existing BHA-funded MPCA programs)-- including development of basic country-level workplans.
3. Building from these discussions, and in partnership with the regional CVA Advisor, support country teams to execute their refinement workplans.
4. Develop 2 page brief on Mercy Corps Cash Plus approach in response to drought and hunger crisis in East Africa.
5. Engage in design session with Kenya HSNP Operations Manager on refined approach to linkages between humanitarian cash and HSNP’s drought response

Months 2/3

1. Conduct a light review of secondary literature and country level data on how cash and social protection responses have evolved in response to the ongoing drought (focused on Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia); develop overview brief summarizing status, gaps and opportunities.
2. Additional country-level engagement in partnership with the regional CVA Advisor on supporting country teams to execute their refinement workplans.

Consultant Deliverables:

Month 1

1. Develop list of priority areas for refinement (eg targeting, social protection alignment, complementary market systems strengthening, nutrition integration, etc) for framing work with regional and country teams
2. Facilitated discussions with country teams and program teams on refinement priorities
3. Development of country-level refinement workplans
4. 2 page brief on Mercy Corps Cash Plus approach in response to drought and hunger crisis in East Africa
5. Recommendations on refined approach for Kenya USAID Nawiri program linkages with HSNP

Months 2/3

1. Develop overview brief on how cash and social protection responses have evolved in response to the ongoing drought (focused on Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia) summarizing status, gaps and opportunities (no more than 10 pages)
2. Additional country-level outputs, to be confirmed based on workplans established in Month 1

Timeframe / Schedule:

Month 1 - 14 days

• Kick off meeting with Regional Drought Coordinator (1 day)
• Review existing Mercy Corps drought response, global hunger crisis, programmatic approach documentation and set priorities for refinement (3 days)
• Regional/ country engagement to agree on framework for refinements/ prioritization (2 days)
• Develop 2 page brief on Mercy Corps Cash Plus approach in response to drought and hunger crisis in East Africa (2 days)
• Country-level consultations to develop refinement work plans (4 days)
• TBC - Design session with Kenya HSNP Operations Manager on refined approach to linkages between humanitarian cash and HSNP’s drought response (scheduled for 30 June, 14-15:30 EAT) (2 days, including time on recommendations write-up)

Months 2/3 - 6 days

• Develop overview brief on how cash and social protection responses have evolved in response to the ongoing drought (focused on Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia) summarizing status, gaps and opportunities (no more than 10 pages) (6 days)
• Additional country-level output support TBC (and will require new consultant agreement/ competitive process)

The Consultant will report to:

• Mercy Corps Regional Drought Coordinator

The Consultant will work closely with:

• Mercy Corps East Africa Cash and Voucher Advisor STA
• Mercy Corps Deputy Regional Director and Program Teams in East Africa
• Mercy Corps TSU Team

Required Experience & Skills:

• **Minimum 6 years of technical expertise on CVA programming with emphasis on targeting and linkages with government-led social protection
  **
• **Implementation experience spanning food security, resilient livelihoods and/or market systems development
  **
• Prior experience working in or on East Africa context
• Knowledge of Mercy Corps’ CVA approaches and resilience framework strongly desired

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