Consultant – Senior Resilience Curriculum – Sahel Communication and Collaboration Activity – Remote

Background:

Mercy Corps is a global, non-governmental organization, which exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. Mercy Corps has worked in Niger since 2005, delivering high-quality programs in the areas of economic development and humanitarian assistance.

Mercy Corps is implementing the USAID-funded Sahel Collaboration and Communication (SCC) Activity in Niger and Burkina Faso, in partnership with Equal Access International (EAI), Tulane University, le Centre pour le Gouvernance et le Démocratie (CGD) and Niyel. SCC works with stakeholders under USAID’s RISE II, Sahel Development Partnership (SDP) and Bridge portfolio to strengthen their collaboration on complementary investments through joint strategies, facilitate shared learning and capacity to adapt program approaches, and drive high-impact communications. SCC stakeholders include implementing partners (IPs) of USAID programs in Niger and Burkina Faso as well as complementary donor, community, government and private sector efforts. As a “backbone” coordination mechanism, SCC draws heavily upon USAID’s Collaborate, Learn and Adapt (CLA) framework. SCC has three main results: 1) Result 1: Strengthened collaboration for collective impact; 2) Result 2: Enhanced learning and adaptive management; and 3) Result 3: Greater awareness of USAID contributions among key audiences.

Purpose / Project Description:

SCC is now in Year 3 of implementation. During the previous year, progress was made in determining the shape of the Resilience CLA Fellowship, a key activity. Design has been primarily led by expert resilience design consultants working with a core group of SCC Leaders, and has included defining the relevance to the overall program objectives; outlining participant learning objectives; clarifying content and revising the curriculum to better reflect the Sahel context; and having preliminary discussions about rollout strategy. While the course development was significantly impacted by entirely remote curriculum development and impacts due to COVID-19 restrictions, resulting in extending the length of course development and determining feasible modes of delivery, in September 2021 the SCC team and a consultant conducted a two week in person review of technical content and held a strategic workshop to set the direction for Year 3. This produced a clear list of refinements needed for the content to be ready for launch with participants, as well as set a parallel track of developing the operational model for course. SCC will hire a manager to oversee this activity going ahead, however the resilience consultants’ expertise continues to be needed to complete the revisions to the Resilience-CLA (RCLA) curriculum based on the September feedback, and to prepare for the launch of the first cohort, anticipated in March 2022. Preparation also includes getting all materials ready to be able to train SCC staff to be facilitators of the Fellowship.

Starting in March 2022, the consultant is needed to train SCC RCLA Fellowship facilitators, and launch the RCLA Pilot Cohort of Champions, including co-facilitating the three sessions for the Pilot Cohort which will end in May 2022.

Consultant Activities:

The SCC Senior Resilience Curriculum Consultant will:

1. Revise and finalize participant curriculum materials for the RCLA Foundations Course. Using prioritized technical revision feedback, lead the refinement and updating of content, including facilitator and participant curricula and associated materials. Solicit and organize required input from SCC Team Members for the development of data sources and exercises for the curriculum. Based on input from the SCC team, ensure curricula are reasonably responsive to the core workstreams SCC is leading under Component 1 as it relates to RCLA. [Est. level of effort (LOE) 15 days)
2. Design and develop a training for RCLA Fellowship facilitators. Prepare a facilitator training plan and develop minimum materials needed to equip and support SCC’s RCLA facilitation team in being able to lead the Fellowship. (Est. LOE 5 days)
3. Organize and prepare a clear system for, and coordinate with, additional firms hired by SCC to do final proofreading of the translated, design and finalize RCLA materials. After the translation made by DEEPL is completed, SCC will contract proofreaders who will review final content translated into French and designed workbook formats. Consultant will ensure all curriculum is clearly laid out and organized in a way that facilitates the translation and design and maintains organized access to all curriculum materials. Provide orientation to Project Manager to take forward oversight on finalizing materials. (Est. LOE 2 days)
4. Lead training of SCC RCLA Fellowship Facilitators. Prepare the team of facilitators to lead sessions with RCLA Champions. (LOE included in item #5)
5. Co-facilitate the first, second, and third in person workshops with the RCLA Champions (over two remote technical services sessions), ensuring SCC Facilitators are able to learn, practice, and adapt the material with support and supervision. (Est. LOE 38 days in country)
6. Conduct technical and facilitator coaching sessions with SCC Facilitators periodically during the first cohort’s fellowship period. (Est. LOE 4 days)
7. Collect technical feedback after each in person and virtual workshop with RCLA Champions, and prioritize technical revisions to content with SCC RCLA Program Manager. (Est. LOE 3 days)
8. Update facilitator and participant materials per prioritized feedback in advance of the second RCLA Champions cohort. (Est. LOE 5 days)

Consultant Deliverables:

The Consultant will provide:

1. All final curriculum materials in English for the RCLA Fellowship Course.
2. Training plan and materials for RCLA Facilitator training (anticipated in March 2022).
3. Index or other organizational system of curriculum materials set up for use by SCC team for DEEPL translation and proofreading firm.
4. Training of SCC Facilitators in Niger or Burkina Faso.
5. Facilitation of first RCLA Champions meeting in Niger or Burkina Faso.
6. Updated facilitator and participant materials.

Timeframe / Schedule:

This consultancy goes from November 2021 through June 30, 2022.

The Consultant will report to:

Interim Chief of Party, SCC (to transition to permanent Chief of Party once this person begins)

The Consultant will work closely with:

• Africa Regional Resilience Director
• Sr. Resilience Advisor
• SCC Resilience Advisor
• SCC CLA Manager
• Consultant for SCC Resilience Foundations Exploration Workshop and Course Design

Required Experience & Skills:

• **5-10 years of experience in relevant technical field (required)
• Proven experience designing and delivering resilience capacity sharing in development programs in Africa
• Prior knowledge of/experience with Mercy Corps’ Resilience Foundations course
• Prior knowledge of/experience with Mercy Corps’ Resilience Storytelling work in at least one context
• Demonstrated experience in curriculum development for adult learners

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.