🔔 HIRING: Consultant – Market Systems Assessment Lead at Mercy Corps – NG

 Purpose / Project Description
With funding from the US Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) Mercy Corps is collaborating with Action Against Hunger (ACF), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI), International Rescue Committee (IRC), and Oxfam to conduct a six-month joint assessment focused on Livelihoods and Market Recovery (LMR) in North East Nigeria.

These six organizations aim to understand the market system dynamics across three conflict-affected states—Borno, Yobe, Adamawa—by identifying constraints and opportunities to enable market systems to strengthen economic coping, facilitate market recovery, and increase livelihood opportunities for conflict-affected communities and identify approaches to facilitate local market recovery. By collecting data on 3-4 key market systems, LMR partners will analyze how they can be adapted to ultimately improve income generation, food security, nutrition, and protection for vulnerable conflict-affected households within North East urban and rural areas. The consultant will provide the necessary technical guidance to lead the assessment planning and implementation to produce a series of comprehensive reports for public dissemination.

Consultant Objectives

The consultant will work in Nigeria from 5 January-30 May 2017 to lead the LMR Assessment. S/he will be responsible for the overall design, implementation, and production of the assessment reports. S/he will have a team of four individuals to support key functions including data analysis, research, logistics coordination, and graphic design. Key responsibilities include:

• Develop and oversee successful implementation of LMR Assessment activities, ensuring partners follow work plan to keep activities on time, target, and budget and program deliverables completed;
• Guide Literature Review that documents key aspects of North East Nigeria markets, drawing on existing materials secondary sources to inform the LMR approach, in collaboration with Writer/Editor;
• Oversee Household Income Analysis using data from partner organizations to identify characteristics and trends within the target vulnerable population in three states;
• Inform selection of 3-4 market systems in collaboration with partner organizations and Mercy Corps’ Technical Support Unit, including facilitating Kick-Off Workshop in Abuja on 18/19 January to harmonize approach;
• Develop in-depth assessment tools for 3-4 market systems to collect data, in collaboration with partner organizations, including testing to maximize the data collection;
• Design and implement training of enumerators across partner organizations using market system tools, building in best practices for qualitative data collection;
• Supervise information management and data platform used across partners, in collaboration with Data Analyst, while conducting quality checks across partners;
• Conduct data analysis across market systems to identify key trends and findings to draft reports, in collaboration with Data Analyst and Writer/Editor, as well as prepare Validation Workshop (mid-April 2017) that includes external stakeholders including United Nations, governmental and non-governmental agencies;
• Draft and edit final reports that document each market system findings and trends with recommendations that harmonize future programming, in collaboration with Writer/Editor and in consultation with Mercy Corps’ Technical Support Unit and partner organizations;
• Create report dissemination plan to ensure information is shared widely with the public, and participate in two roundtable discussions to highlight the assessment findings; and
• Other tasks related to assessment, as assigned.

Consultancy Deliverables and Timeframe/Schedule

Detailed start-up and implementation plan for LMR assessment

15 January 2017

Kick-off Workshop to inform selection of 3-4 market systems for assessment

18/19 January 2017

Finalized selection of 3-4 market systems for assessment

19 January 2017

Household Income Analysis report

Initial draft 15 February, revised 1 March 2017

Literature Review on North East Nigeria markets

Initial draft 15 February, revised 1 March 2017

Assessment tools for 3-4 market systems

15 February 2017

Validation workshop with external actors

Third week in April 2017

Report on each market system with findings and trends, including programmatic recommendations

Initial draft 30 April 2017, revised 7 May 2017

Dissemination plan for reports

30 April 2017

Participation in two roundtable discussions on key findings

30 May 2017

Final report on consultancy deliverables

30 May 2017

The Consultant will report to: Director of Humanitarian Programs

The Consultant will work closely with: Livelihood and Market Recovery Advisor and technical focal points within partner agencies, as well as Writer/Editor, Data Analyst, Logistics Coordinator, Report Designer