Deputy INGO Forum Director

Location: Roving, based in Port Sudan with frequent travel to Nairobi and Darfur
Position Status: Full-time
Risk Level: ☐ Level 3 X☐Level 2 ☐Level 1
(Level 3: Frequent contact with participants, direct contact with children, access to sensitive data, and/or high level of accountability.
Level 2: Some contact with participants; unplanned non-direct contact with children.
Level 1: Likely to have no contact with participants or sensitive data)

About Mercy Corps
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.
Now, and for the future.

The Program / Department / Team

Sudan INGO Forum

Sudan is facing one of the most severe humanitarian crises globally, marked by widespread displacement, disease outbreaks, and confirmations of famine in several ‘hunger hotspots.’ In an effort to coordinate INGO efforts and establish a common voice for INGOs operating in Sudan, the INGO forum was established in 2009 as a key representation platform. To date, the forum is made up of 51 members and 17 observers operating across the country, including in some of the most difficult to reach parts of Sudan.

The INGO Forum is a permanent member of the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG). It co-leads the Humanitarian Access Working Group (HAWG), alongside OCHA and spearheads collective engagement with Government and other Authorities as well as with donors. The forum also leads collective advocacy nationally, regionally and internationally through its Advocacy Working Group (AWG) and in close coordination with the regional Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) and Member liaison offices in key donor/diplomatic capitals around the world.

Since 2023, the situation in Sudan has dramatically shifted as state and non-state actors wage a brutal conflict. The situation in non-Sudanese Armed Forces - controlled areas is particularly dire, with humanitarian access severely restricted and the absence of United Nations (UN) presence exacerbating the challenges. As humanitarian needs continue to escalate, there is an urgent need for an interim solution to address critical gaps in coordination, common services and aid delivery.

To this end, the three core tenants of the INGO Forum’s work include:

• Coordinated aid delivery – Enhancing operational alignment across organizations to maximize humanitarian impact.
o This includes establishing an NGO-led coordination mechanism under the Sudan INGO Forum to provide immediate, effective, and well-managed humanitarian responses in these areas to ensure that urgent needs are met and operations are not disrupted.
• Common service provision – Offering essential support, analysis, and shared resources to facilitate NGO operations.
o This includes common negotiation support i.e. for access or against BAI, collective advocacy efforts, information sharing, donor and stakeholder engagement, security and admin SOPs and collective position papers, etc.
• Stakeholder coordination and representation – Engaging with donors, UN agencies, authorities, and the broader humanitarian system to advocate for improved response conditions.
o There is of course a convening and facilitation role included in this representation function

The Position (General Position Summary)
Access to people in need remains one of the greatest challenges for INGOs operating in Sudan. Deteriorating security, limited physical access and significant bureaucratic and administrative impediments have left many of those most in need with limited to no access to assistance. Given the highly dynamic security, political and conflict situation, humanitarians are preparing for increasing complexity in reaching the most vulnerable populations in hard to reach areas.

The INGO-F Deputy Director will have specific responsibilities for collating information to provide analysis and advice to members on matter of common concern related to access impediments including bureaucratic and administrative impediments in close coordination with the area coordination leads and with the INGO-F Director. This position will also focus on analyzing, facilitating and coordinating collective humanitarian access negotiations, products and initiatives.

This position will have specific responsibilities for coordinating INGO access fora and co-chairing the HAWG together with OCHA. He/she will also serve as the secretariat’s representative in SLT discussions and meetings.

This position reports to the Forum Director who will lead the overall Forum strategy and representation. The incumbent will deputize for the Forum Director and may be required to provide ad hoc surge support to other roles within the Forum. S/he will also work closely with the Advocacy Manager to ensure that access related advocacy messages are evidence-based and aligned.

Essential Responsibilities

Coordination and representation:
• Coordinate field level access meetings amongst INGO forum members in collaboration with the Forum’s Area Coordinators, the ABC coordinators in Darfur and, as appropriate, with UN colleagues
• Represent the INGO forum in field level access and CMCoord related conversations/platforms
• Represent the INGO forum and its members externally and with local authorities
• Collaborate closely with OCHA, INSO and other data analysis units
• Ensure linkages between access and advocacy platforms are closely maintained through collaboration with the Advocacy Manager
• Expand the Forum’s network of relevant contacts in Sudan
• Contribute access trends and analysis to the Forum’s monthly bulletin
• As requested, provide advice on operational responses to identified access concerns to members
• Provide recommendations to the Forum Director and Steering Committee for high-level access negotiations and engagements
• Deputize for the Forum Director as necessary and rove to ensure continuity of coverage based on other senior secretariat member movements and priorities.

Data collection, analysis and reporting
• Active outreach to Members to ensure comprehensive representation and systematic input from NGO actors into various reporting mechanisms including around visa tracking and other access-related trackers in collaboration with the Information Management & Membership Services Officer
• Regularly liaise with regional actors to provide analysis to Members and input into inter-agency mechanisms in Sudan of broader trends around access and geo-political influence
• Provide recommendations to the AWG, in collaboration with the advocacy manager, for collective messages and targets
• Produce timely reports on access trends in Sudan
• Assist with special information requests from the Forum’s members, in coordination with the information management officer
• Ensure attention to special protection issues that arise in Members’ areas of operations, particularly those involving vulnerable groups, sensitive topics, protection of sources and confidential data
• Identify emerging issues or concerns and ensure fluid communication of these to relevant stakeholders

Budget, administration and other tasks:
• When required, represent the Forum in key coordination groups and external meetings with Members, donors, the UN system or other stakeholders
• Contribute to project management and budget oversight together with the INGO-F Director the SC’s Grant management focal points
• Design and manage the consultancies on access/negociations and research based on needs expressed by INGO-F members
• Ensure access products and tools are stored on an internal sharepoint with external permissions as agreed per Forum governance protocols to facilitate knowledge preservation and transfer

Supervisory Responsibility
Area Coordinators (Port Sudan and Darfur in the immediate and 1-3 additional ones as funding evolves)

Accountability
Reports Directly To: INGO Forum Director
Works Directly With: Advocacy Manager, Steering Committee, HAWG members

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills
• A graduate degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience
• 10+ years of relevant experience with NGOs, the UN system or other humanitarian/development actors
• Experience living and working in complex humanitarian or fragile contexts with strong understanding of humanitarian principles, international humanitarian law (IHL) operations and coordination mechanisms
• Proven experience managing humanitarian access analysis, negotiation and strategy work and a demonstrable understanding of current humanitarian trends and issues
• Experience representing organizations in humanitarian coordination platforms (inter-agency platforms, NGO forums, etc.)
• Strong data analysis and interpretation skills
• Proven network and relationship building skills
• A demonstrable ability to manage a diverse workload and prioritize tasks in a complex and fluid environment
• Fluency in English (written and spoken)

Desirable Requirements
• Previous humanitarian experience in Sudan, Chad or South Sudan
• Existing relationships with relevant stakeholders including NGOs, UN agencies, donors, national authorities and regional counterparts
• Working knowledge of Arabic and French a plus

Success Factors
The successful candidate will have proven experience working well in high pressure and high stress environments. S/he will be a strong communicator, have excellent organizational skills, and be proactive and engaging. S/he will have experience navigating a variety of cultural contexts and will exercise sensitivity in engagements accordingly.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position is based in Port Sudan with frequent travel to Nairobi and Darfur and it requires up to 40% travel to support country programs, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. Housing for this role is in individual housing and staff will have access to good medical services and the living situation is of a high standard.

Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Team Engagement and Effectiveness
Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.
We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law.

Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline ([email protected]).