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International role with, requiring 10 years of experience, English fluency, and humanitarian access analysis expertise. 50% travel required across Nyala or, with emphasis on complex humanitarian environments.
Last checked: 2 hours ago
Closing date: TBD
Country: Sudan
Duty station: Khartoum, Sudan
Contract type: Full-Time
Grade: Not specified
Applicant eligibility: Not explicit in source
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Position is contingent to funding
Location: Roving with a primary base in either Nyala or Khartoum and at least 50% travel
Position Status: Full-time
Salary Level:
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 more than 80 members 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:
The Position
The Access Advisor is a senior member of the Sudan INGO Forum Secretariat, responsible for leading the Forum’s collective engagement on humanitarian access. The Access Advisor operates as both a system-level coordinator and an INGO advocate, in that it operates simultaneously at the inter-agency and Forum levels, and the ability to hold both with confidence, clarity of mandate and sound judgement is central to its effectiveness. The role requires the ability to manage relationships and – at times contradicting – priorities of authorities, inter-agency counterparts, donors and within the Forum membership when advancing agreed collective positions.
At inter-agency level, the Access Advisor co-chairs the Humanitarian Access Working Group (HAWG) alongside OCHA. The HAWG is co-owned by its members, including the INGO Forum, and is the principal system-wide mechanism for coordinating access strategy and engagement across Sudan. The HAWG operates under the HCT Access Strategy (January 2026). The Access Advisor represents INGO interests within this structure and shares accountability for its implementation and review.
At Forum level, the Access Advisor is responsible for developing, finalizing, and driving the Forum’s Access Engagement Strategy — a distinct, INGO-owned instrument that articulates collective INGO priorities, positions, and boundaries on access. The Access Engagement Strategy informs, but is not subordinate to, the HAWG’s system-wide framework.
The role includes responsibility for managing internal collective discipline and expectation-setting among Forum members, recognizing that fragmented compliance, partial consensus, or bilateral action on access issues can expose individual INGOs to political, operational, or reputational risk.
Essential Responsibilities
1. Co-Chairing the Humanitarian Access Working Group (HAWG)
As HAWG co-chair alongside OCHA, the Access Advisor co-leads the inter-agency access architecture and shares accountability for the HAWG’s effectiveness as a strategic advisory body to the HCT.
The Access Advisor leads the finalization, implementation, and ongoing management of the Forum’s Access Engagement Strategy.
D. Safeguarding Responsibilities
Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
Supervisory Responsibility
None
Accountability
Reports Directly To: INGO Forum Director
Works Directly With: Advocacy Manager, Area Coordination Leads, 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
Desirable Requirements
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 either Nyala or Khartoum and it requires up to 40% travel to support other areas, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. Accommodation for this role will be arranged in a guesthouse through Mercy Corps or another hosting organisation.
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]).
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