Sudan INGO Forum Director

Location: Preferred Base of Port Sudan, Sudan; Significant travel to Nairobi and multiple locations in Sudan, including Darfur

Position Status: Full-time, Regular

Contract Duration: 8 Months ( Aug. 2026 - March 2027)

Risk Level: X Level 3 ☐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 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, hosted by Mercy Corps, is made up of 78 members and observer members operating across the country.

The Program / Department / Team (Program / Department Summary)

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, other Authorities and donors. The Forum leads collective advocacy 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.

Since 2023, the situation in Sudan has dramatically shifted as state and non-state actors engage in conflict. Humanitarian access is severely restricted and the uneven presence of the United Nations (UN) exacerbates challenges to the delivery of efficient and wide-reaching humanitarian response. There is an urgent need for enhanced coordination amongst INGOs, and between INGOs and the UN, international aid community, and national/local responders. To this end, the core tenets of the INGO Forum’s work include:

• Coordinated aid delivery: Enhancing operational alignment across organizations to maximize humanitarian impact.

• Ensuring information flows: Between Forum members and external counterparts, including UN, national and local counterparts, and regional and global stakeholders.

• Common service provision: Offering essential support, analysis, and shared resources to facilitate NGO operations.

• Providing support and guidance: On access-related matters including engagement with external actors on access barriers and bureaucratic and administrative impediments; documenting and analyzing trends, lessons learned and best practices; and providing recommendations for collective positioning.

• Stakeholder coordination and representation: Engaging with donors, UN agencies, authorities, and the broader humanitarian system to advocate for improved response conditions.

• Convening and facilitation role: Ensuring Members are informed of matters discussed at external tables and can weigh in, and that matters concerning the collective are discussed and escalated to external stakeholders.

The Position

Reporting to the INGO Forum Steering Committee (SC) through the SC Chair, the Director provides overall strategic leadership to the Forum, overseeing coordination, representation, and stakeholder engagement efforts. This role is pivotal in ensuring the Forum remains responsive, inclusive, and impactful in an increasingly complex humanitarian context.

The Director is responsible for materializing the Forum’s vision, ensuring its Secretariat sufficiently serves its vision, representing the Forum to key external stakeholders, and ensuring alignment across the Forum’s advocacy, access, and area coordination workstreams. The Director ensures that Sudan-based realities are reflected in regional and global platforms and supports member organizations to navigate political, access, and coordination challenges. The positions of the INGO Forum are hosted by Mercy Corps.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND LEADERSHIP

• Lead the overall strategic direction of the Forum based on extensive consultations with INGO-F members, and ensure alignment with evolving humanitarian and political contexts.

• Provide vision, oversight, and coordination for all Forum workstreams, including access, advocacy, coordination, and representation.

• Ensure the Forum’s engagement is grounded in field realities and serves the collective priorities of members.

• Oversee annual work plans, reporting, and Forum-wide strategy development in consultation with the Steering Committee and members.

• Ensure external representation based on extensive consultations.

• Serve as the primary representative of the Forum in high-level coordination and diplomatic spaces, including the HCT, ICCG, and regional inter-agency platforms.

• Lead engagement with donors, UN leadership, national and de facto authorities, and other external actors to advocate for improved humanitarian access and space.

• Represent INGO collective positions in humanitarian briefings, diplomatic meetings, and global fora.

COORDINATION MANAGEMENT

• Supervise and provide strategic direction to Forum team throughout Sudan and in regional and international contexts to ensure coherence across locations.

• Facilitate coordination across diverse contexts with varying levels of humanitarian presence and governance.
• Ensure strong internal information sharing, regular member consultations, and clear communication channels across all Forum teams.
• Reestablish relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including authorities.
• Ensure that the Forum secretariat is staffed in a manner that ensures sufficient presence across the country.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

• Foster strong relationships with member organizations and ensure effective two-way communication between the Secretariat and the membership.
• Liaise with national and regional coordination platforms, regional INGO networks, and other strategic partners.
• Guide the development of joint positions, public statements, and advocacy materials.
• Manage a lean and adaptive Secretariat team, including recruitment, performance management, and capacity building.
• Ensure effective collaboration across the Forum’s functions and promote a collaborative team culture.
• Lead fundraising efforts for the Forum and oversee donor reporting and engagement, in coordination with host agencies.