Description

Background: 

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. 

Aligned with Mercy Corps' ten-year Pathway to Possibility (P2P) global strategy and its commitment to a Safe, Diverse, and Inclusive (SDI) environment, the Middle East North Africa and Europe (MENA/E) region, in its FY25 Regional Overview, prioritized inclusive participation, particularly for youth and women, while embedding gender equality, social inclusion, diversity across programs and in staff representation. The region is also committed to providing safe, accessible, and trusted channels for participants and communities to raise concerns, share experiences, and ensure that they are heard and addressed. When effectively managed, Community Accountability Reporting Mechanisms (CARM) strengthens transparency, enables timely corrective action, reduces risks of harm, and builds confidence in our programs, all of which are critical to program quality and success.  Additionally, Mercy Corps MENA/E is committed to advance safeguarding by implementing core commitments that guide staff to integrating protection measures into daily work and ensuring core behaviors are practiced organization wide.

Purpose / Project Description: 

The primary purpose of this consultancy is to support the Mercy Corps MENA/Europe region in achieving its Safe, Diverse, and Inclusive (SDI) objectives by conducting a comprehensive assessment of current safe programming practices and based on the findings, developing a strategic, forward-looking Regional Safe Programming Approach. This initiative aims to systematically identify strengths, gaps, and challenges in Safeguarding, Community Accountability Reporting Mechanisms (CARM), Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), and protection, ultimately leading to a coordinated framework that enhances program quality, accountability, and impact across the region.

Consultant Objectives: 

The consultant will be responsible for achieving the following key objectives:

• To assess the current state of Safeguarding, CARM, GESI, and protection integration across a representative sample of country programs (Georgia, Syria, Palestine) and with the possibility of including either Jordan or Yemen.
• To identify and document existing best practices, recurring gaps, systemic challenges, and key lessons learned, including insights from the Ukraine Safe Programming Report.
• To facilitate a collaborative sense-making process with country, regional, and global teams to validate assessment findings and build collective ownership of the results.
• To develop a practical and actionable Regional Safe Programming Framework that provides clear guidance, principles, and a structure for improving coordination, resourcing, and implementation of safe programming.
• To support the socialization and initial rollout of the framework to key stakeholders, ensuring clarity and readiness for adoption.

Consultant Activities and Deliverables

The consultancy will be implemented in two phases, corresponding with the project structure. 

Timeframe / Schedule: 45 working days distributed throughout Dec 2025 – April 2026. 

The Consultant will report to: MENA/E Regional Social Integration and Development Advisor.

Required Experience & Skills:  

• Advanced degree in International Development, Social Sciences, Human Rights, Law, or related field. 
• Proven expertise and a minimum of 7-10 years of experience in Safe Programming, Safeguarding, Protection, CARM, and GESI in humanitarian and development contexts. 
• Demonstrated experience in conducting similar assessments, evaluations, and developing strategic frameworks for international NGOs.
• Strong qualitative data collection and analysis skills, particularly in conducting Key Informants Interviews (KIIs) and facilitating in-person and online workshops. 
• Excellent report writing, communication, and presentation skills. 
• Fluency in English is required. Proficiency in Arabic language is desired.  
• Tracked record of working experience with the MENA/Europe context and Mercy Corps' operating model is desirable. 

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. 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.