Sudan INGO Forum Director
Description
Location: Roving (with a base either in Port Sudan, Nairobi or Nyala and regular travel arrangement between the three)
Position Status: Full-time
Salary Level: TBC
About the 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 57 members and 19 observers operating across the country, including in some of the most difficult to reach parts of Sudan.
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 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 war. Humanitarian access is severely restricted and the uneven presence of the United Nations (UN) across the country exacerbates challenges to the delivery of efficient and wide-reaching humanitarian response. As humanitarian needs continue to escalate, there is an urgent need for enhanced coordination amongst international NGOs but also between INGOs and the UN and between the international aid community and national and local humanitarian responders.
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.
- This includes ensuring information is flowed two ways between INGO-F members and external counterparts including UN counterparts, national and local counterparts, and regional and global stakeholders. It also posits regular updating of forum databases on members, 3Ws and other information management related tasks to facilitate administrative coordination amongst INGO-F members and external stakeholders.
- Common service provision – Offering essential support, analysis, and shared resources to facilitate NGO operations.
- This includes providing support and guidance on access related matters including engagement with external actors on access barriers and bureaucratic and adminsitrative 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.
- This includes a convening and facilitation role to ensure that Members are informed of matters discussed at external tables and are able to weigh in, and to ensure that matters concerning the collective are discussed and escalated to external stakeholders at the national, regional, and international level as appropriate
There is also an administrative component of the role that includes [re]establishing relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including government authorities and ensuring that the Forum secretariat is staffed in a manner that ensures sufficient presence across the country to enable all pillars of the Forum’s functions to be effectively and consistently carried out.
The Position (General Position Summary)
The Director provides overall strategic leadership to the Sudan INGO Forum, overseeing coordination, representation, and stakeholder engagement efforts. This role is pivotal in ensuring that the Forum remains responsive, inclusive, and impactful in an increasingly complex humanitarian context.
Reporting to the Steering Committee, the Director is responsible for materializing the Forum’s vision, ensuring its Secretariat is sufficiently serving the membership and the vision, representing the Forum to key external stakeholders, and ensuring alignment across the Forum’s advocacy, access, and area coordination workstreams. The Director also ensures that Sudan-based realities are reflected in regional and global platforms and supports member organizations to navigate political, access, and coordination challenges.
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.
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.
Safeguarding Responsibilities
- Actively learns safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
- Practices the values of Mercy Corps, including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
- Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.
Supervisory Responsibility
The Sudan INGO Forum Director will formally supervise INGO Forum Secretariat members, including up to 4 direct reports. S/He may delegate supervisory responsibilities for certain roles to senior secretariat staff members at his/her discretion, upon approval by the Steering Committee
Accountability
Reports Directly To: INGO Forum Steering Committee
Works Directly With: INGO Forum Secretariat, INGO Forum Steering Committee, external stakeholders including UN counterparts
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
Essential requirements:
- A graduate degree in a relevant field or equivalent professional experience.
- 10+ years of humanitarian sector experience, including at least 5 years in senior leadership or coordination roles.
- Strong understanding of humanitarian coordination, access negotiations, and inter-agency mechanisms.
- Proven experience leading teams in complex humanitarian environments.
- Exceptional representation and diplomacy skills with experience engaging with UN agencies, donors, and host governments.
- Ability to operate independently and with significant strategic autonomy.
- Fluency in English (written and spoken).
Desirable requirements:
- Prior experience working in Sudan or similar conflict-affected contexts (e.g. South Sudan, Syria, Yemen).
- Knowledge of Sudanese political and humanitarian dynamics.
- Working knowledge of Arabic is an asset.
- Familiarity with donor trends and international policy forums related to humanitarian response.
Success Factors
Success in the role of Director of the Sudan INGO Forum will depend on strong strategic leadership, diplomatic acumen, and the ability to navigate complex political and humanitarian dynamics. The ideal candidate will foster inclusive coordination among diverse INGOs, represent the collective voice of the sector in high-level forums, and drive responsive, field-informed advocacy and access efforts. A collaborative leadership style, deep contextual understanding, and proven ability to operate effectively across remote and insecure environments will be critical to achieving impact and maintaining the Forum’s credibility and relevance.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position is based in either Nairobi, Port Sudan or Nyala and will require 60% travel (40% in areas out of the agreed upon duty station and 20% to other areas), 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]).