Consultant - Ukraine Cash Consortia - Remote

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.

The USAID/BHA funded ‘Ukraine Cash Consortium’ (UCC) was established in April 2022 to meet basic needs through provision of multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) and non-cash humanitarian aid to vulnerable Ukrainians, while also enhancing access to reliable information and the protection environment. It is a partnership primed by Mercy Corps and including the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and People In Need (PIN) as well as multiple Ukrainian civil society organizations.

The programmatic environment surrounding the formation of the UCC was characterized by large scale interventions constructed around USG prime recipients to effectively reach maximum numbers of program participants. Cash was determined as the preferred modality given the dynamic security context, with a focus on reaching scale by leveraging available digital technologies and financial infrastructure, the government of Ukraine’s (GoU) enthusiasm for humanitarian support, and vision for linking GoU social protection (SP) programs to cash delivery systems. The response, spearheaded by consortia, is unprecedented in its scale and volume of funds.

After one year of the response (May 2022 – April 2023), Mercy Corps is committed to assessing the learnings that can be gleaned from a consortia-driven cash response at this unprecedented scale. Areas of success and value add that emerged from the consortia operating model can be built upon, reviewed, and bolstered for future responses. Challenges and pitfalls can be analyzed and reviewed for future lessons learned. To best respond to large complex humanitarian challenges, the consortia model is increasingly looked upon as the way of the future and the spirit of this paper is to openly and transparently capture and articulate learnings from the response to set up future consortia for success and impact.

Purpose and objectives of the research

This research seeks to answer the following question:

What can be learned from the Ukraine response about the delivery of MPCA through a consortia approach?

The final paper produced through this research will take the form of a white paper. Beyond the provision of initial contextual background, specific findings will not be attributed to individual consortia but rather captured for the purpose of wider learning for the humanitarian community both in Ukraine and other contexts.

Key take-aways, recommendations and reflections will be developed based on, but not limited to the following areas of interest:

• Set-up phase.
• Consortia governance structures and management.
• Tools, systems, and processes.
• Coordination and collaboration – external working groups, CCD and inter consortia.
• Advocacy and the wider response.
• Funding and contracting structures.
• Working with local partners/localization approach
• Adaptability of consortia (e.g. context, technical direction from CWG, donor requirements, authorities, etc.)
• Performance - timeliness of registration, delivery of cash, responsiveness.
• Impact (at the level of individual consortium and as a group of consortia): What opportunities did the individual consortia miss to leverage impact? Where were consortia too ambitious with expectations of collaboration in a phase 1 emergency and what were the implications?
• Linking with social protection.
• Payment mechanisms.
• Geographic coordination.
• AAP and safe programming
• Perceptions of beneficiaries

Proposed methodology

This research is proposed as a desk-based, mixed methods study including both secondary data review and analysis alongside interviews with key stakeholders / groups of stakeholders. The following data collection and analysis methods are proposed. These will be refined and supporting tools developed together with the research consultant. The consultant may wish to utilize a theoretical framework based on recent research on operational models for collaboration should that prove to be useful for the analysis.

• Secondary data and literature review: Review of documents shared from BHA-funded Ukraine consortia, for example;
  • Proposal documents
  • Strategy documents
  • Learning agendas
  • Governance structures
  • Memorandums of understanding
  • Data sharing agreements
  • Partnership agreements
  • Technical design documents
  • SoPs
• Key informant interviews and surveys: To be conducted with representatives including:
• Consortia Directors and management staff.
• Consortia partner representatives.
• Consortia Prime HQ key advisers and support staff.
• Ukraine Cash Working Group (CWG) coordination leads.
• Collaborative Cash Delivery (CCD) representatives.
• Relevant donor representatives

Deliverables

• 2-page inception report
• Internal presentation - summary of key findings with consortia representatives
• Draft version of report for review
• Final report
• Presentation of final report and materials

Proposed timeline

• 25 days to be completed by Aug 31, 2023.

The Consultant will report to

UCC Director and Cash Technical Advisor

Required Experience & Skills

The consultant will be familiar with leading research and learning within the humanitarian sector, specifically regarding cash programming. The research team can be made up of one or multiple individuals as needed.

• At least 7-10 years of experience in humanitarian and/or cash programming, with at least 2 years' experience leading or supporting cash programs.
• Proven experience in designing and leading research related to cash transfer programming.
• Ability to analyze and clearly articulate complex issues in an understandable fashion to decision-makers.
• Ability to produce well-written reports, in a plain and approachable text, demonstrating excellent analytical and communication skills.
• Ability to work under pressure, sometimes with extended hours, and to meet tight deadlines without compromising the quality of outputs;
• Demonstrated ability to lead field research activities in a remote capacity.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination based on race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values always and in all in-country venues.