Communication Consultant at Mercy Corps

Strategic Communications Consultancy

Creative Service Scope of Work

MCN Communications Consultancy

Program / Country Team

Supporting all Mercy Corps Nigeria programs

Timeline

Three months targeted support. June 14 - Sept 13, 2021

Key Task

Deadline

Proposal Plan

Scoping of MCN Comms Needs

Consultancy works with communications and program teams to conduct initial information gathering around advocacy and communication needs and objectives
Communications workshop

Communications strategy, structure and training recommendations (2 -4 pager)

Communications training (delivered) and training plan (ongoing)

Draft program products: identify and produce 4 to 5 key communications products (video, pamphlet, etc.) for mission (to be identified in scoping exercise)

Prior to selection

Within first week
At the end of consultancy

Part of the Comms strategy

Staggered throughout consultancy

Purpose of the Project

The Purpose of this consultancy is to support Mercy Corps Nigeria with communications materials, the review and development of a mission-level communications strategy (inclusive of media, print and video products/channels) that promotes programming as well as capacity building for current teams as a means to better communicate proactively and effectively with key stakeholders. Positive communications and crisis communications are both critical aspects of the work of an effective International Organization and require strategic and proactive approaches to communications and advocacy nationally and globally.

The consultant will be responsible for assessing Mercy Corps Nigeria’s communications competencies across the mission to identity structures and solutions to better leverage the expertise and content being developed as well as provide training support and development of immediate product development needs as a model/example for the mission going forward.

The consultant will provide additional communications resources and technical expertise to Mercy Corps Nigeria programs and communications teams with the objective of bolstering program impact. The targeted consultancy will collaborate closely with MCN’s communications focal points to identify priorities and quick wins around external engagement in line with strategic advocacy plans.

Additionally, the consultancy will:

• Work with MCN’s internal team to ensure that communications products further mission objectives both in terms of program impact and operations in country.
• Garner support of key stakeholders by facilitating online reputation management of MCN program implementation.
• Support internal team in cultivating, nurturing, and maintaining relationships with key media to boost coverage of MCN activities.
• Develop a road map to establish a strong presence in the media and with key stakeholders across the country highlighting the impact of the MCN’s humanitarian, conflict, resilience and markets programming.
• Strengthen the communications skills of Mercy Corps Nigeria’s humanitarian, conflict and resilience staff and partners.
• Establish channels to engage with and inform government officials and partners at different levels as well as relevant agencies, communities and the informed i.e. Nigerian public.

Audience:

Key Stakeholders: A core component of Mercy Corps’ work is engagement with key stakeholders through impactful and targeted communications. It is critical that Mercy Corps teams and programs have the tools to demonstrate the collective impact of the programs as a result of the consultancy, key stakeholders will receive accurate, impactful and up to date information allowing them to familiarize themselves with Mercy Corps Nigeria’s impactful work and better understand how our work speaks to their interests. Through program brochures, introductory videos, advocacy briefs and increased visibility on trusted media and familiar social media platforms, support and collective understanding of Mercy Corps work and programming will increase to support stronger programming, greater accountability and stronger relationships with key stakeholders going forward.

Program Participants and Partners: With access to tailored program factsheets, visibility materials, and videos containing key information highlighting MCN’s work in Nigeria, program participants and partners will better understand the organization and share a common vision and understanding of the Mercy Corps Nigeria’s organizational objectives.

Mercy Corps Nigeria staff & HQ: Strategic advocacy planning will help teams to prioritize and channel resources to better mitigate risk and engage key supporters of MCN programming. Targeted program brochures, training materials and communications tools will contribute to integration and a shared vision of MCN objectives and successes. Increased buy-in of program stakeholders as a result of more strategic external engagement will help teams implement activities with greater ease, better serving the communities we work in.  Increased capacity of program and country communication focal points will increase ability of team members to support and bolster quality external engagement.

Media Actors: The consultancy will build on existing relationships to facilitate relationship building between MCN and influential and trusted media outlets across Nigeria. Media briefs, press releases and advocacy materials developed under the consultancy will allow media outlets to publicize Mercy Corps Nigeria’s key events and successes and serve as examples to realize an effective and impactful communications strategy going forward.

Background & Relevant Documents

Problem Statement:  Changing emergencies disrupt livelihoods and affect people’s ability to meet basic needs and access service

Mercy Corps Nigeria’s humanitarian interventions will strive to meet the most urgent needs of disaster-affected populations as rapidly as possible. This will include helping people to access food, water, household items and other essential goods and services through the provision of cash or vouchers (where markets support this). Shelter, Nutrition, and Wash services will also be provided where needed.  Access to market oriented livelihood opportunities and financial services will be integrated once conditions allow, as part of the initial cash-based support we provide. Protection considerations will be integrated into all program components, as well as a particular focus on adolescent girls and youth.

Addressing root causes of conflict

Problem Statement: Conflict impedes peaceful coexistence, prosperity, and well-being
Summary

In Nigeria today, significant barriers exist to some of the primary pillars of a stable and peaceful society.  Low acceptance of religious and ethnic diversity is a result of a dearth of local leaders and institutions championing diversity and religious tolerance. Effective management of natural resources is missing, violent extremism is growing, and organized crime is driving new waves of violence, property destruction, sexual and gender-based violence, and forced displacement.

Mercy Corps Nigeria is well positioned to leverage its experience, high level of community recognition and trust, and robust relationships with key local actors, to deliver rigorously researched and adaptable programs that address the root causes of conflict in the Middle-Belt and Northeast, and other areas experiencing conflict. We will continue to work with diverse stakeholders (community members, especially women and youth, civil society, traditional and religious leaders, government authorities) to develop the skills and relationships needed to identify and address key conflict drivers, and to manage conflicting interests and emerging tensions peacefully. Across our country portfolio, we will foster an enabling environment for peace by leading in policy and advocacy strategic engagement, promoting good governance and inclusive economic growth, while integrating conflict-sensitive approaches in meeting urgent humanitarian needs. This holistic approach will enable us to build resilience to the impact of conflict in Nigeria by increasing people’s ability to not only cope with the shocks and stresses of conflict and complex crises, but also transform the underlying causal dynamics.

Catalyzing productive livelihoods and market systems innovations

Problem Statement:  Systemic constraints within market systems limit individual, business and institutional ability to create, support, and scale innovative products and services that improve wellbeing outcomes for marginalized Nigerians.

Mercy Corps Nigeria uses a Market Systems Development (MSD) approach to facilitate current economic growth and development programming (components of BRICC and Rural Resilience Activity) both in and out of crisis contexts in Nigeria. We will incorporate key principles of the MSD approach, focusing on stimulating systemic change within market systems through facilitation and partnerships. Our approach will draw on our contextual resilience understanding and intentionally integrate resilience approaches into MSD programming. Furthermore, Mercy Corps will continue to use high-quality market assessments and research to determine the best leverage points for interventions that contribute to the resilience of market systems and actors within them, promote labor and employment opportunities, and influence the strategies of other actors in the aid sector.

Resilience in Complex Crisis: Within our work in fragile and crisis-affected environments, our market systems programming integrates our resilience and peacebuilding work, supporting programs to seek transformative outcomes across social, political, environment and economic systems. In this way, our resilience in crisis work helps key market actors and systems improve their capacity to prepare, cope and adapt, anticipate and prevent, and even improve the wellbeing outcomes for targeted vulnerable participants in the face of  shocks and stresses. The approach moves beyond Do No Harm and seeks to reduce exposure and sensitivity to shocks and stresses. Our approach to building resilience in complex crisis will also address economic grievances and seek to transform systemic drivers, while seeking to address the factors that could potentially exacerbate conflict risks such as limited economic opportunities (e.g. lack of job opportunities, low financial inclusion), poverty, and elite capture of the benefits of instability (e.g. war economies). Our USAID RRA and EU BRICC present entry points for this sort of programming.

Creative Skill(s) Required

• Experience in communications strategy development, implementation and capacity building.
• Demonstrated technical skills in development of print, video and media communications products including graphic design, writing, video editing, content creation and media relations.
• Demonstrated experience in facilitation and building the capacity of teams to deliver key communications objectives.
• In depth knowledge of Nigerian context, media dynamics and landscape, with demonstrated experience in crisis management.
• Experience working with NGOs/INGOs and demonstrated knowledge of humanitarian, development, and conflict programming in Nigeria.
• Strong network of local, state and national media actors across Nigeria.
• Experience developing targeted advocacy strategies including stakeholder mapping.
• Track record in increasing visibility and creating a strong media presence/image for organizations through external communication channels including social media platforms.

Description of Deliverable
1)    Scoping of MCN Communications Needs = Meetings and coordination

• Mapping of relevant stakeholders contributing to the organization in line with program needs.
• Meetings with communications and program teams to conduct initial information gathering around advocacy and communication needs and objectives
• Review of internal structures and capacities of teams around strategic communications

2)    Updated Communications strategy, structure and training recommendations = 4 - 6-page document with workplan

• Communications workshop with key stakeholders to review and map out strategy, team structure and training recommendations.
• Developed media strategy that includes relationships with trusted media outlets and a database of reliable contacts.
• Developed advocacy strategy that highlights 3-5 advocacy goals, associated key messages, target audiences, preferred communications approaches for those audiences (key influencers, modalities) and time-bound success milestones.
•  Developed communications strategy that includes core products development needs both print, digital and new media

3)    Communications training (delivered) and training plan developed (ongoing)

• Provide media training to build capacity of focal points to engage with media when planning key program events.
• Support in capacity building workshops for program teams on media engagement, external stakeholder engagement, documentation of relevant communications materials (press releases, success stories) and dissemination to relevant stakeholders.
• Provide other relevant training as identified through scoping excursive

(4) Draft program products: identify and produce 4 to 5 key communications products (video, pamphlet, etc.) for mission (to be identified in scoping exercise)

• Development of an informative brochure highlighting the impact and documenting success and recommendations from each of the four programs.
• Development of advocacy briefs and thematic factsheets to support program advocacy plans and outreach to key stakeholders.
• Support in the development of key messages and media and print resources