Back Consultant - Technical Writer - Nepal or 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.

Supporting the Education of Marginalised Girls in Kailali Phase II (STEM II) has been a successful project for Nepal, focusing on improving the educational and livelihood prospects of over 6,000 adolescent girls and young women in Kailali district. STEM II came to a close on 31 March 2021, after over 7 years of implementation. During the course of the project, we have generated a lot of evidence and learning which identifies components of the project that has the potential for scale, replication and sustainability.

The purpose of this project is to understand and articulate what scale and sustainability looks like for STEM II (and its sister project, Blossom which also ended on 31 March 2021) and to understand what the future of these projects are, and how we can take these projects (or components of them) to a much bigger scale to achieve the greatest impact. The scale and sustainability exercise will address the following points:

• Understand what scaling means in the context of STEM II and Blossom
• Identify key innovations or interventions in STEM II and Blossom which have the greatest potential of enduring
• Which key innovations/interventions under STEM II and Blossom has the potential for scaling and can contribute to being a ‘breakthrough’ solution for Nepal
• Which components of STEM II and Blossom can be applied to and/or adapted for programming in other sectors and geographies, and how
• Explore if and how these key innovations/interventions correspond with policy intentions and other political economy considerations relevant at the national and provincial levels

By addressing the above points, Mercy Corps Nepal will be better positioned to pursue new opportunities, building on the successes, good practices and lessons learned from STEM and Blossom. The key outputs from this exercise are as follows:

• Comprehensive notes from each workshop session
• Concept notes based on the notes/information from the workshops to be shared with targeted donors

Purpose / Project Description:

Mercy Corps Nepal is looking for a strong technical writer to support the delivery of the two key outputs as above, working closely with relevant country team members.

With regards to the concept notes, these may be for a range of audiences and donors including and not limited to institutional donors, such as USAID, FCDO, the European Union, and corporates and non-institutional donors. The concept notes may be subject to several rounds of feedback before completion and submission/dissemination to the targeted audience, so the consultant will need to able to respond to feedback and revise the content as specified.

Consultant Objectives:

The technical writer is responsible for:

• Documenting discussions from three workshops
• Development of and/or editing 4-5 capacity statements on identified components of the STEM and Blossom projects
• Development of 2-3 concept notes

Consultant Activities:

• Participating in brainstorming workshops

Dependent on the assignment, the types of activity that the consultant likely be asked to carry out include:

• Being responsible for writing content for assigned deliverables
• Being responsible for editing, smoothing, consolidating and final polishing before submission of assigned deliverables
• Gathering input from country team members. The consultant will work closely with relevant country team members to ensure that he/she has the relevant information to write or edit a particular deliverable.

Consultant Deliverables:

• Comprehensive notes from each workshop
• At least two concept notes completed
• 4-5 capacity statements on identified components of the STEM and Blossom projects

Timeframe / Schedule:

30 working days until the end of 30th June 2021

The Consultant will report to:

Director of Programmes

The Consultant will work closely with:

Director of Programmes, Country Director, and other Mercy Corps Nepal team members as assigned.

Required Skills and Experience:

Mercy Corps seeks candidates with excellent writing skills and experience of working in international development, and preferably with experience of working in the Nepal context. Key requirements include:

• 5-10 years of experience in a relevant technical field
• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to present information logically and concisely
• Ability to work under pressure and deliver quality products under tight deadlines and in sparse working environments
• Ability to work as part of diverse teams and support planning processes
• Strong organizational and presentation skills, attention to detail, and proficiency in Microsoft Office and other appropriate software
• Experience of working in international development and the humanitarian sector
• Preference given to candidates with prior experience of working on issues related education, youth engagement and/or economic empowerment
• Preference given to candidates with prior experience and demonstrated understanding of development issues in Nepal
• Previous experience of working on communications deliverables with the international development sector is desirable

Application Process and Requirements

Qualified and interested parties are asked to submit the following:

• Resume
• Cover letter, which states a daily fee rate quoted in USD for deliverables

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 on the basis of 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 at all times and in all in-country venues.