About the INGO ForumSudan 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 51 members and 17 observers operating across the country, including in some of the most difficult to reach parts of Sudan.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. The situation in non-Sudanese Armed Forces - controlled areas is particularly dire, with humanitarian access severely restricted and the absence of United Nations (UN) presence exacerbating the challenges. As humanitarian needs continue to escalate, there is an urgent need for an interim solution to address critical gaps in coordination, common services and aid delivery.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 includesestablishing an NGO-led coordination mechanism under the Sudan INGO Forum to provide immediate, effective, and well-managed humanitarian responses in these areas to ensure that urgent needs are met and operations are not disrupted.
Common service provision– Offering essential support, analysis, and shared resources to facilitate NGO operations.
This includes common negotiation support i.e. for access or against BAI, collective advocacy efforts, information sharing, donor and stakeholder engagement, security and admin SOPs and collective position papers, etc.
Stakeholder coordination andrepresentation–Engaging with donors, UN agencies, authorities, and the broader humanitarian system to advocate for improved response conditions.
There is of course a convening and facilitation role included in this representation function
General Position Summary In an effort to enhance coordination and visibility of NGO work on the ground as well as data gaps, response gaps and access impediments, information management capacity that can support data collection, tracking and visualization is a key part of the INGO forum’s work. Visa tracking, BAI tracking, coordination with OCHA on inter-cluster information and 3-5Ws has been inconsistent at best, and NGO response across the country is largely under-reported and underrepresented in outward facing products. The information management officer will have specific responsibilities for collecting data, in close coordination with access and advocacy colleagues, and transforming it into easily digestible visual products that can be regularly shared, as well as for managing internal databases and ensuring regular contribution to inter-agency data collection initiatives. This position reports substantively to the Nairobi-based forum representative with regular coordination with colleagues across the secretariat and with Members on specifically assigned data collection initiatives. S/he will also collaborate closely with REACH/IMPACT, OCHA, and other data collection units as appropriate. Essential Job Responsibilities Information Management:
Support access colleagues in gathering data for monthly visa and BAI trackers
Support secretariat colleagues in regularly updating forum 3Ws and expanding to 5Ws as appropriate
Support ABC information management needs as requested
Collaborate closely with OCHA, INSO and other data analysis units
Maintain up to date contact lists and ensure consistent and smooth information sharing
Represent the Forum in IM platforms as appropriate
Contribute access trends and analysis to the Forum’s monthly bulletinData visualisation
Regularly produce response dashboards
Regularly produce access dashboards
Provide maps as required/requested
Contribute to website visuals and updates
Assist with special information requests from the Forum’s members Communications and data sharing:
Liaise closely with the advocacy coordinator and the access advisor to produce relevant visuals for forum communications products
Ensure products and tools are stored on an internal sharepoint with external permissions as agreed per Forum governance protocols to facilitate knowledge preservation and transfer
Ensure data protection protocols are in place and strictly adhered to
Security
Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.
Accountability to Beneficiaries INGO Forum team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to their beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of field projects, in line with Mercy Corps’ standards and policies.
Supervisory ResponsibilityNone.
Accountability Reports Directly To:Access and Advocacy AdvisorWorks Directly With:INGO Forum Secretariat including area coordinators, access and advocacy colleagues, the information management officer, the INGO Forum Director and primarily with members.Accountability to Participants and StakeholdersINGO Forum 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. They must be committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of projects, in line with Mercy Corps’ standards and policies.
Knowledge and Experience Essential requirements:
An undergraduate degree in information management, data visualization, communications, geography, related field or equivalent experience
5+ years of relevant experience with NGOs, the UN system or other humanitarian/development actors
Mastery of information management and data visualization software such as Kobo, ArcGIS, powerBI, excel, abode creative suite, etc.