Mercy Corps has been operational in Sudan since 2004 and currently leads humanitarian assistance and longer-term development efforts in conflict-affected South Darfur, Central Darfur, South Kordofan, North Kordofan, Kassala, Gedaref, and Khartoum States, supporting host communities, IDPs, returnees and refugees. Mercy Corps’ current areas of programming include food security and livelihoods, WASH, health, nutrition, peace building and protection, resilience, and Market Systems Development.

The Communications Coordinator provides active leadership and implementation of Mercy Corps Sudan’s country communication activities, initiatives and strategy in communications, information sharing and management, and campaigns. This includes but is not limited to, optimizing information and knowledge management and documentation, and building brand and organizational visibility, image, and profile. The Communications Coordinator will lead collection and development of content for internal and external audiences, working closely with program, advocacy, PAQ and other teams. The Coordinator will support each program team elevate the visibility of their program, as well as support advocacy, business development and senior management workstreams as relevant. 

Country Strategy Support:

• Lead strategic communications that not only showcase the 'Impact' of Mercy Corps Sudan's work but also demonstrate 'Innovation' and 'Influence' within all programming, reflecting and reinforcing the strategic and cross-cutting objectives for the country office.
• Work closely with the Senior Management Team and coordinate with the agency's focal points to write and update the Mercy Corps Sudan communications strategy and other key strategic resources (fact sheets, infographics, information documents, stories, etc) as required.
• Coordinate closely with the Mercy Corps Regional and Global communications team in implementing the communications strategy and other key strategic resources. 
• Lead the creation of compelling content to showcase the organization's initiatives, achievements, impacts, and innovations, including press releases, articles, newsletters, social media posts, and multimedia. materials (photos and videos), and present it to diverse audiences, including the production of a monthly Mercy Corps Sudan country-level newsletter.

Agency Communications:

• Coordinate and support Mercy Corps Sudan program colleagues to ensure project and donor communications obligations are met.
• Ensure that Mercy Corps Sudan's work is accurately, regularly, and compellingly represented on Mercy Corps Global's internal and external communications platforms, including relevant donor and media platforms.
• Start-up and manage Mercy Corps Sudan Social Media platforms to increase visibility of programming.
• Lead on editorial and/or design, create, and maintain a portfolio, program, sector, and cross-cutting theme factsheets targeting external stakeholders.
• Serve as a resource person for agency-wide communications and global strategy reviews and documentation.
• Execution of dissemination for Mercy Corps Sudan research portfolio and strategic events for visibility with key relevant stakeholders.
• Develops external communications materials, such as press releases, talking points for the country director and other key spokespeople, and positioning statements, in collaboration with the Regional Communications team.

Communications Training & Development:

• Participate in relevant communications-related working groups with local and international NGOs and associations in Sudan.
• Lead and build the capacity and performance of staff and partners in developing success stories and multimedia and visual resources, maximizing the use of internal communications platforms, increasing program and impact visibility, and any other communication areas linked to donor branding/marking requirements.
• Track country office visibility and communication initiatives: advise program leadership teams on the integration of communications plans into program work plans and support program teams in developing communications strategies and plans as per donor requirements.
• Build the capacity of project teams to produce well-documented stories and infographics that highlight program impact, including information on lessons learned to inform programmatic adaptation and future program design.
• Inform and support learning activities, including field visits, focus groups, workshops, round-tables, and other events.

Research & Proposal Support:

• Support research activities, working with program, Regional and Global teams to ensure timely and high-quality execution of projects.
• Support the dissemination of research findings, including the development of dissemination strategies for internal and external dissemination, summaries, and factsheets.
• Lead or support in developing and maintaining best practices and provide support and guidance to program communication leads in their efforts to demonstrate program achievements and integrate stories and research findings into their reports and communications.
• As needed, lead or support the development of concept notes and funding proposals, coordinating the process with relevant technical, finance and operational staff.

Safeguarding Responsibilities

• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work
• Practice 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

        None

Accountability 
 

         Reports Directly To: New Initiatives and Partnership Manager in Sudan

         Works Directly With: Country Leadership Team (CLT), Technical & Implementation Leads, Team Leaders, Program             Managers, Operations, Mercy Corps Regional and HQ Communication and Advocacy teams.

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.

• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in social science, journalism, communications, international development or other relevant field. 
• Minimum work experience of 2 years working with/for a humanitarian/development or relevant organization.
• Strong written and oral communication in English and Arabic 
• Variety of technical skills in photography, graphics, design and other relevant skills.
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently to Mercy Corps project sites and field locations in Sudan, including traveling to insecure environments, is required.
• Skilled at delivering and facilitating training and capacity building interventions, e.g. coaching, mentorship.
• Excellent computer skills including Microsoft, design and editing platforms.
• Analytical, problem solver, independent worker and strong work ethics, with strong experience and understanding of project cycle management and coordination.
• High level of self-awareness and self-development with the maturity to deal with constructive feedback.
• The willingness and ability to adapt leadership and management style as appropriate.
• Experience in drafting, designing and presenting reports to varied audiences.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Kassala  and it requires up to 80% travel to support country programs, 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 Efficiency 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 that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out different backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact. 

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 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 (integrityhotline@mercycorps.org).