About Mercy Corps

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. 

Now, and for the future.

The Program / Department / Team (THABAT AF1 / Basic Services)

Mercy Corps has been operational in Sudan since 2004 and currently has a country office in Port Sudan and field offices in South Darfur, Central Darfur, South Kordofan, North Kordofan, Kassala, River Nile, Northern and Gedaref states. Mercy Corps’ current areas of programming include food security and livelihoods, WASH, health, nutrition, resilience, and Market Systems Development.

Mercy Corps’ Sudan crisis response seeks to meet the humanitarian needs of vulnerable Sudanese and other conflict-affected people across the country. Mercy Corps Sudan is recognized as a leader in market systems, agricultural, and food security and building on this experience, the Mercy Corps Sudan humanitarian program will layer in resilience and other program activities where appropriate and feasible to do so.

the Enhancing Community Resilience Project (THABAT) – Additional Financing (AF) an initiative funded by the World Bank which has two interlinked components:

Component 1: Community Led Basic Service Delivery. This component supports: (i) delivery of improved community led basic services; (ii) temporary engagement of frontline workers and volunteers in select sectors; (iii) project management and technical assistance costs; and (iv) technical assistance and training to select local authorities.

Component 2: Improving Food Security. This component supports: (i) increased resilience and production of select crops and protection of livestock assets in rural areas that supply food to the target communities; (ii) agricultural value chains; (iii) the scaling-up and strengthening of community consumer cooperatives and organizations and community food centers that distribute agricultural outputs and provide affordable food to vulnerable groups; and (iv) project management and implementation costs.

The Position (General Position Summary)

The Community Development Officer (CDO) serves as the primary interface between Mercy Corps, targeted communities, and local structures in Gedaref State. The CDO is responsible for the end-to-end operationalization of the Community Development Committee (CDC) model — from mobilization and formation, through Community-Based Participatory Planning (CBPP), to ongoing strengthening of community governance and ownership.

This role requires an accomplished community development practitioner who can navigate complex conflict-affected contexts, ensure meaningful inclusion of women, IDPs, youth, and other marginalized groups, and sustain productive relationships across community, local government, and programmatic stakeholders. CDO translates the project's Theory of Change into community-level reality, ensuring that all sectoral interventions –  WASH, health, education, GBV, food security – are grounded in and accountable to community priorities.

Essential Responsibilities 

1. Community Mobilization and CDC Establishment

•           Lead the community mobilization process in all targeted localities, conducting plenary community meetings and sensitization sessions to introduce the THABAT-AF project and the CDC model.

•           Facilitate the identification, selection, and formation of CDCs in accordance with the established selection criteria, ensuring representation of women (minimum 25%), youth, IDPs, persons with disabilities, traditional/religious leaders, civil society, and sectoral technical members (WASH, Health, Education, Protection).

•           Guide communities through the full Community-Based Participatory Planning (CBPP) process, including stakeholder analysis, social risk mapping, needs identification, and prioritization exercises that inform Community Development Plans (CDPs).

•           Oversee the establishment of CDC governance structures (Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Technical Members) and ensure all members understand their roles and responsibilities as defined in the CDC Terms of Reference.

•           Coordinate plenary committee meetings at school, health center, safe space, and locality level, ensuring open participation and creation of an enabling environment for community voice.

•           Apply Do No Harm principles and participatory conflict analysis throughout mobilization and planning processes, adapting approaches to account for IDP movement, social tensions, and varying community contexts.

2. CDC Strengthening and Capacity Building

•           Design and facilitate a comprehensive orientation and training program for CDC members covering community development principles, leadership and governance, partnership and resource mobilization, project planning and monitoring, conflict resolution, climate change awareness, Protection, SEA ,social and environmental safeguarding, inclusion and child consultation, and accountability to affected populations.

•           Support CDCs to develop, validate, and regularly update Community Development Plans (CDPs) that reflect community priorities and align with project activities and local government development plans.

•           Strengthen CDC capacity to maintain updated records of all NGO and partner interventions within their locality, provide feedback on project plans, and conduct participatory field monitoring of development activities.

•           Build CDC capability to facilitate community meetings, manage grievances and conflicts related to development interventions, and promote awareness on cross-cutting issues including gender, protection, and environmental safeguarding.

•           Support CDC members to sustain frontline worker and community volunteer functions within the community development plans, contributing to local ownership beyond the project period.

•           Organize regular CDC meetings (minimum monthly), support the recording of minutes, and facilitate the preparation and submission of quarterly reports to the Locality Director and Mercy Corps CDC Coordinator.

3.  Cross-Sectoral Coordination and Integration

•           Act as the primary coordination nexus between the CDCs and all sectoral project teams (WASH, Health, Education, GBV/Protection, Livelihoods), ensuring community priorities articulated in CDPs are reflected in sector-specific implementation plans.

•           Coordinate CDCs' oversight role across WASH committees, Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), health center committees, and other community-based structures, ensuring these sub-committees are represented within the CDC and functioning effectively.

•           Facilitate the Operations and Maintenance planning process in collaboration with local government, community-based organizations, and relevant private sector actors for WASH and other community-managed infrastructure.

•           Liaise closely with Mercy Corps' Health, WASH, Education, GBV and Food Security program officers to promote synergies, shared scheduling, and integrated community outreach in targeted localities.

•           Support the coordination meeting structure involving Mercy Corps, the Executive Director of the locality, CDC members, and other development partners to avoid duplication and enhance impact.

4.  Local Government and Stakeholder Engagement

•           Organize and facilitate structured engagement with local government at state and locality level, presenting project objectives, targeting criteria, and implementation modalities, and securing sustained buy-in.

•           Maintain productive relationships with Locality Directors, Ministry representatives, HAC, and other governmental bodies, feeding local government priorities into CDC planning processes and CDPs.

•           Represent Mercy Corps THABAT AF in coordination forums, sector-specific cluster meetings, and inter-agency workshops, sharing community-level insights, learnings, and best practices.

•           Support local government capacity in community development planning and coordination to ensure sustainability beyond the project lifetime.

5.  Inclusion, Gender Equity, and Protection Mainstreaming

•           Ensure that CDC establishment and all community engagement processes systematically include women, IDPs, youth, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups, with minimum 25% women's participation guaranteed at all stages.

•           Apply culturally sensitive and gender-responsive approaches in all community interactions, adapting methodologies to the needs of women, girls, and other vulnerable populations in Gedaref complex context.

•           Identify and work to overcome barriers to participation by underrepresented groups.

•           Integrate child consultation principles into relevant community engagement processes, ensuring child protection standards are upheld and age-appropriate participation methods are employed.

•           Promote GBV prevention messages and referral pathway awareness through CDC-facilitated community dialogues, working closely with the GBV officer and safe spaces.

6. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting

•           Update and maintain systems for tracking CDC functionality, attendance, CDC-facilitated activities, and community-level project performance indicators in coordination with the MEL/CARM team.

•           Conduct and document regular field visits to targeted localities to monitor CDC progress, verify the quality of community engagement processes, and identify challenges requiring programmatic adaptation.

•           Prepare timely weekly and monthly progress reports for the Project Manager, capturing CDC formation milestones, CBPP progress, CDP status, community feedback, and lessons learned.

•           Support baseline, midline, and endline assessments by facilitating community access and leading community-level data collection activities in close coordination with the MEL team.

•           Contribute to Mercy Corps' CARM (Community Accountability and Reporting Mechanism) by ensuring community feedback channels are established, functional, and visibly communicated to CDC members and community participants.

7. Compliance, Accountability, and Safeguarding

•           Ensure all community engagement and CDC activities comply with Mercy Corps policies, donor guidelines, World Bank Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) Framework, and Sudanese regulations.

•           Actively promote a culture of accountability and transparency within CDCs, ensuring that community feedback is systematically integrated into program adaptations and that CDC records are accessible to community members and partners.

•           Uphold Mercy Corps' safeguarding standards and ensure all community participants are informed of their rights, including access to the Integrity Hotline and other grievance reporting mechanisms.

•           Comply with security protocols and procedures as determined by country leadership, proactively 

maintaining awareness of the operating environment and promptly reporting security concerns.

8. Safeguarding Responsibilities

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

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills 

Education

Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, Development Studies, Community Development, Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, or a related field. A post-graduate qualification in community development, humanitarian studies, or project management is an advantage.

Experience

Minimum 2 years of progressively responsible experience in community development, social mobilization, or humanitarian programming, preferably in conflict or crisis-affected contexts.

Demonstrated practical experience establishing, training, and supporting community-based structures such as community committees, CBOs, or community governance bodies.

Prior experience facilitating participatory planning processes (Community-Based Participatory Planning / CBPP, Community Development Planning, Participatory Rural Appraisal, or equivalent).

Experience working with IDPs, refugee populations, and other conflict-affected communities, with demonstrated sensitivity to displacement dynamics and protection concerns.

Experience with World Bank-funded projects or adherence to international donor compliance requirements is an advantage.

Prior working experience in Gedaref is an advantage 

Technical Knowledge and Skills

•           Strong grounding in community development theory and practice, including participatory methodologies, social cohesion approaches, and community governance frameworks.

•           Sound knowledge of inclusion and accountability principles: gender mainstreaming, disability inclusion, IDP rights, child protection, accountability to affected populations (AAP), and PSEA.

•           Familiarity with SPHERE standards, Humanitarian Principles, and the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS).

•           Proficiency in designing and facilitating community training and workshops; understanding of adult learning principles.

•           Basic understanding of MEL principles relevant to community engagement monitoring (output tracking, feedback loops, community-level indicator measurement).

•           Computer literacy: Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), reporting tools, and data collection platforms.

Languages

•           Fluency in Arabic (spoken and written) is required. Strong working proficiency in English (written and spoken) is required.

•           Knowledge of local languages or dialects spoken in Gedaref State is a significant advantage.

Success Factors 

The ideal candidate brings deep community trust-building capabilities and is known for patience, cultural humility, and persistence in facilitating inclusive dialogue in complex contexts. They demonstrate exceptional interpersonal and facilitation skills, an ability to build coalitions across diverse stakeholder groups, and a commitment to bottom-up, community-owned development. They can navigate political sensitivities within and between communities with professionalism, and they consistently center the voices of the most marginalized. They are self-driven, able to manage multiple locality-level workstreams simultaneously, and thrive in dynamic, fast-changing humanitarian environments. A demonstrated commitment to gender equity, protection mainstreaming, and accountability to affected populations is essential.

Supervisory Responsibility

None at present; the Community Development Officer may provide functional guidance and on-the-job coaching to community volunteers, CDC members, and project assistants supporting community engagement activities.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: THABAT AF Component 1 Project Manager

Works Directly With: Technical Leads; WASH, Health, Education and GBV Officers; MEL/CARM Officers; Partnership Officers; Project Assistants; Project Consultants

External Coordination:    Locality Directors and administration; State Ministries (HAC, Social Welfare, others); Community/Traditional/Religious Leaders; CDC Chairpersons; UN Agencies, I/NGO Partners; Community-Based Organizations (CBOs)

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 

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Gedaref and it requires up to 40% 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 e-learning 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).