About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization poweredby the belief that a better world is possible.

In disaster,in hardship, in more than 40 countriesaround 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.

Program Summary

The EMPOWER program is a European Commission-funded initiative implemented by Mercy Corps in consortium with the DanishRefugee Council (DRC) and localpartners. The program supports conflict-and displacement-affected young people aged 15–35 across nine target states in Sudan. Launched in January 2026 and running for 42 months, EMPOWER responds to Sudan’s protracted crisis by combining short-term income opportunities with pathways to longer-term economic recovery, while strengthening protection and social cohesion, particularly for young women, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and youth with disabilities.

Through an integrated approach, EMPOWER delivers Cash for Work (CfW), community-based public works, livelihoods support, and training opportunities, while ensuring protection mainstreaming, conflict sensitivity, and inclusion are embedded across all activities.

Position Summary and Essential Responsibilities

Activity Implementation & Coordination

• Support planning, coordination, and implementation of all projectactivities under Outputs 1 and 2
• Coordinate field-level implementation with partners, communitygroups, and local authorities
• Ensure timelydelivery of activities according to work plans.
• Coordinate logistics and preparations for field activities, workshops, and assessments.

Community Engagement & Assessments

• Facilitate participatory needs assessments, stakeholder mapping, and community consultations
• Conduct regular field visits to target communities and maintain strongrelationships with local authorities and community leaders
• Support participatory needs, labor market,gender, and inclusion assessments
• Ensure inclusive participation of youth, women, IDPs, vulnerable groups and persons with disabilities

Cash for Work (CfW)& Public Works

• Support identification and selection of beneficiaries in a transparent and inclusive way
• Oversee implementation of labor-intensive publicworks activities
• Ensure safetystandards, PPE distribution, and quality of infrastructure works
• Monitor attendance, payments, and compliance with Cash WorkingGroup standards

Development Skills & Livelihoods

• Support delivery of technical, vocational, and life skillstraining for youth
• Facilitate traininggroups and on-the-job learning opportunities
• Support referralsto livelihood pathways(employment, entrepreneurship, TVET)

Entrepreneurship &Private Sector Engagement

• Supportmapping and engagement of MSMEs, privatesector actors, service providers, and relevant stakeholders
• Supporting youth accessto business training,start-up kits, counseling, and mentorship
• Support development of employment and market linkages, B2B networking, and job fairs

Community Structures & Sustainability

• Supportand mobilize the establishment and strengthening of community committees and youth groups
• Conduct site visits with local authorities and engineers
• Facilitate communityownership of infrastructure and project activities
• Promote collaboration between communities and local authorities

Protection, Inclusion & Conflict Sensitivity

• Ensure protection mainstreaming across all activities
• Promote inclusionof vulnerable groups,especially women and persons with disabilities
• Support delivery of awareness sessions(e.g., safety, peacebuilding, PSEA, Safeguarding, CARM, and protection whereapplicable)
• Promote conflict-sensitive and do-no-harm approaches
• Identify and reportprotection concerns and refer caseswhen needed

Monitoring, Reporting & Accountability

• Work closely with the MEL team to support data collection and indicator tracking
• Support regular field monitoring and reporting on the progressof activities
• Ensure accurate,complete, and timelydocumenting and submission of all required field and activity reports in accordance with agreed reporting schedules (daily, weekly, monthly, attendance, photos, success stories).
• Coordinate with the CARM team to ensure communityfeedback is collectedand addressed
• Support baseline, endline, and otherproject-related assessments and evaluations in coordination with MEL teams.
• Review partner reportsto ensure accuracy,quality, and alignmentwith

program and donor requirements

Coordination & Representation

• Representing the projectand Mercy Corpsat the field level and the Statelevel with local authorities, stakeholders, partners, and donors
• Assist in the establishment and maintenance of relationships with partners and other actors
• Participate in internal, clustermeetings, and planningprocesses
• Stay informed on Sudan-wide cross-cutting issues relevantto the Project, including development programming, cash and voucher assistance, technical and vocational support and community development initiatives … etc

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team membersoperate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Safeguarding Responsibilities

• Actively learns 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.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

• Mercy Corps team membersare expected to support all efforts towardaccountability, specifically to our participants, community partners, other stakeholders, 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 our field projects.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves professionally and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values always and in all in-country venues.

Supervisory Responsibility

None

Accountability

Reports DirectlyTo: Project Manager

Works Directly With:EMPOWER Program Team, MEL Team, CARM, and support functions

The Project Officer will support the day-to-day implementation activities of EMPOWER

activities in Elobied State, ensuring high-quality delivery of cash-for-work, public works, youth livelihoods, effective coordination, community engagement, assessments, and activity delivery during the inception and implementation phases. The role will ensure activities are conflict-sensitive, inclusive, and aligned with program objectives.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in development studies, Economics, BusinessAdministration, Agriculture, Social Sciences, Engineering, or a related field.
• 2–3 years of experience in humanitarian or development programs
• Experience in cash-for-work, livelihoods, or youth programming preferred
• Demonstrated experience in field coordination, community engagement, or livelihoods/youth programming.
• Experience supporting assessments, surveys, or field data collection is highly preferred.
• Commitment to safeguarding, inclusion, and conflict-sensitive programming.
• Ability to supportmapping of stakeholders, services, and projectlocations.
• Ability to work in dynamicand challenging field environments.
• Strong written and spoken Arabic& English.
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently within Kassala State.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (MS Word,Excel, and PowerPoint); Ability to manage shared folders and cloud storage (SharePoint, Google Drive, or similar).
• Experience using emailand online collaboration tools (Teams, Zoom, Google Meet).
• Ability to supportvirtual meetings, workshops, and coordination sessions.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
• Strong sense of integrity, accountability, and professional ethics.

Core Competencies (Optional but recommended for JD strength)

• Strong communication and coordination skills
• Problem-solving, adaptability, and an initiative-taking mindset.
• Reporting and documentation skills
• Ability to work with diverse communities
• Team playerwith ability to work independently

Success Factors

The ideal candidate will have a natural curiosity for quantifying and articulating the impact of Mercy Corps' programs on individuals and in communities. He/she will also have an interest in exploring the larger factors that influence the success of humanitarian and development programs and the well-being of populations affected by natural disasters. S/he will undertake innovative approaches, be agile in the conceptualization of new program ideas and will be well versed in strategic thinking, planning and monitoring frameworks. A successful candidate will have Activities implemented on time and with quality, Strongcommunity participation and satisfaction, Inclusive targeting of vulnerable groups, Accurate and timelyreporting and analysisas well as the abilityto mentor others inthese areas and Effective coordination with teams and partners. This position requires the ability to work effectively in a team as well as assume individual responsibility for supervision and specific reporting tasks.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based on Elboeid and requires up to 40% travel to support country programs, including travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and to areas with limited amenities. Housing for this role is in individual housing, and staff will have access to good medical services, with a high standard of living.

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 membersto dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/orprofessional 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 buildinga 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 differentbackgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have a 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 based on race, color, genderidentity, 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 adhereto Mercy Corps Code of ConductPolicies 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).