Crisis Analyst

Location: Beirut, Lebanon

Position Status: Full-time

Salary Level: Level 6

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 (Program / Department Summary)

Mercy Corps has developed a Crisis Analytics function to support our programming in the most complex contexts, including Syria, Libya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and others. The Lebanon Crisis Analytics Team, which was launched in Lebanon for the first time in August 2021, seeks to support Mercy Corps’ in-country programming as well as the wider humanitarian and crisis response in Lebanon, currently experiencing a highly volatile and rapidly developing series of concurrent crises. It does this through the provision of quality, timely and relevant analytical products.

Mercy Corps’ LCAT team aggregates and analyzes data to provide a more nuanced understanding of both the humanitarian context and its impact on markets, households, and coping strategies to enable better decision-making for donors, implementers, and policymakers in complex crises. The team directly contributes to data-driven decision-making by layering information from primary sources, open sources, and responders’ programmatic data, which is analyzed by subject matter experts and data scientists. This analysis is grounded in Mercy Corps’ status as an operational NGO, keeping our products constructive and relevant for policymakers, responders and donors within a given crisis.

While current data and analytics have tended to focus on the refugee crisis and the most vulnerable Lebanese, there is an urgently growing need to provide a more comprehensive countrywide view of what data around near-daily changes in prices, devaluation, shortages, and other shocks actually mean and how they impact those living in Lebanon. They help forecast humanitarian and economic needs and anticipated knock-on effects of multiple shocks and stresses.

The LCAT seeks to provide that contextualized analysis through monthly situation updates, forecasts, scenario building, bespoke deeper dive pieces on important humanitarian and fragility issues, and urgent flash analyses of rapidly developing situations.

LCAT’s products will also guide and influence the course of Mercy Corps’ programming, serving three distinct purposes:

1. Provide analysis to program teams for more efficient, effective and targeted humanitarian program design, implementation, and evaluation;
2. Provide information to program and operations teams that enable them to appropriately design risk mitigation plans; and
3. Develop a knowledge repository and build expertise on programming landscapes and relevant actors in Lebanon, further contributing to a culture of research and learning.

LCAT products could be found on the Mercy Corps Lebanon website.

The Position (General Position Summary)

The Crisis Analyst is part of an expanding team of analysts and economists forming the core of LCAT’s development, and service delivery. They will network and form collaborative relationships with key stakeholders in data collection, humanitarian response, humanitarian funding, relevant academics, researchers, policy advocates and makers, civil society, and relevant governance structures to create complementarity and avoid duplication or over-assessment.

The Crisis Analyst is a critical analytical role within the team, reporting to and collaborating closely with the Chief Analyst/Project Manager, assisting in the establishment of a network of collaborative relationships with key stakeholders in data collection, humanitarian/crisis response, crises-related funding, relevant academics, researchers, policy advocates and makers, civil society, and relevant governance structures to create complementarity and avoid duplication or over-assessment.

The Crisis Analyst will deliver analysis that links trends (economic, social, political, conflict) to their impact on humanitarian and development programming decisions. They will develop timely, nuanced, and actionable products that serve the wider humanitarian community and those living in Lebanon in need of right-sized, urgent, targeted support.

They will contribute to the design, oversight, and delivery of contextualized analysis that can be used in the decision-making process for humanitarian donors, implementers, policymakers, advocacy groups, and others for more efficient, better-targeted funding, program design, implementation, and evaluation. This will require thorough research and analytical skills, contextual knowledge of the ever-changing Lebanon context as well as the ability to triangulate a range of information sources in order to greatly benefit and improve understanding and targeting.

Essential Responsibilities

OVERALL

• Directly manage the acquisition, cleaning, cross-checking, and triangulation of all relevant market data.
• Oversee the collection, storage and protection of all data according to Mercy Corps data protection protocols.
• Provide qualitative and quantitative analysis of market data indicators, trends and potential future scenarios to better guide humanitarian planning, crisis preparedness, targeting and response.

• Assist the Team Lead in advising the Senior Management Team (including the Country Director and Director of Programs) and the donor with updates on evolving developments in the country as it relates to Mercy Corps programs and potential crisis/critical humanitarian response.
• Adhere to strict deadlines and quality measures.
• Work with the larger analytical team (regionally and globally) on major analytical projects on an ad hoc basis.
• Able to lead technical projects independently and as part of a team.
• Ensure that products developed are timely, useful, accurate and actionable for relevant stakeholders.
• Work alongside program teams, as requested by the Chief Analyst/Project Manager, reporting key localized analysis to inform and assist program implementation.
• Identify and utilize secondary quantitative data sets to interpret patterns and context-specific phenomenon related, but not limited to, economics, trade, climate, agriculture, and additional themes.  

• As directed, research specific geographic locations with a focus on humanitarian dynamics (including access, needs, and activities) and actor dynamics present in the area.

ANALYSIS

• Maintain and constantly develop a strong understanding of the rapidly changing context in Lebanon Maintain and constantly develop a strong understanding of the rapidly changing context in Lebanon (political, legal, economic, social, and conflict, and their impact on the wider humanitarian/crisis context).
• Use open source, partner data, statistical data, and academic reports to collect, process, clean, and analyze information.
• Assist in the development of purpose-specific methodological tools for data collection and analysis of quantitative data.
• Support in data collection for different project outputs.
• Supports forward-thinking methodological perspectives that enable anticipatory analysis, such as  economic forecasting and modeling for technical products.
• Contribute to key analytics products for the donor, broader humanitarian response, community, and Mercy Corps program teams based on local area dynamics and under the supervision of the Team Lead.
• Contribute to presentations and updates for the donor and program teams as required.
• Support the overall continuation of a culture of a team, which is highly aware of the context.
• Contribute to contextual presentations to program teams on a regular basis.

MANAGEMENT

• Maintain strict adherence to quality control of the team.
• Be adaptive to remote working and management techniques if needed.
• Contribute to the organization and prioritization of outputs based on context and needs from the donor and Mercy Corps - Lebanon.

STRATEGY & CULTURE

• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and contribute to an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
• Contribute to the development of humanitarian, crisis response, country-level and regional strategies, as well as other key thematic sectors of interventions (economic development, governance, etc) for Mercy Corps in Lebanon.
• Understand and express conflict in terms of humanitarian needs, gender, diversity and inclusion, protection, shocks, stresses, and threats to the vulnerable and humanitarian community.

SAFEGUARDING

• 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. 
• Encourage 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. 

ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING

As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the  communities they serve - we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:

None

ACCOUNTABILITY

Reports directly to: Team Lead

Works directly with: second Crisis Analyst, Program Performance & Quality (PaQ) Team, Program teams, relevant TSU teams, and other Crisis Analytics/Humanitarian Access Team members both regionally and globally under the direction of the Chief Analyst/Project Manager

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

• Degree in Economics, Finance, Law, Political Science, International Relations, conflict studies or a related field is an asset. A Master’s degree in the relevant field is a plus.
• Excellent written and spoken English is a definite asset
• Excellent written and spoken Arabic is a must
• Analytical experience within a think-tank, University, UN, or NGO experience or a similar Crisis Analytics Unit is a strong asset
• Lebanese residence is a requirement with a strong depth of knowledge and experience with the Lebanese historical context and current state of multiple shocks and stresses, with specific understanding of political, social, conflict, and security dynamics within Lebanon a definite asset
• Other additional Middle East experience is a plus
• Primary and secondary research/academic experience in political science, sociology, economics, or conflict analysis
• Experience with both quantitative and qualitative research is a strong asset
• Experience working in small teams is a plus

SUCCESS FACTORS

A successful candidate will see opportunities where Mercy Corps programs can complement policy related to refugees, extremely vulnerable, and newly vulnerable, and contribute to exploring new partnerships or program modalities with private sector and local government. They will be able to relate programming in Lebanon with policy and work closely with regional teams to enhance our capacity and approach towards risk and access strategies. They will work on short deadlines, often under challenging circumstances, while remaining calm,  flexible, patient and creative. They are able both to work as part of a tight knit, small and collaborative team or work independently as needed. They will be comfortable speaking and presenting quite complex information in digestible formats before groups both big and small, sometimes with potentially controversial content, while remaining confident, professional, and open. A good sense of humor and excellent interpersonal skills are key.

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

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse 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 By applying for this role an applicant confirms that they have not previously violated an employer’s sexual misconduct, sexual exploitation and abuse, child safeguarding or trafficking policy. 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.