INGO Consortium Coordinator

Background
On 15 April 2023, fighting erupted in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and quickly escalated across different regions, including all Darfur states, West and South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and most recently, Al Jazeera and Sennar states. The ongoing conflict in Sudan has compounded pre-existing socio-economic crisis, breaking down household resilience and pushing communities towards a humanitarian precipice. There are over 11.3 million IDPs nationwide and over 25.6 million people facing food insecurity, while Sudan also hosts over 840,000 refugees. Communities hosting IDPs, IDP returnees and refugees face immense pressure on their resources and social fabric. The collapse of basic services including water, health, shelter and education, coupled with environmental degradation and poor governance, further exacerbates the challenges. Besides rising emergency needs, the security situation and pressure coming from the consequential displacement significantly hampers development and communities’ abilities to find long-term solutions to the displacement-related challenges. 

Solutions to displacement – pre-conflict
Building community resilience and supporting lasting solutions to displacement are key components of DRC’s global and Sudan strategy. DRC has strived to provide sustainable solutions for refugees, displaced people and host communities for decades in Sudan and has played an active role in promoting durable solutions efforts in pre-conflict Sudan together with key Sudanese and international stakeholders. The durable solutions-approach adopts the nexus thinking of linking humanitarian, development and peace actors to address issues facing forcibly displaced populations in Sudan. Linking HDP nexus in an emergency setting involves integrating humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding efforts to address immediate needs while also promoting long-term stability and resilience. By bridging the gap between humanitarian response and development programming, the nexus approach creates a more integrated, agile, coherent, and impactful take to addressing the needs of displaced populations and building resilient societies.

One of the pre-conflict efforts supported by DRC – together with UNDP and UNHCR - was the development of a five-year ’National Strategy on Durable Solutions for IDPs, Returnees, Refugees, and Host Communities’ which was endorsed in 2023. The strategy provides a coordinated approach to displacement, both at the national level and through area-based coordination structures. It necessitates that Government, humanitarian-, peace-, development-, and stabilisation actors to work together to find long term solutions to the challenges posed by dislpacement in Sudan. However, with the conflict heavily impacting any previous efforts to promote such solutions, the strategy was not implemented and efforts to promote solutions  at a national level were stalled until late 2024. 

Durable Solutions Working Group
In addition to supporting solutions-policy development and resilience-programming on the ground, DRC also co-chairs the Sudan ’Durable Solutions Working Group’ (DSWG), together with UNDP, UNHCR and IOM. After a temporary pause after the start of the conflict, the DSWG reconvened again on a bi-monthly basis in Port Sudan in October 2024. The platform brings together representatives and perspectives from (I)NGOs, UN Agencies and national and local authorities and aims to support policy dialogue, coordination, advocacy, the provision of technical expetrise and the establishment of an evidence base for area-level solutions-planning and programming. As a bottom-up, area-based approach is crucial in promoting nation-wide and supported solutions, the DSWG is currently reactivating state-level solutions working groups as well (so far they have been (re-)established in Kassala, Gedaref and White Nile states). Efforts are being made to expand these local level discussions to areas of return like Khartoum, but also to areas like Darfur, where previous community-led efforts to initiate local discussion platforms were at an advanced stage.  

Durable Solutions Unit
Building on the efforts of the members of the Durable Solutions Working Group, the Danish Refugee Council, the UN and SDC (Swiss Development Cooperation Agency) are establishing a dedicated full-time Durable Solutions Unit to support collective approaches to durable solutions to displacement in Sudan.  The Durable Solutions Unit will serve as a critical shared resource to support all stakeholders concerned in supporting solutions to displacement at the national, regional and local level. The Durable Solutions Unit will consist of four full-time employees supporting durable solutions efforts in Sudan. Under the strategic guidance and oversight of the UN Humanitarian / Resident Coordinator (HC/RC), the Unit consist of the following four positions: 

• INGO Durable Solutions Coordinator (Danish Refugee Council)
• Durable Solutions Advisor (P4 – UN)
• Durable Solutions Knowledge Management Coordinator (P3 - UN)
• Durable Solutions Project Associate (P2 – UN)

The unit will focus on improving coordination, policy, planning of joint programming for durable solutions in Sudan by providing specialist guidance, including to the Government of Sudan and/or local authorities in defined areas of operation, the Durable Solutions Working Group, the United Nations Country Team (UNCT), the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), INGO's, civil society and international partners.  

INGO coordination
Strengthening INGO coordination at both national and state levels is seen as an integral part of efforts to support long-term solutions to displacement and will ensure that the voices of INGOs continue to be strengthened and included in the durable solutions discourse. The INGO Solutions Coordinator will ensure the necessary coordination between INGOs, authorities, the UN and other stakeholders in promoting an area-based and community-supported approach to building resilience and supporting solutions to displacement all across Sudan. The position will be managed by DRC and has a second technical reporting line to the head of the DSU. Arrangements will be made to include clear working and reporting arrangements across the DSU-team enabling the INGO position to function as a core part of the team. 

Given their broad access and presence across the country, INGOs have a unique position in terms of local understanding, positioning and acceptance. They are active in many hard-to-reach areas - including areas where UN agencies are not present - and have built crucial relations with key local stakeholders. The INGO Solutions Coordinator will be representing the INGO-voice within the unit and will be the linking pin between the INGOs’ practical field realities and the strategic discussions on early/durable solutions within the Unit. The coordinator will play a key role in identifying, analysing and sharing good practices and challenges INGOs face in implementing programs with solutions-components at the local level. Additionally, the coordinator will ensure INGOs are being involved in and being kept up to date of all relevant solutions discussions at the regional and national level. In doing so, the coordinator will work closely with DRC’s Durable Solutions Manager (also the DRC-representative to the UN Durable Solutions Working Group), the INGO-forum and the Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat (ReDSS). Members of the Durable Solutions Unit will also participate in and jointly prepare and coordinate the efforts of the Durable Solutions Working Group. 

Responsibilities

Policy development

• Contribute to strengthened Durable Solutions policies at the national, state and local level. 
• Participate in policy development discussions on e.g. safe returns and make sure INGO-perspectives and participation are incorporated in the process. 
• Promote integration of durable solutions into national and state-level humanitarian- and development programming/planning. 
• Ensure encoorporation of INGO inputs, feedback and lessons learned in the formation of local and national policies related to solutions to displacement. 
• Include operational experiences from all different Sudanese states is included in strategic discussions and policy formation processes (all-of-country approach).  

Coordination & Representation

• Ensure coordination with and strategic representation of INGOs in programmatic and policy discusions on early recovery, resilience building and (durable) solutions-programming in Sudan. Stimulate active participation of INGOs in these discussions. 
• Together with other DSU-members, coordinate efforts of the bi-monthly Durable Solutions Working Group in close coordination with the DSWG co-chairs DRC, UNDP and UNHCR. 
• In close cooperation with colleagues in the DRC program team, ensure good coordination with DRC’s country-wide programming, including providing inputs and feedback into solutions-related reports, proposals etc. 
• Request inputs from INGOs and provide feedback on relevant policies and programmatic discussions on solutions to displacement in Sudan. 
• Ensure UN Resident Coordinator Office is kept up to date of INGO concerns, ideas and experiences when it comes to solutions-oriented programming, especially in hard to reach areas. 
• Contribute to more effective data management, including joint data collection and analysis.
• Support reinvigoration of state level solutions working groups across Sudan.  
• Liaise with representatives from the authorities and other stakeholders on INGO-efforts on solutions to displacement as well as on the broader efforts of the DSU. 

Implementation

• Support the implementation of the UN Secretary-General’s Action Agenda on Internal Displacement and other related policy documents on displacement and durable solutions. 
• Support operationalization of system-wide coordinated durable solution programming that includes the active participation of local NGOs and INGOs. 
• Conduct comprehensive mapping of humanitarian and development efforts by (I)NGOs in Sudan that support or could support early recovery and solutions to displacement. 
• Promote INGO-participation in state-level and locality level solutions-discussions. 
• Identify programmatic opportunities for INGOs / UN Agencies to engage on activities to promote solutions to displacement and position organizations to grab such oppportunities. 
• Function as a pro-active feedback mechanism for INGOs needing support on incorporating solutions-thinking in their programming. 

Outreach / Advocacy

• Promote community-driven, area-based approaches and general solutions-thinking in humanitarian and development programming in diplomatic and policy fora. 
• Support the development of advocacy materials aimed at sharing information on best practices, challenges and practical examples of solutions-programming in the field.
• Represent the DSU and INGO-community in external meetings.
• Ensure information sharing with and learning from solutions-platforms and INGO-led initiatives in other countries.

Resource mobilization

• Identify and pursue resource mobilization opportunities to support durable solutions in Sudan together with DSU and DRC grants team. 

Qualifications, experience and technical competencies 

• Minimum 5 years of documented international experience working on resilience programming, durable solutions to displacement and/or self-reliance related programming, ideally also in Sudan or the region.  
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in programming in complex and volatile contexts with preference for previous experience in Africa. 
• Strong experience working with the UN, governments and donors at the national and international level. 
• Demonstrated understanding of project planning and management cycles. 
• Strong communication and representation skills, with the ability to organize and lead meetings with various stakeholders.
• Extensive previous experience working for an international NGO while working with UN- and governmental agencies. 
• Strong organizational and documentation skills with the ability to effectively manage multiple competing deliverables on varying timelines.
• Master’s Degree in related field (or Bachelor’s with equivalent work experience).
• Strong experience in coordination between different INGOs, UN agencies and authorities. 
• Excellent writing and analytical skills.
• Ability to manage stress, multi-task and take decisions;
• Excellent computer skills, particularly in Word, Powerpoint and Excel.
• Demonstrated experience in leading and developing advocacy/communication strategies.

Languages

• Fluency in written and spoken English, Arabic is an asset. 

About you

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’s five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process. 
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback. 
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation. 
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly. 
• Demonstrating integrity: Upholding and promoting the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

Conditions
Contract:    Twelve months’ contract with possibility of extension, subject to funding and performance. Salary and conditions in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for International staff or under terms of employment for National Staff in Sudan.  This position is graded at NM.F

Start Date:         Immediate

Duty Station:      Port Sudan (later possibly Khartoum)

Reports to:        Head of Programme 

Application and CV

All applicants must submit a cover letter and updated CV in English via our online application form 
on www.drc.ngo under Vacancies

Applications close on 4 February 2026.