Consultancy - Cost-Recovery & Subscription Model Market Assessment for Analysis Services

Background

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.

The Mercy Corps Crisis Analysis Team combines traditional research methods with powerful data science tools to help organizations navigate complex, high-risk environments impacted by climate change and conflict. Through trend monitoring, risk forecasting and deep-dive thematic analysis, we help ensure that donor investments create measurable, sustainable impact through coordinated and context-sensitive interventions – even in the most challenging operational environments. We have implemented the Crisis Analysis approach in more than 20 fragile and conflict-affected countries, through a team of more than 60 analysts, data scientists, and subject-matter experts.

Purpose / Project Description

Crisis Analysis at Mercy Corps has until now largely relied on institutional donor grant funding – a revenue source that has declined across the sector during 2025. Mercy Corps is mapping and assessing alternative revenue stream options for Crisis Analysis work to ensure sustainability of this function while ensuring these alternative funding streams are mission aligned.

Consultant Objectives

Produce a go-to-market strategy for select sustainable, mission-aligned funding models for Mercy Corps’ Crisis Analysis function, enabling the organisation to recover costs and diversify funding streams while maintaining alignment with humanitarian principles and objectives.

• Models in scope:

• Cost-Recovery / Fee-for-Service (per-product)
• Subscription / Membership (recurring revenue for standardised outputs and business-aligned services)

Consultant Activities and Deliverables

• Diagnostic & Landscape Review: Lead feasibility assessment, including market analysis, peer and prospect mapping across sectors including alignment with current capacities and mission; legal/financial implications, with consideration of global/country level INGO structure; design KIIs/surveys with co-identified priority prospects and peers across range of sectors to understand needs, priorities, feasible payment mechanism, SWOT analysis (5 days)
• Consultant deliverables: Draft go-to-market strategy using diagnostic findings, including target stakeholder and segmented target priority prospect list; entry message demonstrating proof of value; priority platforms, forums, networks and avenues to build visibility; recommended messaging for different audiences.
• Internal support: Audience and market analysis: map existing/potential peers and partners at global and country level; conduct KIIs/surveys; gather basic product usage data, preliminary segmentation by user type
• Product & Costing Design: Design costing methodology for both models, pricing logic and template design (5 days)
• Consultant deliverables: Costing methodology, product menu, proposal/invoice/service level agreement templates
• Internal support: Provide cost inputs (country and global personnel rates, support costs) and product cost templates
• Pilot design: Define pilot parameters, deliver model, governance, metrics, and evaluation framework, design SOPs for pilot(s) for two models with clear roles and responsibilities (3 days)
• Consultant deliverables: Pilot plan, metrics framework, SOPs for use in pilots
• Internal support: Coordinate with country teams and internal stakeholders on plan, metrics and SOPs, gathering necessary inputs and approvals as directed
• Communication and Visibility: Design messaging framework (global/country level), outreach approach, guidance on language for approaching prospects, internal engagement strategy (3 days)
• Consultant deliverables: Communication strategy document
• Internal support: Coordinate country teams and internal stakeholders on messaging, design external communication materials
• Pilot execution Consultant deliverables: N/A
• Internal support: Execute pilot outreach based on pilot plan, metrics framework, SOPs; maintain central tracking system for revenue and requests (global/country level)
• Pilot review and recommendations: Review pilot data and partner feedback; adjust costing/pricing, subscription tiers, communications approach (2 days)
• Consultant deliverables: Consolidated recommendations report, including final go-to-market strategy, risks and mitigation, assessment of internal capacity with requirements and roadmap to scale, slide deck, executive summary for leadership. Slide deck and presentation of findings.
• Internal support: Execute pilot outreach based on pilot plan, metrics framework SOP; maintain central tracking system for revenue and requests (global/country level)

Timeframe / Schedule: 10-12 weeks from start to final recommendations (assuming part-time engagement at various stages) Total billable consultant days: 18 days. Provisional schedule (to be finalised upon engagement): Diagnostic & Landscape Review (week 1-2) Product & Costing Design: (week 3-4) Pilot design: (week 4-5) Communication and Visibility (week 5-6) Pilot execution (week 6-10) Pilot review and recommendations: (week 11-12)

The Consultant will report to: Director – Global Crisis Analysis

The Consultant will work closely with: Manager – Global Crisis Analysis, pilot country-level Crisis Analysis teams

Required Experience & Skills:

• Minimum 7–10 years’ experience in strategy, costing and market analysis, ideally for INGO or non-profit fee-for service or advisory arms
• Experience designing cost-recovery, fee-for-service, or subscription-based funding models for non-profits
• Ability to translate operational costs into transparent, mission-aligned pricing models
• Familiarity with budgeting, costing templates, and financial sustainability approaches
• Experience in stakeholder mapping, partner consultations, and needs assessments to inform product/service design
• Experience designing pilots or small-scale rollouts of new service models in multi-country settings
• Experience in communicating new product/services and funding models to both internal and external audiences
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving in complex organisational contexts
• Analytical skills for costing, financial modeling, and pricing
• Stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills
• Understanding of Crisis Analysis, context monitoring or research in humanitarian contexts preferred
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; experience producing clear, concise reports and visual summaries
• Ability to work collaboratively with a variety of teams in a multi-country organisational structure
• Familiarity with humanitarian principles, standards and ethics in research and analysis
• Experience with subscription/membership models in the non-profit or knowledge sector (preferred)
• Experience in producing or using crisis/conflict analysis products (preferred)

Team Engagement 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 committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law.

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. 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 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.