Background:

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, and 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. Mercy Corps Indonesia helps people to recover from the crisis conditions they face and then turn it into an opportunity to improve the quality of life. Based on local needs, our programs help people across Indonesia with the tools and support they need. Mercy Corps Indonesia is part of the Mercy Corps family.

The Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance (‘the Alliance’) is a cross-sector collaboration between Zurich Insurance Group, NGOs, and academia. Zurich Insurance Group works with the humanitarian and civil society organizations Concern Worldwide, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Mercy Corps, Plan International, and Practical Action, as well as research partners the International Institute for Applied Systems and Analysis (IIASA), the London School of Economics (LSE), and the Institute for Social and Environmental Transition-International (ISET). The Alliance was originally launched in 2013 with the goal of shifting focus from flood response and recovery to pre-event risk reduction. During this time, the partners will together implement a combination of pilot programs, research, knowledge management and work to persuade donors, policy-makers and practitioners to invest in flood prevention and preparedness through: increased and more effective financial investments in flood resilience; improved global and national policy for increased pre-event action to flood resilience; and, improved practice in flood resilience by key stakeholders.

In early 2024, the third phase of the ZFRA program began, with the Alliance changing its name to the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance (ZCRA). This change reflects the Alliance’s broader scope of work in this new phase, extending beyond flood hazards. For ZCRA Indonesia, this third phase marks the beginning of our efforts to expand our reach and impact in other watersheds. While our initiatives will expand to take into account the complexities and dynamics of new areas, we will remain focused on improving flood resilience in our current areas of Pekalongan City and Regency, plus new areas in the Central Java North Coast Route (Pantura) region such us Semarang City and Regency, Salatiga City, Grobogan Regency, and Demak Regency. Within the Alliance, Mercy Corps leads the advocacy workstream, but our activities go beyond advocacy alone. Instead, we adopt a holistic approach, combining community-level work with science-based advocacy efforts to create a stronger evidence base for our messages.

While ZCRA Indonesia delivers strong and relevant programming, its knowledge, field experience, and impact have not yet been consistently amplified across owned digital platforms nor sufficiently positioned within international/national/local media discourses. As a result, the program’s achievements and evidence-based approaches remain underrepresented among wider audiences, including donors, policy-makers, practitioners, and global/national stakeholders.

On the other hand, the program has generated solid scientific evidence through various studies, such as the Climate Risk and Impact Assessment (CRIA), Participatory Land Use Planning (PLUP), Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA), and Climate Resilience Management Capacity (CRMC). However, the current challenge is how to translate these in-depth technical studies into content that is more accessible, communicative, and engaging for a wider audience. As the issue of coastal flooding becomes increasingly pressing, strengthening communication strategies and media collaboration is crucial to increase the program’s visibility and attract the attention of policymakers, donors, and other key stakeholders.

To ensure long-term sustainability, donor confidence, and institutional credibility, ZCRA Indonesia requires a coherent, strategic, and integrated communications approach that combines digital content management for international, national and local media engagement. Strengthening both owned and earned communication channels is essential to reinforce trust, enhance visibility, and position ZCRA Indonesia as a credible actor within global climate resilience discourse.

Purpose / Project Description:

ZCRA Indonesia seeks to strengthen its overall communications ecosystem by integrating digital social media content management and strategic international, national and local media engagement under one unified consultancy.

This consultancy will support the development and implementation of a coherent narrative structures that ensures:

• Consistent publication of high-quality digital social media content across owned platforms (e.g. website, LinkedIn, podcasts, etc)
• Strategic engagement with international, national, and local media
• Strong alignment between program knowledge, digital storytelling, and media positioning
• Reinforcement of ZCRA Indonesia’s credibility, legitimacy, and global/national relevance
• Translation of ZCRA’s programmatic evidence, field experiences, and technical knowledge into accessible, credible, and media-ready narratives, aligned with digital platforms (including social media) and international, national, and local journalistic and ethical standards

Consultant Objectives:

The objective of this consultancy is to strengthen ZCRA Indonesia’s visibility, credibility, and narrative coherence by:

1. Identifying and deeveloping strategic media partnerships to strengthen outreach and overall impact.
2. Developing an integrated communications and media strategy that aligns with digital and media approaches and the ZCRA communication strategy
3. Producing high-quality digital social media content for owned platforms (exp. website, LinkedIn, Podcasts, etc)

4. Producing and translating technical knowledge and field experiences (collaborating with knowledge management’s role) into accessible public narratives for strategic international, national, and local media exposure

1. Reinforcing donor confidence and institutional legitimacy through consistent and ethical communication
2. Evaluate and monitoring audiences engagement

Consultant Activities:

The Consultant will undertake the following activities to ensure effective media narrative dan digital social media communications :

1. Integrated Communications Strategy Development

• Develop a concise media & digital communications strategy outlining narrative priorities, tone, positioning, key messages, and audience segmentation.
• Define priority themes aligned with program milestones, advocacy objectives, and knowledge outputs.
• Establish a framework linking owned digital social media content with earned media opportunities.
• Provide advisory support on reputational and communication risks.

2. Digital Social Media Content Development & Management (existing owned media for Mercy Corps HQ, Mercy Corps Indonesia dan ZCRA Program)

• Regular (Planned) Content Production
• Develop, write, and produce website articles, blogs, LinkedIn content, and knowledge-based digital stories.
• Translate program outputs and field experiences into accessible and engaging content.
• Ensure formatting consistency and clarity across platforms.
• Incidental (Momentum-Based) Digital Content
• Produce short-form and rapid content in response to events, milestones, field visits, or emerging public discourse.
• Ensure timely publication aligned with strategic messaging.
• Platform Support & Monitoring
• Support content publication and basic content management.
• Monitor analytics and produce periodic digital performance reports with recommendations.

3. International, National, and Local Media Engagement

• Media Strategy & Mapping
• Conduct mapping of relevant international, national and local English/Indonesia-language media.
• Maintain and manage a media contact database which covering topics such as climate, resilience, development, and policy issues.
• Regularly-Planned Media Engagement
• Draft and refine press releases, op-eds, media briefs, and talking points.
• Pitch strategic stories aligned with ZCRA’s program milestones and global discourse.
• Incidental Media Engagement
• Develop rapid media pitches and key messages responding to emerging opportunities.
• Provide advisory input for interviews, media briefing, media visit or media requests.
• Media Monitoring
• Track and document secured media coverage.
• Produce periodic media performance and exposure reports with strategic recommendations.

4. Knowledge Translation & Narrative Development

• Engage with program teams and KM’s role to source accurate technical inputs.
• Translate complex scientific and field-based information into public-friendly and media-grade narratives.
• Ensure adherence to ethical storytelling principles and donor visibility requirements.

5. Coordination & Alignment

• Coordinate closely with ZCRA Program Manager, Local Lead and Governance Specialist, and Knowledge Management Officer.
• Ensure coherence between advocacy positioning, digital publication, and media exposure.
• Provide communication risk assessment when required.

6. Submission of Final Deliverables

Provide all media narrative and final digital communication outputs and documentation in editable formats, incorporating feedback and revisions from Mercy Corps Indonesia.

Consultant Deliverables:

The Consultant will deliver:

• A setup of implementation schedule and work plan (content plan and timeline)
• Media mapping database of international, national, and local media to identify potential partners
• Produce narratives/op-eds for international, national, and local media related to ZCRA milestones, program-relevant topics, and activity documentation to generate exposure for donors and partners
• Produce regular media and digital communication outputs (as outlined in the Media and Communications work plan), including but not limited to: (1) media narratives for international, national, and local media such as English and Bahasa Indonesia op-eds and event press releases; (2) digital content for Mercy Corps HQ, Mercy Corps Indonesia, and ZCRA platforms including blogs, LinkedIn content, Instagram content, and impact videos/visual stories; (3) communication products based on knowledge and evidence such as one-pagers/fact sheets and case studies; and (4) direct engagement outputs including media visits, media briefs, and media interviews.
• Build networking, collaboration, and coordination with national and local media to sustain exposure and program engagement for ZCRA
• Provide regular media and digital performance reports within 15 working days per month
• Deliver all final outputs in accessible and editable formats

Timeframe / Schedule: 

The consultancy work is expected to be completed within a maximum period of 8 (eight) months, starting from May 2026 to December 2026 . The consultant is expected to provide support for 15 (fifteen) working days per month to ensure the timely delivery of the expected outputs and deliverables.

The Consultant will report to:

ZCRA Program Manager

ZCRA Local Lead and Governance Specialist

ZCRA Knowledge Management Officer

The Consultant will work closely with:

ZCRA Local Lead and Governance Specialist

ZCRA Resilience Livelihood Coordinator

ZCRA Knowledge Management Officer

ZCRA Program Administrative Officer

Required Experience & Skills:

1. Media & Digital Communications

• Proven experience in both digital content development and international-national-local media relations.
• Strong editorial and writing skills in English and Indonesian (website content, op-eds, press releases).
• Experience managing owned digital platforms and performance analytics.

1. Knowledge & Storytelling

• Ability to translate technical climate or resilience topics into compelling public narratives.
• Experience developing field-driven stories grounded in community experiences.
• Strong understanding of ethical storytelling and contextual sensitivity.

1. NGO & Donor Sensitivity

• Experience working with NGOs, international donors, or development organizations.
• Understanding of ethical storytelling principles, reputational considerations, and donor-facing communication requirements.

1. Issue Expertise

• Familiarity with climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, flood management, or development issues is preferred.

How to Apply

Interested candidates who meet the qualifications are invited to submit their CV and expected fee via email to procurement@id.mercycorps.org no later than May 5, 2026. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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

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 team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Thank You,

Mercy Corps Indonesia