Organization: Mercy Corps
Country: United States of America
Closing date: 30 Dec 2015
PROGRAM/ DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:
Mercy Corps" West, Central and North Africa portfolio is comprised of Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, and Tunisia. All of these countries are undergoing dramatic transitions that create significant opportunity for development and change, and Mercy Corps is well placed to play a meaningful role in supporting forces for positive change. We identify clear strategies that leverage resources from other stakeholders as well as our significant experience in the region, and we seek to recruit and develop exceptional regional teams to lead our programs.
GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:
The Senior Program Officer (SPO) pro-actively supports strategic, impactful, high-quality programming in the West, Central and North Africa Region. S/he supports Country Directors in aspects of their country programs, grant administration and plays a key role in connecting the field to HQ resources. S/he also represents the country/regional interests internally with various HQ teams as well as with external stakeholders. The SPO provides the secondary check and supports the field (ultimate point of responsibility) in adhering to internal and external policies and regulations. The SPO is responsible for managing overall desk support to the region. S/he manages, mentors and oversees the Program Officer (PO) and Assistant Program Officer (APO).
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: (ranking in order of importance)
Program & Grant Administration:
· The SPO is the HQ point of responsibility for overall monitoring on grants/programs for both external/donor requirements as well as Mercy Corps" internal policies and requirements
· Provide ongoing monitoring of the status of programs and complete regular check-ins on grant requirements (such as co-financing/match, BVA, data aggregation, etc).
· Support country team"s adherence to Mercy Corps internal policies and Program Management minimum standards as well as adherence to Mercy Corps" Complex Programs management standards.
· Builds and maintains a positive, cohesive team among PDX and MCE support staff, working to ensure all team activities are in sync and pro-actively supporting CDs and RPD.
Proposal Development:
- Lead HQ coordination for proposals (unless designated otherwise), monitor the timeline, status of proposal and communicate to the relevant parties as appropriate.
- Review final draft for coherence and manage submission to the donor.
- Travel to field if needed.
Partnership Development & Management:
- Coordinate partnership negotiation & development, ensuring necessary teams are engaged, to help further program, country and regional interests.
External Representation:
- Represent regional interests and programs with external stakeholders, in concert with the field teams.
Strategy, Planning & Learning:
- Support country teams with strategy development and planning and travel to the field to support facilitation of the process as requested.
- Facilitate learning across country portfolios and regions and shares lessons learned and knowledge of agency resources/tools/best practices, etc.
Recruitment:
- Participates in the interview process, providing contextual information on Mercy Corps" programs and realities of the position, and selection for key positions as identified with the recruiting team. For senior management field positions, participate in Mercy Corps" LEAP process and supports the process as needed.
Internal Communication:
- Oversees the PO and APO with internal communications and ensure knowledge management systems are up to date and accurate to support communication with other teams.
- Play a greater and more direct role in internal communication management during periods of disaster response.
Knowledge Management:
- Oversees the PO, APO for management of agency systems and adherence to HQ-related Program Management minimum standards, etc.
Security:
- Provide relevant security documents to travelers and provide security orientations/briefings in preparation of travel.
- Communicate country/regional security posture to staff/new hires as needed and support country teams, in coordination with the RPD and GSA, as issues arise.
Orientation:
- For new-hires visiting HQ, provide briefings on context, country strategy and programs prior to their departure as initial step in the onboarding process.
- As requested, support supervisors with onboarding of new expatriate team members.
Other: The SPO role requires travel to the field to support any of the above and to fill-in during leadership gaps.
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.
Accountability to Beneficiaries:
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries 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.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: Oversee the PO and APO
ACCOUNTABILITY:
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Regional Program Director – West, Central and North Africa
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Other HQ Program units and other departments, including Resource Development, Finance, Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness, Legal, Policy and Advocacy, Mercy Corps Counterparts at MC HQ offices in Europe; MC donors and partners.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
- BA/S in relevant field required; MA/MS/MBA or equivalent preferred.
- 3 – 5 years of field-based experience in international relief and development – ideally in the region; demonstrated knowledge of relevant sectoral and/or operational areas
- 3 – 5 years of experience managing the development, implementation, administration and compliance (especially of US Government-funded grants); general program management experience required
- Experience with proposal development including support and writing with various donors, particularly US Government, private foundations and corporations.
- Experience with monitoring and evaluation and other learning efforts.
- Experience representing the organization and its interests to a diverse range of local and international government officials, local civil society organizations, other international organizations, the media and the public – required.
- Proficiency with MS Office software required (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
- Preference given to candidates with prior work experience in West, Central and North Africa..
- Proficiency in French required
SUCCESS FACTORS:
The successful candidate demonstrates the skill, professional maturity and finesse required to manage the desk team to provide excellent, timely support to the West, Central and North African region. S/he is a problem solver, who is adept in successfully dealing with issues of complexity and demonstrates the ability to serve as a mentor for and motivate the Program Officer and Assistant Program Officer.
The SPO is a skilled communicator, able to develop and utilize strong relationships with staff, partners and donors. S/he will coordinate with his/her supervisor, the Regional Program Director, and be skilled at building highly effective working relationships with Country Directors and their teams. S/he will harness the expertise, experience and ideas of Mercy Corps" diverse program support teams, including members of the TSU, Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness and Social Innovations teams and channel them into impactful partnerships with country programs and the region at large. The SPO will work with country teams to ensure that we learn from experience, thoroughly research and analyze context and develop high impact strategies, and will be a skilled writer and synthesizer of diverse and complex information, helping teams generate new insights into their work, the needs of their countries and the region, and how program impact can be scaled. A robust sense of humor is greatly appreciated.
LIVING /ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:
The position is based in Portland or Edinburgh, with expected to travel up to 35% of the time – sometimes on short notice- to areas with limited access to medical facilities and amenities.
Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. 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.
How to apply:
Please follow this link to apply: http://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=dGNoYWJvdW5pLjU4NjUzLjM4MzBAbWVyY3ljb3Jwcy5hcGxpdHJhay5jb20
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