Program / Department Summary
Mercy Corps has been present in Niger since 2005, focusing its interventions on improving food security, livelihoods, gender, social cohesion, governance and emergency response outcomes. Mercy Corps has also been working in Burkina Faso since 2016 with activities in conflict research and livestock programming. Our work in these areas contributes to local communities’ resilience to shocks and stresses and enables them to achieve long-term, inclusive and equitable development. Mercy Corps’ vision for change requires the private sector, government and civil society to work together to create meaningful and sustainable change. Mercy Corps is currently implementing several development and humanitarian programs worth more than $62 million with field offices in Abala, Filingue, Maradi, Tillabéri, as well as Ouagadougou, Fada N’gourma, Ouahigouya, Po, and Gaoua in Burkina Faso. In 2020, we were able to benefit more than 139,000 vulnerable Nigeriens and Burkinabè.
Mercy Corps is seeking a Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) for the Sahel Collaboration and Communication (SCC) Activity, a five-year, $16 million USAID opportunity. This program promotes collaboration, learning and adapting (CLA) for collective impact among USAID, implementing partners, government institutions and research institutions. This Activity also builds local capacity for learning and adaptation. SCC improves CLA among all stakeholders in order to enhance development results and help USAID better communicate those results.
General Position Summary
Coordinating closely with the COP who will be based in Niamey, Niger, the DCOP will be responsible for leading and managing the activity and staff in Burkina Faso, with significant implementation and decision-making authority. S/he will manage staff, resources, and partnerships in the country to ensure that the program meets its targets and deliverables on-time and within budget. The DCOP will supervise program staff in Burkina Faso and ensure accountability to Mercy Corps’ policies and donor rules and regulations. With the COP, s/he will represent the program to donors, relevant government entities, partners, other implementers, and external stakeholders.
Essential Job Responsibilities
STRATEGY & VISION
- Support COP to communicate to all team members the strategic vision of all aspects of program implementation, development and management. Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners, and aligned with Mercy Corps principles, values and strategic plan.
- Support the COP to review, update and maintain annual work plan, staffing plan and overall strategic plan for the implementation of program activities, including finalizing target areas/activities, methods of operation and means of evaluation.
- Work together with the COP and implement with the DE/MEL Director to ensure that strategies, tools, and vision for CLA, RCLA, Communication, Collaboration are clear and standardized between staff and departments and that a clear, unified vision is promoted publicly.
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT & IMPLEMENTATION
- Working closely with the COP, oversee program management and administration in Burkina Faso and support staff and activities in Niger; upon award signature, support start-up and in the final year, support close out.
- Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, supporting the development and quality of effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
- Monitor work plans of staff and consortium partners (EAI, Tulane, CGD, others) and ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems and adaptive management principles to reach desired impacts; liaise with Senior Technical Leadership team to ensure sub-grants and tasks are monitored and held accountable.
- Provide managerial and programmatic oversight to partners and sub-grantee(s).
- Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
- Certify all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.
- Coordinate with procurement, logistics, security, administration, and human resources teams to ensure operational systems support field activities.
- Fulfill and lead Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide. Leader for program quality and assurance, review terms of reference and prepare quarterly reports, including review of indicators and documents for USAID.
- Provide technical advice on CLA and capture emerging learning or adaptation opportunities through participation in USAID and consortium meetings
- Oversee the RCLA Fellowship activities and manage the time and quality of work of the Program Manager RCLA Fellowship with the Senior Resilience Advisor
- Ensure quality and effective tools and processes for implementation of the collaboration and CLA activities
- With COP, support the follow up and network to ensure a clear, easy to access and use KM system for SCC without building a new system – ensure clear linkage with Google and SharePoint systems existing.
- Provide strategic advice, guidance and coaching to the Result 1, Result 2 and Result 3 teams on the design and implementation of SCC’s R-CLA strategy through the integration of CLA in the strategies, approaches and activities under Result 1, Result 2 and Result 3.
TEAM MANAGEMENT
- Develop the capacity of the team in Burkina Faso and Niger, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
- Work with COP and DE/MEL Director to design and coach team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance & reach objectives focused on MEL, RCLA, Knowledge Management and GIS.
- Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews for staff in Niger and Burkina Faso.
- Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
- Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary, according to Mercy Corps’ HR and ethics guidelines.
- Lead, with the DE/MEL Director, the weekly internal coordination meetings for SCC Niger and Burkina Faso staff to ensure staff and departments are effectively collaborating to achieve results – hold staff accountable during these meetings for meeting objectives and work plan activities.
- Lead with the COP the weekly internal Senior Technical Leadership meeting (includes COP, DCOP, DE/MEL Director, Comms Manager/EAI, Research & Learning/Tulane and the Senior Resilience Advisor) to ensure it is focused, effective and succinct – ensure notes are taken and actions are followed up closely.
- Oversee the working group activities/implementation of SCC team members to ensure they are being implemented effectively and capturing the right information needed for collective impact and effective use/management of time and follow up.
FINANCE AND COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT
- Support the COP in budget development, review and re-alignment, including new budgets for the fiscal year.
- Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps’ regulations.
- Create and maintain systems to ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with program, donor and Mercy Corps’ needs.
- Monitor/review and ensure quality of finance and compliance in support of the COP and mission leadership.
- Attend and engage in regular Mercy Corps Burkina Faso administrative meetings and Niger mission meetings, as requested – engage and participate on the country-level team in Burkina Faso.
INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION
- In collaboration with the COP, represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other relevant events in Niger and Burkina Faso.
- Help lead the relationship in Burkina Faso with government partners, such as SE-CNSA, CONASUR, etc. and support the COP and teams in engagement with government partners in Niger, such as HC3N, SAP, Code Rurale, etc.
- Coordinate activities with consortium partners, subgrantees, local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.
- Promote a client focused position, including responding in a timely manner to partner and stakeholder requests, visit and engage partners and stakeholders in person and at their offices, as needed, as well as via email and phone.
SECURITY
- Ensure compliance with security, logistics, and fleet management procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
- Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.
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 toward 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
Supervisory responsibilities may evolve within the team over time, but the DCOP supervises both national and international team members working on the program, as well as partnerships with international and national program partners and may include direct supervision of:
- Senior Resilience Advisor Niger/Burkina Faso
- Program Manager RCLA Fellowship (temporary position) Niger/Burkina Faso
- Communications Manager (EAI) Niger/Burkina Faso
- SCC Administrative Staff in Burkina Faso
- Master Facilitator in Burkina Faso; Master Facilitator in Niger
Accountability
Reports Directly to: Chief of Party
Works Directly with: Program team, finance and operations teams, HQ Regional Program Team, HQ Technical Support Unit and partner organizations.
Knowledge and Experience
- MA/S degree in management, international development or another relevant field required.
- At least 6 years of experience in senior management of development programs of similar or greater scope and complexity.
- Demonstrated leadership, strategic thinking/planning, management and presentation skills.
- Proven ability to establish close, trusting relationships with implementing partners, host government officials and other donors.
- Considerable experience in organizational capacity development, holistic organizational learning and/or organizational development approaches such as CLA.
- Familiarity with monitoring and evaluation.
- Significant relevant experience, preferably in comparable settings.
- Required to have oral and written communication and presentations skills equivalent in both French and English.
Success Factors
A successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members of varied work styles and cultures, follow procedures, and meet deadlines with flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving. S/he will have a proven ability to learn quickly, multi-task, prioritize, take initiative, and be accountable for results, understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details, problem solving, work within a complex and sensitive setting and to follow laws and security protocols. The most successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.
Living /Environmental Conditions
The position will be based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso with regular travel to Niamey. The location is accompanied and secure. Individual housing is available with freedom of movement beyond the house and office. There are international schools in Burkina Faso. Staff have good access to essential services, such as medical care, electricity, water, etc. This position requires up to 50% of travel by air and road to field offices in relatively secure environments but climatically harsh conditions. This position is not eligible for hardship and/or R&R benefits.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.
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. 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 Corp Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.**
More Information
- Job City Ouagadougou
