Duration: 91 days with possible extension
About Mercy Corps
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. Now, and for the future.
Program / Department Summary
Mercy Corps has been operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since August 2007, with a staff of over 300 people working in Eastern DRC, with the overall country goal to support vulnerable communities through crises, while fostering programs that build resilience and promote long-term change. Mercy Corps’ national office is in Goma with sub-field offices in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri. Mercy Corps’ key programming areas include a combination of longer-term development and immediate humanitarian response programs in order to:
1) Improve water service delivery and ensuring equitable access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene services, in urban and rural areas;
2) Improve food security and nutrition;
3) Promote diversified livelihoods, economic recovery and development.
Mercy Corps DRC’s humanitarian programs aim specifically to assist populations affected by the conflict and crisis in Eastern Congo. With funding from humanitarian donors including ECHO, OFDA and UN-donors, the humanitarian portfolio continues to expand in order to provide multi-purpose cash assistance and emergency WASH to displaced and host populations. An Ebola virus outbreak has recently been confirmed in Beni area of North-Kivu province. Mercy Corps is working in close coordination with other actors and is getting ready to prepare a WASH response should the Health Division requests more support from partners. All Mercy Corps interventions in DRC are implemented in a conflict and gender sensitive manner.
General Position Summary
The Emergency Program Manager (EPM) – Ebola Response is responsible for coordinating and implementing the delivery of WASH, BCC and potentially Food Security interventions for populations affected by ongoing EBOLA epi. Position includes daily management of program activities and program staff, ensuring appropriate systems and support mechanisms are in place to track, analyze and report on results.
The EPM is a strong team leader, able to develop and mentor field team members, s/he is an effective communicator, able to work remotely with internal and external stakeholders to achieve common objectives. S/he is responsible for managing relationships with local partners and international colleague agencies, beneficiaries, local authorities and donor representatives, thus contributing to achievement of agency goals through innovation, program development and displaying expertise in humanitarian programming.
The EPM Manager is an effective communicator able to work with internal and external stakeholders to achieve common objective and to represent Mercy Corps in relevant humanitarian coordination and other key coordination mechanisms. S/he will be a strong technical leader and will have excellent planning and remote management skills.
Essential Job Responsibilities
Strategy & Vision
- Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
- In coordination with management, set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to country-wide strategy development.
- Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support.
COORDINATION AND REPRESENTATION
- Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships, sub-grantees, donors, local authorities and other stakeholders.
- Communicate effectively to ensure overall targets and donor obligations are met.
- Identify, build and manage partnerships on state and local levels with different stakeholders such as state and local government, civil society, UN agencies, peer INGOs, businesses and program participants.
- Host and ensure logistic support for donor or other stakeholders field visits including donors, partners, and technical support visits.
- Participate actively to coordination meetings with emergency stakeholders (OCHA, WASH and other relevant Clusters, CCM, humanitarian actors, government of DRC). This may include representing Mercy Corps in coordination meetings.
- Demonstrate flexibility, resilience and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure.
program Management
- Oversee program start-up and ongoing program management and administration of the teams across the various field locations;
- Ensure that program implementation is conducted with the respect to the security protocols, responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan;
- Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria;
- Develop partners MoUs and contracts & oversee a training program for program partners;
- Develop program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks, beneficiary targeting, distribution process as well as capacity building of partners.
- Establish and maintain effective program reporting, monitoring and evaluation systems for both internal and external use in coordination with the program staff, including end-user monitoring to ensure that designated households are receiving quantity of intended food and non-food items;
- Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate;
- Ensure MC has up-to-date information on the affected and targeted community and coordinates beneficiary lists and numbers with different stakeholders;
- Adhere to all MC area of security, operations and transport/ logistics information related to programming;
- Ensure monitoring systems are in place, including gathering data for case studies. This will include both direct and remote monitoring where access is limited or restricted.
- Ensure program filing system is in place, adheres to internal and donor’s regulation and filing is regularly maintained
- Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
- Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT
- Collaborate and communicate with finance, procurement, logistics, HR and admin teams in an effective and inclusive way, ensuring program planning is participatory of support departments.
- Oversee and ensure that procurement and logistic planning is done in a routine and effective way,
- Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming;
- Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.
- Oversee the program budgets, project cash flow and expenditures
Security
- Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
- Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.
- Ensure compliance with security procedure in line with the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) to minimize risk upon staff.
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.
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Emergency Director
Works Directly With: Field-based security, logistics and finance teams, HQ-based Program Operations, Finance, and Technical Support Unit (TSU) staff, (Humanitarian Leadership Response) HLR team.
Knowledge and Experience
- BA/S or engineering, management, international development or other relevant field. MAs preferred.
- 3-5 years of international relief and development program management experience, in emergency program management.
- Previous experience in operating and managing teams in conflict and insecure environments, required
- Combination of direct and remote management experience preferred.
- Previous demonstrated experience in WASH programming including Behavior Change component in insecure settings, highly desirable
- Demonstrated ability to manage and communicate effectively with team members of varied work styles.
- Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.
- Proven ability to learn quickly, lead a program to achieve stated results and objectives.
- Experience with the development, implementation & compliance of USAID (OFDA and FFP)/DFID and ECHO funded programs.
- Experience working with local authorities, host governments, national and international NGOs.
- Understanding of best practices for gender and protection mainstreaming in programs required.
- Ability to effectively represent Mercy Corps and its interests to key stakeholders.
- Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.
- Excellent oral and written English and French skills required.
- Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.
- Knowledge of Sphere standards and other training in humanitarian response preferred.
Success Factors
The successful EPM will combine exceptional management skills and experience in maintaining donor and partner relationships. S/he will have an outstanding ability to develop, implement and manage programs within the current and future program structure of Mercy Corps in the region. S/he will also have proven experience with cross-cultural team and capacity building, individual staff development and strong mentoring skills. S/he will possess high level of adaptability and be able to adjust to the constantly changing working environment. S/he will have previous experience in implementing large scale emergency programs in insecure and conflict context. Prioritizing, problem solving, ability to seize opportunities, attention to detail and strategic vision are essential. The most successful Mercy Corps staff 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 Conditions / Environmental Conditions
This position is an unaccompanied position. The position is based in Butembo and eligible for R&R and hardship. Travel may be required up to 40% of the time to program areas within North Kivu and Ituri. Outside Goma, travel can be dangerous and unpredictable due to armed forces and rebel activity.
North Kivu and Ituri continue to be an arena of violence and insecurity. Mercy Corps’ sub-offices experience variable levels of insecurity, with the situation closely monitored by UN peacekeepers. Mobile phones and cellular service are widely available. Internet is available in all Mercy Corps offices. Travel to field sites will be required where living conditions are clean and secure, but basic. There are a number of health services available with evacuation options for serious illnesses. There is reasonable access to most consumer goods, although they can be expensive.
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. Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside 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.
Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision. Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.
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More Information
- Job City Butembo
