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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, FFP, DFID 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. Mercy Corps plans to scale up and expand its humanitarian response to reach more beneficiaries with additional and varied assistance in a wider geographic area. All Mercy Corps interventions in DRC are implemented in a conflict and gender sensitive manner.

General Position Summary

The Rapid Response – SAFER Consortium needs a strong leadership and coordination function in order to operate effectively and deliver on its vision to be a leading national and global cash and WASH actor that supports the ability of vulnerable, conflict-affected people to cope and recover from shocks and influence national and global policies regarding the use of rapid response interventions in conflict contexts.

The SAFER Consortium Director serves as a strong team leader for the consortium as a whole, represents the interests of all five partnership, and ensures it is working effectively and efficiently across member agencies.

S/he will be an effective communicator with exceptional team building and coordination skills. S/he is responsible for managing the relationship between the five international NGO partners implementing a common, rapid response to the Democratic Republic of the Congo humanitarian crisis, while expanding the consortium’s portfolio of cash-based early-recovery interventions. S/he is detail-oriented with excellent planning skills. S/he will also be experienced in networking and donor representation.

The SAFER Consortium Director will provide operational leadership to the consortium. S/he will manage the contractual relationship between the different partners and the current primary donors; work with consortium partners to broaden that donor base and grow the funding portfolio; coordinate the delivery of high quality programming; report on the activities implemented based on donor regulations and build relationships between the consortium, the different clusters and working groups and early recovery working groups, donors, UN and UN coordination structures.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision

• Oversee the set-up of the Consortium governance structure;
• Ensure harmonization of technical t
• Maintain strategic vision and provide the operational leadership for the SAFER Consortium. Assist SAFER in planning its own development. Assist Mercy Corps in redefining the role in order to be more sustainable;
• Lead the development of the SAFER Consortium multi-year strategy and vision (2020 – 2022) and ensure successful role out of this strategy
• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and explore implementation possibilities with SAFER
• Maintain implementation momentum by consolidating implementation strategies and plans
• Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support
• Develop and manage a clear system for tracking and reporting against deliverables

Maintain strong and transparent communication with consortium partners

Program Management

Manage the contractual agreements with partners and Mercy Corps.

Oversee operational planning for ongoing program activities across the consortium

Ensure that program implementation is conducted with the respect to grant agreement(s) and timeframe * Ensure monitoring systems are in place, including gathering data for case studies and lessons learned

• Conduct planning and progress review meetings
• Adhere to all Mercy Corps procurement, logistics and administrative regulations related to programming
• Ensure timely submission of high quality donor reports on behalf of the consortium

Financial and Operational Management

• Ensure that procurement and logistic planning is done in a routine and effective way, ensuring WASH goods/services meet specifications and are procured/delivered to field sites in a timely way.
• In collaboration with operations teams, ensure WASH asset and stock management.
• Monitor quality adherence to grant and sub grants agreements, Mercy Corps’ policies and procedures and relevant external rules and regulations, including those of the government of DRC.

Coordination and Representation

• Participate in external representation of the consortium with various groups including donors, UN agencies, other humanitarian stakeholders;
• Represent consortium progress to donors as well as within the Cash Working Group;
• Share learning from the consortium with the greater humanitarian community within DRC as well as regionally and globally as relevant

Chair Steering Committee and Technical Working Group meetingsSecurity

Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.

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 Programs Director

Works Directly With: Emergency WASH Program Manager, KCRI Manager, , WASH teams, Protection and Gender technical staff, Emergency M&E teams, Emergency Finance Manager, Operational and Procurement teams.

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/BS or equivalent in international studies, economics or other relevant field; MA/S preferred
• 5-7 years of international relief and development program management experience, in emergency and recovery program management
• Previous experience in managing consortiums or managing/facilitating/influencing in network or partnership settings preferred
• Combination of direct and remote management experience preferred
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with colleague agencies
• Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving
• Experience working with local authorities, national and international NGOs
• 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.

Success Factors

The successful SAFER Consortium Director will combine exceptional team building, planning and communication skills and experience in maintaining donor and partner relationships. S/he will possess high level of adaptability and be able to adjust to a constantly changing working environment. S/he will have previous experience in implementing 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. Shared housing will be provided in Goma according to Mercy Corps DRC housing policy. Goma is a provincial capital of over 800,000 inhabitants. Travel may be required up to 40% of the time to program areas within North and South Kivu. Living in Goma is comfortable, although water and electricity can be unstable. Outside Goma, travel can be dangerous and unpredictable due to armed forces and rebel activity.

While security is quite stable in Goma, North and South Kivu 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. Air travel is necessary to get from one end of the country to the other. 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.

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