Mercy Corps Hiring Deputy Field Director

Job details

Description

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long-term impact.

Mercy Corps began working in Kenya in 2008 and has to date built a robust and diverse portfolio of programs aimed at sustainably improving the lives and livelihoods of Kenyans affected by poverty, resource scarcity and conflict.

To do this, we deliver integrated programming to strengthen resilience, market, and governance systems, address the root causes of conflict, and equip vulnerable populations- in particular youth, women, adolescents, and marginalized social groups- with the skills, opportunities, and resources they need to be healthy, productive, and drive the development of their communities.

Mercy Corps Kenya also collaborates with Mercy Corps teams and partners in neighboring countries to implement several multi-country and cross-border programs.

General Position Summary

USAID Nawiri has now accelerated implementation through year 4 and is implementing at full scale across 35 wards from 6 implementing offices. 

This requires additional technical coordination and operational oversight of all program activities The Deputy Field Director in each county will be responsible for driving integration of diverse technical sectors and coordinating county-level technical planning for the specific goal of sustainably reducing persistent acute malnutrition below emergency threshold levels.

The Deputy Field Director will lead coordination and collaboration of technical experts in water and health systems, social behavior change, resilient livelihoods, health systems strengthening and strengthening of market systems in Turkana.

Deputy Field Director will assist the Field Director in managing and developing work plans and strategies for sustainable, multi-sector programming that is accountable to the Government, participants and donors.

Deputy Field Director will work directly with partner agencies both national and international and county governments to achieve the objectives of the program.

Further the Deputy Field Director will support the roll out of collaborative, adaptation and learning pillar reporting across all sub counties to report against program minimum quality standards, program effectiveness, program outcomes and oversee context monitoring.

All engagement requires effective program coordination with operations and finance from inception to close out.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy, Leadership and Representation

• Communicate a clear vision of the complex program to county team members and other stakeholders that translates into concrete program design and incorporates learning.
• Support the Field director on county level planning processes and provide strategic updates in collaboration with technical leads.
• Support field Director and Sub County /Zone coordinators to ensure that all program activities are tightly integrated at the county and sub county levels and are responsive to the overall vision for the program – in close collaboration with the Nairobi-based technical leads.
• Support the Field Director in providing leadership, vision and strategy to the program’s overall technical direction and implementation.
• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed; promote and model a culture of learning and adaptive management.
• Ensure that cross-cutting aspects of the program such as gender equality, social inclusion, youth, climate adaptation, and resilience are included and well-integrated into the program implementation strategy in each county.
• Facilitate technical coordination meetings and review and reflections of USAID Nawiri staff and partners to share best practices across all USAID Nawiri areas and workstreams, while seeking opportunities to build USAID Nawiri staff’s capabilities.
• Collaborate with different program components including research, implementation, M&E and learning to drive collaborative learning and adaptation.
• Monitor performance of consortium partners and sub-grantees against the CLA Pillars – program minimum quality standards, program effectiveness, program outcomes and oversee context monitoring.
• Continuously monitors program performance and, in coordination with the Field Director, generates and evaluates alternative solutions and makes effective and timely decisions.

Team Management

• Support the Field Director to promote a culture of learning, systems thinking, and critical analysis. Create a working environment in which sharing of successes and failures is encouraged and capitalized through learning to establish mechanisms that ensure informed adaptive actions.
• Support the Field Director and Sub County/Zone Coordinators create a work environment of mutual respect that attracts motivated, skilled and effective team members and enables them individually and collectively to strive to achieve excellence.
• Supervise, provide leadership, mentor and build the capacity of direct reports, including through individualized professional development plans.
• Assist in connecting research results and best practices in M&E and CLA to ensure that information and knowledge is accessible to all staff and partners.
• Hire, onboard and lead team members so that they are positioned for success.
• Support the Field Director to coordinate county-level USAID Nawiri staff and oversee the timely development and submission of quality program reports, work plans and budgets.

Program Management

• Provide technical supervision of and support to county technical teams, ensuring that all staff and consortium members are following work plans, activities are on schedule, and project deliverables are completed as planned.
• Serve as a resource for program staff and input into activity design, evidence-based programming, M&E plans, and impact assessments.
• Support internal and external reviews and lead the analysis of findings, with a strong emphasis on learning.
• Work daily with program staff and receive regular updates of program activities- ensure activities are on schedule.
• Conduct regular meetings and receive routine reports from program functions, as per MC policies, and facilitate linkages to programming.

Information Management and Reporting

• In coordination with the Field Directors and M&E team, lead the technical team to set program targets, and monitor the implementation of activities against the CLA pillars of program quality, effectiveness and contribution to outcomes as well as context monitoring of issues that are affecting implementation through regular field visits and assessments to ensure program quality and impact. This includes oversight and follow up of the county issues log and risk register.
• Provide technical input when requested in the development of the concept notes, deliverables and overall quality of work of any internal or external partners.
• In coordination with the Communications Specialist, support the scheduling and production of formal and informal reports on all aspects of the program in a timely and efficient manner.
• Ensure M&E CLA and technical teams are working together to analyze program data and using it for learning and decision making

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 both abiding by and aware of policies.

Safeguarding

• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work
• Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members
• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; an advanced degree is preferred
• At least 7 years’ work experience with 3 years field experience managing diverse multi-sector, multi-partner programs and teams (familiarity with nutrition programming preferred).
• Proven experience managing a large team with programmatic and operational functions.
• Deep familiarity with the local context in the ASALs. Direct experience in either Turkana is required.
• Demonstrated ability and/or appetite to demand evidence and translate it into practice.
• Demonstrated ability working with policymakers/practitioners on translating evidence into practice.
• Strong writing skills: ability to analyze and consolidate information into succinct and timely reports.
• Highly proficient English verbal and written skills; additional verbal proficiency in Turkana/Samburu preferred.

Success factors/ essential skills:

• Initiative-taker, multi-tasker, and able to work effectively and respectfully with local government, private sector, civil society and donors.
• Demonstrated experience in setting up and managing systems and procedures as well as experience in building team commitment toward the achievement of program objectives.
• Team-player with a positive attitude to problem solving and conflict resolution. Focused on team building and capacity-building of program staff and will be able to apply creative solutions to program quality.
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities under tight deadlines and to calmly and diplomatically deal with unexpected events impacting program operations.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The positions are based in the following location: Lodwar. Housing for this role is in individual housing and staff will have access to good medical services and the living situation is of a high standard.

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 a 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 based on 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 and have signed on to the  Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. 

By applying for this role an applicant confirms that they have not previously violated an employer’s sexual misconduct, sexual exploitation and abuse, child safeguarding or trafficking policy. 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 Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times.

Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline ([email protected])

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