Position contingent on funding. Program expected to begin in October 2011
PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:
Mercy Corps has been operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since August 2007. Mercy Corps’ activities are currently in Economic Recovery, Environment, Food Security, Agriculture and Livelihoods, Good governance/civil society development, and Water Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH). The DRC staff is comprised of over 100 members who work in North Kivu and Orientale Provinces, including the national office in Goma, and a representational office in Kinshasa.
GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:
The Chief of Party (COP) will provide overall leadership, management, quality control and strategic vision to the implementation of a multi-million dollar USAID/East Africa program over four years. S/he will also be responsible for overseeing a consortium and a multi-sectoral and geographically spread team to ensure the achievement of objectives, in close coordination with a variety of stakeholders. The objective of the program will be to enhance the stable socio-economic recovery in targeted communities, with a focus on conflict prevention and management through strengthened capacity; ensuring citizen participation and good governance in communities; and improving agricultural and alternative livelihoods. The program will also have a strong gender and environmental focus.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
Strategy and Vision
- Provide leadership and strategic vision in all aspects of program implementation, development and management to ensure quality results and achievement of program objectives.
- Outline a strategic plan for the implementation of the program to ensure sound integration of multi-sectoral components, quality, efficiency and effectiveness, flexibility, innovation and impact.
Representation:
- Liaise with USAID and represent the program to other stakeholders.
- Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other relevant events in the field (including the Clusters), in close coordination with the Country Director.
- Coordinate activities with consortium partners, sub-grantees, local government and other stakeholders, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.
Team Management:
- Supervise and manage all program staff and coordinate with finance, administration and logistics staff in Goma and field sites to ensure day-to-day activities are implemented according to policies, plan, budget and quality expectations in a pleasant work environment.
- Manage and help with the recruitment, orientation and ongoing training and motivation of program staff to ensure they are of the quality and technical capacity necessary to ensure the successful achievement of objectives.
- Monitor and advise on staffing and staff development needs throughout the program.
- Create a work atmosphere conducive to producing results, professional growth, creativity, innovation and development of excellent personnel at all levels.
- Implement, and ensure all staff are effectively using the performance planning and management system, establishing performance expectations and regularly providing constructive feedback.
- Promote 360 degree accountability by conducting staff annual performance reviews with direct supervisees and ensuring that supervisory staff do the same.
- Contribute to country team-building efforts and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
Program Management:
- Ensure that program implementation is cohesive and responsive to communities, partners and stakeholders, and aligned with Mercy Corps principles, values and strategic plan.
- Oversee performance of consortium partners and sub-grantees.
- Conduct frequent field visits to all project sites.
- Facilitate the achievement of program targets and objectives and lead efforts to institute effective and robust M&E systems for the program, and linkages with internal M&E systems.
- Oversee the scheduling and production of formal and informal, internal and external reports on all aspects of the program in a timely and quality manner.
- Ensure that the M&E team focuses on assisting programs to generate practical information that can be used for ongoing program decision-making and information sharing, while also capturing results at the impact level.
- Produce written reports on the program activities capturing impacts related to all activities, as required by the Donor.
- In collaboration with the country program’s operations and finance departments, ensure proper financial management, procurement, administration, human resources and logistics (including transport, warehousing and asset management) needs of the program are met and conducted in accordance with USAID and Mercy Corps policies and with the maximum benefit to the program.
- Monitor adherence to grant agreement and regulations, Mercy Corps policies and procedures and relevant external rules and regulations, including those of the Congolese government.
- Ensure that the activities are gender and conflict sensitive, respect Do No Harm principles, and are well integrated into other key components of the program.
Security:
- Work closely with the country team’s security focal point to develop and maintain systems that ensure the safety and security of the team in all aspects of its work.
- Ensure that programs are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security management priorities.
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:
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:
Direct Supervision of: Governance Adviser, Livelihoods Adviser and other key program staff.
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Country Director
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Other in-country program managers, Head of Offices, support departments, HQ Program Operations Team members, and Technical Support Unit team members
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
- MA/S or equivalent experience in social science, management, international development or other relevant field.
- At least 10 years of overseas experience in at least one or more of the key areas of the program (community stabilization, community governance, livelihoods), including at least 3 years in a senior management position.
- Strong understanding of USAID compliance issues.
- Strong management and organizational skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues.
- Fluency in French is required, with strong written and oral communication skills in English, including report development, writing and editing also strongly preferred.
- Swahili language skills highly desirable.
- Experience managing a consortium/sub-grantees preferred.
- Experience in successfully managing integrated multi-sectoral programs preferred.
- Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently as well as cooperatively with team members.
- Experience in Africa preferred, preferably in DRC.
- Patience, perseverance, initiative and a sense of humor required.
SUCCESS FACTORS:
The successful COP will be familiar with the opportunities and challenges of rural and peri-urban integrated community development/stabilization programming, with a strong combination of team leadership, grant management and reporting and donor and government communication skills. The position requires an ability to think creatively about improving agricultural and alternative livelihoods, and its linkages with economic development, governance and stabilization. A successful COP will complete activities in a timely manner and to a high level of quality, in accordance with Mercy Corps and donor procedures and guidelines.
LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:
While some conditions in the country are improving, there are still pockets of violence and variable levels of insecurity in Mercy Corps’ program areas depending on location (Goma vs. field sites). Years of conflict, neglect and weak governance have badly damaged the country's infrastructure, and air travel is necessary to get from one end of the country to the other. There are virtually no telephone land lines in the DRC, though mobile phones and cellular service are widely available. Internet is available in all Mercy Corps offices. Mercy Corps' national office in the DRC is in Goma, along the country's eastern border with Rwanda. Goma is a provincial capital of over 700,000 inhabitants, with access to many goods in shops and markets, restaurants and general health facilities. Education options also available.
Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/temporary duty assignment 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.
Please apply directly at:
http://mercycorps.silkroad.com/epostings/submit.cfm?fuseaction=app.dspjo...
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