Organization: Mercy Corps
Location: Nairobi
Grade: Senior level – Senior
Occupational Groups:
Operations and Administrations
Democratic Governance
Public Policy and Administration
External Relations, Partnerships and Resource mobilization
Cash-Based Interventions
Climate Change
Project and Programme Management
Managerial positions
Closing Date: 2024-08-30
Location: Nairobi, Kenya (with possible relocation to Sudan as context and strategy evolve)
Position Status: Full-time, permanent (12 months with potential for extension based on availability of funds)
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.
The Program / Department / Team
Mercy Corps’ Sudan crisis response seeks to meet the humanitarian needs of vulnerable Sudanese and other conflict-affected people across the country. Mercy Corps Sudan is recognized as a leader in market systems, agricultural, and food security and building on this experience, the MC Sudan humanitarian program will layer in resilience and other program activities where appropriate and feasible to do so. Assistance is delivered with a focus on needs, in partnership with local actors and civil society.
The Cash Consortium of Sudan (CCS) is a collaborative platform to advance a progressive vision of the potential of cash assistance to transform humanitarian response and recovery in partnership with vulnerable conflict-affected populations. CCS is led by Mercy Corps, building on its global experience and learning on leading cash consortia in multiple country contexts, as well as general expertise in cash coordination and breadth of technical resources. International partners include Acted, CARE, CORE, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), each of which bring strong cash and complementary technical competencies, as well as expansive operational coverage in Sudan. The CCS also includes nine Sudanese NGOs as partners in alignment with global aid sector commitments to enhance the prominence of local actors in driving humanitarian response and recovery. IMPACT is a non-implementing partner dedicated to Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning. IMPACT will support quality data systems and an objective evidence base that will be essential to CCS’ accountability and adaptive management to refine programming approaches to enhance impact as the Sudan crisis context evolves. The CCS will work closely with other consortia and actors in Sudan to deliver an effective CVA response for communities affected by the crisis.
The core pillars of the CCS response include: 1) basic needs through cash assistance both at the community level through Group Cash Transfers (GCTs) delivered to Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), as well as at the household-level through Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA); 2) strengthening market systems to ensure resilience of key market actors and supply chains as well as strengthening the availability and affordability of key commodities; 3) strengthening capacity of local partner organizations with an emphasis on accompaniment and mentorship; and 4) generation of learning and evidence to inform broader response efforts.
The Position
The Deputy Chief of Party is primarily responsible for working closely with CCS partner organizations on effective implementation across extremely challenging contexts such as the Greater Darfur Region, Greater Kordofan Region, and Khartoum. the CCS in collaboration with the CCS Steering Committee, to develop its progressive vision of the potential of cash assistance to transform humanitarian response and recovery in partnership with vulnerable conflict-affected populations in Sudan.
The Deputy Chief of Party will support representation of CCS through external coordination with stakeholders such as the donor community, peer NGOs and INGOs, UN agencies, and government as feasible.
Essential Job Functions
Program Management
Provide operational leadership for CCS implementation through active engagement with partners, with focus on proactive trouble-shooting on addressing operational challenges and raising issues as needed for consortium leadership to address.
Immediate priority is delivery of $50 million USD multi-donor portfolio for famine prevention & response
Support ambitious but pragmatic scale-up for additional reach
Support operational planning for ongoing program activities across the consortium.
Ensure program implementation is on scope, on time, on budget and with highest quality standards.
Advocate for data-informed decision-making and adaptive management; applying learnings to iterative programming.
Ensure partners are supported and accountable for tracking and reporting against deliverables.
Lead effective planning and progress review meetings.
Adhere to all grant holder(s) procurement, logistics and administrative regulations related to programming.
Contribute to timely submission of high-quality donor reports.
Assist partners with the mapping and contracting of financial service providers.
Advise partners, as needed, on implementation and overcoming implementation challenges.
Any other tasks as delegated by the Chief of Party.
Finance & Compliance Management
Ensure the consortium activities are compliant with donor and grant holder rules and regulations
Monitor expenditures and forecasts, ensure timely identification of under/over spends and propose and implement solutions.
Strategy
Contribute to the development of strategic vision for the CCS as a whole.
Continuously review and advise on adaptations and adjustments to the CCS vision for growth and sustainability.
Contribute to fundraising efforts for establishment and expansion of CCS.
Recognize opportunities for innovative action and explore implementation possibilities with the CCS.
Maintain strong and transparent communication with consortium partners at all levels.
Advocate for the resources and operational support needed for the effective running of the CCS.
Representation and Coordination
Support external representation of the consortium with various groups, including donors, UN agencies, the World Bank and local authorities as feasible.
Represent consortium progress to donors as well as within the Cash Working Group, the Emergency Livelihoods Cluster, other relevant clusters, working groups related to Social Protection, and other coordination fora as strategic.
Assist the Cash Working Group with various technical sub groups, such as the MEB working group, FSP working group and others as needed.
Chair Technical Working Group meetings.
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.
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 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
Dotted line to implementation leads of each partner technical lead on CCS grants.
Accountability
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: CCS Chief of Party
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: CCS Secretariat,CCS Partner Agencies, Mercy Corps Programs, Operations and Finance teams, Regional and HQ Technical Support Units
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 supporting consortia, coordinating forums or managing/ facilitating/ influencing in network or partnership settings required
3-5 years of experience in cash transfer programming in complex conflict settings
Combination of direct and remote management experience required
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively across multiple stakeholders
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 skills required, Arabic and French preferred
Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.
Success Factors
The successful Deputy Chief of Party will have strong direct and remote management skills with implementation in insecure and conflict contexts. S/He will have experience in building and maintaining partner and donor relationships. S/he will have an ability to approach complex challenges through a systems-thinking lens and have an ability to think creatively about solutions. S/he will possess a high level of adaptability and be able to adjust to a constantly changing working environment. Prioritizing, problem solving, ability to seize opportunities, attention to detail and strong team communication 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
The position is based in Nairobi, Kenya and it requires up to 40% travel to support consortium programming and operations in Sudan and neighboring countries such as Chad, South Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia. This may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. Housing for this role is in individual housing.
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 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 and have signed on to the InteragencyMisconduct Disclosure Scheme. 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 elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.