Position is contingent on funding
About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is a leading global organisation powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we collaborate to put bold solutions into action, helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.
Enhancing resilience is at the heart of what Mercy Corps does and how we work. Resilience means that people and systems can protect and improve wellbeing in the face of shocks and stresses. Mercy Corps strengthens sources of resilience to enhance the capacities of people, markets, and institutions to handle shocks, reduce risk, build more equitable and responsive systems, and improve well-being. Through our programs, partnerships, and influence, we support communities to cope, adapt, and ultimately thrive.
Since 1986, Mercy Corps Afghanistan has supported communities to recover and build resilience to future shocks, and promote sustainable change by supporting community-led and market-driven initiatives, with a focus on the most marginalised. Our objectives include meeting immediate food and nutrition needs through cash, voucher, and WASH assistance, strengthening capacities for crisis preparedness and response, and in so doing, contribute to resilience through inclusive, climate-smart water systems, enhanced livelihoods opportunities, food security, and social cohesion.
About the Programme
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has launched a call for proposals for NGOs to deliver the Promoting Resilient & Equitable Recovery of Agriculture and Livelihoods in Afghan communities (PREVALE) programme. The overall aim of the 5-year programme is to increase multi-year food productivity and profitability for vulnerable farmers, herders, and land-poor Afghans, including women with intersecting and overlapping vulnerabilities, build community-level resilience to climate and environmental risk, and strengthen livelihoods and local markets.
The FCDO envisions the programme will deliver the following Outcomes, (i) Livelihoods for vulnerable Afghans – including women, smallholders, and the land-poor – are more accessible, productive, profitable, and sustainable, (ii) Targeted communities are better able to anticipate, prepare for, respond, and adapt to environmental and climate shocks and stresses, and (iii) Targeted households have improved food security and nutrition, and reduced harmful coping behaviours.
General Position Summary
Mercy Corps is seeking candidates for a Consortium Director who will provide overall leadership, management, and strategic direction of an expected five-year PREVALE programme in Afghanistan.
The Consortium Director will be responsible for the management and successful delivery of all outputs under the programme, in addition to providing strategic leadership to the programme, representation of the programme with FCDO, government ministries and partners and managing the programme design and delivery team.
The Consortium Director will manage a Programme Management Unit and report to a Steering Committee established for the programme. They will lead a consortium of partners to ensure the overall technical quality, including national and international partners, and will ensure an integrated vision among different components and actors with a focus on achieving the results. The Consortium Director shall coordinate and ultimately be responsible for all Agreement management and implementation. The Consortium Director will be expected to identify issues and risks related to activity implementation in a timely manner, and suggest appropriate adjustments.
Essential Responsibilities
STRATEGY AND VISION:
- Lead the development of a vision and strategy for the programme shared with the consortium team and key stakeholders;
- Recognise opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative
viewpoints are welcomed;
- Set direction by prioritising and organising actions and resources to achieve objectives;
- Oversee the development of annual, integrated strategic work-plans for the programme;
- Foster a culture of collaborating, learning, and adapting for program effectiveness throughout the programme lifecycle;
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PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT:
- Oversee programme startup, management, and administration. Provide strategic guidance, oversight and quality assurance for all programme activities, outputs and deliverables;
- Assume overall responsibility for the effective implementation of work plans and ensure delivery is on time, within budget, meets donor and stakeholder expectations and is contractually compliant;
- Lead overall programme implementation; setting up team structures, Community Accountability and Reporting Mechanisms (CARM), safeguarding, and MEL systems;
- Monitor implementation progress, maintain up to date logs of issues and risks, work to resolve issues, manage and mitigate risks, and escalate material issues and risks as appropriate;
- Develop and implement plans for results measurement, monitoring and evaluation, knowledge management, value for money analysis and communication.
- Ensure that programme implementation is responsive to communities and partners and is consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant programme guidelines, principles, values, quality standards, and strategic plan.
- Confirm programme participants are targeted effectively according to transparent criteria.
- Develop partnership frameworks, partner agreements/Memorandum of Understandings, and oversee partner capacity strengthening.
- Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity, safeguarding and capacity building into all activities as appropriate. Certify all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No
Harm principles, and programme participant accountability standards.
- Ensure programme strategies and activities represent global good practice in market systems development, climate-resilient agriculture, water resource management, gender equality, and social inclusion.
- Fulfil Mercy Corps’ Programme Management Minimum Standards based on the organisation-wide guide.
- Produce written reports on programme activities, capturing the impacts of activities.
- Oversee efforts to design effective M&E and research & learning systems for the programme, and linkages with internal M&E systems.
- Conduct frequent field visits to all programme sites – spending up to 30-40% of time in the field.
TEAM MANAGEMENT
- Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
- Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
- Oversee and supervise the Programme Management Unit (PMU).
- Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
- Supervise and manage all programme staff to ensure day-to-day activities are implemented in a coordinated fashion according to schedule, budget and quality.
- Supervise and manage all programme partnerships to ensure sound coordination in the context of an overall programme strategic and resilience-building framework.
- Manage and help with the recruitment, orientation, professional development and ongoing training of PMU staff to ensure they are of the quality and technical capacity necessary to ensure the successful implementation of activities.
- Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
- Assist team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
REPRESENTATION
- In coordination with consortium partners, be responsible for the overall representation of the PREVALE consortium towards peer organisations, FCDO, de-facto Government representatives and other stakeholders.
- Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other relevant events in the field, in close coordination with the Country Director.
- Ensure close coordination and information sharing with consortium partners, sub-grantees, key stakeholders and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programmes.
- Engage with relevant coordination bodies in Afghanistan in cooperation with the Country Director, including but not limited to ACBAR, humanitarian clusters, UNOCHA, and relevant UN Agencies.
- Establish and maintain relationships with communities and local government.
- Coordinate with MC and partner communications and advocacy teams to promote programme successes through various forms of media in line with internal and donor priorities and regulations.
SECURITY
- Work closely with the country team’s security focal point to develop and maintain systems that promote the safety and security of all team members.
- Ensure that programmes are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of 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.
- Operationalise and maintain an incident management system for the consortium in compliance with organisational and donor requirements
COMPLIANCE, FINANCE, AND RISK MANAGEMENT
- Provide overall leadership to risk management of the programme, including maintaining programme risk registers, monitoring the contextual dynamics which may impact award performance, and leading the team to address programmatic adjustments required in light of contextual changes.
- In collaboration with the country programme’s operations and finance departments, ensure proper financial management, procurement, administration, human resources and logistics (including transport, warehousing, and asset management) needs of the programme are conducted within Mercy Corps’ policy and with the maximum benefit to the programme.
- Monitor adherence to grant agreement, Mercy Corps’ policies and procedures and relevant internal external rules and regulations..
- Work closely with the MC Country Director and PREVALE Steering Committee to address and mitigate potential administrative and bureaucratic impediments to successful program implementation.
Supervisory Responsibility
Expected to supervise several direct reports. The number of direct and indirect reports will be
determined at a later stage.
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Mercy Corps Afghanistan Country Director
Works Directly With: PREVALE Programme Management Unit (PMU), PREVALE Steering Committee, Mercy Corps Director of Programs, Director of Finance, MEL, Finance, and Operations teams, consortium partner focal points. Coordinates with HQ and Regional Programme team and the Technical Resources and Quality Unit.
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our programme participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Knowledge and Experience
- Master’s degree in a relevant field such as social sciences, international relations, development studies, etc. However, a Bachelor’s degree and five (5) additional years of relevant international development experience can be substituted for the Master’s degree.
- Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in the successful implementation of international development and humanitarian activities, with preference given to market systems, watershed management, agricultural livelihoods development, or climate-resilient agriculture programming – at least five (5) years of which must be in senior programme management, including direct supervision of professional and support staff.
- Experience working on FCDO programmes is strongly preferred. If not with FCDO, experience with high profile institutional donors is required.
- Experience in building the capacity of staff and partner organisations.
- Professional experience in fragile contexts is required, with experience in Afghanistan preferred, and with an in-depth understanding of gender, age, and other locally significant socio-cultural factors.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills. Demonstrated ability to think strategically and communicate his/her vision to partners and colleagues.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders, including government officials, NGO partners, and local communities;
- Proven experience navigating complex and high-pressure operating environments.
- Conflict analysis and Do No Harm analysis experience required.
- Fluency in spoken and written English required. Knowledge of Dari and/or Pashto is advantageous.
Success Factors
A successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members of varied work styles and cultures, follow procedures, and meet deadlines with flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving. S/he will have a proven ability to learn quickly, multi-task, prioritise, take initiative, be accountable for results, understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details, problem solve, work within a complex and sensitive setting, and to follow laws and security protocols. The most successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments, and prioritise effective written and verbal communication in all situations. He/she will also see the programme as part of wider Mercy Corps Afghanistan and Mercy Corps global programmes, and be excited to engage at a country office and organisational level.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
This position is based in Kabul, Afghanistan, with significant travel required to programme locations across the country. Accommodation in the country will be provided by Mercy Corps in a shared guest house.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organisations 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 organisation 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, colour, 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, programme 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. 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.
How to apply
To apply, please send your CV and Motivation letter to https://app.jobvite.com/j?cj=oq27tfwM&s=email