Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by
helping people build secure, productive and just communities.
Driven by local needs, our programs provide communities in the world’s
toughest places with the tools and support they need to turn the crises
they confront into the opportunities they deserve.
Mercy Corps is looking for a committed and dynamic individual to take up the following positions:
1. Sub-Grants Coordinator, PROGRESS Programme – Nairobi
Programme / Department Summary: The PROGRESS Sub-Grants Coordinator will
play a critical role in the successful implementation of a proposed
multi-year project as part of DFID’s BRACED initiative (Building
Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters). Mercy
Corps anticipates a programme award under BRACED to implement the
“Programme for Resilient Systems” (PROGRESS).
If awarded, PROGRESS will be comprised of a multi-partner consortium
poised to deliver a 36-month initiative designed to build absorptive,
adaptive and transformative capacity of more than 500,000 individual
households in northern Kenya (Wajir and Garissa) and northern Uganda
(Karamoja).
The Kenya-based F&A Manager will play a key role in implementation of the entire program.
General Position Summary: The Sub-Grants Coordinator oversees the inner
workings of the PROGRESS Consortium partner agreements and sub-grant
resources to ensure compliance with Mercy Corps systems, donor
compliance requirements, and overall efficient grant management with the
aim of timely deliverables, milestones and value-for-money efforts.
Essential Job Functions:
Program Implementation:
Oversee and coordinate management of sub-grant agreements and financial management of sub-grants
Review and track expenses and proper documentation as per
Mercy Corps procedures and donor requirements for record keeping and
accountancy
Responsible for processing of sub-grants and issuance of
payments, transfers and transactions between PROGRESS consortium members
as well as locally engaged partners.
Oversee pre-award and post-award activities include asset
control, timely reporting and contract fulfilment to check against
payment
Work with PROGRESS Finance and Administration Manager to
track budget and expenditures vis-à-vis sub-grant awards and ensure
proper reporting, documentation and overall deliverables are reviewed by
Senior Management and signed off on prior to issuance of payment.
Ensure consistency across sub-grantees on basic provisions and highlight issues that could be viewed as bias or discrepancies.
Provide regular reports on progress, issues, recommendations that need to be considered for operational adjustment
Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) and Reporting: Work with
the PROGRESS Senior Management, M&E and finance staff in Nairobi and
home office to ensure that PROGRESS deliverables are aligned with
value-for-money objectives and that financial milestones are
proportionate to program milestones.
Staff Management, Professional Development and Team building.
Create a work atmosphere conducive to professional growth and development of 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 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 Support Operations:
Ensure that PROGRESS financial systems are efficient and
are based on smooth-running infrastructure that facilitate timely and
efficient program implementation.
Provide regular review of
field operations to ensure cost-effectiveness and provide guidance on
improved operational practices for value-for-money.
Security:
Work with field office management teams to establish financial reporting
and management systems that ensure the safety and security of PROGRESS
financial resources including cash assets and records.
Organizational Learning:
As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative,
all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their time in
formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
Supervisory Responsibility: None
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.
Reports Directly To: Finance and Administration Manager
Works Directly With:
Kenya and Uganda Country Directors and finance teams, Kenya and Uganda
PROGRESS Programme Managers, Sub-Grants Coordinator and Sub-Grants
Officer, and technical and support staff from Mercy Corps office in
Portland, Oregon and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Knowledge and Experience:
Bachelor’s degree in relevant field, Master’s preferred
Minimum 5 years’ experience with grant management,
including pre- and post-award management, financial analysis, budgeting
and experience with DFID compliance requirements.
Excellent organizational skills with close attention to detail
Excellent communication skills- oral and written.
Must be able to work in a cross-cultural environment with strong diplomacy and negotiating skills.
Success Factors:
The successful candidate will have the following characteristics:
A strong team player, with good communication and diplomatic skills.
Proven ability to work independently as part of a regional team and with international professionals.
Excellent analytical and information management skills.
Good organizational skills and ability to work under stress and in austere contexts of remote locations.
Flexible and creative in planning and problem solving.
Attention to detail, ability to follow procedures and meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
Proven excellence maintaining professional internal and external relationships.
A focus on building staff capacity.
2. Programme Manager, PROGRESS Programme – Wajir
Programme / Department Summary: The PROGRESS Programme Manager will lead
the implementation of a proposed multi-year project as part of DFID’s
BRACED initiative (Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate
Extremes and Disasters). Mercy Corps anticipates a programme award under
BRACED to implement the “Programme for Resilient Systems” (PROGRESS).
If awarded, PROGRESS will be comprised of a multi-partner consortium
poised to deliver a 36-month initiative designed to build absorptive,
adaptive and transformative capacity of more than 500,000 individual
households in northern Kenya (Wajir and Garissa) and northern Uganda
(Karamoja).
The Kenya-based Programme Manager will play a key role in implementation.
General Position Summary:
The Programme manager will provide leadership, management and strategic
vision to the implementation of the PROGRESS in northern Kenya,
managing staff and resources, and consortium members, and to ensure that
the program meets its targets and deliverables on-time and within
budget.
The Programme Manager will supervise program staff in Wajir and ensure
accountability to Mercy Corps policies and donor rules and regulations.
He/she will report to and work with the Programme Director to engage in
program representation to donors, relevant government entities,
partners, other implementers and external stakeholders.
Managing the consortium-related aspects of this project will be key in ensuring the success of the project.
Essential Job Functions:
Program Implementation:
Provide leadership and strategic vision of program implementation, development and management.
Ensure that program implementation is responsive to
government counterparts, communities and partners, and aligned with
Mercy Corps principles, values and strategic plan.
Monitor adherence to grant agreement, Mercy Corps policies and procedures and relevant external rules and regulations.
Oversee performance of consortium partners/sub-grantees.
Conduct frequent field visits to all project sites and
maintain strong and productive relationships with various partners and
stakeholders at national, local and community levels.
Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) and Reporting:
Facilitate the achievement of program targets and objectives and lead efforts to design effective M&E systems.
Oversee the scheduling and production of formal and
informal reports on all aspects of the program in a timely and efficient
manner.
Ensure that M&E staff focus on assisting programs to
generate practical information that can be used for ongoing program
decision-making while also capturing results at the impact level.
Coordination and Representation:
Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and
other relevant events in the field, in close coordination with the
Country Director.
Coordinate activities with consortium partners, sub
grantees, local government and other implementers, as well as with other
Mercy Corps programs.
Staff Management, Professional Development and Team building:
Create a work atmosphere conducive to professional growth and development of 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 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 Support Operations:
Coordinate with program and finance and administration staff to ensure
operational systems are in place to support field activities including
logistics (transport, warehousing and asset management), procurement,
security, administration and human resources. Propose design of new
local policies for greater efficiency and cost savings, as needed and in
accordance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations.
Security:
Work closely with the country teams’ security focal points
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 Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative,
all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in
formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
Supervisory Responsibility:
Direct supervision of: Country-level Project officers,
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.
Reports Directly To: Programme Director based in Nairobi, Kenya
Works Directly With: Kenya Country Director, fellow Programme
Managers in both countries (where multiple programs operate), and
technical and support staff from Mercy Corps office in Portland, Oregon
and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Knowledge and Experience:
MA, MSc or equivalent in governance and public policy, economic development or environmental policy or related field.
At least five years of experience including three years in a
senior management position, including at a regional/cross-country
level.
Previous experience with and strong understanding of DFID rules, regulations and compliance issues
Strong writing, communication, organization, prioritization and negotiating skills.
Strong management skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues.
Experience contributing to donor-funded proposal processes including assessment, design, and writing
Proven understanding of both urban and rural livelihoods
systems, climate change adaptation strategies, and resilience
programming;
Experience implementing activities in Kenya, especially
northern Kenya/ ASALs – with a strong understanding of the current
political, economic, cultural and historical context. Knowledge of and
experience working in Karamoja preferred.
Excellent quantitative skills required. Financial accounting experience preferred.
Experience in building and maintaining strong/productive
relations with implementing and strategic partner agencies is preferred.
This includes coordinating with government authorities and
counterparts.
Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow
procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with
team members.
Demonstrated success building, managing and leading a team of professionals.
Experience working in conflict environments is preferred.
Security management experience in remote and insecure environments.
Success Factors:
The successful candidate will have the following characteristics:
A strong team player, with good communication and diplomatic skills.
Proven ability to work independently as part of a regional team and with international professionals.
Excellent analytical and information management skills.
Good organizational skills and ability to work under stress and in austere contexts of remote locations.
Flexible and creative in planning and problem solving.
Attention to detail, ability to follow procedures and meet
deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
Proven excellence maintaining professional internal and external relationships.
A focus on building staff capacity.
3. Finance and Administration Manager, PROGRESS Programme - Nairobi
Programme / Department Summary:
The PROGRESS Finance and Administration (F&A) Manager will play a
critical role in the successful implementation of a proposed multi-year
project as part of DFID’s BRACED initiative (Building Resilience and
Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters).
Mercy Corps anticipates a programme award under BRACED to implement the “Programme for Resilient Systems” (PROGRESS).
If awarded, PROGRESS will be comprised of a multi-partner consortium
poised to deliver a 36-month initiative designed to build absorptive,
adaptive and transformative capacity of more than 500,000 individual
households in northern Kenya (Wajir and Garissa) and northern Uganda
(Karamoja).
The Kenya-based F&A Manager will play a key role in implementation of the entire program.
General Position Summary:
The F&A Manager will provide leadership in management of the
PROGRESS financial portfolio encompassing both Kenya and Uganda, and
including the accountancy and financial reporting for the Mercy Corps
PROGRESS field teams, as well as consortium partners.
The F&A Manager will ensure regular review of program costs and
operations to evaluate performance for value for money and recommend
adjustments.
The Finance and Administration Manager will be responsible for
programmatic compliance with Mercy Corps standard operating procedures
as well as compliance requirements with donor rules and regulations.
Essential Job Functions:
Program Implementation:
The F&A Manager works under the guidance and
supervision of the PROGRESS Programme Director and with direct
interaction with the PROGRESS Programme Managers, Consortium Members and
the Mercy Corps Home Office Finance Team.
The F&A Manager is expected to be an integral part of the
senior management team in-country and work closely with the management,
technical and operations field and country teams in Kenya and Uganda.
Support the PD in managing all financial operations of the
project, including accounting and reporting, cash management, and budget
management.
Provide direct oversight of the PROGRESS Grants Coordinator and finance team.
Manage financial operations and financial reporting of PROGRESS.
Ensure that the project financial operations are in compliance with all DFID and Mercy Corps policies and procedures
Ensure monthly transactions are entered in the General Ledger accurately and on timely basis
Review and process procurements, vendor invoices, consultant agreements for payment
Be prepared to respond to any budgetary and financial
inquiries from the donor, consortium members and Mercy Corps senior
management within East Africa and home office in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Review semi-monthly payroll, ensuring direct accurate transfer
to employee’s checking accounts and remitting payroll deduction to the
correct government agencies.
Process and oversee advances issued in the Field Office for
field activities and staff travel, ensuring proper process for
disbursement of funds, correct documentation and settlement of advances
in a timely manner that is in accordance with Mercy Corps procedures.
Manage the timely submission of the monthly field office expenses to the home office
Analyze and reconcile the banking account into accounting system, following up outstanding items
Prepare estimates of projected expenditures and request financial resources from the home office.
Assist in overall management and inventory recording of all DFID property including procurement review and valuation.
Provide financial advisory on overall strategic program decisions.
Work with Mercy Corps Senior Finance Directors to conduct ad-hoc audit review of PROGRESS field operations
Other financial and administrative tasks as required and
assigned by the PD
Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) and Reporting: Work with the
PROGRESS Senior Management, M&E and finance staff in Nairobi and
home office to ensure that PROGRESS deliverables are aligned with
value-for-money objectives and that financial milestones are
proportionate to program milestones.
Staff Management, Professional Development and Team building:
Create a work atmosphere conducive to professional growth and development of 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 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 Support Operations:
Ensure that PROGRESS financial systems are efficient and
are based on smooth-running infrastructure that facilitate timely and
efficient program implementation.
Provide regular review of field operations to ensure
cost-effectiveness and provide guidance on improved operational
practices for value-for-money.
Security:
Work with field office management teams to establish financial reporting
and management systems that ensure the safety and security of PROGRESS
financial resources including cash assets and records.
Organizational Learning:
As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative,
all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their time in formal
and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
Supervisory Responsibility: Direct supervision of Sub-Grants Coordinator and Sub-Grants Officer.
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.
Reports Directly To: Programme Director based in Nairobi, Kenya
Works Directly With:
Kenya and Uganda Country Directors and finance teams, Kenya and Uganda
PROGRESS Programme Managers, Sub-Grants Coordinator and Sub-Grants
Officer, and technical and support staff from Mercy Corps office in
Portland, Oregon and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Knowledge and Experience:
Master’s Degree (desirable) in Accounting, Business Administration, or other relevant field
Professional accounting certification highly preferred
At least eight (8) years of professional experience managing
financial and administrative aspects of large international development
projects, preferably DFID-funded projects
Significant experience managing and supervising financial and administrative personnel
Commitment to excellence in financial systems and management,
and commitment to identifying and combatting fraud and corruption, and
ability to train staff in the same
Computer fluency including QuickBooks and Microsoft applications
Strong analytical and computer skills, with emphasis on budget and financial analysis
Fluency in the English Language, excellent communications and interpersonal skills
Success Factors:
The successful candidate will have the following characteristics:
A strong team player, with good communication and diplomatic skills.
Proven ability to work independently as part of a regional team and with international professionals.
Excellent analytical and information management skills.
Good organizational skills and ability to work under stress and in austere contexts of remote locations.
Flexible and creative in planning and problem solving.
Attention to detail, ability to follow procedures and meet
deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
Proven excellence maintaining professional internal and external relationships.
A focus on building staff capacity.
4. Communications Officer, YYC Rift Valley Program (Eldoret)
Program / Department Summary:
Mercy Corps’ goal in Kenya is to strengthen and sustain capabilities of
Kenyan society and stakeholders to be agents of positive change in their
communities.
It achieves this goal through three objectives:
1) Strengthened ability of local, district, and regional structures to manage conflict and become managers of democracy;
2) Empowered Kenyan youth to achieve a greater voice in national reform and create new livelihood opportunities and
3) More resilient drought affected populations in Northeastern Kenya.
The Yes Youth Can (YYC) program is a multi-year USAID-funded program
that focuses on building youth-owned, youth-led and youth-managed
institutional arrangements and capabilities at both national and county
levels.
Mercy Corps implements two of USAID’s regional YYC programs—one in the Rift Valley and one in Central region.
In partnership with the County Bungee Forums and SACCOs, Mercy Corps works to achieve the following four objectives:
Mobilize youth and form youth representation structures at the village and county level;
Support youth to exercise a greater voice in local and national affairs;
Increase youth productivity, employment opportunities, and income; and
Increase young women’s access to social, political, and economic opportunities.
Entering its fourth and final year of implementation, Mercy
Corps has reached 1.9 million youth in Rift and Central regions and
supported the development of over 11,000 bunges (youth parliaments).
General Position Summary:
The Communications Officer will be based in Eldoret with frequent travel
to Uasin Gishu, Kericho, Nakuru, Nandi, Elgeyo Marakwet, Trans Nzoia
and West Pokot Counties in Rift Valley as required.
In collaboration with the Chief of Party, Program Manager and Field
Officers to understand the mission, vision and activities of YYC
Regional and create effective communications materials.
Similarly collect and compile information about the YYC Regional program
for dissemination to program beneficiaries, stakeholders, the
government, CSOs and donors as per the instructions of the Chief of
Party.
Essential Job Functions:
Provide consistent, reliable, and meaningful communication to various stakeholders in audience-appropriate language and medium
Work with the management team to develop and implement a communications strategy within the budgeted framework.
Provide advice on crafting of relevant program messages and
promoting them through established media channels and through direct
communications with clients and partners.
Ensure proper and correct messaging of the YYC Initiative by all staff from the bottom up
Communicate to various stakeholders with appropriate frequency and timing
Produce program compelling news releases and newsletters in liaison with Chief of Party and Country Director.
Maintain and further develop our Yes Youth Can website and online presence including the youth social media.
Leverage bunges’ Facebook sites and social media to collect information and stories.
Oversee and supervise printing and design of publicity materials for YYC- Rift Valley.
Keep attuned to the changes and updates needed on the website
and other youth communication channels like Face book, Wwitter etc.
Draft stories and case studies of individuals and projects to be used in various communications materials.
Coordinate closely with Monitoring and Evaluation Staff to collective track and collect YYC’s story and impact.
Participate in planning films and videos on YYC Regional
programs as well as formatting & editing Quarterly and Annual
reports.
Train a cohort of Youth from Bunges and Boards to be able to document and write their stories and share them.
Compile the weekly report from the program managers and submit to the Chief of Party.
Undertake any other duties as assigned.
Supervisory Roles: None
Reports Directly To: Program Manager
Works Directly With: Program Managers, Program Officers, Specialists, and Field Officers
Education, Knowledge and Experience:
The Communications Officer should have an educational
background in public relations, journalism or marketing, but experience
and demonstrated skill set will also be taken into consideration.
Must have a Diploma, Bachelor’s Degree in Arts or Communications or other relevant degree.
Experience and skills from previous employment are a plus.
Must have good organizational, management and communications
skills. In addition, must be able to develop communications strategies,
and negotiate and collaborate with partners and outside teams such as
printer, web team, film makers etc.
Proven ability to work with different computer and software programs and packages and summarize information in different media.
Ability to work effectively as part of team in a cross-cultural and politically sensitive setting.
Professional communicator who can recognize a story and tell it in a compelling way to media, in newsletters, videos and online
Demonstrated passion and a commitment to changing lives of
others (especially youth) for the better and inspires others in that
passion and commitment.
Strong writing and presentation skills.
Computer skills beyond e-mail and word processing. Some graphic design and publication design skills are necessary.
Should be able to write interesting text to be used on the
website, email newsletter, face book and other online communications.
Writing must be grammatically correct and in good standard English
Should be a dynamic team player and a collaborator with strong networking and negotiation skills.
Must be ready to comply and live up to and in accordance with Mercy Corps Kenya ideals and values.
Must have demonstrable good relational skills.
Success Factors
Excellent communication and team-building techniques
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment
Demonstrated strong understanding of cultural and social environment in Central Province & Rift Valley.
Willingness and ability to work effectively with a wide variety of people
Ability to work as part of a team and coordinate with other project personnel
Strong computer and organizational skills
Proactive, creative and problem-solver.
5. Capacity Building Specialist, YYC Central Program (Thika)
Program / Department Summary:
Mercy Corps’ goal in Kenya is to strengthen and sustain capabilities of
Kenyan society and stakeholders to be agents of positive change in their
communities.
It achieves this goal through three objectives:
1) Strengthened ability of local, district, and regional structures to manage conflict and become managers of democracy;
2) Empowered Kenyan youth to achieve a greater voice in national reform and create new livelihood opportunities and
3) More resilient drought affected populations in North Eastern Kenya.
The Yes Youth Can (YYC) program is a multi-year USAID-funded program
that focuses on building youth-owned, youth-led and youth-managed
institutional arrangements and capabilities at both national and county
levels.
Mercy Corps implements two of USAID’s regional YYC programs—one in the Rift Valley and one in Central region.
In partnership with the County Bungee Forums and SACCOs, Mercy Corps works to achieve the following four objectives:
1) Mobilize youth and form youth representation structures at the village and county level;
2) Support youth to exercise a greater voice in local and national affairs;
3) Increase youth productivity, employment opportunities, and income; and
4) Increase young women’s access to social, political, and economic opportunities.
Entering its fourth and final year of implementation, Mercy Corps has
reached 1.9 million youth in Rift and Central regions and supported the
development of over 11,000 bunges (youth parliaments).
General Position Summary:
The Capacity Building Specialist will be responsible for ensuring that
mobilization of village youth bunges, capacity building program and
training programs for youth structures, county forums and county
secretariats set up, grants implementation and project closure are
implemented in an effective and efficient manner.
S/he will work closely with the Program Manager to liaise with relevant
authorities and other organizations to ensure the implementation of
quality programs in Central region.
Essential Job Functions:
Provide ongoing technical support at the county level and advice to Mercy Corps and County Boards.
Liaise with and support key program staff to ensure that the
Yes Youth can program is running effectively, making best use of project
resources at the county level and effectively providing helpful advice
and services to the village bunges.
Assess and develop County Boards’ organizational capacities to
successfully implement Yes Youth Can County Board work plans and follow
up with their strengthening plans.
Coordinate with County Bards with mobilization and training of
youths and support to the village bunges with a focus on civic
engagement, livelihood development and other positive social change
activities.
Work with the Program Manger and County Board executive to set
up county secretariat including equipment set up and training of the
officials.
Provide support in increasing young women participation in the
program and increased access to opportunities as per program objective.
Plan, monitor and measure impact of program activities in the field, keeping Program Manager informed at all times
Prepare accurate and timely monitoring and field reports,
coordinate and collect monthly quarterly County board reports and other
project documentation as required.
Attend coordination and partner meetings with county boards
and stakeholders and coordinate activities with all involved
stakeholders.
Coordinate the procurement processes of all the program
activities in the counties of responsibilities ensuring timely paperwork
and adherence to procurement procedures.
Stay abreast of project developments and needs and communicate the same to the Program Manager & COP
Supervise 2 Field Officers as well as the County Presidents as they execute the
County work plans giving mentorship and coaching at all times.
Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in
such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize
its humanitarian mission.
Other duties as assigned.
Supervisory Responsibility: Field Officers
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Program Manager
Works Directly With: Administration/ Logistics Officer, Gender and training specialist, M&E officer, Finance Officer and County Board.
Knowledge and Experience:
University degree, preferably in community development, economic development, youth development or related field;
2-3 years’ experience working with NGOs on peacebuilding, economic development and youth based programs;
Commitment to working with youth and vulnerable groups in need, regardless of race, tribe, religion or gender;
Ability to take initiative and act independently when appropriate or necessary;
Willing to work in the field with very nascent youth structures with low capacity
Ability to organize events and evaluate program plans
Understanding of working with local partners;
Good spoken and written English;
Good knowledge of MS Office software such as excel, word, and Access;
Success Factors:
Hard working and committed to the promotion of Youth Empowerment & Peace in Kenya;
Strong organizational and communication skills;
Must be able to work independently while being a strong team player;
Ability to deliver high quality work in timely manner;
Strong interpersonal skills
6. Gender Specialist, Progress Programme – Wajir
Programme / Department Summary:
The PROGRESS Gender Specialist will work in collaboration with the
PROGRESS Programme Director, Programme Managers and PROGRESS Consortium
members in the implementation of a proposed multi-year project as part
of DFID’s BRACED initiative (Building Resilience and Adaptation to
Climate Extremes and Disasters).
Mercy Corps anticipates a programme award under BRACED to implement the “Programme for Resilient Systems” (PROGRESS).
If awarded, PROGRESS will be comprised of a multi-partner consortium
poised to deliver a 36-month initiative designed to build absorptive,
adaptive and transformative capacity of more than 500,000 individual
households in northern Kenya (Wajir and Garissa) and northern Uganda
(Karamoja).
The Wajir-based Gender Specialist will play a key role in implementation.
General Position Summary:
The PROGRESS Gender Specialist will work directly with the Programme
Manager in Wajir and is responsible for the PROGRESS gender strategy in
the context of Wajir and Garissa.
The Gender Specialist will work toward providing a framework of
activities to guide gender integration throughout the life of PROGRESS
and across all technical sectors with the goal of enhancing absorptive,
adaptive and transformative capacity for resilience of women and
augmenting access to assets, capital and decision-making processes.
The Gender Specialist will provide direct support to the Wajir Programme
Manager of PROGRESS to develop work plans per sector/practice area with
clear targets and timeframe to ensure a the greatest possible gender
integration into program planning, strategic prioritization and sound
implementation.
Programme emphasis will be on the role of women in collective decision
making around community and natural resources, and the individual
capacity for entrepreneurship and active market engagement including
value chain activities around livestock products in the pastoralist
context.
The Gender Specialist will also play a key role in advising around
advocacy, policy formulation and gender sensitive budgeting with local
and national government actors.
In addition the Gender Specialist will ensure that PROGRESS team members
and consortium partners are actively programming and operating to a
high-standard for gender integration into projects for all sectors and
practice areas including governance, market systems, gender empowerment,
and natural resource management with a focus in water resources
management, livestock and rangeland management, climate smart
agriculture, and urban issues.
Essential Job Functions:
Technical Capacity
Coordinate closely, work with and the Wajir Programme
Manager, Wajir-based Practice-Area Team Leaders and partners to promote
gender integration in to the various sector-based activities of
PROGRESS.
Develop training series on women leadership and negotiation,
including for the VSLA groups, and facilitating community-platform
debates;
Development of tools as needed for cross-cutting,
cross-cutting integration of women in decision making around household
governance, community change, management of natural and community
resources, and advocacy for policy and budget formulation that is geared
towards innovative gendered approaches.
Promote women leadership skills through VSLA component, engaging men in decision making tools etc.
In collaboration with the Mercy Corps technical support units,
set up gender-focused elements of the PROGRESS monitoring system and
work closely with M&E team to ensure sex and age disaggregated data
is collected and that gender analysis is applied.
Conduct regular community consultations to ensure programming remains gender sensitive and on-track.
Provide technical support on gender integration in various
market facilitation activities in Wajir and Garissa geared towards the
augmentation of value-addition for livestock products, small business
development, and general capacity building for women in pastoralist
settings, women in urbanizing contexts, and women who are transitioning
between the two.
Activity Design
Maximize program participation and increase empowerment opportunities for currently marginalized groups
Collect sex and age disaggregated data while performing proactive and recurrent gender analysis.
Curriculum development for after school programs to address
girls and boys and women-focused group series to ensure maximum
participant engagement from the beginning of the program while
mitigating risk of exposure to gender based violence.
Seek community recommendations on how to best overcome
identified challenges like engaging men in nutrition programming to
finding meaningful methods to include women in conflict management
interventions.
Establish current awareness of the importance of
gender-sensitive programming among target participant groups including
traditional leaders, government officials, health workers and youth
group participants.
Participate actively in the design of the value-chain and
small business development activities in rural Wajir County, Wajir Town
and Garissa town to ensure adequate gender integration components.
Research & Learning Studies
Design qualitative research from the Gender Empowerment and Decision-making learning study.
Work with the PROGRESS Consortium partners focused on
Monitoring and Evaluation and learning and advocacy partners to support
and conduct studies as well as learning events.
Gender Mainstreaming
Support development and dissemination gender research
Develop/adapt gender mainstreaming training for Mercy Corps Wajir Field Office, partners and PROGRESS consortium members
Provide gender technical reviews to program proposals, program tools, internal and external communications as needed
Provide direct support for gender advocacy in policy
formulation at the county and national levels, along with
gender-sensitive budgeting that considers opportunities and mitigates
risks to women in pastoralism and those who are transitioning out of
pastoralism.
Organizational Learning:
As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative,
all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in
formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
Supervisory Responsibility: Gender Officers / Community Mobilizers
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.
Reports Directly To: Programme Manager
Works Directly With: Wajir Programme Manager and Team Leaders,
Consortium partners and technical and support staff from Mercy Corps
office in Portland, Oregon and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Knowledge and Experience:
5 years of experience in design and implementation of development programs, preferably with a gender focus
Strong background in gender programming approaches
Bachelor’s degree in relevant subject, Masters Degree preferred
Experience conducting research and analysis on gender issues, including leading focus groups or research on sensitive issues
Experience working in the sectors of sexual and gender based
violence, harmful traditional practices, the role of women in
community-led processes, especially around natural resource management
and other sensitive gender issues
Experience in the ASALs and working with pastoralist and Muslim-communities preferred
Experience designing and adapting programmatic tools to address gender issues or to promote positive gender outcomes
Experience working on project monitoring and evaluation
Experience with training and capacity building of team members and partners
Experience with the impact on women and girls of inter-community conflict a plus
Experience working in Kenya, especially Northern Kenya
Success Factors:
The successful candidate will have the following characteristics:
A strong team player, with good communication and diplomatic skills.
Proven ability to work independently as part of a regional team and with international professionals.
Excellent analytical and information management skills.
Good organizational skills and ability to work under stress and in austere contexts of remote locations.
Flexible and creative in planning and problem solving.
Attention to detail, ability to follow procedures and meet
deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
Proven excellence maintaining professional internal and external relationships.
A focus on building staff capacity.
7. Governance Team Leader, PROGRESS Programme – Wajir
Programme / Department Summary:
The Governance Team Leader will work in collaboration with the PROGRESS
Programme Director, Programme Managers and PROGRESS Consortium members
in the implementation of a proposed multi-year project as part of DFID’s
BRACED initiative (Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate
Extremes and Disasters).
Mercy Corps anticipates a programme award under BRACED to implement the “Programme for Resilient Systems” (PROGRESS).
If awarded, PROGRESS will be comprised of a multi-partner consortium
poised to deliver a 36-month initiative designed to build absorptive,
adaptive and transformative capacity of more than 500,000 individual
households in northern Kenya (Wajir and Garissa) and northern Uganda
(Karamoja).
The Wajir-based Governance Team Leader will play a key role in implementation.
General Position Summary:
The Governance Team Leader will be responsible for overseeing program
activities aimed at strengthening the horizontal and vertical linkages
of governance with the aim of community development, advocacy and
increased public sector support towards public projects, plans and
budgets that enhance resilience.
This includes leading community mobilization and engagement efforts,
promoting engagement of local government departments, and advocating for
strengthening of policies within the PROGRESS practice areas (water
resources management, livestock and rangeland management, climate-smart
agriculture, urban economic linkages).
Essential Job Functions:
Program Implementation:
Providing research, review, advocacy, coordination and
support to policy formulation between remote communities in Wajir, Wajir
County Government departments, and national level government
counterparts,
Coordinating and supervising the implementation of sub program
activities by leading local level Shared Learning Dialogue sessions
between the PROGRESS Team and practice area line ministries.
The SLDs will constitute a series of dialogue workshops that
engage both public and private sector actors around innovation and
learning for greater resilience.
Facilitating technical coordination of technical and
financial, budget actors in interventions of the various PROGRESS
practice areas to respond to current government strategic plans and
community led initiatives.
Maintain strong, up-to date understand of the national and
local-level policy environment, including donor initiatives and funded
activities and public budgeting processes, timelines and prioritization.
Foster enhanced communication and collective planning across
line ministries in a way that honors needs of communities with a focus
on gender-sensitive policy and budget planning.
Identify women in positions of community and local government leadership for targeted technical trainings.
Lead the planning and coordination of targeted learning events
that emphasize public-sector innovation around public-private ventures.
Support coordination of large-scale infrastructure projects
and other elements of an enabling market environment that local and
national governments should consider when attempting to invite private
sector investment and market activity.
Draw on technical resources from with Mercy Corps and PROGRESS
Consortium Partners including the University of Nairobi to forge
relationships with local government and civil society as a technical
resource.
Strengthen the role of civil society by promoting civic
agency, advocacy and participatory planning with the public sector and
market actors.
Ensure that women and girls are actively participating in
community engagement processes and that issues affecting women are
brought in to the public realm when addressing the strategies for
government to support community-wide resilience.
Provide support, oversight and technical guidance to local
Consortium Partners in Wajir tasked with community engagement and
advocacy.
Liaise between PROGRESS Consortium, local government
counterparts, relief, aid and resilience agencies and bi-lateral
organizations such as UN agencies that support planning and policy for
development and management of natural resources and economic
development.
Ensure that coordination linkages are drawn between PROGRESS,
DDR and Climate Change Adaption programs and that climate-relevant
information from these fora are integrated in to PROGRESS community
mobilization and engagement efforts.
Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) and Reporting:
Support Programme Manager in the achievement of program
targets and objectives and support efforts towards the design effective
M&E systems and operations.
Facilitate the coordination, scheduling and production of
formal and informal reports and documentation and communication of
reports and learning materials.
Actively record, document and demonstrate all aspects of governance activities for impact measurement and learning purposes.
Coordination and Representation:
Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other
relevant events in the field, in close coordination with the Programme
Director.
Attend key events, committee meetings, fora, seminars, etc. as they relate to East Africa resilience.
Coordinate activities with consortium partners, sub grantees,
local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy
Corps programs.
Staff Management, Professional Development and Team building:
Contribute to country team-building efforts, and ensure the integration
of all team and consortium members into relevant decision-making
processes.
Program Support Operations:
Ensure close communication across cross-country field
teams and consortium members regarding program activities and plans,
challenges and obstacles to timely and quality implementation.
Coordinate with program, finance, and administration staff for troubleshooting and problem solving.
Organizational Learning:
As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative,
all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in
formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
Supervisory Responsibility: Governance Officer, Community Mobilizer
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.
Reports Directly To: Programme Director based in Nairobi, Kenya
Works Directly With:
Programme Manager, Team Leaders, Consortium Members, and technical and
support staff from Mercy Corps office in Portland, Oregon and Edinburgh,
Scotland.
Knowledge and Experience:
Advanced University Degree (Masters) in public administration, public policy, political science, or related field.
At least five years of experience including three years in a senior management position in relevant field.
Previous experience with and strong understanding of DFID rules, regulations and compliance issues
Strong writing, communication, organization, prioritization and negotiating skills.
Strong management skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-sector and cross-cultural issues.
Experience contributing to donor-funded proposal processes including assessment, design, and writing
Proven understanding of both urban and rural livelihoods
systems, climate change adaptation strategies, public administration and
resilience programming;
Demonstrated knowledge of the Kenyan political context
including devolution and recent constitutional changes and the
geo-political and socio-economic environment of northern Kenya in
particular.
Demonstrated familiarity with Somali culture preferred.
Excellent analytical and written skills required.
Financial accounting experience preferred.
Experience in building and maintaining strong/productive
relations with implementing and strategic partners and government
agencies is required.
This includes coordinating with local, national authorities and international counterparts.
Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow
procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with
team members.
Demonstrated success building, managing and leading a team of professionals.
Experience working in conflict environments is preferred.
Security management experience in remote and insecure environments.
Success Factors:
The successful candidate will have the following characteristics:
A strong team player, with good communication and diplomatic skills.
Proven ability to work independently as part of a regional team and with international professionals.
Excellent analytical and information management skills.
Good organizational skills and ability to work under stress and in austere contexts of remote locations.
Flexible and creative in planning and problem solving.
Attention to detail, ability to follow procedures and meet
deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
Proven excellence maintaining professional internal and external relationships.
A focus on building staff capacity.
8. Market Systems Team Leader, PROGRESS Programme - Wajir
Programme / Department Summary:
The Governance Team Leader will work in collaboration with the PROGRESS
Programme Director, Programme Managers and PROGRESS Consortium members
in the implementation of a proposed multi-year project as part of DFID’s
BRACED initiative (Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate
Extremes and Disasters).
Mercy Corps anticipates a programme award under BRACED to implement the “Programme for Resilient Systems” (PROGRESS).
If awarded, PROGRESS will be comprised of a multi-partner consortium
poised to deliver a 36-month initiative designed to build absorptive,
adaptive and transformative capacity of more than 500,000 individual
households in northern Kenya (Wajir and Garissa) and northern Uganda
(Karamoja).
The Wajir-based Market Systems Team Leader will play a key role in implementation.
General Position Summary:
The Market Systems Team Leader is responsible for leading the
implementation of facilitation projects that make market dynamics,
actors, institutions and services accessible to households within the
PROGRESS focus areas.
These activities will work through public sector enabling strategies and
private sector actors, seeking to crowd in provision rather than
displace or replicate private actors with donor-funded services.
Facilitation projects increasing access to technical services, improving
access to locally appropriate products, developing agent input and
aggregator networks, improving service offerings and profitable
provision of community animal health services, commercializing access
innovative energy products and methods, and expanding the role and
relationship of line Ministries in strategic prioritization of
investment for economic vitality that contributes to household and
community resilience.
Essential Job Functions:
Program Implementation:
With support from the PROGRESS Programme Manager and
fellow sector-focused Team Leaders, carry out assessments in the target
geographic areas to assess current situation, economic opportunities and
resources, needs and potential programs as well as obstacles that could
be mitigated through PROGRESS engagement with public and private sector
actors;
Recommend program priorities and explore, evaluate and present
new opportunities that leverage impact and/ or complement core
activities.
Emphasize the role of, and opportunities for women and girls in the economic realm in both rural roles and in the urban sphere;
Highlight market-based skills which are emerging with urban
growth and work with public, private and development actors on efforts
to match skills of people transitioning out of pastoralism and urban
poor for urban livelihoods and services;
Introduce the program to relevant stakeholders including local business
owners, local representatives and community members.
Foster ongoing positive cooperation with these stakeholders and forge links between market actors, producers, end users, etc.;
Ensure an integrated approach to program implementation in
order to maximize resource utilization and synergy between the staff and
different MC programs where relevant and feasible.
Provide direct and ongoing field supervision to provide
quality advise and technical review in areas related to economic
development;
Identify small business activities for seed support through basic improvements or inputs;
Identify value-addition opportunities that strengthen economic
opportunities, especially for rural women and urban poor, in the
livestock, poultry and other sectors as identified by local government
and independent studies and assessments; these will focus on urbanizing
areas of Wajir Town, Habaswein and Garissa Town particularly for
livestock, and climate-smart agriculture areas in northern Wajir that
promotes production and market links for agricultural produce;
Identify opportunities within the long-term plans of Wajir
County that can be fostered through progress, such as activating
initiatives in the peri-urban livelihoods zone;
Collaboration / Networking
Establish and maintain productive working relationships
with sub-county and district leaders and local government departments,
representing Mercy Corps in coordination meetings and soliciting their
participation in all activities where appropriate and as directed by the
line manager;
Ensure close coordination and sharing of information with
relevant stakeholders such as local government departments, NGO’s and
local authorities, as appropriate and advised by the line manager;
Identify opportunities for social innovation and enterprise
that could be launched through catalytic investments from PROGRESS, or
public and private sector initiatives;
Guide Shared Learning Dialogue series that are thematically
focused on enabling environment for market activity, including long-term
infrastructure strategy and prioritization and identification of
potential investors and innovators.
Lead the planning of Wajir-based and Nairobi-based learning
events, exhibits, workshops that bring private and public sector
entities together to collectively review and discuss technology
developments and innovation and to examine private sector approaches to
household and community challenges that can be incubated through public
sector incentives;
Engage with PROGRESS Consortium members such as local civil
society and the University of Nairobi around innovation and best
practices for new technologies in climate-smart practice, renewable
energy and energy saving methods;
Monitoring and Evaluation:
Take primary responsibility for district data gathering and documentation of program activities
Comply to M&E systems that will be established to measure program impacts and desired results
Analyze project implementation strategies to identify constraints to program success and provide timely recommendations;
Submit timely weekly, monthly, and quarterly report that will be indicative of program progress during implementation.
Where needed support external evaluations by research partner Feinstein International Center and other organizations;
Work with the M &E to ensure accurate and timely flow of
information from the field for entry in the database and for preparation
of PR materials
Coordination and Representation:
Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other
relevant events in the field, in close coordination with the Programme
Director.
Attend key events, committee meetings, fora, seminars, etc. as they relate to East Africa resilience.
Coordinate activities with consortium partners, sub grantees,
local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy
Corps programs.
Staff Management, Professional Development and Team building:
Contribute to country team-building efforts, and ensure the integration
of all team and consortium members into relevant decision-making
processes.
Program Support Operations:
Ensure close communication across cross-country field
teams and consortium members regarding program activities and plans,
challenges and obstacles to timely and quality implementation.
Coordinate with program, finance, and administration staff for troubleshooting and problem solving.
Organizational Learning:
As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative,
all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in
formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
Supervisory Responsibility: Market Systems Officer
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.
Reports Directly To: Programme Manager
Works Directly With:
Programme Manager, Team Leaders, Consortium Members, and technical and
support staff from Mercy Corps office in Portland, Oregon and Edinburgh,
Scotland.
Knowledge and Experience:
A degree, preferably graduate level, in Business Administration, Economics or Finance is required;
Minimum of five to seven years working for a formal financial
institution with orientation to mass markets or within the private
sector is required;
Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
Excellent computer skills, specifically in MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint;
Excellent attention to detail and ability to complete tasks in a timely manner;
Excellent teamwork abilities and interpersonal skills;
Familiarity with M&E, information, communications and
knowledge sharing technologies and use of innovative approaches on
digital financial services
Superb networking and negotiation skills required;
Strong analytical and quantitative skills as well as familiarity with financial accounting required;
Demonstrated flexibility, creativity and enthusiasm as well as
a willingness to learn and to be continually adaptive within a dynamic
and often self-directed working environment mandatory;
Ability to focus on day-to-day tasks at hand while also
working towards longer-term objectives with an understanding that these
will change continuously
Willingness to spend much time in the field and work closely with program target groups.
Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply
Success Factors:
The successful candidate will have the following characteristics:
A strong team player, with good communication and diplomatic skills.
Proven ability to work independently as part of a regional team and with international professionals.
Excellent analytical and information management skills.
Good organizational skills and ability to work under stress and in austere contexts of remote locations.
Flexible and creative in planning and problem solving.
Attention to detail, ability to follow procedures and meet
deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
Proven excellence maintaining professional internal and external relationships.
A focus on building staff capacity.
9. Natural Resources Management (NRM) Team Leader, PROGRESS Programme – Wajir
Programme / Department Summary:
The Natural Resources Management (NRM) Team Leader will work in
collaboration with the PROGRESS Programme Director, Programme Managers
and PROGRESS Consortium members in the implementation of a proposed
multi-year project as part of DFID’s BRACED initiative (Building
Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters).
Mercy Corps anticipates a programme award under BRACED to implement the “Programme for Resilient Systems” (PROGRESS).
If awarded, PROGRESS will be comprised of a multi-partner consortium
poised to deliver a 36-month initiative designed to build absorptive,
adaptive and transformative capacity of more than 500,000 individual
households in northern Kenya (Wajir and Garissa) and northern Uganda
(Karamoja).
The Wajir-based NRM Team Leader will play a key role in implementation.
General Position Summary:
The NRM Team Leader will be responsible for overseeing program
activities aimed at strengthening the horizontal and vertical linkages
that support good governance of community assets and resources derived
from the natural environment, including the land and the naturally
occurring elements above and below it.
The NRM Team Leader will lead the PROGRESS processes for engaging
communities, governments and private sector actors in collective action
plans that support household and community access to and management
natural, physical environment and the socio-ecological systems supported
by it.
This can include access to land and water resources for both human
consumption and livestock rangeland and watering, plus innovative
methods for land restoration and climate-smart agriculture.
Essential Job Functions:
Program Implementation:
Engage with remote communities to establish priorities for
community-led natural resources management, and lead process for
developing community NRM plans
Work in conjunction with local government to advocate for
community NRM needs and priorities, especially around rangeland
management for Wajir and water resources
Identify pilot opportunities for community NRM plan
implementation and manage pilot projects and monitor for possibility of
scale up.
Work within national and local government strategic plans for
resource management and advocate for cohesive implementation of projects
that demonstrates government responsiveness to community processes.
Identify opportunity areas for alternative methods of climate-smart agriculture, such as northern Wajir in the highlands.
Work with Mercy Corps technical staff, Consortium members such
as University of Nairobi and local partners to establish locally
appropriate pilots.
Work with private sector and line ministries to address
environmental harmful methods of extracting local natural resources,
such as lime, gums, resins, etc. and use Shared Learning Dialogues as a
forum for policy formulation around sustainable methods, alternative
energy mechanisms, and water management and conservation.
Coordinate with counterpart agencies and organizations
involved in conservation, climate change adaptation for information
exchange, learning and optimizing efforts and resources.
Engage pastoralists in inter-community dialogue around access to land and water for livestock management.
Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) and Reporting:
Support Programme Manager in the achievement of program
targets and objectives and support efforts towards the design effective
M&E systems and operations.
Facilitate the coordination, scheduling and production of
formal and informal reports and documentation and communication of
reports and learning materials.
Actively record, document and demonstrate all aspects of governance activities for impact measurement and learning purposes.
Coordination and Representation:
Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other
relevant events in the field, in close coordination with the Programme
Director.
Attend key events, committee meetings, fora, seminars, etc. as they relate to resilience.
Coordinate activities with consortium partners, sub grantees,
local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy
Corps programs.
Staff Management, Professional Development and Team
building: Contribute to country team-building efforts, and ensure the
integration of all team and consortium members into relevant
decision-making processes.
Program Support Operations:
Ensure close communication across cross-country field
teams and consortium members regarding program activities and plans,
challenges and obstacles to timely and quality implementation.
Coordinate with program, finance, and administration staff for troubleshooting and problem solving.
Organizational Learning:
As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative,
all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in
formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
Supervisory Responsibility: NRM Officer, Community Mobilizer
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.
Reports Directly To: Programme Manager
Works Directly With:
Programme Manager, Team Leaders, Consortium Members, and technical and
support staff from Mercy Corps office in Portland, Oregon and Edinburgh,
Scotland.
Knowledge and Experience:
A Postgraduate (MSc and PhD) degree in a related field of
expertise (e.g. NRM, pastoral livestock management, animal husbandry,
water resources, irrigation, agro-economy, rural development,
conservation agriculture, environmental policy, etc.).
Basic knowledge of various natural resource disciplines,
including air quality, water quality, geomorphic and hydrologic
processes, fire and vegetation management, fish and wildlife management,
aquatic and terrestrial ecology, conservation biology and restoration
ecology.
Knowledge and experience in either livestock and rangeland
management, OR irrigation, water harvesting and water saving methods in
arid lands, OR economic feasibility in agriculture and rural
development;
At least 8 years of technical and practical work experience in one of the required fields;
Experience and proven track record in rural development and
participatory methods (including participatory integrated development
plans)
Experience with working with pastoral societies, including
dealing with gender issues and complex social decision-making structures
/ conflicts.
Knowledge of legal, institutional and/or administrative aspects relevant to the topic / in the region
Expertise in organizational analysis and partner/project executing agency assessment.
Expertise in conflict sensitive programme design and monitoring.
Experience in environment and climate change assessments
Ability to effectively communicate natural resource information to diverse audiences through a variety of media
Success Factors:
The successful candidate will have the following characteristics:
A strong team player, with good communication and diplomatic skills.
Proven ability to work independently as part of a regional team and with international professionals.
Excellent analytical and information management skills.
Good organizational skills and ability to work under stress and in austere contexts of remote locations.
Flexible and creative in planning and problem solving.
Attention to detail, ability to follow procedures and meet
deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
Proven excellence maintaining professional internal and external relationships.
A focus on building staff capacity.
10. Programme Coordinator, PROGRESS Programme – Nairobi
Programme / Department Summary:
The PROGRESS Programme Coordinator will work in collaboration with the
PROGRESS Programme Director, Programme Managers and PROGRESS Consortium
members in the implementation of a proposed multi-year project as part
of DFID’s BRACED initiative (Building Resilience and Adaptation to
Climate Extremes and Disasters).
Mercy Corps anticipates a programme award under BRACED to implement the “Programme for Resilient Systems” (PROGRESS).
If awarded, PROGRESS will be comprised of a multi-partner consortium
poised to deliver a 36-month initiative designed to build absorptive,
adaptive and transformative capacity of more than 500,000 individual
households in northern Kenya (Wajir and Garissa) and northern Uganda
(Karamoja).
The Kenya-based Programme Coordinator will play a key role in implementation.
Summary:
The Programme Coordinator will work directly with Programme Managers to
support oversight of accountability and adherence to Mercy Corps
policies and donor rules and regulations, and program milestones and
deliverables.
He/she will report to and work with the Programme Director and engage in
program representation to donors, relevant government entities,
partners, other implementers and external stakeholders.
Essential Job Functions:
Program Implementation:
The Programme Coordinator will assist in overall program management of
PROGRESS program activities in both Kenya and Uganda, as well as
facilitation of communication and program documentation within the
PROGRESS Consortium through support to programme planning, strategy
development and communications between consortium members, program
management staff and external partners.
This role will also entail oversight of the multi-country activities of
PROGRESS to support the Programme Director to ensure cross-country
cohesion in resilience messaging, planning, monitoring, evaluation and
implementation.
The Programme Coordinator will also support operations around the
PROGRESS learning agenda within each of the programme locations (Kenya
and Uganda), and strategies for cross-country learning.
As deputy to the Programme Director, the Programme Coordinator will also
be tasked with a shared representational role at resilience events and
fora in the region and information management as it relates to
resilience within Kenya and Uganda.
The Programme Coordinator will also assist with oversight of the
PROGRESS communications strategy and lead in development of materials,
presentations and other media in accordance with the DFID compliance
requirements for the global BRACED profile.
Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) and Reporting:
Support Programme Managers in the achievement of program targets and
objectives and support efforts towards the design effective M&E
systems and operations.
Facilitate the coordination, scheduling and production of formal and
informal reports and documentation and communication of reports and
learning materials.
Coordination and Representation:
Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other
relevant events in the field, in close coordination with the Programme
Director.
Attend key events, committee meetings, fora, seminars, etc. as they relate to East Africa resilience.
Coordinate activities with consortium partners, sub grantees,
local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy
Corps programs.
Staff Management, Professional Development and Team
building: Contribute to country team-building efforts, and ensure the
integration of all team and consortium members into relevant
decision-making processes.
Program Support Operations:
Ensure close communication across cross-country field
teams and consortium members regarding program activities and plans,
challenges and obstacles to timely and quality implementation.
Coordinate with program, finance, and administration staff for troubleshooting and problem solving.
Organizational Learning:
As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative,
all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in
formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
Supervisory Responsibility: None.
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.
Reports Directly To: Programme Director based in Nairobi, Kenya
Works Directly With:
Kenya and Uganda Country Directors, Programme Managers in both
countries, and technical and support staff from Mercy Corps office in
Portland, Oregon and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Knowledge and Experience:
MA, MSc or equivalent in governance, public administration, environmental policy or related field.
At least five years of experience including three years in a
senior management position, including at a regional/cross-country level.
Previous experience with and strong understanding of DFID rules, regulations and compliance issues
Strong writing, communication, organization, prioritization and negotiating skills.
Strong management skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues.
Experience contributing to donor-funded proposal processes including assessment, design, and writing
Proven understanding of both urban and rural livelihoods
systems, climate change adaptation strategies, public administration and
resilience programming;
Experience implementing activities in Kenya, especially
northern Kenya/ ASALs – with a strong understanding of the current
political, economic, cultural and historical context.
Knowledge of and experience working in Karamoja preferred.
Excellent quantitative skills required. Financial accounting experience preferred.
Experience in building and maintaining strong/productive
relations with implementing and strategic partner agencies is preferred.
This includes coordinating with government authorities and
counterparts.
Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow
procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with
team members.
Demonstrated success building, managing and leading a team of professionals.
Experience working in conflict environments is preferred.
Security management experience in remote and insecure environments.
Success Factors:
The successful candidate will have the following characteristics:
A strong team player, with good communication and diplomatic skills.
Proven ability to work independently as part of a regional team and with international professionals.
Excellent analytical and information management skills.
Good organizational skills and ability to work under stress and in austere contexts of remote locations.
Flexible and creative in planning and problem solving.
Attention to detail, ability to follow procedures and meet
deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
Proven excellence maintaining professional internal and external relationships.
A focus on building staff capacity.
11. Regional Manager East Southern Africa - Nairobi
Program / Department Summary:
Mercy Corps’ operations in East & Southern Africa serve populations
in Zimbabwe, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda.
Fragility and volatility sum up the context within which Mercy Corps
East & Southern Africa is working, compounded by very low levels of
capacity, endemic corruption and continued rapid population growth.
While in some countries progress towards greater economic prosperity is
certainly being made (Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia), others are plagued by
chronic conflict and stagnant, if not declining, economies.
These are countries undergoing dramatic transitions that have the
potential to create significant opportunity for development and change.
Mercy Corps is well placed to play a meaningful role in supporting
forces for positive change in these countries.
Our path to being relevant and having significant impact will be through
the clear identification of high leverage strategies and related
resource mobilization, learning about what works in the current context
and leveraging regional initiatives.
General Position Summary: Reporting to the Regional Program Director
(RPD), the Regional Manager will support strategic, impactful,
high-quality programming in the Region.
The position is a key point of contact for field management including,
Country Directors and Mercy Corps country teams as well as headquarter
support.
Playing a key role in ensuring effective communication between the
regional office and the field, the Regional Manager links the country
programs to a range of resources and represents the region to relevant
stakeholders and other organizations/institutions in the Region.
S/he effectively supports and occasionally leads new program
development; assists with recruitment of field teams when required;
supports a broad range of initiatives; and assist in the response to all
public relations and information-flow needs.
S/he works with the RPD to provide the secondary check and support the
RPD to ensure all regional initiatives are adequately supported,
addressed and executed.
The Regional Manager will be tasked with identifying and supporting new
strategic partnerships with key peer organizations, government and donor
agencies, private sector actors and academic institutions; supporting
and assisting in the design of regional (multi-country) programming;
supporting key office support functions (recruitment, administration,
and logistics); and leading the coordination of regional
workshops/conferences.
Essential Job Functions:
Backstop and ensures high level of support to Regional
Support staff (Resilience, IT, Recruitment, Security, SV), Mercy Corps
visitors, and Consultants.
This will include obtaining visas, facilitating travel, and ensuring all needs are met.
Help ensure that new staffs transiting through the Region
(Nairobi) are welcomed and properly oriented in Mercy Corps’ systems,
procedures and protocols.
Understand donor and Mercy Corps policies, procedures, rules
and regulations to assist in monitoring and ensuring compliance. Support
in all aspects of administration, HR and logistics across the Region.
Assist Country Directors in the recruitment, selection, orientation and training of Mercy Corps’ program teams upon request.
Liaises with regional stakeholders as required.
Regional Manager represents regional interests and programs to external actors in the absence of the RPD.
This will include attending workshops, briefings, meetings, working groups, and other outside events.
Assists in the identification of partners in research and the
private sector for country/regional programs to team with and stimulate
innovative programming and improved research and learning.
Includes new corporate donor prospects to expand the corporate portfolio in the East & Southern Africa region.
Provide support to all proposal development efforts and assist
the RPD to develop, expand and diversity fundraising tactics and
sources in support of regional and country strategies.
Will often acts as focal point for new regional initiatives
through coordination of proposal development - monitoring the timeline,
communicating to the relevant parties as appropriate.
This may also include conducting assessments and partner
negotiations.
Work with RPD to assist country teams to develop powerful Annual Plans
and country level strategies that capitalize on the potential of Mercy
Corps’ innovation platform to have impact at scale.
Mercy Corps should become the acknowledged leader in advancing
solutions on a particular development challenge in every country in the
region.
Work with country teams to ensure that we learn from
experience, assist with learning exchanges, develop interest stories and
feed into program development.
S/he will be a skilled writer and synthesizer of diverse and
complex information helping country teams generate new insights into
their work and improve cross-fertilization of skills, concepts and
experience within the Mercy Corps world.
Work closely with the Organizational Learning TSU to ensure
the region is plugged into larger organizational learning initiatives,
and that regional efforts are harmonized with the larger organization.
Coordinate and successfully organize regional workshops and conferences.
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.
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.
Supervisory Responsibility:
Accountability:
Reports Directly To: Regional Program Director (RPD)
Works Directly With:
Mercy Corps Kenya Team, Mercy Corps country offices, regional desks, HQ
Program and Technical Support units and departments, Mercy Corps
Counterparts at MC HQ offices in Europe and partners.
Knowledge and Experience:
BA/S in relevant international development field required; MA/S or equivalent preferred.
3-5 years of international relief and development program
management experience outside Kenya preferred; demonstrated knowledge of
relevant sectorial and/or operational areas (agriculture, relief to
recovery, access to financial services, health/nutrition, economic
development, IDP).
Skilled writer and synthesizer of diverse and complex information.
Experience managing the development, implementation,
administration and compliance of US Government, EC/ECHO, UN, private
foundation and corporate grants, and related programs.
Experience representing the organization and its interests to a
diverse range of local and international government officials, local
civil society organizations, other international organizations, the
media and the public preferred.
Proficiency with MS Office software required (Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point).
Experience with monitoring and evaluation and other learning efforts.
Experience with proposal development including support and writing with various donors.
Success Factors:
S/he is a skilled communicator, able to develop and utilize strong relationships with staff, partners and donors.
S/he will coordinate with his/her supervisor, the Regional
Program Director, and be skilled at building highly effective working
relationships with Country Directors and their teams.
S/he will harness the expertise, experience and ideas of Mercy Corps’ diverse program support teams.
A robust sense of humor is greatly appreciated.
12. SACCO / Youth Enterprise Development Specialist - Eldoret
Program / Department Summary:
Mercy Corps’ goal in Kenya is to strengthen and sustain capabilities of
Kenyan society and stakeholders to be agents of positive change in their
communities.
It achieves this goal through three objectives:
1) Strengthened ability of local, district, and regional structures to manage conflict and become managers of democracy;
2) Empowered Kenyan youth to achieve a greater voice in national reform and create new livelihood opportunities and
3) More resilient drought affected populations in Northeastern Kenya.
The Yes Youth Can (YYC) program is a multi-year USAID-funded program
that focuses on building youth-owned, youth-led and youth-managed
institutional arrangements and capabilities at both national and county
levels.
Mercy Corps implements two of USAID’s regional YYC programs—one in the Rift Valley and one in Central region.
In partnership with the County Bungee Forums and SACCOs, Mercy Corps works to achieve the following four objectives:
1) Mobilize youth and form youth representation structures at the village and county level;
2) Support youth to exercise a greater voice in local and national affairs;
3) Increase youth productivity, employment opportunities, and income; and
4) Increase young women’s access to social, political, and economic opportunities.
Entering its fourth and final year of implementation, Mercy Corps has
reached 1.9 million youth in Rift and Central regions and supported the
development of over 11,000 bunges (youth parliaments).
General Position Summary:
The Youth Enterprise Program Specialist is a senior level position with Mercy Corps Kenya.
It will be primarily responsible for providing leadership under
objective #3 listed above—increase youth productivity, employment
opportunities and income—and specifically strengthening the seven County
SACCOs that we work with in Rift Valley.
Activities with the SACCO include professionalizing the SACCOs,
strategizing about how to build their membership, SACCO sustainability
planning, exploring the development of specific SACCO products, ensuring
they hit their targets under YYC, and educating them on compliance for
the CMC & SC committees.
Other activities include:
Entrepreneurship training for youth starting businesses after acquiring
loans from the SACCOs, developing youth’s job-skills, linking youth to
different value-chains and markets.
The Youth Enterprise Program Specialist will be responsible for
designing and delivery of livelihoods training, SACCO supervision and
management, ensuring timely repayment mechanisms to the SACCOs, and
managing consultants.
Essential Job Functions:
Oversee and monitor activities of the seven county SACCOs that we work with in the Rif Valley.
Work with each SACCO to strategize how to build their
membership, increase their sustainability and develop products that meet
their members’ needs.
Work with and mentor SACCO leadership to ensure that they meet
their YYC targets and ensure they are complying with all SACCO
requirements.
Provide technical insight and advice for economic empowerment
programming especially on SACCO components regarding committee meetings,
compliance and employment activities, combining experience with
practical on-the-ground identification of opportunities and constraints;
Provide technical leadership in value chain/market analysis to
identify business opportunities youth participants. Facilitate or
provide business training to YYC youth.
Under the leadership of the CoP, facilitate linkages to
respective County ministries and complementary projects to ensure
sustainability and ownership Contribute to YYC’s planning and reporting
processes as requested by the Chief of Party
Provide training and mentorship to MC staff on Enterprise Development and SACCO strengthening.
Represent Mercy Corps in related thematic working groups within the counties.
Organizational Learning:
As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative,
all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in
formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
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: No supervisory responsibilities
Accountability:
Reports Directly To: Chief of Party, Yes Youth Can
Works Directly With: Country Director, Program Managers, other
YYC technical specialists, M&E staff, Operations/Finance Staff,
other MC Kenya staff.
Knowledge and Experience:
MA/S or BA/S and work experience in Cooperative
Development and Management, business administration, economics/economic
development, or international development;
Minimum of 10 years of experience in the fields of economic
development, SACCO strengthening, or business development and planning.
Demonstrated technical expertise in SACCO strengthening and youth economic empowerment.
Proven ability to work as part of a team and achieve project deliverables.
Demonstrated ability to write compelling reports and communicate clearly in English.
Ability to effectively convey programmatic goals, enlist
partnerships, and work with a range of program and external
stakeholders;
Fluency in Kiswahili
Success Factors:
Innovative, decisive and inclusive leadership approach
Creative and insightful as regards development programming
including the relationships between youth development, economic
empowerment, peace-building and reconciliation
Excellent communication and team-building techniques
Proven experience managing and building capacity of diverse teams (expatriate and national)
Cultural knowledge, sensitivity and respect
Commitment to oversee projects for their duration
Ability to engage with strategic institutional partners as well as current and potential donors
NB: All the positions are pending approval of our PROGRESS program by the donor.
How to Apply
Interested candidates who meet the above required qualifications and
experience should submit on or before October 27th, 2014 containing a
cover letter, detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing three professional
references (including a recent supervisor) to hrkenya@ke.mercycorps.org.
The email subject line must clearly show the job title and location they are applying for.
Applications without the right subject heading will be automatically disqualified.
Please do not attach any certificates.
(ONLY Qualified and selected candidates for the interview will be contacted)
NB: Mercy Corps does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process.
