General Position Summary
The Chief of Party will provide overall leadership, management and strategic vision and guidance to the implementation of a multi-year USAID Resilience Food Security Activity valued at up to $105 million. S/he will effectively manage staff, resources and partnerships to ensure that the Activity meets its objectives and interventions on-time, on scope and within budget, while meeting the highest program quality and technical standards and delivering impact. The COP will supervise Activity staff and ensure accountability to Mercy Corps’ policies and donor rules and regulations. S/he will be the primary representative to donors, relevant government entities, partners, other implementers and external stakeholders for this Activity. S/he will actively promote an inclusive culture of learning and adaptive management. S/he will ensure strong program systems and processes drive program performance.
Essential Job Responsibilities
Strategy & Vision
- Provide leadership and strategic vision in all aspects of Activity implementation, development and management. Ensure that Activity implementation is responsive to communities, and aligned with Mercy Corps’ principles, values and strategic plan.
- Outline and maintain a strategic plan for the implementation of program activities, clear targeting strategy and process, strong systems for quality implementation and program delivery, methods of operation and means of evaluation.
Program Management
- Oversee ongoing program management and administration of teams across various country locations.
- Oversee the quality development of detailed implementation plans, flowing from annual strategic work-plans, and ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems and adaptive management principles to reach desired impacts.
- Provide managerial and programmatic oversight to partners and sub-grantees; ensure partners are effectively included in program structures, are mentored appropriately and capacity strengthening plans are in place.
- Oversee the documentation of processes and achievements to ensure impact and best practices are captured and disseminated. This will include the continual re-evaluation of program activities and information, with resulting Activity adjustments in keeping with new insights.
- Create and follow effective stakeholder engagement plans, ensuring sound and proactive communications with Mercy Corps DRC, headquarters, USAID, Government of DRCi authorities, partner organizations and colleague agencies.
- Enact and effectively manage clear program governance structures, ensuring clarity of roles and responsibilities across the program team and corresponding program performance systems that dictate decision-making, collaboration and communication flows are in place and operational.
- Ensure integration of community approaches, gender and social inclusion sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
- Effectively drive and integrate learning and adaptive management in all program activities
TEAM MANAGEMENT
- Provide effective management for the program management team and consortium team members, ensuring that all staff and consortium members are clear on roles and responsibilities, expectations, communications flows and workplans.
- Strengthen the capacity of the team as needed, both as individuals and as a cohesive unit. Facilitate mechanisms for effective collaboration.
- Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
- Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
- Actively hire, orient and lead team members as necessary, ensuring effective onboarding mechanisms are in place across the team. Actively support succession planning.
Human Resources, Safeguarding and Diversity
- Support Mercy Corps’ global and regional initiatives for human resources, including safeguarding and diversity, and talent development.
- Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
- Manage and help with the recruitment, orientation, professional development and ongoing training of staff to ensure they are of the quality and technical capacity necessary to ensure the successful implementation of activities.
- Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
Finance, Compliance & Risk Management
- In collaboration with the country program’s operations and finance departments, ensure proper financial management, procurement, administration, human resources and logistics needs of the Activity are conducted within Mercy Corps’ policy and with the maximum benefit to the RFSA.
- Monitor adherence to grant agreement, Mercy Corps’ policies and procedures and relevant external rules and regulations, including those of the Government of DRC.
- Collaborate with country leadership to support preparedness and response to major disruptive events.
Influence & Representation
- Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other relevant events, in close coordination with the Country Director and Director of Programs.
- Ensure close coordination and information sharing with consortium partners, sub-grantees, local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.
- Establish and maintain relationships with communities, partners and local government.
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 the Activity is implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.
Supervisory Responsibility
Deputy CoP, M&E Lead, Commodities Manager, and Program Performance and Learning Director.
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Director of Programs
Works Directly With: Country Director, PaQ Director and other DRC program Directors, Activity team members, finance, administration and operations teams, HQ Regional Program Team, HQ Technical Support Unit and partner organizations
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program 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 projects.
Qualification and Transferable Skills
- MA/S or equivalent experience in development studies, international relations, agriculture, nutrition, public health, business administration or other relevant field.
- At least 7 years of relevant international development experience (10 years+ with a Bachelor’s degree) with positions of progressively greater responsibilities, at least five years of which must be based in country programs.
- At least five years in a senior management role is required with experience managing integrated, multi-sectoral programs of a similar size and scope in developing countries facing complex, volatile, and uncertain contexts.
- Prior experience managing USAID development or resilience Activity(ies), involving Title II commodities and implementation by multiple sub-awardees.
- Proven success serving in a leadership role for a project addressing issues related to food security, nutrition, resilience, agriculture, natural resource management, livelihoods, or similar, preferably in the DRC.
- Must demonstrate expertise in food, nutrition and economic security (FNES).
- Understand and demonstrate commitment to the importance of gender and youth dynamics in FNES programming.
- Demonstrated experience in adaptive management and learning techniques is highly encouraged.
- Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with host governments, donors, other donor-funded projects and stakeholders, local organizations and partners.
- Experience managing program implementation financial reporting, reporting procedures and systems, and staff.
- Demonstrated experience in recruiting and developing program staff.
- Experience with USAID and U.S. Government regulations preferred.
- Prior humanitarian and/or development experience working in DRC. Familiarity with DRC’s social, political, economic and cultural landscape.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and French.
- Professional proficiency in Tshiluba preferred.
- Strong computer literacy with a full knowledge of office applications.
