Mercy Corps Somalia has the following vacancies for a proposed five-year $16-18 million program Youth Education and Empowerment for Somalia (YES) program to support formal and non-formal secondary education, vocational training, and economic opportunity for out-of-school youth in Somalia.
The non-formal and youth engagement component aims to increase job placements, salaries/wages and self-employment opportunities for Somali youth through the provision of market-driven skills training, business training and linkages to credit, business development support and job placement services.
The Specialist’s role is, primarily, to support the YES program and the country programs. It entails giving direction, setting appropriate standards, facilitation and training. It is not one of management or hands-on work in the field unless in a training context or when deployed to assist in establishing a response.
1. Chief of Party - Based in Hargeisa, SomalilandThe non-formal and youth engagement component aims to increase job placements, salaries/wages and self-employment opportunities for Somali youth through the provision of market-driven skills training, business training and linkages to credit, business development support and job placement services.
The Specialist’s role is, primarily, to support the YES program and the country programs. It entails giving direction, setting appropriate standards, facilitation and training. It is not one of management or hands-on work in the field unless in a training context or when deployed to assist in establishing a response.
Reporting to the Deputy Country Director, the CoP will provide overall leadership, management and strategic vision to the implementation of the YES program, managing staff and resources to ensure that the program meets its targets and deliverables on time and within budget.
The CoP will supervise key program staff and ensure accountability to Mercy Corps policies and U.S. government rules and regulations. He/she will be the primary program representative to donors, relevant government entities, partners, other implementers and external stakeholders.
The CoP will have MA/S or equivalent in social science, management, international development or other relevant field; 10-15 years of overseas experience including seven years in a senior management position; strong understanding of U.S. government compliance issues; strong written and oral communication skills in English, including report development, writing and editing; strong management skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues; proven technical experience in education, infrastructure, and/or youth economic empowerment; and previous experience in Somalia preferable.
The successful CoP will combine exceptional management skills and experience in maintaining donor and partner relationships. He/She will have an outstanding ability to develop, implement and manage innovative programs within the current and future program structure of Mercy Corps in the region. S/he will also have proven experience with cross-cultural team and capacity building, individual staff development, and strong mentoring skills. S/he will have demonstrated skills in managing programs in challenging insecure environments.
2. Deputy Chief of Party - Based in Garowe, Puntland
Reporting to the CoP. the Deputy Chief of Party (DCoP) is responsible for managing the Garowe satellite office of the Mercy Corps and YES program projects.
S/he supports the YES Chief of Party (CoP) in the strategic direction and overall supervision and successful implementation of the program, serving as the day-to-day manager of the program; Liaise and consult with USAID as delegated by the CoP; ensures sound administrative practices with regards to record keeping, compliance with USAID regulations, communications, etc.; S/he ensures regular communication between Garowe Office and Bosaso and Galkacyo field offices, and Hargeisa head office.
The DCoP will provide management and education technical expertise to assist the CoP in implementing a high-quality, results-oriented program to achieve the goals and objectives of the YES Program.
The DCoP will have MA/S or equivalent in Education (preferred), international development or other relevant field;7-10 of overseas education experience including three years in a senior management; experience in education development in conflict and/or transitional environment; previous DCoP experience in education, livelihoods or youth economic development programs; experience in effective gender integration in youth livelihoods programming; demonstrated ability and understanding of USAID rules and regulations.
The successful Deputy Chief of Party (DCoP) will possess in-depth expertise in education policy and practice, and experience in developing the capacity of transitional governments in education service provision.
S/he will be a strong and fast writer, with an ability to produce project documents (work plans, quarterly and annual reports, and other technical documents) to a high standard and within deadlines s/he will have strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate tactfully with high-level officials regarding their capacity needs.
3. Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist - Based in Hargeisa, Somaliland
Reporting to the DCoP, the M&E Specialist will provide leadership to the entire YES program, including all sub-grantees, in developing program level M&E systems that enable clients and stakeholders to analyze and effectively represent program results in a synchronized manner.
Ensure that monitoring systems meet the requirements of USAID and reported with quality and evidences. Lead the process of conducting the project baseline, mid line and end line surveys for impact level indicators and continuously improve the databases, and YES progress tracking and recording systems, working closely with program staff, partners and USAID.
Establish the M&E system serving the needs of the overall YES program - both for portions of the program being directly implemented by Mercy Corps and for the substantial sub-grant program.
The M&E Specialist will have MA/S or equivalent in international development or a related field required; coursework in research and evaluation methodologies and statistical analysis (is preferred); minimum 7 years relevant field or management experience of complex, multi-dimensional programming; previous experience working on USAID-funded programs strongly preferred; minimum 5 years’ experience in designing and implementing practical monitoring and evaluation systems.
Experience within an umbrella mechanism; and proficiency using one of the common statistical analysis software packages is required (SPSS, Stata, SAS or EpiInfo); preference given to candidates with familiarity with GIS systems. The successful M&E Specialist will possess in-depth expertise in the monitoring and evaluation of development programs in conflict affected countries.
S/he will combine strong communication skills, creativity, initiative, participatory leadership and tactful decisiveness to assist in the development and implementation of Mercy Corps’ M&E strategy.
S/he will have demonstrated skills in training and M&E capacity development of field staff, proven experience in developing and working with data management systems including databases, web-based tools or other MIS solutions, as well as proven experience in designing and implementing M&E activities and indicators, as well as analyzing the data collected.
4. Communication Specialist - Based in Hargeisa, Somaliland
Reporting to the DCoP, then Communications Specialist will lead the implementation of YES program external communications strategy in Somalia, encompassing the development, positioning, presentation and content of youth-focused and issues oriented stories, photos, messaging and multimedia for key public, donor, media, UN and NGO engagement platforms (primarily Mercy Corps websites and external social media).
This position will also build the capacity of field offices across Somalia to produce quality and timely communications resources (stories, photos, video and other), both proactively and on demand – resulting in the strong and sustained branding of their key activities, as well as the external communications of Mercy Corps Somalia’s key programming issues and concerns.
Most major responsibilities of this position will be YES program-focused, while being planned and carried out in co-ordination with other Mercy Corps programs and senior management.
The Communications Specialist will have Master’s degree in journalism, communications or international studies (preferred); at least 7 years Extensive experience in coordinating and producing written content for donor engagement, public advocacy, media and community relations purposes; and excellent writing and editing skills in English (USA style to be followed).
The successful Communications Specialist will possess in-depth expertise communications, journalism and web-based information management.
S/he will have demonstrated experience with professional photography, photo imaging and graphic design, and their applications to web presentation and content and the production of multimedia work including, human interest/impact stories, audio and video editing.
S/he will have good understanding of geopolitical, economic and social issues in Somalia and the Horn of Africa region (or the ability to acquire this understanding).
Interested applicants should submit their proposals to vacancy@so.mercycorps.org on or before 10th July 2011.
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