Mercy Corps is a leading
global relief and development agency saving and improving lives in the world’s
toughest places.
In more than 40 countries, we
partner with local people to put bold ideas into action, help them overcome
adversity and build stronger communities.
We help communities survive
and move beyond emergencies. When natural disasters strike, economies collapse
or conflict flares, Mercy Corps is there.
Mercy Corps is looking for a
committed and dynamic individual to take up the following position.
Position: Program Officer for the Kenya Election
Violence Prevention and Response Program
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Location: Kisumu
Program / Department Summary: Mercy Corps implements high-quality,
analytical development work in very difficult places.
We have been operating in
Kenya since 2008 and are presently implementing development programs across the
Central, Rift Valley, North Western and Northern Eastern regions of Kenya.
Mercy Corps is implanting the
Kenya Election Violence Prevention and Response Program (KEVP) that works to
mitigate the risk of escalation of election-related violence in the lead up to,
during, and immediately following the Kenyan elections scheduled for August
2017.
The program will pursue three
inter-related objectives;
1) Identify and map the
relationships between key influential actors, in identified at-risk areas,
capable of mobilizing people toward and away from violence;
2) Develop or expand upon
existing structures that facilitate coordination and information sharing
related to electoral security planning and response between identified local
influencers, including community leaders, local administrators, and the
security sector, and;
3) Electoral security
structures develop plans and processes that enhance prevention and responses to
early indicators of violence.
KEVP will shore up ongoing
efforts of Kenyan civil society organizations, including student organizations,
youth bunges (parliaments) and the local private sector, religious groups, as
well as current USG partners in Kisumu, Nakuru, Nandi, to ensure that youth and
communities are able to remain resilient to political manipulation and ensure a
peaceful election.
KEVP will work with electoral
bodies and the security sector—along with civil society—to establish and
strengthen existing local networks, including the 2013 Champions for Peace
networks in Kisumu and Nakuru, establish county level Early Warning Early
Response (EWER) Hubs, and link them to Uwiano platform.
KEVP will leverage different
players and networks to preempt political manipulation by providing
administrative and logistical support to enable stakeholders to monitor risks,
and develop actionable plans for prevention and response.
General Position Summary: The Program Officer will be responsible
for the implementation of KEVP at the community in Kisumu County.
S/he will be in constant
contact with stakeholders and partners to ensure full participation and
implementation of activities.
Essential Job Functions:
Essential Job Functions:
- Organize,
facilitate and conduct trainings and workshops related to KEVP
- Mobilize
communities and facilitate the formation of Integrated Electoral Security
Committees (IESCs);
- Assist IESCs
and communities using participatory methodologies to identify and implement
KEVP related projects;
- Meet regularly
with the program team to evaluate project progress, identify successes,
challenges and lessons-learned; and adjust practices as necessary to
improve performance;
- Implement
activities and monitor project progress;
- Maintain and
strengthen the partnerships with relevant government, police, private
sector stakeholders and target communities;
- Prepare and
submit to the Chief of Party reports of specific events, field trips and
meetings attended;
- Provide
on-going feedback on the Performance Management Plan and database
management of the KEVP, to enhance measuring the impact of the program
against objectives and indicators.
- In coordination
with the Chief of Party conduct regular field visits to ensure that all
implementing partners fully understand and utilize KEVP approaches and
methodologies.
- Provide the
Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Learning team with monthly and
quarterly data analysis reports, to feed into quarterly review and
reflection meetings;
- Support the
team in effectively utilizing established monitoring and evaluation
formats, and provide feedback for their improvement;
- Develop case
studies and success stories to better articulate qualitative changes as a
result of KEVP Program;
- Maintain
updated (paper and electronic) filing system for all M&E forms/
surveys, protocols, planning tools, and manuals;
- Prepare reports
and project documents and submit to Chief of Party as required;
- Conduct
himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to
positively acknowledge Mercy Corps and to support its humanitarian
mission;
- Any other
duties as assigned by your supervisor.
Supervisory Responsibility: None
Accountability
- Reports
Directly To: Area Manager
- Works Directly
With: Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, KEVP Program staff, Finance
and Operations departments
Knowledge and Experience:
- Bachelor’s
degree in conflict/peace studies preferred, or appropriate social science
discipline, community development, or related field;
- Minimum of
three years professional experience in implementing peace, election and
conflict related projects;
- Experience
working with the security sector, police and electoral bodies in the past
is a strong added advantage and should be highlighted in the application;
- Ability and
commitment to team work;
- Ability to
interact effectively with the diverse project stakeholders especially with
the security sector and electoral bodies;
- Experience
working in election programming, conflict or post conflict settings and
conflict sensitive programming;
- Experience
working with stakeholders including the private sector, government, youth
and women groups;
- Experience in
project monitoring and evaluation;
- Strong
analytical and report writing skills;
- Good knowledge
and skills with the of MS Office applications such as Excel, Word,
PowerPoint , Outlook and Access;
- Previous
working experience in Kisumu and the Western region is strongly preferred
including ability to speak local dialects.
Success Factors:
- Excellent
written and oral communication skills;
- Demonstrated
cultural sensitivity and appropriate flexibility;
- Ability to
effectively communicate with Mercy Corps target populations and partners;
- Demonstrated
attention to detail, ability to meet deadlines, and work independently and
cooperatively with team members;
- Willingness to
travel frequently to remote and difficult locations;
- Ability to
quickly learn and implement new information/concepts;
- Ability to be
non-partisan in a politically charged environment;
- Flexibility and
adaptability.
Candidates who had previously
applied for this position need not reapply
Interested candidates who
meet the above required qualifications and experience should submit a cover
letter and detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing three professional references
(including a recent supervisor) to ke-hrkenya@mercycorps.org on or before Monday 21st November, 2016
by 4.00pm.
The email subject line must
clearly show the job title and location they are applying for.
Applications without an appropriate subject heading will be automatically disqualified.
Please do not attach any
certificates.
Only shortlisted candidates
will be contacted.
NB: Mercy Corps does not
charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process