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.
Working with communities, we
leverage local logic to help people transform their lives to grow more food,
earn higher incomes and ultimately advocate for their needs. We see global
challenges as an invitation to pioneer innovative, sustainable solutions.
Mercy Corps is looking for
committed and dynamic individual to take up the following position.
Position: Chief of
Party
Location: Nairobi,
Kenya
Program / Department Summary: Mercy Corps implements high-quality, analytical development work in very difficult places.
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 plans to
implement a Kenya Election Violence Prevention and Response Program (KEVP)
which will work 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.
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, and when need arises,
Nairobi, to ensure that youth and communities are able to remain resilient to
political manipulation and ensure a peaceful election.
KEVP will work with these key
stakeholders to create communications materials such as film to be used in
workshop trainings and for public screenings.
The program will 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, leverage different
players and networks to preempt political manipulation by providing administrative
and logistical support to enable them to monitor risks, and develop actionable
plans for prevention and response.
General Position Summary: Mercy
Corps seeks an exceptional leader in the area of conflict resolution,
peacebuilding and election violence prevention programs in complex
political/security situations.
The Chief of Party (CoP) will
have responsibility for the overall achievement of Mercy Corps’ implementation
of the program to mitigate the risk of escalation of election-related violence
in the lead up to, during, and immediately following the Kenyan elections
currently scheduled for August of 2017.
The CoP will lead the program
that 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) Work with electoral
security structures to develop plans and processes that enhance prevention and
responses to early indicators of violence.
Essential Job
Functions:
Program Leadership
- Provide
strategic leadership and oversight for the program activities in
cooperation with key project stakeholders, including political parties,
religious leaders and groups, local non-governmental organizations, local
government officials, community-based organizations, other international
agencies on the ground, and key donors;
- Oversee
relevant program, finance and administrative staff to ensure systems are
in compliance with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures;
- Ensure program
implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E
systems to reach desired impacts;
- Create and
maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial
resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and
Mercy Corps policies and procedures;
- Increase staff
capacity by ensuring high quality technical training on election violence
prevention, conflict management and peacebuilding for Mercy Corps staff
and local implementing partners, and provide ongoing coaching and
mentoring;
- Promote
learning and knowledge management through documentation and knowledge
sharing around best practices and lessons learned;
- Ensure donor
reporting is submitted on time and is of excellent quality.
Program Development
- Lead efforts
to pre-position the agency for additional opportunities to develop a
robust portfolio of peacebuilding and conflict mitigation programs;
- Lead
assessments and program design for new opportunities that build off
existing MC Kenya programs, in pursuit of integrated multi-sector programs
addressing the root causes of conflict in the various contexts in Kenya.
Strategy and Vision
- Work with the
Country Director to develop a comprehensive strategy for peacebuilding and
resilience and other development programs in Kenya, integrating agency
best practices and building off the existing portfolio of programs in
country;
- Set direction
by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve these
objectives and contribute to country-wide strategy development;
- Develop and
organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince
stakeholders to provide support;
- Recognize
opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where
alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
Representation
- Identify,
build and manage collaborative partnerships with IESCs sub-grantees,
donors, local governments and other stakeholders;
- Communicate
effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are
met;
- Maintain good
working relationships with the donor, the host country government and
county governments, local leaders, partner agencies, and other key
stakeholders;
- Document and
disseminate lessons learned and best practices from MC Kenya’s conflict
and peacebuilding portfolio to internal and external stakeholders,
including at international conferences and similar forums;
- Develop and
maintain working relationships and coordinate with relevant international
and local agencies active in the humanitarian response and protection
sectors, including donors, other humanitarian and human rights
organizations, local authorities and local partners, including
representing Mercy Corps at local and national coordination meetings.
Team Management
- Create and
sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to
achieve excellence;
- Promote
accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback
via performance reviews;
- Contribute to
country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem solving
options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant
decision-making processes;
- Provide team
members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance
& reach objectives;
- Supervise and
regularly coordinate with project staff and support departments to ensure
smooth planning, preparation, implementation, and monitoring and
evaluation of program activities;
- Provide
overall leadership to a broad team of program staff implementing various
peacebuilding and other Mercy Corps development programs; ensuring
synergy, sharing of best practices and resources.
Other
- 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.
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.
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: Deputy Chief of Party and other project staff
Accountability
Supervisory Responsibility: Deputy Chief of Party and other project staff
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Country
Director
Works Directly With: Local
national staff and affiliated relevant Mercy Corps headquarters units as
necessary, including Mercy Corps’ Conflict Management Group and various
administrative/financial units.
Knowledge and Experience:
Knowledge and Experience:
- Master’s
degree in conflict mitigation, social sciences, international relations or
other relevant field preferred;
- Minimum 8
years’ relevant professional experience implementing conflict management
and peacebuilding programs, preferably in insecure or transitional
environments;
- Experience
with election violence prevention programming is a plus;
- Previous
experience managing a portfolio of programs in insecure environments;
- Experience in
at least one of the following program areas: election violence prevention,
protection/psychosocial, economic development, and/or natural resource
management;
- Knowledge of
people-to-people peacebuilding programs and ‘Do No Harm’ principles;
- Strong
facilitation and consensus-building skills;
- Experience managing
national and international staff;
- Familiarity
and experience with USAID regulations preferred;
- Demonstrated
experience with new program development and design including leading the
proposal development process;
- Must be able
to work independently while being a strong team player;
- Fluency in
both English and Swahili are required.
Success Factors: The
successful Chief of Party candidate will demonstrate the capacity to lead a
multi-dimensional effort in a complex and fluid security/political environment.
S/he will employ excellent
judgment, strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills, and be
committed to the values and mission of Mercy Corps.
S/he will take initiative,
calculate risks and benefits of various courses of action, lead others to
achieve to the highest level possible, and demonstrate solid decision–making
while working in concert with diverse partners.
Mercy Corps Team members
represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed to a
field posting.
Team members are expected to
conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and
Mercy Corps’ policies, procedures and values at all time and in all in-country
venues.
Position: Senior
Program Manager
Location: Nairobi
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.
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 plans to
implement a Kenya Election Violence Prevention and Response Program (KEVP)
which will work 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.
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, and when need arises,
Nairobi, to ensure that youth and communities are able to remain resilient to
political manipulation and ensure a peaceful election.
KEVP will work with these key
stakeholders to create communications materials such as film to be used in
workshop trainings and for public screenings.
The program will 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, leverage different players
and networks to preempt political manipulation by providing administrative and
logistical support to enable them to monitor risks, and develop actionable
plans for prevention and response.
General Position Summary: Under
the direction of the Chief of Party, the Senior Program Manager will be
responsible for the day to day running and overall planning and implementation
of KEVP activities in the Kisumu and Nandi Counties in Western Kenya.
The Program Manager will
directly manage the program staff based in Kisumu and take overall
responsibility for the day to day running of the Kisumu office and work with
the Deputy Chief of Party in Nakuru to ensure activities are implemented
according to schedule, budget and required quality.
Essential Job Functions:
- Ensure timely
and efficient delivery of project results, coordinate partners, program
planning and review, stakeholder engagement, financial and people
management, and donor reporting;
- Supervise and
provide technical guidance to project staff in a range of conflict
transformation, peacebuilding and election violence interventions,
ensuring synchronization and collaboration between Mercy Corps technical
staff and local partners and working with them to bring ideas, findings,
and lessons learned to project leadership and the donor agency;
- Document and
disseminated program achievements and lessons in collaboration with
partners and key stakeholders;
- Mentor and
motivate staff for optimal performance, overseeing work plans, managing
M&E and engaging consultants for curriculum development and technical
support;
- Strengthen
early warning/early response teams in projected election hot spot and
connect the same to the national early warning/early response mechanism
that play a major role in Kenya’s elections;
- Train young
people on EWER mechanism;
- Manage all
activities related to the KEVP in Kisumu, Nakuru, Nairobi, Uasin Gishu and
Nandi as agreed with the Program Chief of Party and in accordance with
approved proposal, budget and timelines;
- Coordinate and
share information with the COP to ensure overall program targets and donor
obligations are being achieved;
- Provide direct
and ongoing supervision and managerial support to KEVP staff in the
Kisumu, Nakuru, Nandi Nairobi and Nakuru offices to ensure effective
implementation of program activities;
- Oversee the
development of program and staff work plans, and ensure regular one-to-one
sessions and performance reviews to review progress and resolve any
concerns or issues;
- Support and
facilitate KEVP team development, encouraging active participation of team
members and supporting positive relationships between members.
- Identify
training needs and opportunities for KEVP staff to ensure that they have
adequate resources to complete program objectives, and to enable learning
and growth;
- Ensure that
program staff have the necessary facilities and office equipment for the
smooth functioning of the program;
- Visit project
sites regularly to provide appropriate technical assistance, monitor and
oversee activities;
- Support the
Project staff to establish a system to monitor and evaluate program
activities and impact on an ongoing basis. Ensure that program monitoring
is being done on a regular basis and that adequate monitoring reports are
prepared;
- Participate in
peace, election and conflict-related coordination meetings and
professionally represent Mercy Corps in these meetings;
- Support the
development of partnerships with national and international NGOs, CBOs and
other agencies involved in election conflict management initiatives and
other Mercy Corps activities;
- Maintain close
cooperation with the Finance and Administration departments and other
staff to ensure that the program is in full compliance with all the
established operational, administrative and financial procedures;
- Regularly meet
with the COP and Kisumu Area Manager to discuss program achievements,
especially when they deviate from the original plan;
- Participate in
KEVP Team meetings as required;
- Work with the
COP to organize and facilitate field visits for donors and Mercy Corps
staff;
- Jointly
prepare donor reports with the COP and other staff to capture program
impact;
- 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.
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.
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: Area Program Manager(s)
Supervisory Responsibility: Area Program Manager(s)
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Chief
of Party
Works Directly With: Local
implementing partners, Program partners, Government, IEBC, NGOs and CBOs in
Kisumu and Nandi, HR and Finance teams
Knowledge and Experience:
Knowledge and Experience:
- Bachelor’s
degree in conflict management/peace building or another social science – a
Master’s Degree is an added advantage;
- Minimum of 6
years’ experience working in conflict management contexts or other
capacity building related projects preferably with NGOS;
- Experience
managing teams and facilitating planning and program development
processes.
- Financial and personnel
management experience and knowledge;
- Experience in
both community level programming and government focused capacity building;
- Leadership
skills, and proven experience in developing effective teams;
- Demonstrated
problem solving skills;
- Demonstrated
experience in coaching, conducting workshops and community meeting
facilitation;
- Excellent
report writing skills and speaking skills and an excellent
communicator;
- Strong
organizational and managerial skills;
- Excellent
computer skills, including all Microsoft applications;
- Demonstrated
skills to successfully communicate and initiate and maintain positive
relationships with beneficiary’s community;
- Excellent
relationship management skills;
- Ability to
communicate effectively in English both verbally and in writing;
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 locations.
- Ability to
quickly learn and implement new information/concepts.
How to Apply
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 Friday 25th August, 2017.
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.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
NB: We do not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process.