Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief
that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40
countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action –
helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from
within.
Now, and for the future. We help communities survive and move
beyond emergencies. When natural disasters strike, economies collapse or
conflict flares, Mercy Corps is there. 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: COUNTY
PROJECT COORDINATOR
LOCATION: MARSABIT
COUNTY
PROGRAM / DEPARTMENT SUMMARY: Mercy Corps has been operating in Kenya since 2008,
focusing its interventions around four objectives:
1) Peace and Conflict Management;
2) Livelihood/Market Systems;
3) Governance (particularly at the county level); and
4) Youth Employment/Employability (including the social
and economic development of adolescents).
The four objectives serve to increase community resilience
to drought and other shocks and stresses, and to decrease fragility with a
particular focus on Kenya’s Arid Lands. Mercy Corps’ vision for change
requires the private sector, government and civil society to work together to
create meaningful and sustainable change.
Mercy Corps is seeking to recruit a County Project
Coordinator to oversee county-level activities for a five-year USAID-funded
Feed the Future (FtF) Livestock Market Systems Development Activity for
Northern Kenya.
The project supports USAID’s Feed the Future Initiative
specifically to improve households’ income, productive assets and resilience to
drought and other shocks. Specific areas of focus include: strengthened and
sustained rangeland and water management; strengthened drought risk management;
strengthened conflict management; improved and sustained health, nutrition, and
hygiene practices; improved literacy, numeracy, and life skills; and
collaborative action and learning for community empowerment.
GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY: Under the direction and management support from the Deputy
Chief of Party, the County Project Coordinator will be responsible for the
overall county-level planning, coordination, implementation, and monitoring and
evaluation of the Strengthening Community Capacities for Resilience and Growth
project. S/he will ensures all project initiatives are implemented to
achieve maximum impact as per project objectives while remaining on schedule
and budget.
The Project Coordinator directly manages the county-level
staff on the project and has an informal reporting line to our partner’s
Regional Program Manager. Strong day-to-day coordination with the Regional
Program Manager is required to ensure that office operations are running
effectively and are compliant with all internal and external regulations. S/he
will be the primary liaison with county government officials.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
Program Management
·
Provide overall managerial leadership
for the project at the county level, ensuring teams follow work plans so
activities are on time, target and within the approved budget, and project
deliverables achieve desired impact;
·
Lead effective coordination,
collaboration and integration among all technical, support and project units
including with our lead partner – ACDI/VOCA and implementing partner – the
BOMA Project;
·
Partner with county-level government
and communities in areas of operation;
·
Ensure effective and timely
monitoring, documenting and reporting on all project activities as per the
policies and practices of the consortium lead, Mercy Corps, USAID and the
government;
·
Provide timely updates to supervisor
on progress and issues, identifying risks and proposing solutions for action
and early resolution;
·
Attend all quarterly project meetings
in Nairobi as well as facilitate planning meetings and workshops with
government, NGOs, private sector and community partners to revise plans and
promote partner acceptance/buy-in;
·
Regularly visit field sites to assess
progress of activities and provide formal and informal feedback;
·
Coordinate with procurement,
logistics, security, administration and human resources teams to ensure
operational systems support field activities.
Team Management
·
Assist team members with information,
tools and resources to improve performance and achieve objectives;
·
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;
·
Work closely with the HR department
to recruit, orient and lead team members as necessary.
Influence & Representation
·
Represent Mercy Corps at government,
donor, NGO and other relevant events, in close coordination with the Chief of
Party, Deputy Chief of Party and country leadership;
·
Coordinate activities with consortium
partners, sub grantees, local government and other implementers, as well as
with other Mercy Corps programs.
Security
·
Work closely with the county team’s
security focal points to develop and maintain systems that promote the safety
and security of all team members. Coordinate closely with our partner,
ACDI/VOCA on security issues at the county level;
·
Ensure that programs are designed and
implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.
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 toward 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: 3 project team members
ACCOUNTABILITY
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Deputy Chief of Party
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Regional Program Manager (partner), Chief of Party,
finance and operations teams, HQ Regional Program Team, HQ Technical Support
Unit, and Partner Organizations.
Knowledge and Experience:
·
Masters Degree or equivalent in
development studies, business, planning, social sciences or other relevant
field is preferred;
·
A minimum of 5 years of relevant
professional experience in multi-sectoral programs, managing teams, strategic
planning and implementing programs;
·
Strong managerial skills, including
effective personnel management, adaptive management, coordination and
decision-making;
·
Strong facilitation and
consensus-building skills;
·
Competent in building networks,
strong problem-solving skills, and ability to influence with effective listening,
persuasion, negotiation and other techniques;
·
Strong understanding of USAID
compliance issues;
·
Internationally recognized
qualification in project or program management or a commitment to obtain the
qualification in the early months of work;
·
Excellent and persuasive oral and
written communication skills, including report writing, in English and other
language(s), as required;
·
Spoken fluency is Swahili is required
and primary local dialects in the respective County is strongly preferred;
·
Previous working experience in
northern Kenya is desirable;
·
Demonstrated attention to detail,
ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and
cooperatively with team members;
·
Ability to work comfortably in a
sometimes tense and changing security environment is required.
Success Factors
·
The successful County Project
Coordinator will have a strong understanding of project approaches and
represent the project professionally at all times. S/he will combine
exceptional management skills and capacity to manage relationships with
different stakeholders. A heavy emphasis will be placed on coordination with
other actors implementing in the areas of intervention. S/he will be committed
to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities
at the community level.
·
Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem
solving and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision are
essential. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong
commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing
environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.
S/he will be committed to working closely and collaboratively with the
County Government structures and our lead partner, ACDI/VOCA.
POSITION: NATURAL
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND CONFLICT OFFICER
LOCATION: GARISSA
COUNTY
PROGRAM / DEPARTMENT SUMMARY: Mercy Corps has been operating in Kenya since 2008,
focusing its interventions around four objectives:
1) Peace and Conflict Management;
2) Livelihood/Market Systems;
3) Governance (particularly at the county level); and
4) Youth Employment/Employability (including the social
and economic development of adolescents).
The four objectives serve to increase community resilience
to drought and other shocks and stresses, and to decrease fragility with a
particular focus on Kenya’s Arid Lands. Mercy Corps’ vision for change
requires the private sector, government and civil society to work together to
create meaningful and sustainable change.
The Natural Resource Management (NRM) and Conflict Officer
will provide technical support in promoting peaceful co-existence around
natural resources management for a five-year USAID-funded Feed the Future (FtF)
Livestock Market Systems (LMS) Development Activity for northern Kenya.
This position will support the Strengthening Community
Capacities for Resilience and Growth component. This project will support
USAID’s Feed the Future Initiative and specifically will improve households’
income, productive assets and resilience to drought and other shocks.
Specific areas of focus for the position include:
strengthening and sustaining rangeland and water management; strengthening
drought risk management and conflict management; improved and sustained health,
nutrition, hygiene practices; literacy, numeracy, and life skills; as well as
collaborative action and learning for community empowerment.
GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY: The NRM and Conflict Officer will be responsible for
technical oversight and ensuring management for all activities related to
conflict management and peaceful co-existence around natural resource
management. S/he will define implementation strategies in coordination
with the Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party and leadership team.
The NRM and Conflict Officer will train staff and
partners, providing them with technical assistance; and ensure that common
strategies and approaches are applied consistently in all communities. S/he
will coordinate closely with the M&E team to ensure that systems are in
place to track, analyze and report results.
The NRM and Conflict Office will be required to keep
abreast of the latest research and evolutions in the field of conflict
management around natural resources and integrate new ideas and approaches as
appropriate, seek additional technical assistance as needed and ensure
effective working relationships with collaborating agencies.
S/he will work closely with our partner ACDI/VOCA, who
will be leading the implementation of LMS, and look for opportunities to link
programming and clients with their programming needs across the program.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUCNTIONS:
Program Management
·
Contribute to team work plans and
guide successful implementation of conflict management and natural resources
management activities, ensuring teams follow work plans so activities are on
time, target and within the approved budget, and program deliverables achieve
desired impact;
·
Provide technical guidance on
conflict management/natural resource management and ensure that interventions
are responsive to stakeholders and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant
program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.
Ensure that interventions are evidence-based and adhere to adaptive management
principles;
·
Conduct, participate in and/or update
conflict and/or NRM assessments, involving a variety of stakeholders;
·
In collaboration with National
Drought Management Authority (NDMA), facilitate discussions within communities
aimed at promoting Disaster Risk Reduction approaches including for drought cycle
management as important components of NRM;
·
Plan and work in partnership with the
Rangeland Specialist and consultants to be in sync in approaches and plans;
·
Integrate community approaches,
gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
Certify all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm
principles, and beneficiary accountability standards;
·
Facilitate planning meetings and
workshops with government, NGO, private sector, and community partners to revise
plans and promote partner acceptance/buy-in;
·
In coordination with the MEL team,
monitor the implementation of activities through regular field visits and
assessments to ensure program quality and impact. Document approaches,
successes and lessons learned;
·
Coordinate with procurement,
logistics, security, administration and human resources teams to ensure
operational systems support field activities.
Influence & Representation
·
Represent Mercy Corps at government,
donor, NGO and other relevant events, in close coordination with the Chief of
Party, Deputy Chief of Party and country leadership.
·
Coordinate activities with consortium
partners, sub grantees, local government and other implementers, as well as
with other Mercy Corps programs.
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 programs are designed and
implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.
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 toward 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: None
ACCOUNTABILITY
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: County Project Coordinator with a dotted line to the
Senior Rangelands Officer
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, Community
Facilitators, Technical Advisors, finance and operations teams, HQ Regional
Program Team, HQ Technical Support Unit, Partner Organizations, and broader LMS
team.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
·
BA/S or equivalent in development
studies, Disaster Risk Reduction, Range management, conflict mitigation, social
sciences or other relevant field;
·
A minimum of three years of relevant
professional experience in NRM where there is Natural Resource based conflicts
with hands on experience in peace building initiatives;
·
Experience drafting contingency plans
with communities in ASAL areas is required;
·
Strong management skills, including
effective personnel management, adaptive management coordination and decision-making
Strong facilitation and consensus-building skills;
·
Competent in building networks,
strong problem-solving skills, and ability to influence with effective
listening, persuasion, negotiation and other techniques;
·
Strong understanding of USAID compliance
issues;
·
Internationally recognized
qualification in project or program management or a commitment to obtain the
qualification in the early months of work;
·
Excellent and persuasive oral and
written communication skills, including report writing, in English and other
language(s), and fluency in Kiswahili. Local dialects spoken in Northern
Kenya are also a plus;
·
Previous work experience in northern
Kenya desirable;
·
Demonstrated attention to detail,
ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and
cooperatively with team members.
SUCCESS FACTORS: The NRM and Conflict Officer will be familiar with the
particular challenges of natural resources management in northern Kenya. S/he
will combine exceptional management skills and capacity to manage relationships
with different stakeholders including the greater LMS team.
The position requires an ability to think creatively about
improving opportunities for peaceful co-existence. A heavy emphasis will be
placed on coordination with other actors implementing in the areas of
intervention including county government.
The NRM and Conflict Officer will have the capacity to
spark innovative and entrepreneurial approaches to programming and to inspire
groups to collaborate closely to implement high-quality programs.
S/he will be committed to long-term program sustainability
and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level.
Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to
detail and strategic vision are essential.
The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a
strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and
changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a
priority.
POSITION: CVE
PROGRAM MANAGER
LOCATION: MOMBASA
COUNTY
This position is contingent upon receipt of funding and
donor approval
PROGRAM / DEPARTMENT SUMMARY: Mercy Corps began working in Kenya in 2008 to address the
societal wounds following the 2007 post-election violence. Since that time,
Mercy Corps has built a robust and diverse portfolio in Kenya that is working
to address structural causes of poverty and injustice and to strengthen systems
that enable men, women and children to access opportunities, participate in and
contribute to peaceful democratic processes, and thrive in the face of
ecological and social change.
To do this, we deliver integrated programming to
strengthen market and governance systems, address the root causes of conflict,
and equip vulnerable populations- in particular youth, women, adolescents and
marginalized social groups- with the skills, opportunities and resources they
need to be healthy, productive and to drive the development of their
communities.
We work closely with the private sector, civil society and
governance structures at local and national levels to facilitate change and
ensure that opportunities are inclusive of all Kenyans.
GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY: Mercy Corps seeks an exceptional leader in the area of
conflict resolution, peacebuilding and community engagement to lead Mercy
Corps’ implementation of an 18-month program funded by the US Department of
State through the Bureau on Counter Terrorism.
The program will engage community members- in particular
family members, peers and elders- to mitigate the drivers, enablers and
narratives of violent extremism in order to prevent the recruitment of
vulnerable individuals by Violent Extremist Organizations (VEOs).
The program will work primarily in Mombasa County to
strengthen the community level response to recruitment by VEOs by developing
messaging, outreach strategies and building early warning systems to enhance
community resilience and counter recruitment efforts.
The program will have an embedded research and M&E
function to enable piloting and adaptation of program messaging, targeting and
other strategies over the period of implementation to promote maximum impact
and efficiency through delivery of the program.
The Program Manager will have overall responsibility for
program implementation and will be the primary point of contact for the DOS
within Mercy Corps. Responsibilities will include developing, testing and
refining tools to assess the vulnerability of communities to violent extremism,
strengthening the capacity of local partners in the areas of research,
peacebuilding and conflict management, training and curriculum development,
reviewing the design and implementation of the project, facilitating clear
communication between diverse groups, and ensuring rigorous measurement of
program impact and timely reporting.
S/he will be an integral member of the senior country
leadership team, working closely with the Country Director, other program
technical advisors, directors and managers to promote synergies and knowledge
sharing between the program and other ongoing Mercy Corps programs, and to
shape Mercy Corps’ country strategy for peacebuilding and Countering Violent
Extremism (CVE) programming.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
Program Leadership
·
Provide strategic leadership and
oversight for Mercy Corps’ CVE program in cooperation with key project
stakeholders, including local and international partner organizations, local
civil society organizations, local and national government officials, research
institutions and universities, other international agencies on the ground, and
key donors;
·
Oversee relevant program, finance and
administrative staff to ensure that 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, and develop mechanisms for targeted research to inform program design
and implementation;
·
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 CVE programming for Mercy Corps staff and
local partners, and providing ongoing coaching and mentoring;
·
Promote learning and knowledge
management through documentation and knowledge sharing around best practices
and lessons learned.
Strategy and Vision
·
Set the overall vision and strategy
for the program by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to
achieve program objectives and impact;
·
Work with the Country Director to
develop a comprehensive strategy for CVE and peacebuilding programs in Kenya,
integrating agency best practices and building off the existing portfolio of
programs in country;
·
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 consortium partners, 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 local leaders, partner
agencies, and other key stakeholders;
·
Document and disseminate lessons
learned and best practices from the program to internal and external
stakeholders;
·
Develop and maintain working
relationships and coordinate with relevant international and local agencies
active in the CVE and peacebuilding sectors, including donors, other
peace-building and research 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;
·
Develop a framework for adaptive management
and program iteration driven by research and learning;
·
Provide overall leadership to a broad
team of program staff 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 toward 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: Program Officers, M&E Officer, Finance Officer and
other relevant staff
ACCOUNTABILITY
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Kenya Country Director
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Technical Support Unit (TSU), Operations and Finance Teams
and Mercy Corps Desk team.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
·
Master’s degree in conflict
mitigation, social sciences, international relations or other relevant field
preferred;
·
Minimum 5 years’ relevant
professional experience implementing conflict management and peacebuilding
programs, preferably with experience on working on CVE programming;
·
Previous experience managing programs
in insecure environments;
·
Experience in at least one of the
following program areas: conflict management, governance and/or youth;
·
Demonstrated experience with
consortium management, including innovative ways to ensure participatory and
dynamic engagement of partner organizations;
·
Demonstrated experience with adaptive
management, integration of research into program design and strategy, and
innovative approaches to program monitoring and evaluation;
·
Knowledge of systems approaches and
resilience principles a plus;
·
Strong facilitation and
consensus-building skills;
·
Experience managing national and
international staff;
·
Familiarity and experience with
USAID/DOS regulations preferred;
·
Must be able to work independently
while being a strong team player.
SUCCESS FACTORS:
The successful candidate will demonstrate the capacity to
lead a multi-dimensional effort in a complex and fluid security environment.
She will employ excellent judgment, strong interpersonal and
cross-cultural communication skills, and be committed to the values and mission
of Mercy Corps. She 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.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
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 4th July, 2018.
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.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Only
shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
NB: We do not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment
process