Mercy
Corps is looking for committed and dynamic individual to take up the following
position.
Position: Program Director
Location: Nairobi
About
Us: 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.
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 seeking a strong and proven Project Director who can lead the
implementation of establishing early warning and early response hubs in select
hot spots in Nairobi, the coast and possibly in other areas of Central.
The
Project Director will lead the management and implementation of a one-year
election violence prevention and response program beginning in December, 2016.
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.
The
Project Director will be responsible for managing and supervising project
activities and the performance of project partners.
He/she
and his/her team will work with electoral bodies and the security sector—along
with civil society—to establish and strengthen existing local networks,
establish county level Early Warning Early Response (EWER) Hubs, and link them
to Uwiano platform.
The
project team 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 Project
Director will provide overall leadership and management over the election
violence prevention activities in the Nairobi, the coast and possibly other
locations as required and will ensure that the program meets its targets and
deliverables on-time and within budget.
The
Project Director will supervise project staff, ensure Mercy Corps is focused on
facilitating transformational and peaceful change and ensuring strong quality
and accountability to policies and donor rules and regulations.
S/he
will be the primary project representative to donors, relevant government
entities, partners, other implementers and stakeholders in cooperation with the
Country Director.
Essential
Job Functions:
Project
Management & Leadership
·
Oversee project start-up, management
and administration. Ensure program implementation is on time, target and
budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts. Strive
for excellence on assessing project progress, and analyzing results and
communicating those results out internally and externally;
·
Ensure that program implementation is
responsive to our needs assessment and mapping outcomes, consistent with Mercy
Corp’s relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and
strategic plan;
·
Develop partnership frameworks,
partner agreements/Memorandum of Understandings, and oversee partner capacity
building and growth;
·
Keep the lead agency up to speed on
project progress and provide regular reporting to the lead agency as required
and set out contractually between Mercy Corps and the lead agency;
·
Increase staff capacity by ensuring
high quality technical training on election violence prevention, conflict
management and peacebuilding for Mercy Corps staff and local partners, and
providing ongoing coaching and mentoring;
·
Supervise and/or review the work of
program consultants;
·
Coordinate with the procurement,
logistics, administration ,security, and human resources teams to ensure
operational systems support field activities;
·
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.
Team
Management
·
Create and sustain a work environment
of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence;
·
Supervise and regularly coordinate
with project staff and support departments to ensure smooth planning,
preparation, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of program
activities;
·
Complete team members’ review in a
timely way and ensure team members understand their strengths and areas that
need improvement;
·
Promote accountability, communicate
expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews;
·
Provide team members with information
and resources to improve performance and reach objectives;
·
Help team members identify problem
solving options;
·
Ensure the integration of team
members into relevant decision-making;
·
Ensure all team members remain
non-partisan throughout the project person and keep their personal views about
political candidates to themselves.
Finance
and Compliance Management
·
Ensure compliance with donor and
Mercy Corps regulations;
·
Create and maintain systems to ensure
effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative
reporting in line with program, donor and Mercy Corps needs.
Representation
& Coordination
·
Represent Mercy Corps at government,
donor, NGO and other relevant events, in close coordination with the Country
Director;
·
Coordinate activities with partners,
local government and other implementers, and other Mercy Corps programs.
This
is especially true with Mercy Corps’ other election violence prevention program
– Kenya Election Violence Prevention and Response program (KEVP).
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 the project team understands
Mercy Corps security protocols and adheres to them and make recommendations on
modifications to procedures as needed.
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 Mercy Corps’ agency-wide
Organizational Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for
spending 5% of their work time in formal and/or non-formal professional
learning that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
Accountability: 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: Direct supervision of project team
(approximately 7 team members) based in both Nairobi and Mombasa.
Reports
Directly To: Country Director
Works
Directly With: KEVP Chief of Party, Project Directors, Program Managers,
Finance, Operations and Human Resource departments, HQ Regional Program Team,
and HQ Technical Support Unit
Knowledge
and Experience:
·
MA/S/MBA or equivalent in social
sciences, conflict mitigation, management, international relations, is strongly
preferred. A BA/BS is relevant field is required;
·
Minimum 7 years of experience
including 4 years in a senior management position and prior experience
implementing conflict management and peacebuilding programs;
·
Demonstrated experience working on
past Kenyan election violence prevention programs and with electoral processes
and stakeholders is a MUST;
·
Knowledge of people-to-people
peacebuilding programs and ‘Do No Harm’ principles;
·
Experience with remote management of
field teams is strongly preferred;
·
Strong facilitation and
consensus-building skills;
·
Proven experience working closely
with and managing expectations and active engagement of senior donor and
stakeholders;
·
Familiarity and experience with USAID
regulations is preferred;
·
Must be able to work independently
while being a strong team player;
·
Fluency in both English and Swahili
are required;
·
Commitment to excellence, and
willingness to experiment with new techniques and innovations;
·
Must be travel up to 40% of the time;
·
Proven track record measuring and
reporting on project results through regular reporting is required.
·
Strong English writing and report
writing skills are required;
·
Strong skills and a track record in
strategic visioning, leadership, and inspiring teams;
·
Effective personnel management,
coordination, and decision-making skills, with proven ability to be accountable
for all components of the program.
Success
Factors: The successful Program Director will
be highly strategic in their approach to gathering and disseminating
information while effectively linking networks of people together to obtain the
maximum impact for change. Be a self-starter, multi-tasker, and able to work in
a complex environment.
S/he
will be able to facilitate change through influencing key stakeholders to
change their behavior or approach.
S/he
will be a tolerant and flexible individual able to work in difficult and
stressful environments and follow procedures.
S/he
will be a team-player with positive attitude to problem solving and conflict
resolution, inspiring others through engaging in an enthusiastic and compelling
way.
S/he
will also have the skill to engage, motivate and encourage staff to bring
creative solutions to development issues, identify opportunities for increased
impact, and pursue project objectives.
Position: Senior Area Manager
Location: Mombasa
About Us: 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.
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.
Program / Department Summary: Mercy Corps implements high-quality, analytical
development work and peacebuilding programs in 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.
The Senior Area Manager will oversee
implementation of a one-year election violence prevention and response program
beginning in December, 2016.
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.
The Senior Area Manager will be
responsible for managing and supervising project activities and the performance
of project partners.
He/she and his/her team will work
with electoral bodies and the security sector—along with civil society—to
establish and strengthen existing local networks, establish county level Early
Warning Early Response (EWER) Hubs, and link them to Uwiano platform.
The project team 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: Under the direction of the Project Director, the Senior
Area Manager will be responsible for the overall planning and implementation of
project activities in coast region.
S/he will directly manage the program
staff based in the coast region and take overall responsibility for the day to
day running of the Mombasa office and work with the Project Director in Nairobi
to ensure project activities are implemented according to schedule, budget and
required quality.
Essential Job Functions:
·
Manage and oversee all project
activities in the coastal areas as agreed with the Project Director and in
accordance with approved proposal, budget and timelines;
·
Coordinate and share information with
the Project Director and the greater program team go ensure overall program
targets and donor obligations are being achieved;
·
Visit project sites regularly,
including partner sites, to provide appropriate technical assistance, monitor
and oversee activities;
·
Ensure full application of
participatory methodologies like Participatory Learning and Action and
Appreciative Inquiry in facilitation of community dialogue meetings, and trainings
and workshops;
·
Support the project and partner 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;
·
Act as the main liaison with relevant
county government and IEBC officials and institutions, stakeholders and
community members relevant to project;
·
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.
·
Build the capacity of select
implementation partners to improve their technical, organizational and
management capacity.
·
Regularly meet with and communicate
with the Project Director to discuss program achievements, especially when they
deviate from the original plan;
·
Participate in project team meetings
as required;
·
Work with Project Director to
organize and facilitate field visits for donors and Mercy Corps staff;
·
In collaboration with the Project
Director, monitor security developments and report to Mercy Corps Senior Management
as per the Mercy Corps Kenya security procedures and protocols;
·
Jointly prepare donor reports with
the Project Director and other staff to capture program impact;
·
Provide direct and ongoing
supervision and managerial support to project and partner staff based on the
coast to ensure effective implementation of program activities;
·
Oversee the development of program,
staff and partner work plans, and ensure regular one-to-one sessions and
performance reviews to review progress and resolve any concerns or issues;
·
Support and facilitate team and
partner development, encourage active participation of team members and support
positive relationships between members;
·
Identify training needs and
opportunities for project staff to ensure that they have adequate resources to
complete program objectives, and to enable learning and growth;
·
Ensure that project staff have the
necessary facilities and office equipment for the smooth functioning of the
program;
·
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;
·
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 Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational
Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their
work time in formal and/or non-formal professional learning that benefit Mercy
Corps as well as themselves.
Accountability: 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: All coast-based Project Officers
Reports Directly To: Project Director
Works Directly With: Project team (in all locations), coast based team, local
implementing partners, Government, IEBC, security sector, HR, operations,
Finance teams, Nairobi based team
Knowledge and Experience:
·
Bachelor’s degree in conflict
management/peace building, social sciences or other relevant field. A Master’s
degree is preferred;
·
Minimum of six years’ relevant
professional experience managing conflict management or other peace building or
capacity building related projects preferably within NGOs;
·
Demonstrated experience working on
past Kenyan election violence prevention programs and with electoral processes
and stakeholders is a preferred;
·
Experience in managing teams and
facilitating planning and program development processes;
·
Experience in both community level
programming and government focused capacity building;
·
Experience working in conflict and
coastal environments is required;
·
Excellent verbal communication,
negotiating, organization and prioritization skills;
·
Excellent quantitative skills and
financial management knowledge is preferred;
·
Leadership skills, and proven
experience in developing effective teams;
·
Strong organizational and managerial
skills;
·
Demonstrated problem solving skills;
·
Demonstrated experience in coaching,
conducting workshops and community meeting facilitation;
·
Excellent written communication
skills with demonstrated ability to develop and write quarterly reports
independently;
·
Experience in building and
maintaining strong/productive relations with implementing and strategic partner
agencies is preferred. This includes coordinating with government authorities
and counterparts;
·
Excellent computer skills, including
all Microsoft applications;
·
Demonstrated skills to successfully
communicate and initiate and maintain positive relationships with beneficiary’s
community.
Success Factors:
·
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;
·
Must be able and willing to be
impartial during the election period.
Position: Area Manager
Location: Nairobi
About Us: 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.
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.
Program / Department Summary: Mercy Corps implements high-quality, analytical
development work and peacebuilding programs in 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.
The Area Manager will oversee
implementation of a one-year election violence prevention and response program
beginning in December, 2016.
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.
The Area Manager will be responsible
for managing and supervising project activities and the performance of project
partners.
He/she and his/her team will work
with electoral bodies and the security sector—along with civil society—to
establish and strengthen existing local networks, establish county level Early
Warning Early Response (EWER) Hubs, and link them to Uwiano platform.
The project team 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: Under the direction of the Project Director, the Area
Manager will be responsible for the overall planning and implementation of
project activities in Nairobi and possibly select areas of Central as needed.
The Area Manager will directly manage
the program staff based in the Nairobi and possible Central and ensure project
activities are implemented according to schedule, budget and required quality.
Essential Job Functions:
·
Manage the day-today operations of
activities in the Nairobi and possibly in select area of Central as needed;
·
Work with the Project Director and in
accordance with approved proposal, budget and timelines;
·
Coordinate and share information with
the Project Director and the greater program team to ensure overall program
targets and donor obligations are being achieved;
·
Visit project sites regularly,
including partner sites, to provide appropriate technical assistance, monitor
and oversee activities;
·
Ensure full application of
participatory methodologies like Participatory Learning and Action and
Appreciative Inquiry in facilitation of community dialogue meetings, and
trainings and workshops;
·
Support the project and partner 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;
·
Work with the Project Director to
regularly coordinate and keep updated with relevant county government and IEBC
officials and institutions, security sectoral, stakeholders and community
members relevant to project;
·
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;
·
Build the capacity of select
implementation partners to improve their technical, organizational and
management capacity;
·
Regularly meet with and communicate
with the Project Director to discuss program achievements, especially when they
deviate from the original plan;
·
Participate in project team meetings
as required;
·
Work with Project Director to
organize and facilitate field visits for donors and Mercy Corps staff;
·
In collaboration with the Project
Director, monitor security developments and report to Mercy Corps Senior
Management as per the Mercy Corps Kenya security procedures and protocols;
·
Jointly prepare donor reports with
the Project Director and other staff to capture program impact;
·
Provide direct and ongoing
supervision and managerial support to project and partner staff based in
Nairobi or Central to ensure effective implementation of program activities;
·
Oversee the development of program,
staff and partner work plans, and ensure regular one-to-one sessions and
performance reviews to review progress and resolve any concerns or issues;
·
Support and facilitate team and
partner development, encourage active participation of team members and support
positive relationships between members;
·
Identify training needs and
opportunities for project staff to ensure that they have adequate resources to
complete program objectives, and to enable learning and growth;
·
Ensure that project staff have the
necessary facilities and office equipment for the smooth functioning of the
program;
·
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;
·
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 Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational
Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their
work time in formal and/or non-formal professional learning that benefit Mercy
Corps as well as themselves.
Accountability: 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: All Project Officers in Nairobi and Central; possible
oversight of partner activities.
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Project Director
Works Directly With: Project team (in all locations), coast based team, l implementing
partners, Government, IEBC, security sector, HR, operations, and Finance teams.
Knowledge and Experience:
·
Bachelor’s degree in conflict
management/peace building, social sciences or other relevant field. A Master’s
degree is preferred;
·
Minimum of five years’ relevant
professional experience managing conflict management or other peace building or
capacity building related projects preferably within NGOs;
·
Demonstrated experience working on
past Kenyan election violence prevention programs and with electoral processes
and stakeholders is a preferred;
·
Experience in managing teams and
facilitating planning and program development processes;
·
Experience in both community level
programming and government focused capacity building;
·
Experience working in conflict
environments is required;
·
Excellent verbal communication,
negotiating, organization and prioritization skills;
·
Excellent quantitative skills and
financial management knowledge is preferred;
·
Leadership skills, and proven
experience in developing effective teams;
·
Strong organizational and managerial
skills;
·
Demonstrated problem solving skills;
·
Demonstrated experience in coaching,
conducting workshops and community meeting facilitation;
·
Excellent written communication
skills with demonstrated ability to develop and write quarterly reports
independently;
·
Experience in building and
maintaining strong/productive relations with implementing and strategic partner
agencies is preferred. This includes coordinating with government authorities
and counterparts;
·
Excellent computer skills, including
all Microsoft applications;
·
Demonstrated skills to successfully
communicate and initiate and maintain positive relationships with beneficiary’s
community.
Success Factors:
·
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
·
Must be able and willing to be
impartial during the election period.
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 Monday
28th November, 2016 by 4.00pm.
The email subject line must clearly
indicate the job title and location being applied 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 and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
NB: Mercy Corps does not charge any fee at any stage of
the recruitment process.