Senior Operations Officer
Closing date: 18 Sep 2017
The Senior Operations Officer will
liaise closely with Mercy Corps’ Procurement Administration and Logistics
Management (PALM) team with regard to the full implementation of standard Mercy
Corps policies and procedures. A heavy emphasis is placed on the training and
supporting staff within the administration and logistics departments and in
field offices. The Senior Operations Officer will oversee all administrative
and logistics support functions for the Mercy Corps Kenya field offices.
The Senior Operations Officer will
manage all administrative and logistics support functions for the Mercy Corps
program in Kenya. The successful candidate is expected to travel 50% of his/her
time to field offices and to program implementation sites to strengthen the
skills of logistics and procurement staff and ensure compliance with Mercy
Corps systems.
Requirements
·
A Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain
Management discipline, business administration, public administration, commerce
or related field or a Master degree is an added advantage.
·
Additional professional qualification
and certification as a Certified Procurement and Supply Professional of Kenya
(CPSP – K) or equivalent certification from a recognized institution is
required;
·
Minimum of 5 years relevant
experience in operational coordination and support functions with an
international non-governmental organization or in the private sector;
·
Experience in overseeing procurement
and logistics operations and systems;
·
Demonstrated experience in setting up
and managing complex administration and operational systems;
·
Minimum of 2 years of experience
leading teams in humanitarian assistance and development field;
·
Demonstrated understanding of complex
emergencies, related security concerns, and appropriate responses to such
emergencies;
·
Excellent negotiation,
representation, skills and the ability to work comfortably with an ethnically
diverse staff;
·
Excellent verbal and written
communication, organizational, prioritization and computer skills in Microsoft
Office applications are required;
·
Demonstrated attention to detail,
ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and
cooperatively with team members.
·
Proven records of successful training
and capacity building of staff;
·
Knowledge of Mercy Corps systems and
procedures (particularly Mercy Corps procurement systems) is desirable;
·
Ability and willingness to travel to
unstable areas of Kenya and operate comfortably in these areas.
Success Factors:
Ability to maintain high integrity in performing assigned responsibilities, excellent problem solving skills, and ability to act as intermediary between program and operations staff to ensure smooth process flow while maintaining a balance between program implementation and compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies.
Ability to maintain high integrity in performing assigned responsibilities, excellent problem solving skills, and ability to act as intermediary between program and operations staff to ensure smooth process flow while maintaining a balance between program implementation and compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies.
Chief of Party
Closing date: 15 Sep 2017
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 implementing a 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.
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, Nairobi and Uasin Gishu counties
to ensure that youth and communities are able to remain resilient to political
manipulation and ensure a peaceful election.
KEVP is working 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
Roles
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.
Qualifications
·
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.
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.
How to Apply
Interested candidates who meet the above required qualifications and experience should submit a Cover Letter and detailed Curriculum Vitae and three professional referees (including a recent supervisor) to ke-hrkenya@mercycorps.org on or before 15th September 2017.
Interested candidates who meet the above required qualifications and experience should submit a Cover Letter and detailed Curriculum Vitae and three professional referees (including a recent supervisor) to ke-hrkenya@mercycorps.org on or before 15th September 2017.
The email subject line must clearly
show the job title and location they are applying for.
Applications without an appropriate
subject line will be automatically disqualified. Please do not attach any
certificates.