Mercy Corps
GIRL H Deputy Project Manager
Requisition Number: GIRLH002941
Full-Time
Locations: Wajir, Garissa, Lodwar,
Isiolo, Marsabit
About Mercy Corps
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.
To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are
diverse, and every team member feels that they belong.
We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that
we can be stronger and have long term impact.
Mercy Corps implements a variety of programming throughout the
Africa Region in response to the diverse humanitarian and long-term development
needs of the region and is committed to delivering high quality, high impact
programming that reaches communities or individuals in need, wherever they are.
Mercy Corps began working in Kenya in 2008 and has built a
robust and diverse portfolio working to enable Kenyans affected by poverty,
resource scarcity and conflict to be healthy, productive and to drive peace and
development of their communities.
To do this, we deliver integrated programming to strengthen
market and governance systems, innovate urban youth employment opportunities,
address the root causes of conflict, and build the resilience of vulnerable
populations – in particular youth, women, adolescents and marginalized
communities.
Program / Department
Summary
Girls Improving Resilience through Livelihoods (GIRL) is a
three-year program to be implemented in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria that seeks to
improve the well-being of young people aged 10-24 by increasing their access to
skills and knowledge, health resources, formal/informal education and
livelihood opportunities GIRL also fosters an enabling environment by working
with communities to transform unhealthy social norms and create opportunities
for young people to access opportunities that can impact positively on their
welbeing.
Key to GIRL is a robust learning and research agenda that
reaches across three countries to contribute to the evidence base on what works
to secure access to opportunities for adolescent girls within the most
marginalized communities and to better understand their contribution to
household resilience.
This evidence and learning will be shared to elevate Mercy
Corps’ influence in the adolescent girl space and to bolster fundraising
efforts to scale the model.
General Position Summary
The Deputy Project Manager will manage the successful
implementation of the GIRL-H project in Kenya, ensuring positive impact for all
participants and driving innovation and learning to refine replicable and
evidence-based programming.
As a result, the Deputy Project Manager is responsible for
leading intervention of GIRL-H, including program start up, implementation (
key focus on transition of program participants into viable livelihood pathways
and providing mentoring support), Program adaptation to suit con and close out.
In conjunction with GIRL Program Management unit and Country Leadership, the
Deputy Project Manager will operationalize a clear vision and strategy for the
program in Kenya to ensure that the program activities are impactful and remain
on budget and schedule.
Essential
Responsibilities
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
· Lead GIRL-H program
implementation within the five counties (Turkana, Wajir, Garissa, Marsabit and
Isiolo) in Kenya, including identification of team members and management of
implementing partners.
· Manage and oversee
GIRL-H program implementation in Kenya, in collaboration with key project
stakeholders, including local non-governmental organizations, local government
officials, community-based organizations, other international agencies on the
ground, and key donors
· Lead engagement with
local implementing partners within Kenya.
· Lead in the
implementation of the advocacy strategy for GIRL-H Kenya program
· Collaborate with program
team, finance, and administrative staff to ensure systems comply with donor and
Mercy Corps policies and procedures, including adherence to Mercy Corps program
management minimum standards
· Ensure program
implementation is on time, target, and budget, using effective M&E systems
to reach desired impacts
· Develop Mercy Corps and
partner organization staff capacity by designing and delivering technical
training and coaching plans on topics related to building resilience and
achieving gender-equitable program outcomes
· Provide leadership and
oversight in all aspects of program implementation, management, and evaluation
within Kenya
· Establish and oversee
effective program monitoring, evaluation, and reporting systems for both
internal and external use and ensure high quality input is obtained from team
members
· Ensure documentation of
achievements and lessons learned to ensure best practices are captured and
disseminated in quarterly and final program reports
STRATEGY AND VISION
· Collaborate with program
leadership in the development of a clear vision and strategy for the program in
Kenya and ensure it is shared with all relevant program team members and key
stakeholders.
· Collaborate with other
related Mercy Corps programs to create synergies wherever possible
· Ensure that program
implementation is responsive to communities and partners and aligned with Mercy
Corps’ principles and values.
· Engage support services
and risk management resources to enable the program team to execute their
respective strategic priorities
· Collaborate with
relevant team members regarding the measurement and analysis of key program
performance and quality indicators and metrics to inform strategic decision
making
TEAM MANAGEMENT
· Develop the capacity of
the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career
development
· Assist team members with
information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach 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
· Oversee program staff
and partner performance and quality of program implementation and if security
context allows, conduct frequent field visits to all program sites
FINANCE & COMPLIANCE
MANAGEMENT
· Monitor adherence to the
donor grant agreement as well as Mercy Corps’ and donor’s policies and
procedures for procurement and compliance
· 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
· Work closely with
financial and operational management to optimize resources through sound
budgets, consistent financial tracking, and timely submission of reports to the
donor
HUMAN RESOURCES,
SAFEGUARDING AND DIVERSITY
· Support Mercy Corps
initiatives for human resources, including safeguarding and diversity, and
talent development
· Collaborate with the
people team to promote staff access to high quality learning opportunities,
with a special emphasis on national team member development
· Assist with the
on-boarding of team members, ensuring they are set up for success and familiar
with agency systems, procedures, and protocols
COMMUNITY ACCOUNTABILITY
· Ensure Mercy Corps’
Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism (CARM) is operationalized, in line
with the relevant CARM policy, within the programs.
· Identify a CARM focal
point for each program s/he manages.
· Develop a CARM
sensitization plan and ensure activities are incorporated into the program
activity plan.
· Proactively inform all
program stakeholders about the CARM feedback channels.
RISK MANAGEMENT
· Engage and support
program areas across the counties to ensure that adequate risk management
systems are in place
· Collaborate with country
and program leadership to support preparedness and response to major disruptive
events
· Participate in the
internal audit (IA) process to track findings and ensure program compliance
with IA findings and recommendations
· Work closely with the
country team 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
INFLUENCE &
REPRESENTATION
· Represent Mercy Corps at
government, donor, NGO and other relevant events, in close coordination with
other program leads and teams
· Maintain active and
cooperative relationships with all key stakeholders, including government
officials, project partners, other implementing agencies, and related
institutions
· Coordinate activities
with consortium partners, subgrantees, local government and other implementers,
as well as with other Mercy Corps programs
SECURITY
· In collaboration with
the Operations Director and Regional Security Advisor monitor security
developments and report to Mercy Corps Senior Management as per the Mercy Corps
Kenya security procedures and protocols.
· Ensure compliance with
security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
· Proactively ensure that
team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.
Supervisory
Responsibility
· GIRL-H Officers
(Turkana, Wajir, Garissa, Marsabit, Isiolo) and SRH Officer in Marsabit.
Accountability
· Reports Directly To:
GIRL-H PMU Manager technically with administrative lines to the Kenya Director
of Programs and Head of office
· Works Directly With:
GIRL Program Management Unit (PMU) Manager and MEL Manager, Director of
Operations, Program Managers, local partner organizations, support staff
(Finance, HR and Operations), Director of Programs
Accountability to
Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts
toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community
partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding
international relief and development work.
We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal
partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Minimum Qualification
& Transferable Skills
· Degree and equivalent
experience in international development or relevant social sciences
· 5-7 years’ experience in
gender and youth development work especially safe space approach, and
livelihood programs for young people.
· Demonstrated capacity in
women empowerment programs with experience in value chain approaches strongly
preferred.
· Extensive program
management experience especially on program start-up and close out required
· Experience in proposal
development and fund raising for youth focused programs. Private sector
partnership experience is a plus.
· Experience in report
writing strongly preferred.
· Experience managing a
high performing team required.
· Demonstrated capacity to
lead the collection and analysis and utilization of information from a broad
range of sources to ensure effective integration of gender and youth concerns
throughout the project’s duration.
· Ability to foster
commitment and build capacity among project staff and in-country actors around
gender and youth integration.
· Strong public speaking
and facilitation skills required.
· Proficiency with
Microsoft Office.
· Fluency in written and
spoken English required
· Fluency in written and
spoken Kiswahili preferred
Success Factors
The successful candidate will have excellent team and
interpersonal relationship skills, with demonstrated ability to work
effectively in complex environments.
S/he will combine strong communication skills, creativity, initiative,
participatory leadership, and tactful decisiveness to assist in program
implementation.
Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous
attention to detail and strategic vision are essential.
S/he must have the confidence and humility to work effectively
with a diverse group of people – as well as be sensitive to political and
cultural nuance.
S/he must be able to consistently apply excellent judgment to a
variety of demanding and fast- ‐ changing situations
while working as part of a team and coordinate with program personnel.
Living Conditions /
Environmental Conditions
The position is based in one of the GIRL H counties ( Wajir,
Garissa, Marsabit and Isiolo) with travels to the other locations.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more
effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all
team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further
their personal and/or professional growth and development
Diversity, Equity &
Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work
together.
Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people
of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better
able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most
complex challenges.
We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone
contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as
individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we
are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse,
equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not
tolerate discrimination on any basis.
We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and
skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global
impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and
psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all.
We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of
race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual
orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status),
marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the
locations where we work.
Safeguarding &
Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we
come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community
members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity.
We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of
sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC.
We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or
harassment by or of our team members.
As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work
environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional
manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of
Conduct Policies and values at all times.
Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct
eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
CLICK HERE to apply online.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Mercy Corps does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment
process.
