Deputy Chief of Party at Mercy Corps

Reference Number: ABV/PRO/2019/0022
Location: Abuja, with regular travel
Position Status Full-time, Regular

Program / Department Summary

• Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, and its influence spreads across the continent. Yet, inequality and insecurity have consistently undermined Nigeria's development. Mercy Corps Nigeria was established in 2012 to respond to these challenges.
• The Nigeria team is headquartered in Abuja, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with offices throughout Nigeria. With a strong and growing team of over 200 staff, Mercy Corps is currently serving over 600,000 beneficiaries across the country with programming in Lagos in the South; Kaduna, Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau in the Middle Belt; Kano in the North; and Gombe and Borno in the Northeast. Programs include girls’ education and financial inclusion, community peace-building, market-based livelihoods and a multi-sector humanitarian response. With the vision of a Nigeria in which all people are empowered, engaged, resilient and secure, Mercy Corps Nigeria focuses on the root causes of conflict, governance, humanitarian needs, and market systems development.

General Position Summary

• Mercy Corps is seeking candidates for a Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) who will manage and lead the finance and administration components of an expected five-year USAID-supported Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP) Program in Nigeria.
• The DCOP acts as the COP and serves as the principal point of contact in Nigeria for procedural and substantive matters in the absence of the COP. The DCOP will be responsible for all the day-to-day technical activities and implementation of the activity.
• The D/COP will assist the COP in programme oversight, managing directly the technical, administrative, operational, and logistical aspects of the programme. programme.
• The D/COP will work closely with different departments and support functions to ensure effective program coordination and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, quality assurance and accountability.
• The D/COP will also work directly with partner agencies both national and international to achieve objectives of the programme.

Essential Job Responsibilities
Technical Leadership:

•  Provide leadership and strategic vision to the technical components of the program including workplan development, market analysis, partnership selection and management, and overall sector strategy.
• Monitor adherence to grant agreement, Mercy Corps policies and procedures and relevant external rules and regulations.
• Oversee performance of consortium partners and sub-grantees.
• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.

Program Implementation:

• Oversee program start-up and ongoing program management and administration of teams across various field locations.
•  Lead the development of detailed implementation plans, flowing from annual strategic work- plans, and ensure the delivery of the same.
• Lead the socialization of the program with Government of Nigeria stakeholders, ensuring necessary approvals and collaboration as required.
• Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.
• Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
• Provide managerial and programmatic oversight to partners and sub-grantee(s).
• Document processes and achievements to ensure best practices are captured and disseminated. This will include the continual re-evaluation of program activities and information, with resulting activity adjustments in keeping with new insights.
• Produce written reports on program activities, capturing the impacts of activities.
• Oversee efforts to design effective M&E systems for the program, and linkages with internal M&E systems.
• Create and follow effective stakeholder management plans, ensuring sound and proactive communications with Mercy Corps Nigeria, partner organizations, Mercy Corps headquarters, USAID, Government of Nigeria authorities, and colleague agencies.
• Conduct frequent field visits to all project sites - spend up to 50% of time in the field .

Program Support Operations:

• Coordinate with program, finance and administration/logistics staff to ensure operational systems are in place to support field activities including logistics (transport, warehousing and asset management), procurement, security, administration and human resources.
• Propose design of new local policies as needed and in accordance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations.

Information Management:

• Facilitate the achievement of performance-based targets and outcomes and lead efforts to design effective, proactive, and iterative M&E systems following the program's logical framework and results chain measurement.
• Oversee the scope of work, deliverables and overall quality of work of any internal or external evaluation or research partners.
• Oversee the scheduling and production of formal and informal reports on all aspects of the program in a timely and efficient manner.
• Ensure program data and analysis is used for learning by holding and leading semi-annual program workshops with all program partners.
• Document achievements/impact of innovative program components of the program.
• Ensure that M&E and all team members together focus on assisting the program to generate practical information that can be used for ongoing program analysis and decision-making while also capturing results at the impact level

Security:

• 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.

Capacity Building and Mentoring:

• In close partnership with the COP, create a work atmosphere conducive to professional growth and development of excellent personnel at all levels.
• Implement, and ensure all staff are effectively using, the performance planning and management system, establishing performance expectations and regularly providing constructive feedback.
• Promote accountability by conducting staff annual performance reviews with direct supervisees, and ensuring that supervisory staff do the same in a timely manner.
• Contribute to country team-building efforts and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision making processes
• Provide conflict analysis, conflict sensitivity, and Do No Harm analysis training and technical assistance to USAID mission staff and USAID implementing partners.

Internal and External Coordination

• Active contributor and collaborator with regional and global counterparts to promote the use of best practices.
• Strengthen linkages with other internal resources, including the LMS, Digital Library, Hub, and Connect, to enhance organizational learning where relevant to M&E.
• Maintain close working relationships with counterparts in other relevant international NGOs, and local NGOs and associations in Nigeria.

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:

• National and international team members working on the program, as well as partnerships with international and national program partners. The number of direct and indirect reports is to be determined.

Accountability

• Reports Directly To: Chief of Party
• Works Directly With: Director of Finance and Administration, Program Sector Managers, Program Managers, Reporting & Communications Officers, Country Director, Finance, and Operations teams. Coordinates with HQ Program Performance team and the Technical Support Unit.

Knowledge and Experience

• Master’s degree in a relevant field such as Social Sciences, Law, Development Studies, etc. However, a Bachelor’s degree and five (5) additional years of relevant international development experience can be substituted for the Master’s degree.
• At least five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in the successful implementation of international development activities, with preference given to conflict mitigation and/or violent extremism prevention programs - at least three (3) years of which must be in senior program management, including direct supervision of professional and support staff.
• Prior experience in awarding and managing sub-grants to local organizations to promote conflict mitigation, violent extremism prevention, and/or democracy and governance goals.
• Experience working in the conflict mitigation/preventing violent extremism sector in Africa.
• Conflict analysis, Do No Harm analysis, conflict sensitivity training, and Do No Harm training experience strongly preferred. [1]
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs, i.e., Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.
• Experience of working on USAID programs preferred
• Previous experience living and working in challenging or insecure environments.
• Nigeria/West Africa experience preferred.
• Fluency in spoken and written English required.
• Knowledge of local dialects is preferred.

Success Factors:

• A successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members of varied work styles and cultures, follow procedures, and meet deadlines with flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.
• S/he will have a proven ability to learn quickly, multi-task, prioritize, take initiative, and be accountable for results, understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details, problem solving, work within a complex and sensitive setting and to follow laws and security protocols.
• The most successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.

Living /Environmental Conditions:

• The position is based in the capital city Abuja with regular travel to other parts of Nigeria. The location is accompanied and generally secure. Housing, health care, water, electricity and consumer goods are all reasonably accessible and there are good international and domestic travel options from Abuja Airport. Air travel is necessary to get to some field locations. Mobile phones services are widely available. Internet is available in all Mercy Corps offices with some inconsistencies in the most remote sites. There is a wide variety of schools with different education philosophies and curriculum (British, American, French, and German to name the few). This position requires 40% travel by road and air to field offices that are located in highly insecure locations.
• Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a short term assignments. 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 times and in all in-country venues.
• Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision.  Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.