Field Manager at Mercy Corps

Reference Number: MDG/HUMOPS/2019/00077
Location: Bama, Borno State
Position Status: Full-time, Regular

Program / Department Summary

• Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on adolescent girls’ empowerment, economic development and conflict mitigation. With the insurgency spilling over from the Northeast of Nigeria and causing displacement of millions of individuals, Mercy Corps started its humanitarian response in 2014 to address the rising humanitarian needs
• With funding from institutional donors, foundations and private corporations, Mercy Corps continues to provide assistance to meet the basic needs of vulnerable populations in the areas of food security, shelter, water and sanitation, protection, and livelihoods.
• With the recognition of the protracted crisis in Northeast Nigeria, Mercy Corps’ strategy and expansion plans aim to address the root causes of the crisis and seek to build long term resilience of communities with integrated programs focusing on the recovery of markets and livelihoods, social cohesion and social protection, and youth empowerment with emphasis on adolescent girls and boys
• With multiple funding streams from large institutional donors and foundations, Mercy Corps’ programs in Northeast Nigeria continue to scale up and serve communities by transitioning them from humanitarian aid to early recovery programs.

General Position Summary

• The Field Manager will be responsible for coordinating the delivery of programs within Bama area of operation focusing on early recovery programs.
• He/She is in charge of field leadership, management of support to program activities and staffs, ensuring appropriate systems and support mechanisms are in place to track, analyze and report on results.
• The Field Manager is a member of the senior management team for the field operations in Bama office.
• The Field Manager is responsible for program quality and accountability and ensuring Mercy Corps policies and procedures are adhered to by all staff and contractors for Mercy Corps.
• She/he is responsible for enforcing strict ethical and integrity standards and ensures that those cases of violation of ethics such as fraud, corruption and breach of code of conduct are reported, documented and dealt with according to Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
• As the most senior staff for Mercy Corps in the Field location, the Field Manager is responsible for representing Mercy Corps to partner organizations and local authorities and for coordination with other NGOs.
• The post holder will represent Mercy Corps on local government level on all coordination platforms.

Essential Job Responsibilities
Project Management:

• Support ongoing programs and startup of new programs in field locations.
• Extend support to programs to ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget.
• Facilitate external engagement to ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities, authorities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.
• Conduct monitoring visits to the field to ensure that all targeted program beneficiaries are rightly benefitting from Mercy Corps interventions.
• Ensure a safe working environment for all people involved in project implementation.
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its mission.

Quality, Accountability and Compliance:

• Provide Field Leadership in the roll out and implementation of Community Accountability and Response Mechanism according to established Standard Operating Procedures.
• Promote and encourage openness to welcoming feedback and complaints from beneficiaries and communities, and learning from staff.
• Ensure that those cases of violation of ethics such as fraud, corruption and breach of code of conduct are reported, documented and dealt with according to Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
• Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria and Standard Operating Procedures.
• Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources and timely, accurate and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures

Operations Management:

• With support of Finance and Operations, ensure support systems (finance, accounting, procurement, transport, storage, communications, estate / buildings management, asset management etc) are in accordance with Mercy Corps systems and policies
• Ensure adequate systems are in place to provide adequate support to the field team.
• In conjunction with the HR department, ensure local recruitment is consistent with Mercy Corps HR recruitment policies, the legal context and local practice
• And that HR policies and procedures are understood by the project team and implemented.
• Provide leadership to the Field team, ensuring clarity over project plans and priorities, encouraging effective team work and inclusiveness, and building a team spirit through regular meetings.
• Oversee the administrative functions for the project team, line managing staff where appointed.

Security Management:

• Responsible for security oversight for the Field team, including providing inputs to the location-specific Security Plan, ensuring staff are fully briefed/trained on the agreed security measures appropriate to the area, staff understand individual and collective responsibilities for safety and security and ensuring incidents are reported, critical learning is recorded and corrective actions taken.

External Representation:

• Develop and maintain good lines of communication and relationships with local authorities and the local community.
• Represent Mercy Corps to local authorities (whether formal governmental or informal
• Authorities), securing the necessary appointments for visitors and local authority approvals and attendance to Mercy Corps functions.
• Represent Mercy Corps to other NGOs, and visitors, ensuring coordination and constructive working relations and attendance at relevant inter-agency coordination meetings as delegated by the Team Leader.

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:

• Direct and Indirect over team members in their area of operation

Accountability:

• Reports Directly To: Team Leader
• Works Directly With: Program teams, Finance Department, MEL, Operations, Security

Knowledge and Experience

• Education: Bachelor's Degree
• At least 5 years’ field experience in Humanitarian and/or development programs, including demonstrable success in managing humanitarian programs in transitional environments
• Proven experience in managing programs in relevant technical area(s) including E-Vouchers, Cash Transfers, Livelihoods, Financial Services, and/or services for Internally Displaced Persons. Strong understanding of conflict sensitive program mainstreaming would be a key advantage;
• Strong field leadership skills and proven experience in managing diverse and multicultural teams the cooperate and deliver results.
• Must be a person of high morality and integrity standards both at personal and professional level.
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage effective working relationships in multi-cultural environment
• Pro-active and able to work independently to complete project tasks
• Attention to detail and ability to follow through on task assignments
• Experience working in humanitarian context projects is an essential.
• Maintain effective communications with the local authorities and local community.
• Supervise and be responsible for all technical aspects of daily project implementation.
• Ensure regular filed monitoring visits of targeted area and provide on job support & monitoring.
• Good English written and spoken and Hausa language.

Success Factors:

• The successful candidate will provide effective leadership to the Mercy Corps team in Biu. S/he will be capable of multi-tasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building
• S/he will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level. Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.
• Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
• The position will be based in Biu, Borno state, Nigeria and it requires frequent travel to other field locations as well as Abuja. Considering the frequent travel from/to different field locations, this position will require flexibility in terms of accommodation and logistics
• Housing in the field will be in hotels or guesthouses where available. Security in the field locations require additional vigilance and accessibility will be reassessed continuously
• Access to good medical services in the field is limited. Phone communication, internet, electricity and water is available but might be erratic.