Deputy Chief of Party – Rural Resilience Program at Mercy Corps

Position Description

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. Mercy Corps Nigeria was established in 2012 to respond primarily to growing humanitarian needs in the Northeast. With a strong and growing team of over 200 staff, Mercy Corps is currently serving over 1,500,000 beneficiaries across the country with programming in Lagos in the South; Kaduna, Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau in the Middle Belt; Kano, Gombe, Adamawa, Yobe and Borno in the North. Programs include girls’ education and financial inclusion, community peacebuilding, market-based livelihoods, and a multi-sector humanitarian response that emphasises WASH, Shelter, Cash and Protection. 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 response, and market systems development.

Program / Department Summary 

Working with a diverse funding base that includes the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), UK Department for International Development (DFID), United Nations (UN), European Commission (EC), and several foundations, Mercy Corps empowers people to recover from crisis, build better lives and transform their communities for good. In 2019, Mercy Corps was awarded a five-year, $30 million USAID-funded Rural Resilience Activity in Nigeria’s northeastern states. The purpose of the Rural Resilience Activity is to sustainably move people out of chronic vulnerability and poverty. The Rural Resilience activity will enable individuals and communities to engage in strong and sustainable market systems rather than continuing to rely on humanitarian assistance and faltering with each new shock.

The Rural Resilience Activity is a five-year, $30 million USAID-funded Program in Nigeria’s northeast. The purpose of the Rural Resilience Activity is to sustainably move people out of chronic vulnerability and poverty. The Rural Resilience activity will enable individuals and communities to engage in strong and sustainable market systems rather than continuing to rely on humanitarian assistance and faltering with each new shock. To achieve this purpose, the Activity will have four components and four cross-cutting elements:

• Component 1: Provide up-to-date evidence for the selection of market systems, livelihoods and employment opportunities that contribute to inclusive and resilient growth and improved nutrition.
• Component 2: Stimulate market systems growth and diverse economic opportunities (Pull activities).
• Component 3: Build capacity to take advantage of market systems opportunities (Push activities).
• Component 4: Sequencing, layering, integrating (SLI), and collaborative learning to improve activity effectiveness, sustainability, and scale.

General Position Summary 

The Deputy Chief of Party (D/COP) will support the Chief of Party (COP) in managing and leading the Rural Resilience Activity. The D/COP will assist the COP in program oversight, and directly manage the technical, administrative, operational and logistical aspects of the program. The D/COP will work closely with different Thematic Teams 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 the objectives of the program.

Essential Job Responsibilities 

STRATEGY & VISION

• Provide technical 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.
• Assist the Chief of Party with the development of a program-wide resilience-building framework to guide coordination and integrated implementation.
• Contribute to program and country team-building efforts and communications support for field teams.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Oversee program top-up in start-up states (when confirmed) and ongoing program implementation 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 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 the 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 the 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/impacts 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.

CAPACITY BUILDING AND MENTORING

• In close partnership with the Chief of Party, 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 the supervisory staff do the same promptly.
• Contribute to country team-building efforts and ensure the integration of all team members into the relevant decision-making process.

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 Digital Library, Hub, and Workplace, 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.

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 that programs are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.

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 and 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: Program, Finance, Operations teams, HQ Regional Program Team, HQ Technical Support Unit, and Partner Organizations.

Knowledge and Experience

• Master’s degree or higher degree in Agriculture, Economics, or Business Administration.
• Demonstrated expertise and a minimum of five (5) years of Deputy Chief of Party experience in managing large to medium (preferably $10 million and above) livelihood, agricultural development activities with knowledge of resilience programming and the African context preferred.
• At least three (3) years of field-based work in a conflict-prone and/or active insurgency environment.
• Strong technical experience in Market Systems Approach to development.
• Demonstrated ability to be collaborative across activities utilizing strong communication and interpersonal skills, with evidence of the ability to productively interact with a wide range and levels of organizations (government, private sector, other activities, NGOs).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills (proficiency in English).

Behaviors Required

• Team Player: Works well as a member of a group
• Leader: Inspires teammates to follow them

Motivations Required

• Goal Completion: Inspired to perform well by the completion of tasks
• Self-Starter: Inspired to perform without outside help
• Growth Opportunities: Inspired to perform well by the chance to take on more responsibility

SUCCESS FACTORS 

A successful candidate will have demonstrated the 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 environment and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.