Deputy Chief of Party/Technical Director, Resilience Activity at Mercy Corps

The Position

• Mercy Corps is seeking a Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) for the implementation of an anticipated USAID/Feed the Future-funded Resilience Activity in Sokoto and Zamfara states of Nigeria.
• The DCOP will also act as the Technical Director, responsible for the program’s overall resilience approach with a focus on market systems development and market systems resilience for increased economic opportunity and food and nutrition security.
• The DCOP / Technical Director will be responsible for the technical design, management, and implementation of the program, including ensuring effective operations.
• The DCOP / Technical Director will work closely with the Chief of Party (COP) to drive the program’s strategic approach and ensure strong technical models are translated into high-quality operational plans and interventions. They will directly manage implementation and technical teams to operationalize systems, structures, and processes that enable high-quality program implementation tailored to the local context.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND PLANNING

• Works closely with COP to develop the overall vision and strategy that drives program impact, innovation, and learning. Ensures the overall vision and strategy is systematically shared and internalized with the program team, partners, and key stakeholders.
• Lead the development of a technical strategy that is closely aligned with the vision and technically sound.
• Integrate and embrace all voices into shared strategies and foster an inclusive culture of curiosity, collaboration, learning, and adaptation.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Leads the implementation of the technical strategy ensuring it is appropriate to meet activity objectives and quality standards, and adapts with learning and contextual changes.
• Manages the consolidated consortium work, ensuring the program is on time, on scope, and budget, and that program plans are well coordinated with operational support functions (procurement, operations, HR).
• Adapts and develops context and program-specific guidance, tools, and training to advance the technical components of the program.
• Ensures data-driven adaptive management, learning, and reflective practices against work plans are adopted across the implementation team and facilitate improved decision-making.
• Integrate cross-cutting approaches including locally driven, shock-responsive, climate adaptive, social and gender inclusion, youth empowerment, and nutrition sensitivity.
• Ensure interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, program participant accountability standards, and program management minimum standards.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Recruitment, onboarding, and supervising the Activity’s technical staff and consultants.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect and learning where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Provide team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance, enhance technical and partnership management skills, and reach objectives.
• Promote staff accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one-on-one meetings and performance reviews.

REPRESENTATION

• Identify, build, and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments, and other stakeholders.
• Actively contribute and collaborate with regional and global counterparts to promote best practices within the program.
• Communicate effectively across teams and partners to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.
• Contribute to program visibility and advocacy work by assisting in the dissemination of program research and learning information. Represent Mercy Corps in forums with the broader humanitarian and development community.

FINANCE and COMPLIANCE

• Ensure compliance with USAID and Mercy Corps regulations.
• Monitor partner activities to ensure adherence to grant agreements, Mercy Corps’ policies and procedures, and other relevant regulations, including those of USAID and the Government of Nigeria.
• Support systems to ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with program, donor, and Mercy Corps’ needs.
• Support sound financial management, including programmatic budgeting, spending projections, and monitoring of payments in compliance with USAID standards.

SECURITY and RISK MANAGEMENT

• Collaborate with country leadership to support preparedness and response to major disruptive events.
• 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 activities are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.

Supervisory Responsibility

Supervise Activity’s Technical Team. The number of direct and indirect reports will be determined at a later stage.
Accountability

Reports Directly To: COP

Works Directly With The Activity Team, Director of Programs, Program Performance and Quality Director, other COPs, HR, finance and operations teams, HQ Regional Programs Team, and HQ Technical Support Unit
Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• Advanced degree in agriculture, economics, business administration, or related field.
• A minimum of 5 years of international experience in management/supervisory positions for large programs (preferably $15 million and above).
• Demonstrated technical expertise in livelihood development, agricultural development, market systems development, and/or resilience programming in the African context preferred.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, and a proven ability to network and maintain effective working relationships with diverse actors.
• Experience managing diverse teams in dispersed geographic locations including inspiring staff and developing a shared vision with staff and stakeholders.
• Knowledge of Nigeria’s governance and conflict dynamics is preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Familiarity with USAID rules and regulations is required.