Program Director at Mercy Corps

Program / Department Summary

• Mercy Corps Nigeria is preparing to deliver 24-month assistance and early recovery intervention in line with the Borno State Government Strategic Transformational Initiatives-STIs (2020-2030) and 25-Year Development Framework.
• The Broadening Emergency and Graduation Efforts in Borno (BEGE-Borno) intervention not only contributes to Pillar Six (Reconstruct, Rehabilitate & Resettle) of the Borno State Government STIs, it also aligns with Mercy Corps vision of building towards a more inclusive, resilient future for the communities we serve through a framework of helping people and communities to cope, adapt and thrive.
• The BEGE Borno intervention’s goal is to deliver lifesaving, life-sustaining interventions and enhance the adaptation of 238,369 displaced, returnee and host households to shocks and systemic constraints within Borno State. BEGE Borno is a consortium led by Mercy Corps, with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) as a partner, alongside other local partners, delivering integrated assistance to people in acute need through Health, Nutrition, WASH, Food Assistance, Unconditional Cash, Protection, Shelter and Agriculture sectors.

General Position Summary

• This is a senior-level role with overarching leadership, management, and coordination of multi-sectoral deliverables within the consortium.
• The Program Director is a cross-functional team leader who takes full responsibility for the successful delivery across all eight sectors including monitoring, collaborative learning and adaptation, and evaluation functions.
• This role is ultimately responsible and accountable for the timely delivery of assistance in a dignified manner, on scope and budget. Succeeding in this role will require an agile personality, great emotional intelligence, and a solutions thinker with a desire to define your success around improvement in the quality of human lives.
• The Program Director has a clear understanding of at least six of the ten sectors and how they work well together.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Throughout the life of the award, the success of the Program Director-BEGE Borno will be evaluated based upon the following scope:

Defining Strategy For Success:

• You will be a self-starter with the acumen to appreciate the dynamics of setting up a new project. You will develop your strategy for success based on your diagnosis, highlighting what the BEGE Borno consortium stakeholders should expect to celebrate from your team.
• You will prioritize your “low-hanging fruits” and speak to various stakeholders about your vision for success. You will also define what success means to you and refine the BEGE Borno sustainability and exit strategy guided by a robust learning and adaptation mechanism.
• You will adhere to all start-up requirements (kick-off meeting, recruitments, establishment of systems) in accordance with project management best practices and Mercy Corps internal Project Management @ Mercy Corps 2.0 (PM@MC 2.0) minimum standards.

Manage Cross-Sectoral Delivery:

• You will lead a team delivering interventions across ten sectors. You are expected to appraise yourself of this technical and people diversity. You will deploy effective skills in managing and coordinating a successful delivery of an integrated package of multi-sectoral interventions to participants, ensuring the various components and teams do not operate in siloes but are rather working together to great effect.

Consortium Leadership And Management:

• Mercy Corps is the lead in the BEGE Borno consortium with a myriad of celebrated and growing corporate collaterals across all the eight sectors gained especially within North-East Nigeria.
• You will utilize our leadership role in the consortium to build long-term and productive relationships with all BEGE Borno consortium partners. You will be Mercy Corps’ primary point of representation in THRIVE and with the associated consortia members.

Learning And Adaptation:

• You will work with BEGE Borno Consortium management structure, Mercy Corps Program Performance and Quality, Crisis Analytics, Knowledge Management and MEL Teams to identify and deliver the BEGE Borno program learning agenda.
• You will ensure documentation of learning throughout the implementation period, including how that is influencing your executive decisions and style, in accordance with PM@MC 2.0 and Mercy Corps Nigeria’s Pathways to Possibility agenda.
• You will encourage a culture of learning and adaptation, and work with the broader Mercy Corps Nigeria PAQ team to put in place strong knowledge management systems.

Planning, Program And Team Management:

• In your Strategy for Success, you will be expected to define how you will manage all the integrated sectors within the BEGE Borno Program.
• You will work with your team to draw your sectoral workplans and an integrated work plan, with robust work breakdown structures for each sector flagship intervention.
• You will lead meticulous planning processes within the consortium. Planning and Adaptive Management will be an inherent and core success factor.
• You will also appreciate the different strengths and areas of support for your team members, deploying a management style that allows for free thoughts, innovation and practical pathways for continuous improvements in individual and team performances.
• You will be expected to plough in positive energy to the team and optimize their individual and collective potential. Mercy Corps expects you to build a culture of trust within your team members.

Peer-To-Peer Collaboration:

• While Mercy Corps is the BEGE Borno consortium lead, Mercy Corps will only be effective and succeed by working respectfully and harmoniously with all BEGE Borno partners and external stakeholders.
• Further, Mercy Corps will be implementing two separate sisters USAID/BHA assistance activities (THRIVE and CORE) within similar contexts in Borno State. At Maiduguri level, all the three activities will significantly share technical and support personnel.
• You will therefore have two peers within Mercy Corps with whom you will have to develop an effective collaboration mechanism. You will also negotiate your collaboration plan with internally with Finance, Operations, Security, MEL, Program Reporting and Security Managers and externally with the IRC. Your peers will need to see you as a reliable team player.

Budget Tracking And Management:

• You are looking to work with USD 30.9M million budget across 24 months. You will work with the finance team to track your budget expenses versus actuals (BVAs) and make management decisions out of BVA reports each month.
• You will plan and manage your monthly and quarterly cash flows and oversee the timely and compliant expenditure by Mercy Corps’ sub-grantees. Your agile planning will ensure timely procurements and delivery of activities.
• You will plan meticulously to ensure you avoid a No-Cost Extension and safeguard the timely and impactful delivery of all project components.

Diversity, Equity And Inclusion:

• Mercy Corps holds in high esteem a culture of a respectful workplace. You will demonstrate tolerance, and promote increasing spaces for women, youth and individuals abled differently to equally contribute to BEGE Borno goals and the process of getting there, both at the office and in participant communities.

Safety And Security:

• You will ensure strict adherence to all health, safety and security protocols put in place by the Government of Nigeria, Borno State Government and Mercy Corps.
• You will have a duty of care to all BEGE Borno Staff. You will also be expected to regularly familiarize yourself with the Consortium Risk Assessment and Management Plan (RAMP) as well as the Security Plan.

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 international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in designing, monitoring and evaluating our field project.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• The role directly supervises 8 BEGE Borno Sector Leads, 3 Field Program Managers, a Senior Program Officer

Accountability

• Reports Directly To:Director-Humanitarian Response and Sustainable Solutions-Maiduguri
• Works Directly With:THRIVE Program Director, CORE Snr Program Manager, PAQ Team, Finance Manager, Operations Manager, Security Advisor, Senior Field Manager.

Knowledge and Experience

• Advanced Degree in a program that places you in the position of interacting frequently with rural and peri-urban communities. It could be Project Management, Basket Weaving, Economics, M&E, Rural Development, etc. Just Illustrate how you’re gainfully utilizing the education and how it would be an asset for you in this role.
• At least three years of qualified experience and competencies managing an integrated multisector portfolio or program. We are looking for years consistently spent in mid to senior management of assistance or development programs.
• A compelling reputation for effective people management and admirable interpersonal relations skills. You are that supervisor whose direct reports feel sad to see you leave.
• Familiarity with USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) Assistance Guidelines. Previous experience with management of activity under what was formerly USAID OFDA and FFP is welcome.
• Familiarity with and understanding of the humanitarian context in Borno State (primary), or similar contexts around the globe (secondary).
• Mid to Senior level management experience within a consortium of actors
• Illustratable analytical and presentation skills. You can do an effective pitch before a board, senior government officials, humanitarian coordination platforms and other equivalents.
• Demonstrated understanding of how to manage multi-year consortium budgets of at least US$8M.
• Illustrated deep interactions with at least six of the ten assistance sectors mentioned above. These sectors define the core of BEGE Borno intervention outcomes.
• At this level, we expect you to be convincingly articulate in your writing, communication, presentation, and personal organization.

Success Factors:

• The successful candidate will have the enthusiasm and proactive personality to regularly interact with participants of the THRIVE Activity. You will need to have patience and skills for succeeding within a team, and to lerance for opinions that irk you, including from your junior team members.
• You will prioritize effective and timely communication of your thoughts and doubts to your team members. You can plan so well to allow you to anticipate your results.
• Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values always and in all in-country venues.

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 a 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, colour, 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 the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary-General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.
• 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 adhere to the Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times.
• Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.