Back CASH & VOUCHER ASSISTANCE (CVA) - TECHNICAL ADVISOR, UKRAINE

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Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps’ Ukraine crisis response seeks to meet the humanitarian needs of vulnerable Ukrainians and other conflict-affected people where they are: displaced inside Ukraine, refugees in Poland, Romania and Moldova, or trapped behind frontlines. We aim to reach 500,000 vulnerable people with multi-purpose cash assistance, in-kind humanitarian support, and protection services across four countries. Almost all of our impact will be delivered in partnership: with Ukrainian, Polish, Romanian and Moldovan civil society organizations through a granting program that matches humanitarian action with capacity strengthening, and with peer international NGOs through a consortium in Ukraine. Mercy Corps is responding to the Ukraine crisis with large-scale consortium programming with a focus on Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA). The Consortium is a partnership between four international humanitarian aid agencies to model and deliver innovative, effective cash and other humanitarian assistance programs to support people affected by the Ukraine crisis within Ukraine.

General Position Summary

The Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) Advisor will provide technical assistance to the Ukraine Emergency Program team supporting basic needs assistance, with an emphasis on Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA). They will be responsible for understanding shifting contextual dynamics vis-a-vis CVA implementation inside Ukraine, while helping define and represent the vision for CVA programming writ large. This person will be the programmatic focal point working with senior counterparts in Procurement and Finance Teams to streamline cross-functional coordination between Programs and Operations Teams with a focus on cash. In coordination with cash program management personnel, this person will support MC representation in relevant coordination fora, including the Ukraine Cash Working Group and relevant Task Teams. This person will also be the technical focal point for CVA proposal development and help manage donor and partner relations at response level, alongside program management. The Advisor will create structures that support local implementing partners involved in cash distributions, will input into working modalities of the overall cash consortium, and ensure that the Response is able to utilize multiple delivery mechanisms.

Essential Job Responsibilities

PROGRAM VISION & DEVELOPMENT

• Lead on technical support to program managers and directors involved in CVA program delivery.
• Synthesize cross-functional technical support across CVA Technology Advisor, Operations, PaQ/MEL to ensure coherence and singular vision for CVA
• Support in developing a coherent, flexible strategy for basic needs assistance, with priority on MPCA
• Define and promote operational solutions to multi-actor / consortium-based MPCA, in collaboration with CVA Technology Advisor and other relevant stakeholders
• Develop strategies to integrate and influence the harmonization of CVA within the Ukraine Cash Consortium (UCC) and broader coordination architecture
  • Contribute to proposals for major donors, as needed
  • Support development of a social protection stance and alignment strategy, where appropriate

    PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

    • Provide support to CVA cash implementation, while ensuring coordination with various response-level departments including Operations and PaQ/MEL
      • Identify and nurture relevant partnerships, including private sector vis-a-vis evidenced needs from field
      • Support the determination and adaptation of the most appropriate cash delivery modality/modalities for the context
      • Help coordinate the harmonization of SOPs, tools, and approaches (where appropriate)
      • Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners, and consistent with Mercy Corps’ Cash Minimum Standards and other relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality
      • Support general and sector focused needs assessments (including population movements, needs assessment, market price surveys, market assessments & vendor assessments, shelter needs rehabilitation); ensure methodologies and analyses employ best practices
        • Support local associations’ capacity assessments and/or performance reviews, ensuring methodologies and documentation employ best practices vis-a-vis partnerships

          📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

          ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

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          PROGRAM LEARNING

          • Track key development in regulatory environment as well as donor policies / funding trends to adapt CVA programming accordingly to ensure relevancy
          • Build evidence base on “good CVA practices” for Ukraine Response, via consortium partners and otherwise

            STRATEGIC INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

            • Develop strategic partnerships, in collaboration with Program and Technology leads, to bring viable external resources and innovations into the program
            • Participate in cash coordination efforts, strengthening Mercy Corps program approach and influencing the response via these mechanisms
            • Represent Mercy Corps at donor meetings for general partnership development, proposal development and presentation and status presentation of existing grants.

              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.

              Accountabilities: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging participant communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. Team members are accountable to Mercy Corps Procurement Policy and Procedures. Maintains accurate electronic and hardcopy files of procurement file and other relevant files.

              Supervisory Responsibility: None

              Reports Directly To: Deputy Director of Program

              Works Directly With: Program Departments, Operations / Security, Finance & Compliance, PaQ / MEL

              Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

              • BA/BS or equivalent is desired.
              • At least 4 years of previous related experience preferable.
                • Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members in a cross-cultural environment is required.
                • Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.
                • Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.
                • English (spoken and written) is required. Ukrainian language (written and spoken) is preferred. Russian language is desirable.
                • Ability and willingness to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team and other groups of various cultural, social,