Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.
Program / Department SummaryMercy Corps’ Ukraine response meets the humanitarian needs of vulnerable Ukrainians and other conflict-affected people where they are: displaced inside Ukraine, refugees in Poland, and Moldova, or trapped behind frontlines. In 2022 and 2023, MC’s Ukraine response reached more than 2.5 million people with emergency cash, food, psychosocial support, and information campaigns. Notably, nearly all our programming has been delivered in partnership with Ukrainian, Polish, 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. Building on a substantial program addressing needs through MPCA/Cash in the Eastern and Southern regions of Ukraine, the portfolio is currently piloting a Rapid Response Mechanism as well as a Resilience program focusing on supporting local value chains and SMEs. General Position SummaryMercy Corps requires a strong Resilience Lead to provide leadership and oversight to our Resilience program portfolio in Ukraine. The incumbent ensures the efficient and effective implementation of Mercy Corps activities under the Resilience portfolio, as well as playing a leading role in developing and implementing additional programs. S/he directly oversees program management and coordination across program elements. The Resilience lead plays a strong representative role with our donors, civil society partners, and government (national and local), ensuring Mercy Corps Minimum Standards are met. S/he is a strong team leader, able to develop and mentor team members and is an effective communicator, able to work with internal and external stakeholders to achieve common objectives. Lastly, the Resilience lead will play a key role, alongside the Director of Programs and new initiatives support, in developing funding concepts and proposals to expand and sustain Mercy Corps’ resilience program operations in Ukraine through 2023 and beyond.
Essential Job Responsibilities
Strategy & Vision
Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives. Recognize opportunities for innovative resilience programming. Create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed within a positive, mission- focused team culture. Implement Mercy Corps strategic vision and provide operational leadership to the implementation of Mercy Corps activities under the Resilience portfolio. Provide structure to the existing activities and programming mechanisms to reinforce program quality and maintain response speed.Program Management
Lead the resilience teams in implementation of the ERP and SDC programs. Develop program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks, beneficiary targeting and distribution/post-distribution processes. Oversee program startup and ongoing program management and administration of teams across various field locations and interventions, including the development of detailed implementation plans. Integrate the use of community-based approaches in the design, implementation, and maintenance of projects. Ensure program implementation is responsive to communities and partners, and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan. Ensure beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria, and that feedback mechanisms are in place. Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide. Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective MEL systems to reach desired impacts. Oversee the production of written reports on program activities, capturing the impacts of activities. Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Code of Conduct; Gender, Diversity and Inclusion guiding documents; Core Humanitarian Principles and Do No Harm.Team Management
Hire, orient and supervise new team members as necessary. Ensure team members improve performance & reach objectives. Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence and cultivate resilience and well-being in challenging situations. Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes. Supervise and manage Program Managers to ensure day-to-day activities are implemented in a coordinated way according to workplan and budget.Finance & Compliance Management
Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures. Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming. Build and/or maintain operational systems that ensure proper administrative support for programs. Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical and contract budget.Influence & Representation
Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with SDC partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders. Demonstrate flexibility, resilience, and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure. Maintain high ethical standards and treat people with respect and dignity. Participate in relevant SDC coordination- and working groups and represent Mercy Corps interests.Security
Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership. Contribute to creating a secure environment for team members.Supervisory ResponsibilityERP program manager, SDC Project Coordinator.
AccountabilityReports Directly To: Director of ProgramsWorks Directly With: Area Coordinators, Technical advisors, Program Quality & Standards Lead, PAQ teams, Crisis Analysis Team. Accountability to Participants and StakeholdersMercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Minimum Qualifications and Transferable Skills
At least 6 years of humanitarian and development program management experience, of which at least 3 years in a significant management role, with direct experience of highly insecure/conflict settings. BA/S or equivalent experience in international development, management, agriculture, resilience or other relevant field; MA/S preferred. Strong technical expertise on livelihood, agriculture- and resilience programming is required. Combination of direct and remote management experience preferred. Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with host governments, donors, other donor- funded projects and stakeholders, local organizations, and partners. Proficiency with MS Office software required (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Knowledge of Sphere standards and other training in humanitarian response preferred. Excellent oral and written English skills required; proficiency in Russian or Ukrainian is desirable.Functional competencies
Possess project management skills and applies [email protected] minimum standards for all phases of the project cycle Can oversee and implement participatory assessment processes Can oversee program budgets, project cash flow and expenditures Understands donor regulations and compliance (BHA, FCDO, SDC, etc.) Effectively manages teams/people and applies relevant Mercy Corps’ procedures and approaches Supports team members through capacity building Possesses basic understanding of procurement and logistics Can ensure feedback from crisis-affected people and other stakeholders is incorporated in program design, implementation and learningLeadership competencies
Recognizes opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed Encourages a positive, collegiate and mission-focused culture Drives impact by building high performing teams Broadens influence by role modelling and leveraging networksSuccess FactorsThe successful Resilience Lead will combine exceptional management skills and experience in running both livelihood and resilience programs. Prioritizing, problem solving, ability to seize opportunities, attention to detail and strategic vision are essential. S/he will also have proven experience with cross-cultural teams and capacity building. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability and thrive in an evolving and changing environment while taking care of self and others.
Living Conditions / Environmental ConditionsThe position is primarily based in Dnipro, Ukraine. Accommodation is provided and access to services – medical, electricity, water, etc. is in place but may change depending on the situation. This position requires travel to field locations inside Ukraine, as security permits. Given the emergency context, this position requires exceptional work schedules, including evenings and weekends.
Ongoing LearningIn support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development
Diversity, Equity & InclusionAchieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment OpportunityMercy 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 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, color, 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 & EthicsMercy 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 prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to th