Back Consortium Director FCDO – Ukraine – Nexus Durable Solutions Initiative

Mercy Corps is a leading global organisation powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we collaborate to put bold solutions into action, helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

Enhancing resilience is at the heart of what Mercy Corps does and how we work. Resilience means that people and systems can protect and improve wellbeing in the face of shocks and stresses. Mercy Corps strengthens sources of resilience to enhance the capacities of people, markets, and institutions to handle shocks, reduce risk, build more equitable and responsive systems, and improve well-being. Through our programs, partnerships, and influence, we support communities to cope, adapt, and ultimately thrive.

Since the escalation of the war in 2022, Mercy Corps has supported more than 300,000 people in Ukraine. We have provided cash assistance, food, shelter, and hygiene kits, psychosocial support, grants for micro, small, and medium businesses, as well as small to medium farming enterprises, and conducted large-scale information campaigns.

About the ProgrammeThe UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has launched a call for proposals for NGOs to deliver the Nexus Durable Solutions Initiative. The programme will be funded by both FCDO’s humanitarian and resilience portfolios in Ukraine. The overall aim of the 3-year programme is to provide resilience support (farm & off-farm) to improve the food security and self-reliance of vulnerable, war-affected households and communities by protecting and restoring their food production and livelihoods.

The programme will further build on this work to conduct a market system diagnostic leading to the deployment of a pilot for a Durable Solutions’ Initiative, aiming to support the transition (of at least some) of the beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance to self-sufficiency, through access to finance and further development support, securing a pathway toward economic independence in the long run.

General Position SummaryMercy Corps is seeking candidates for a Consortium Director who will provide overall leadership, management, and strategic direction of the expected three-year programme in Ukraine.

The Consortium Director will be responsible for the management and successful delivery of all outputs under the programme, in addition to providing strategic leadership to the programme, representation of the programme with FCDO, government ministries and partners and managing the programme design and delivery team.

The Consortium Director will manage a Programme Management Unit and report to a Steering Committee established for the programme. They will lead a consortium of partners to ensure the overall technical quality, including national and international partners, and will ensure an integrated vision among different components and actors with a focus on achieving the results. The Consortium Director will coordinate and ultimately be responsible for all Agreement management and implementation. S/he will be expected to identify issues and risks related to activity implementation in a timely manner, and suggest appropriate adjustments.

Essential Responsibilities STRATEGY AND VISION:

• Lead the development of a vision and strategy for the programme shared with the consortium team and key stakeholders;
• Recognise opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternativeviewpoints are welcomed;
  • Set direction by prioritising and organising actions and resources to achieve objectives;
  • Oversee the development of annual, integrated strategic work-plans for the programme;
  • Foster a culture of collaborating, learning, and adapting for program effectiveness throughout the programme lifecycle;.PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT:
    • Oversee programme startup, management, and administration. Provide strategic guidance, oversight and quality assurance for all programme activities, outputs and deliverables;
    • Assume overall responsibility for the effective implementation of work plans and ensure delivery is on time, within budget, meets donor and stakeholder expectations and is contractually compliant;
    • Monitor implementation progress, maintain up to date logs of issues and risks, work to resolve issues, manage and mitigate risks, and escalate material issues and risks as appropriate;
    • Ensure that programme implementation is responsive to communities and partners and is consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant programme guidelines, principles, values, quality standards, and strategic plan.
    • Ensure programme strategies and activities represent global good practice in market systems development, protection-integrated livelihoods, climate-resilient agriculture, gender equality, and social inclusion.
    • Fulfil Mercy Corps’ Programme Management Minimum Standards based on the organisation-wide guide.
    • Oversee efforts to design effective M&E and research & learning systems for the programme, and linkages with internal M&E systems.

      TEAM MANAGEMENT

      • Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
      • Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
      • Oversee and supervise the Programme Management Unit (PMU).
      • 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 all programme staff to ensure day-to-day activities are implemented in a coordinated fashion according to schedule, budget and quality.
      • Supervise and manage all programme partnerships to ensure sound coordination in the context of an overall programme strategic and resilience-building framework.
      • Manage and help with the recruitment, orientation, professional development and ongoing training of PMU staff to ensure they are of the quality and technical capacity necessary to ensure the successful implementation of activities.
      • Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.

        REPRESENTATION

        • In coordination with consortium partners, be responsible for the overall representation of the consortium towards peer organisations, FCDO, Government representatives and other stakeholders.
        • Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other relevant events in the field, in close coordination with the Country Director.
        • Ensure close coordination and information sharing with consortium partners, sub-grantees, key stakeholders and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programmes.
        • Engage with relevant coordination bodies in Ukraine.
        • Coordinate with MC and partner communications and advocacy teams to promote programme successes through various forms of media in line with internal and donor priorities and regulations.

          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 programmes are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.
          • Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
          • Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.
          • Operationalise and maintain an incident management system for the consortium in compliance with organisational and donor requirements.

            COMPLIANCE, FINANCE, AND RISK MANAGEMENT

            • Provide overall leadership to risk management of the programme, including maintaining programme risk registers, monitoring the contextual dynamics which may impact award performance, and leading the team to address programmatic adjustments required in light of contextual changes.
            • In collaboration with the country programme’s operations and finance departments, ensure proper financial management, procurement, administration, human resources and logistics (including transport, warehousing, and asset management) needs of the programme are conducted within Mercy Corps’ policy and with the maximum benefit to the programme.
            • Monitor adherence to grant agreement, Mercy Corps’ policies and procedures and relevant internal external rules and regulations.
            • Work closely with the MC Country Director and Steering Committee to address and mitigate potential administrative and bureaucratic impediments to successful program implementation.

              Supervisory ResponsibilityExpected to supervise several direct reports. The number of direct and indirect reports will bedetermined at a later stage.

              Accountability Reports Directly To: Mercy Corps Ukraine Country Director/Director of ProgramsWorks Directly With: Programme Management Unit (PMU), Steering Committee, Mercy Corps Ukraine Director of Programs, Director of Finance & Compliance, MEL, and Operations teams, consortium partner focal points. Coordinates with HQ and Regional Programmes team and the Technical Resources and Quality Unit.

              Accountability to Participants and StakeholdersMercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our programme 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.

              Knowledge and Experience

              • Master’s degree in a relevant field such as social sciences, international relations, development studies, etc. However, a Bachelor’s degree and five (5) additional years of relevant international development experience can be substituted for the Master’s degree.
              • Minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in the successful implementation of international development and humanitarian activities, with preference given to market systems, livelihoods, agriculture, and resilience programming – at least five (5) years of which must be in senior programme management, including direct supervision of professional and support staff.
              • Experience working on FCDO programmes is strongly preferred. If not with FCDO, experience with high profile institutional donors is required.
              • Experience in building the capacity of staff and partner organisations.
              • Professional experience in fragile contexts is required, with experience in Ukraine preferred, and with an in-depth understanding of gender, age, and other locally significant socio-cultural factors.
                • Excellent oral and written communication skills. Demonstrated ability to think strategically and communicate his/her vision to partners and colleagues.
                  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders, including government officials, NGO partners, and local communities;
                  • Proven experience navigating complex and high-pressure operating environments.
                  • Conflict analysis and Do No Harm analysis experience required.
                  • Fluency in spoken and written English required. Knowledge of Ukrainian and/or Russian in advantageous.

                    Success Factors