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Program / Department Summary
Working in neighboring Zimbabwe since 2002, Mercy Corps began operations in Mozambique in early 2020 as part of a multi-country program to address the drivers of and pathways to violent extremism in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Mozambique. Mercy Corps is building on this program to establish a broader presence in Mozambique to address some of the country’s most complex challenges. Leveraging our core global and regional capacities, Mercy Corps aims to address the humanitarian crisis in the North, the underlying chronic development challenges, and the compounding challenges of weak governance, conflict, and climate change to bring value on interventions for peacebuilding and local governance strengthening; market systems strengthening; youth employment; resilience, DRM, and climate change adaptation; and systems strengthening for food security.
Mercy Corps is seeking a qualified Deputy Chief of Party (DCoP) for the anticipated USAID-funded Stability Through Economic Progress, Unity, and Peacebuilding (STEP UP) Activity in Mozambique. The Activity is expected to support local businesses and civil society through grants and capacity development; increase opportunities for economic growth and diversification; and improve social cohesion within communities. STEP UP will empower local communities, especially in Cabo Delgado and other areas prone to conflict, to drive their own social and economic development through providing opportunities and tools (including but not limited to grant challenges and activities that strengthen business and social cohesion). The program is anticipated to begin in October 2024. Hiring is contingent upon successful award and USAID approval of the candidate.
General Position Summary
The DCoP will provide technical leadership and strategic management to all program areas. They will oversee strategic planning and implementation of all program interventions, providing technical support to staff and partners and ensuring efficient approaches for the program to meet its targets and deliverables on time and within budget. They will supervise and coordinate the technical/program implementation team, including partners. The DCoP, working closely with the CoP, will contribute to overall leadership, management, and strategic vision to the implementation of STEP UP. The DCoP will be designated Acting CoP in the CoP’s absence and represent the program to donors, relevant government entities, partners, other implementers, and stakeholders.
Essential Job Responsibilities
Strategy & TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP
- Support the COP in steering the program vision and strategy.
- Lead the identification and development of program adaptations that foster and/or improve the program's strategic objectives.
- Under the guidance of the CoP, set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions and resources to achieve program objectives.
- Oversee the technical design and implementation of all program activities, working closely with program managers, to ensure technically sound methodologies grounded in best practice for governance, peacebuilding, economic development, and community resilience programming.
- Integrate locally driven priorities and approaches, gender sensitivity, and capacity building into all activities, as appropriate. Certify that all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and program participant accountability standards.
- Ensure program implementation in close collaboration with other programs and stakeholder commitments and priorities
- Lead the socialization of the program with key technical stakeholders to enhance buy-in and collaboration at all levels, as required.
- Drive outside the box thinking and exploration of technical approaches and cultivate innovative partnerships in pursuit of program outcomes.
- Supervise and/or review the work of program consultants.
Program Management
- Contribute to program management tools (workplans, budget, etc.) that identify key objectives, responsible staff, deliverables, and potential roadblocks.
- Lead the development of detailed implementation plans, flowing from annual implementation workplan, and ensure delivery of activities with technical quality and operational efficiency.
- Working with the CoP, ensure program implementation is on time, target, and budget, using effective MEL systems to reach desired impacts.
- Ensure that various analyses and studies conducted in the framework of the program effectively inform activity design and implementation.
- Document processes and achievements to ensure impact and best practices are captured and disseminated. This will include the continual re-evaluation of program activities and information, with resulting Activity adjustments in keeping with new insights.
- Manage deadlines and produce written reports capturing the impacts of activities, contributing to and coordinating quarterly performance reports
- Confirm participants are effectively targeted according to transparent criteria.
- Provide managerial and programmatic oversight to partners and sub-grantees and support partner capacity building.
- Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.
Team Management (Human Resources, Safeguarding and Diversity)
- Supervise and manage, directly or indirectly, program staff to ensure day-to-day activities are implemented in a coordinated fashion according to schedule, budget, and the highest quality standards.
- Ensure staff and partners have internalized the program vision and theory of change.
- Oversee the program teams and develop the capacity of the program team members, deepening understanding of their roles, and assisting them with tools, resources, and feedback to improve performance and reach professional development objectives.
- Supervise and manage program partnerships and organizations (sub-awardees) to ensure coordination in the context of an inclusive and strategic program management framework.
- Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.
- Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
Finance & Compliance
- In coordination with the country program's operations and finance departments, ensure effective financial management, procurement, administration, human resources, and logistics (including transport, warehousing, and asset management).
- Monitor adherence to the award agreement, Mercy Corps' policies and procedures, and relevant external rules and regulations.
- Support the CoP in leadership of monthly Budget vs. Actual (BvA) analysis processes, with monthly forecasting tied to work plans, and help lead the process of adaptive management.
Influence & Representation
- As directed by the CoP, represent Mercy Corps at donor, NGO, and other relevant events or field visits.
- Coordinate activities with consortium partners, subgrantees, and other stakeholders and implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.
- Work with colleague organizations, especially USAID implementing partners, to explore synergies in program implementation and reduce potential duplication of resources.
- Encourage, support, and mobilize implementing partners for issue-based advocacy.
Risk Management & Security