Back Deputy Chief of Party - USDA-funded Food for Progress (FFPr)

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

The Program / Department / Team Mercy Corps has been present in Ethiopia since 2004, working to drive bold and transformative ideas, working closely with the government, the private sector, and civil society actors to build a more resilient country, ensuring that programs are responsive to and influenced by participants and stakeholders. Our vision is to enhance the resilience of climate and conflict-affected communities through market systems development for improved livelihoods, access to food, and safe and clean water to thrive in the face of crises. Our strategy focuses on the four outcome areas of 1) Economically marginalized populations have improved and diversified livelihoods, income, and assets; 2) Pastoralists, farmers, and households have access to sustainably produced, safe, nutritious food; 3) Social cohesion and inclusive governance processes are built in crisis-affected communities; and 4) People have equitable, sustained access to clean water and sanitation for domestic and productive use. Currently, we operate in the regional states of Afar, Amhara, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, Sidama, Southern Ethiopia, Tigray and Addis Ababa city administration working with a diverse base of donors that includes the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations (UN), European Union, Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Jersey Overseas Aid (JOA), Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN), Hilton Foundation, and other foundations.

Mercy Corps is seeking a qualified Deputy Chief of Party (DCoP) for a USDA-funded Food for Progress (FFPr) project in Ethiopia. Food for Progress has two high-level strategic objectives: (1) increase agricultural productivity, and (2) expand trade of agricultural products (domestically, regionally, and internationally. The FFPr project in Ethiopia is expected to be five years, with a start date around October 1, 2025.

The Position The DCOP will be experienced in a broad spectrum of technical focus areas with responsibility for overseeing program implementation. The DCOP will work closely with different departments and support functions to ensure effective program coordination and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, quality assurance and accountability. The DCOP will also work directly with partner agencies to achieve objectives of the program. They will also make sure technical interventions are well coordinated across the implementation area.

Essential Responsibilities PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• Provide overall technical guidance and leadership, mentoring, quality control and coordination to strengthen program outcomes.
• Monitor adherence to the award agreement, ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and Ethiopia policies/priorities, and is consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, value and quality standards.
• In coordination with the country Monitoring and Evaluation department, monitor the implementation of activities through regular field visits and assessments to ensure program quality and impact.
• Document processes and achievements to ensure best practices are captured and disseminated.
• Produce written reports on program activities, capturing the impacts of activities.
• Create and follow effective stakeholder management plans, ensuring sound and proactive communications with Mercy Corps Ethiopia, partner organizations, Mercy Corps headquarters, USDA, Government of Ethiopia authorities, and colleague agencies.
• Conduct frequent field visits to all project sites – spend up to 50% of time in the field.
  • Ensure project strategies and activities represent global good practice for agricultural development programming.
    • Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Project Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.

      TEAM MANAGEMENT

      • Oversee program implementation team, ensuring that all staff are following workplans, activities are on schedule, and project deliverables are completed as planned.
      • Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of staff roles, and assist with career development.
      • Promote staff accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one-on-one meetings and performance reviews.
      • Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

        INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

        • Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO, and other relevant events, in close coordination with the Chief of Party.
          • Maintain close working relationships with counterparts in other organizations in Ethiopia.

            RISK MANAGEMENT

            • Collaborate with country leadership to support preparedness and response to major disruptive events.
              • 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 projects are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.

                  📚 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!

                  Supervisory Responsibility

                  Number of direct reports is to be determined

                  Accountability Reports Directly To: Chief of PartyWorks Directly With: Regional and Country Leadership Teams; Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Team; Award Management Team; Global and Regional Technical Resources and Quality Unit; other CoPs; other Mercy Corps projects in Ethiopia; country finance, operations, and technical teams, and partner organizations.

                  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 Qualification & Transferable Skills

                  • Minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in the successful implementation of international development activities, with preference given to agricultural development, export and trade promotion, and food security programming – at least three years of which must be in senior project management roles that included direct supervision of project teams.
                    • Experience working on USDA Food for Progress or similar projects is highly preferred. If not with USDA, experience with high-profile U.S. government donors is required.
                      • Experience in strengthening the capacity of staff and partner organizations.
                        • Excellent oral and written communication skills. Demonstrated ability to think strategically and communicate a project vision to staff, partners, and key stakeholders.
                          • Excellent interpersonal and networking skills, and ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders, including government officials, NGO partners, private sector actors, and local communities.
                            • Internationally recognized qualification in project management or a commitment to obtain the qualification in the early months of work.
                              • Fluency in spoken and written English is required.

                                Success Factors A successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members and other stakeholders of varied work styles and cultures, follow procedures and meet deadlines with flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving. The DCoP will have a proven ability to learn quickly, multi-task, prioritize, take initiative, and be accountable for results, understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details, problem solving, work within a complex and sensitive setting and to follow laws and security protocols. The most successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.

                                Living Conditions / Environmental ConditionsThe position is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and it requires up to 40% travel to support program implementation, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. Housing for this role is in individual housing and staff will have access to good medical services and the living situation is of a high standard.

                                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

                                Team Engagement and Effectiveness Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

                                Equal Employment OpportunityMercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law.

                                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 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 to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline ([email protected]).