Location: The Hague
Position Status: Full-time, Permanent
Travel: Up to 30%
Candidates must have the right to work in The Netherlands at the time of appointment.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis by CV and cover letter. If interested, please apply at the earliest to avoid disappointments.
About Mercy Corps
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 partner to put bold solutions into action—helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.
For more than three decades, we’ve learned and grown alongside extraordinary people—more than 190 million individuals who understand their own needs better than anyone else. Our experience shows they are best able to strengthen their communities from within. In everything we do, we look for moments of transition to connect people to resources and expertise that can catalyse transformative change.
Mercy Corps implements a variety of programming throughout the Africa region in response to the diverse humanitarian and long-term development challenges of the region. The Africa region covers programmes in various locations including but not limited to Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
General Position Summary The Programme Officer (PO) supports strategic, impactful, high-quality programming in the Africa region. The PO supports the Senior Programme Officer (SPO), the Regional Program Director, the Deputy Regional Program Director and the Country Offices in many aspects of their country programme and grant administration. S/he plays a key role in connecting the field to HQ resources and represents the country/regional interests internally with various HQ teams as well as with external stakeholders. The PO works with the Senior Programme Office (SPO), DRPD and RPD to provide the secondary check and supports the field (ultimate point of responsibility) in adhering to internal and external policies and regulations. The PO also provides guidance to the Assistant Programme Officer (APO) and helps with the administration that is necessary for robust and accountable grant management. The PO furthermore plays an important role in rolling out agency-wide initiatives in countries in the region.
Candidates should have a track record in international relief and development, ideally with some experience of programmes in Africa, along with proven experience of managing the development, implementation, administration and compliance of European-funded grants. The successful candidate will possess excellent planning, communication and organisational skills, have a keen eye for detail, be proactive and flexible in their work, and possess the ability to develop strong relationships with colleagues across the agency, both at HQ level and in the field.
Essential Job Responsibilities
PROGRAMME AND GRANT ADMINISTRATION ● The PO is the HQ point of responsibility for overall monitoring of grants/programmes for external/donor requirements as well as Mercy Corps’ internal policies and requirements. They provide ongoing monitoring of the status of programmes and complete regular check-ins on grant requirements (such as co-financing, budget versus actuals, data aggregation, etc.). They support country teams’ adherence to Mercy Corps internal policies and Programme Management minimum standards.
PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT ● With guidance from the SPO, the PO coordinates partnership negotiation and development and ensures the necessary teams are engaged, to help further programme, country and regional interests.
PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT
● The PO leads HQ coordination for proposals. Throughout the proposal process, the PO monitors the timeline, status of proposal, provides input into the design and communicates to the relevant parties as appropriate. The PO reviews the final draft for coherence and donor requirements, and manages submission. He/she may be appointed to a different role in the design process and travel to the field if needed.
STRATEGY, PLANNING & LEARNING ● With guidance from the SPO, the PO supports country teams with strategy development and planning. The PO facilitates learning across country portfolios and regions and shares lessons learned and knowledge of agency resources/tools/best practices/etc.
OTHER●
Recruitment: As needed, the PO participates in interview processes and selection for key positions as identified with the recruiting team.
● Internal Communication: In coordination with the APO, the PO supports internal communications and ensures knowledge management systems are up to date and accurate to support communication with other teams.
● Knowledge Management: In coordination with the APO, the PO ensures management of agency systems and adherence to HQ-related Programme Management minimum standards, etc.
● Orientation: For new-hires visiting HQ, PO provides briefings on context, country strategy and programmes prior to their departure as initial step in the on-boarding process. As requested, PO supports supervisors with on-boarding of new expatriate team members.
ORGANISATIONAL LEARNING
● As part of our commitment to organisational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organisations 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.
ACCOUNTABILITY TO BENEFICIARIES
● Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Knowledge and Experience
● Educated to a Bachelor's level, or equivalent experience. Masters in a relevant field is preferred.
● 2 - 4 years of field-based experience in international relief and development, ideally with experience in Africa; demonstrated knowledge of relevant sectoral and/or operational areas.
● 2- 4 years of experience managing the development, implementation, administration and compliance of grants; general programme management experience preferred.
● Experience with proposal development with various donors, particularly European institutions (ECHO, EC, European Governments…) private foundations and corporations.
● Experience with monitoring and evaluation, and other learning efforts.
● English language proficiency is required. Dutch or French language ability is a plus but not essential for this role
Success Factors
● Excellent planning and organisational skills.
● Proactive and able to work on own initiative.
● A problem solver, adept in successfully dealing with issues of complexity.
● Demonstrates the ability to mentor colleagues.
● A skilled communicator, able to develop and utilise strong relationships with staff, partners and donors at all levels.
● Able to harness the expertise, experience and ideas of colleagues and effectively use this to improve their own work and support that of others.
● Strong research and analytical skills.
● A skilled writer and synthesiser of diverse and complex information.
● A robust sense of humour is greatly appreciated.
● A demonstrable passion for, and a clear empathy with, the organisation's aims and values.
● Willingness and ability to travel internationally as required.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions This position is based in The Hague, Netherlands and might require travel up to 30% of the time.
Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a short-term assignment to the field. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country locations. An expectation of this role is the ability to travel to the field, sometimes at short notice to support field teams and programmes and to fill-in during field staffing gaps.
Mercy Corps Diversity Statement
Achieving 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. Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision.
Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.Candidates must have the right to work in The Netherlands at the time of appointment.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis by CV and cover letter; if interested, please apply at the earliest.
This vacancy is archived.