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 Summary
The Information Technology (IT) team coordinates, facilitates, and supports the agency's use of information and communications technology to achieve agency goals. We provide planning and technical assistance to Mercy Corps country programs and collaborate with HQ departments to implement and support the agency's strategic initiatives. We work to strengthen the agency’s abilities to use Internet-based information services, including its abilities to model and transfer these services to local partners.
General Position Summary
The Americas Regional IT Systems Administrator develops and improves the use of information technology in Mercy Corps field operations, especially communications services in austere environments. Deploys and supports communications equipment in complex emergencies. Trains local system administrators in critical support tasks. Deploys and supports applications that enable field operations to achieve their objectives and standardize IT policies and practices. The role will closely work with Mercy Corps country leadership, operations, and the regional and global IT Administrators.
Essential Job Responsibilities
General
Analyze, evaluate and update current reginal communication and IT systems in accordance of Mercy Corps Global ICT Standards, and policies. Avoid proprietary system deployment unless approved Mercy corps IT leadership.
Assist country and regional offices during annual ICT performance review, annual ICT budgeting and strategy planning. IT plays an integral role in Mercy Corps, and you are required to work with country program and support units.
Install networked servers and operating systems, email services, and other shared services in field offices, as requested. Install and test software updates and patches to supported applications and various operating systems.
Ensure secure operation of all servers and services using virus defense systems, firewalls, patch management, and backup systems, as well as through extensive staff training and documentation.
Coordinate, install, manage, and monitor satellite terminals and local area networks in austere environments.
Manage and maintain database, data analytics and infographics reports using PowerBI or other reporting platform as required.
Provide frequent guidance, training, and support to the local IT administrators in your region, make sure to set list of KPI and monitor it frequently. Establish proper technical documentation and troubleshooting procedures.
Lead ICT emergency preparedness, and response as advised by the global IT Services, and other regional stakeholders. Ensure disaster recovery and business continuity is ready and applied in all field offices. The documents should be updated. Develop, document, and test applications in accordance with IT standards and practices.
Mercy Corps frequently enroll new applications or update patches globally. As the regional IT Administrator, you are required system or application enrollment performed as planned and report to the global IT services in case of any difficulty.
Continuously monitor user experience and work with IT Leadership to make sure user success and adoption is maintained. Monitor user success and adoption through frequent survey. This is essential report to IT leadership to ensure proport user support is attained.
Provide backup to regional team members during work absences or travel to the field
Support country IT supervisors evaluate local IT Admin during annual performance and interim evaluations.
Represent Mercy Corps in professional associations and with peers through participation in user groups and conferences.
Team Management
Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
Assist team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.
Supervisory Responsibility
Provide technical/IT supervision of local field IT admins through participation in hiring and performance evaluations, training and frequent communication.
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Director, Global IT Services
Works Directly With: CIO, Regional Program Director, Sr. Director Infrastructure, Infrastructure Engineer, Regional IT Administrates, Local IT Admins, M365 Manager, Helpdesk and all 365 Administrators.
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy 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 & Transferable Skills
3-5 years IT experience, Bachelors/master’s in computer science or equivalent required.
Expert-level experience delivering IT services to remote locations.
Strong understanding of modern networking, security and bandwidth management technologies and approaches
Conversant with M365 and Google environment.
Understanding of passive infrastructure to support office buildouts and renovations; these include backup power solutions, cabling standards, cooling, and physical security as it relates to IT equipment.
Demonstrated ability to develop a strategic vision for delivering excellent IT services.
Ability to build and manage a team.
Demonstrated ability to develop and execute small projects successfully.
Fluent in Spanish and English is required. French is a plus.
Success Factors
The successful candidate will have a sense of ownership for the successfully delivery of IT services in worst-case scenarios. They will be able to develop a vision, sell it, and drive it’s execution. Since elements of success will often rest outside of IT’s direct control, this person will be able to utilize diplomacy and influence to build consensus and convince stakeholders to make appropriate decisions.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position’s location is Colombia or flexible in any Mercy Corps Offices in Americas Region. This position requires up to 30% travel to many different countries. Since the amount of travel is high, the position should be based in a city with extensive direct international air service.
Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. 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 venues.
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.
Ongoing Learning
In 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 & Inclusion
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.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy 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 & Ethics
Mercy 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