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 Department
Mercy Corps exists to alleviate poverty, suffering, and oppression and works to build secure, productive, and just communities. The Asia region comprises of India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Timor Leste. Programming in these countries focuses on humanitarian response, economic and market systems development, resilience, financial inclusion, food security, nutrition, sustainable energy, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), public health, among others. Common themes include community engagement, inclusive development, gender, and working in partnership with local government, the private sector and civil society actors. Mercy Corps’ investment in thought leadership, continual learning, and adaptive programming allows us to make changes that are essential in a fluid context, with significant ambitions to learning and sharing through building an evidence base, investment in program performance and quality, including MEL and additional specific research, to enhance adaptive and responsive programming in Asia. The region is committed to using data-driven evidence to articulate country-level impact and contributions towards solving complex global challenges.
The Program Performance and Quality (PaQ) Unit supports effective, efficient and equitable program performance through a culture of quality management, to achieve greater impact for those that matter most -- our program participants. PaQ enables the delivery of high-quality programs by establishing and maintaining standards, championing an evidence-based practice to improve program performance and generate learning and leverage our programs’ impact across the region both internally and externally. The Program Performance and Quality (PaQ) Unit is a newly integrated team in Asia consisting of monitoring, evaluation and learning functions, program management policy and integrated program standards, including Community Accountability Reporting Mechanisms (CARM), and Research to strengthen and expand further the Asia Evidence-Driven framework. The PaQ unit works closely with the Regional GESI and Safeguarding Advisors in supporting integration of related minimum standards and policies that support the region’s commitment towards Safe, Diverse and Inclusive programs and teams. The team’s approach supports both foundational and innovative approaches to program management, with design, monitoring, evaluation and learning, CARM and research functions as key processes and benchmarks to ensure evidence-based decision making for quality program implementation. The Advisor acts as a key liaison between headquarters, the regional team and country teams, and fully supports country teams, to effectively promote program performance and quality and evidence generation, in a highly coordinated manner and in line with Mercy Corps new global strategy ‘’Pathway to Possibility’’.
The Position
Mercy Corps is looking for a highly qualified and dynamic Regional Program Standards Advisor to join the Asia Regional Team to work under the leadership of the Regional PaQ & Technical Director and other regional team members to ensure transformational change occurs through programmatic impact in our communities. The Program Standards Advisor will influence change makers at local and global levels and drive optimization of better solutions while promoting accountability in all the work Mercy Corps does. The Program Standards Advisor will collaborate with the Regional PaQ & Technical Director to build and sustain a cohesive regional program performance, quality and evidence team ensuring the Asia portfolio is positioned for excellence in all programmatic functions across country teams. The Program Standards Advisor coordinates with PaQ and program departments at the country, regional and headquarters levels to ensure that our program portfolio is of the highest quality and standards and that programs receive the support that they need. The Advisor will champion and provide tangible technical support and guidance around Mercy Corps’ Program Management Policy and its associated minimum standards and the agency’s quality standards to ensure that the teams are driving transformational impact in the region through executing programs that are of the highest quality while leading and coordinating on evidence generation and learning across programs and practice areas and its usage across the region for internal decision-making and external influence. The Program Standards Advisor works closely with the Global PaQ Unit within the Global Programs Department.
Essential Job Responsibilities
STRATEGY & PLANNING
● Work with country, regional and HQ-based teams to develop and drive a relevant and impactful Asia PaQ and Evidence Strategy which meets the needs of country teams, and aligns with Asia Country Strategies and the MC global strategy and priorities.
● Work closely with the Regional MEL and technical Advisors in identifying learning opportunities within countries and the region, particularly in showcasing examples of technical excellence and adaptive management used to improve program quality and impact for program participants.
● Serve as a member of “PaQPlus,” or the group of regional program performance and quality counterparts who work with the PaQ Unit at HQ to design and advance shared program quality processes and systems to make sure the priorities and needs of the Asia region are advocated for and integrated.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT & COORDINATION
● Provide operational support, technical guidance and strategic orientations to Country teams on the PM@MC (Mercy Corps’ Program Management Approach), Program standards and related priorities and functions.
● Coordinate closely with the regional PaQ unit to align cross collaboration around PaQ support to country teams. Inform and promote agency strategies and best practices related to performance and program quality with relevant stakeholders at the regional and country level.
● Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback with regional and country PaQ units.
● Promote staff access in all countries of the region to high quality learning opportunities, with a special emphasis on national team member development in collaboration with the country PaQ Leads and leadership.
● Participate in the recruitment, selection, orientation and training of key Mercy Corps staff in the region.
● Encourage a climate of idea generation, open discourse, and honest communication, creating a trusting, inclusive team.
● Lead and strengthen the Asia PaQ Community of Practice in a systematic manner and based on an identification of gaps and opportunities in respective country programs to ensure cross-country learning and collaboration to capitalize on each country’s strength and build and promote an efficient and effective program quality culture in the region.
● Serve as a strong, efficient and effective coordinator amongst PaQ team members across the region, by leveraging HQ support, guidance and resources while supporting country level-needs and driving a strong and collaborative regional PaQ Community of Practice.
● Design and oversee coherent mechanisms to reach, train, collaborate, and build consensus with key program quality teams and other relevant counterparts in programs and portfolios in the Asia region - for example Program Managers/ Chiefs of Party, Directors of Programs, Directors of PaQ, MEL Leads, CARM Leads or Focal Point, Infrastructure Leads, and generalist PaQ Leads where these exist.
● Working with regional leadership and PaQ HQ, advise portfolio and program teams on optimal performance and quality position definitions and staffing structures, ensuring consistency to help advance a shared understanding of these roles and their purposes.
● Devise and oversee effective onboarding mechanisms for team members joining in performance and quality roles at the program, portfolio, and country levels throughout the region.
PROGRAM PERFORMANCE & QUALITY (Program Management Support)
● Analyze needs through an in-depth diagnostic of all countries’ PaQ teams and develop systems to ensure that all programs and country teams in the region receive support and have the necessary resources to achieve the highest possible impact and are in line with overall regional and global strategies.
● Work closely with headquarters support units to ensure continuous quality improvement of field programs, and that teams are working towards achieving excellence, especially during rapid growth and sudden changes and expected operational challenges (such as large program start-up and planning phases).
● Promote tools, guidance and the necessary organizational culture to encourage learning across programs on adaptive management best practices in each country in the region.
● Support countries with the implementation of the Program Management Policy minimum standards (inclusive of PM, CARM, MEL, GESI in Program Management, Cash Transfer Program/ GDP, and Infrastructure), overseeing efforts to conduct gap analysis, develop action plans, contextualize and continuously improve implementation, and coordinate and track participation in associated global or regional training programs. Serve as a key stakeholder in working with PaQ HQ to adapt and improve these policies over time in close consultation with country PAQ leads.
● Support country teams in using and triangulating a wide set of relevant data sources to assess PM Policy adherence and guide training and support plans, by serving as a focal point for quality assurance processes in the region (including but not limited to the Program Management Dashboard App and TolaData) and following up as required based on data coming through these systems.
● Oversee efforts to ensure that all programs in the region adopt and use recommended program filing structures to improve record retention, documentation management, standards adherence, and information sharing; contribute to elaborating associated regional and global policies during the program life cycle.
● Support countries and programs in the mapping and improvement of program management processes
● Support in country implementation for complex programs and other strategic programs (I.e. designated high risk, humanitarian response programs, etc.) during key phases of the program life cycle, I.e. start-up, closeout, etc. as needed
INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION
● Act as a key liaison between headquarters, the regional team and country teams to effectively promote program performance and quality and inform adaptations to global standards as necessary.
● Help to ensure timely and targeted communication and information flow that highlight Mercy Corps Asia and global impact.
● Connect teams to ideas, partners and resources to drive creative solutions for greater program performance, quality and impact.
● Act as a solutions-oriented partner for country teams ensuring that their voices are heard and key challenges are responded to.
Supervisory Responsibility: None
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Regional PaQ & Technical Director, Asia.
Works Directly With: Regional Country Teams and Leaders, Regional Technical Advisors, Program Managers, DoPs, Regional CARM, GESI, Safeguarding, MEL Advisors, Regional Program Team (RPT), Country, Regional and global PaQ Units, and supplemental support teams based at HQ.
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.
Knowledge and Experience
● BA/S in international development, social science, business administration or other relevant fields required, MA/S or equivalent years of experience strongly preferred;
● 8+ years of experience in senior management roles, involving team management, program execution, engagement with multiple actors internally and externally;
● Excellent coordination,, communication and interpersonal skills applicable to various set of stakeholders - both internal and external, including demonstrated ability to convey complex ideas and evidence to multiple audiences;
● Experience with applied project management of humanitarian and development programs preferred;
● Excellent presentation and organizational skills to deliver high quality outputs and products to wide range of stakeholders essential;
● Demonstrated ability to think strategically and innovatively and solve complex problems at an organizational level;
● Significant experience in strategy development, program design/development and planning;
● Demonstrated experience at regional level or senior coordination in multi-layered structures and contexts (including remote management, coordination, and team building) is essential;
● Demonstrated understanding of the critical humanitarian and development issues in Asia and significant experience with the challenges of operating in the region;
● Internationally recognized qualification in project or program management or a commitment to obtain the qualification in the early months of work (Project D Pro preferred).
● Fluent in English required
Success Factors
The successful Regional Program Standards Advisor will apply a strong combination of program management, leadership, team management, coordination, and relationship-building skills with an outstanding ability to support innovative, impactful programs. With a high capacity to deliver results under tight deadlines with multiple priorities, the Regional Program Standards Advisor will have the ability to think ahead and decide on a course of action, ensuring that the required resources to implement are available to achieve high-quality outcomes. Commitment, flexibility and openness to new practices, concepts, ideas and change for continuous improvement will serve the position and team well. Public relations skills are integral success factors in this position. Excellent negotiation and communication skills will foster the development of country team, donor and partner relationships. The role also requires a deep understanding of the region, its recent history, current trends and political environment. Being a team player, a positive attitude and a sense of humor are a must, along with strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills and a commitment to the values and mission of Mercy Corps.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position will be based in a MC Asia operational country and it requires up to 30% travel to support country programs, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited.