Country: South Sudan
Closing date: 28 Mar 2015
PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:
As Mercy Corps seeks to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression around the world, the events currently sweeping across South Sudan are rare moments of opportunity. Mercy Corps is interested in strengthening its presence for early as well as longer term programming for South Sudan, including those who have been displaced.
Mercy Corps has been operational in South Sudan since 2005 and is currently engaged in series of development and resiliency programming in the north of the country. Yet since the outbreak of fighting on December 15, 2013, Mercy Corps is launching emergency programming throughout its current areas of operation including: Warrup State (Twic County), Unity State (Rubkona and Panyinjar Counties) and the Abyei Administrative Area. Unity State in particular is caught in the crossfire of the violence and, as such, there is a significant and growing level of humanitarian need. The emergency response program in Unity State provides life-saving support to IDPs and host communities affected by the current fighting. Mercy Corps strategy in South Sudan is to ensure that Communities affected by war and natural disasters access lifesaving assistance coupled with pre-emptive livelihoods assistance and protective resilience building support.
South Sudan is currently in the midst a major humanitarian crisis impacting the entire country. The main thrust of the work of Mercy Corps along with her national and international partners for the next foreseeable future (12 to 14 months), is focused on meeting the urgent humanitarian needs across the country. As the complexity of the crisis unfolds and unleashes itself on millions of people, the heightened insecurity and continuous acts of violence and war are making the humanitarian response not only more challenging but also highly complicated, with battle lines changing on a weekly basis, making places that are safe one week, unsafe areas the next week and vice versa.
GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:
The Program Development & Quality Assurance Advisor shares in the overall responsibility for the direction and coordination of the country program. S/he champions a team culture of learning and continuous improvement and is responsible in concert with the Deputy Country Director -Programs (DCD-P) in the development of program strategies and partnership initiatives to deliver immediate and lasting assistance to the most vulnerable beneficiaries in the South Sudan crisis. S/he manages a team focused on design, monitoring, evaluation, learning, capacity building and communications.
The Advisor (PD & QA) has a pivotal role to play in raising the quality and increasing the impact of all Mercy Corps interventions in South Sudan. The role holder will be responsible for ensuring that Mercy Corps programs deliver their thematic objectives, develop a culture and practice of continuous quality improvement and meet the quality standards established across Mercy Corps. The role will also focus on how we work (our Theory of Change) ensuring we achieve systemic change for the beneficiaries we reach. The role requires significant liaison with local and international partners and close coordination with other Program Managers and especially work in concert with the DCD-P. It will also require strong understanding of different methodologies of monitoring and evaluation and operational research, and contemporary development in these areas.
The Advisor (PD & QA) is a senior management position for Mercy Corps with supervisory and managerial responsibilities of M&E staff and personal as well as policy, advocacy, communication and media personal, and will ensure appropriate and effective implementation of all Mercy Corps programmatic operations in the field. This response has a particular emphasis on working through local South Sudanese Partners as well as director implementation where local partners are not available or require significant capacity building, and it will be the main role of the Advisor to work closely with partners, build their capacity to effectively and efficiently implement activities. Constantly assess the capacity of partners and identify new partners.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
Strategy and Vision
- Provide network leadership by bringing together the various partners and Mercy Corps team members to deliver coordinated and coherent thematic excellence to Mercy Corps programs in South Sudan. For example, focus on improvement tools of M&E and promote a culture of continuous improvement;
- Work with the DCD-P and other team members to formulate and revise country program strategies and priorities, and help communicate this strategy to constituencies;
- Support the DCD-P in development, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and administration of humanitarian relief and development projects in line with the South Sudan program strategy;
- Ensure that evidence-based results are clearly documented and communicated, and that annual planning documents adequately reflect an evidence-based, iterative strategic path; and
- Regular meetings with the DCD-P.
Program Operations and Management
- In concert with the DCD-P design and implement a partner assessment tool for all partners in South Sudan;
- Implement a capacity building plan for LNGOs in South Sudan;
- Create a program environment which is innovative, and where teams constantly seek to maximize impact;
- Strive to create and use standardized tools and practices, where appropriate, across programs;
- Work with the field team to see how systematized program monitoring visits and provide structured feedback in a way that improves progress and impact;
- Develop protocols and procedures with the field team on how to monitor programs across various sectors and ensuring that programmatic objectives are met within allotted time, and all aspects of the Humanitarian response are in line with Sphere standards and the principles of Do No Harm; and
- Lead the DM&E team; ensure that programs produce professional quality reports and communications materials and that publishable results are disseminated.
Team Support
- Work with the DCD-P, PMs and members of the Program team and partners on capacity building tools for Mercy Corps colleagues and Partners;
- Participate in the recruitment, selection, orientation, training and performance reviews of key program staff, and others as requested;
- Review staff training and capacity building of local colleagues and local partners in the humanitarian response;
- Conduct him/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission; and
- Other duties as assigned.
Organizational Learning:
As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations 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:
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards 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.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: M & E staff
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO:Country Director
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH:All senior team members, programme teams, partners as well as the Security Advisor and DM&E team as well as MC USA & Scotland team members, TSU and local partners.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
- Masters degree in Social Sciences, in an area of social development
- Minimum of 5 years’ experience in an NGO environment, including experience directing and implementing programs in emergency contexts
- Demonstrated leadership and management skills in a complex international setting
- Significant experience leading strategic planning and in programme design and proposal development
- Strong understanding of different methodologies of monitoring and evaluation and operational research and experience in developing integrated MEAL systems
- Ability to effectively establish a learning culture within an organisation
- Experience in successfully establishing and managing collaborative relationships and partnerships with donors and government counterparts.
- Experience of management of diverse workforce including effective performance management and utilisation of capacity building, coaching, and mentoring skills
- Demonstrated use of positive coping strategies in stressful environments
- Commitment to and understanding of Mercy Corps aims, values and principles including rights-based approaches
- English proficiency***required***, excellent written and oral skills.
SUCCESS FACTORS:
A successful candidate will have effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational, and prioritization skills with an ability to effectively represent the organization and its interests to a diverse range of stakeholders, including local and international government officials, local civil society organizations, donors, other international organizations, the media, and the community. S/he will have demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow and enforce procedures, meet deadlines, and work independently and cooperatively with team members, have strong people skills and the ability to motivate diverse teams. An interest and ability to travel and work in remote and dynamic environments, with experience in insecure environments is an advantage as is an awareness of and sensitivity to multi-cultural international development work and ability to train and facilitate dialogue among a diverse group of individuals with various skill sets and working styles. S/he will have the ability to creatively problem-solve, to juggle multiple priorities under tight deadlines and to calmly and diplomatically deal with unexpected and sudden events impacting program operations with patience, dynamism, tenacity and a sense of humor.
LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:
The position will be based in Juba, South Sudan. Juba is the capital city of South Sudan with a significant international community presence. While most basic items and services are fairly available in Juba, living conditions are generally basic in Southern Sudan and staff members are still staying in tents in some of Mercy Corps field sites. The climate is very hot, humid and dusty. Medical facilities are basic, and tropical diseases including malaria are endemic.
In order to best address the current needs of the South Sudan program, this position will initially be based in Agok for a short period before transitioning to Juba. Because of the level of insecurity, this location is unaccompanied.
Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of 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.
How to apply:
Please apply directly at:
http://mercycorps.silkroad.com/epostings/submit.cfm?fuseaction=app.dspjob&jobid=219503&company_id=15927&jobboardid=479