Driven
by local needs, our programs provide communities in the world’s
toughest places with the tools and support they need to turn the crises
they confront into the opportunities they deserve.
Mercy Corps is looking for a committed and dynamic individual to take up the following position:
Governance Team Leader, PROGRESS Programme – Wajir
Programme / Department Summary: The Governance Team Leader will work in collaboration with the PROGRESS Programme Director, Programme Managers and PROGRESS Consortium members in the implementation of a proposed multi-year project as part of DFID’s BRACED initiative (Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters).
Mercy Corps anticipates a programme award under BRACED to implement the “Programme for Resilient Systems” (PROGRESS).
The Wajir-based Governance Team Leader will play a key role in implementation.
General Position Summary: The Governance Team Leader will be responsible for overseeing program activities aimed at strengthening the horizontal and vertical linkages of governance with the aim of community development, advocacy and increased public sector support towards public projects, plans and budgets that enhance resilience.
This includes leading community mobilization and engagement efforts, promoting engagement of local government departments, and advocating for strengthening of policies within the PROGRESS practice areas (water resources management, livestock and rangeland management, climate-smart agriculture, urban economic linkages).
Essential Job Functions:
Program Implementation:
- Providing research, review, advocacy, coordination and support to policy formulation between remote communities in Wajir, Wajir County Government departments, and national level government counterparts,
- Coordinating and supervising the implementation of sub program activities by leading local level Shared Learning Dialogue sessions between the PROGRESS Team and practice area line ministries. The SLDs will constitute a series of dialogue workshops that engage both public and private sector actors around innovation and learning for greater resilience.
- Facilitating technical coordination of technical and financial, budget actors in interventions of the various PROGRESS practice areas to respond to current government strategic plans and community led initiatives.
- Maintain strong, up-to date understand of the national and local-level policy environment, including donor initiatives and funded activities and public budgeting processes, timelines and prioritization.
- Foster enhanced communication and collective planning across line ministries in a way that honors needs of communities with a focus on gender-sensitive policy and budget planning.
- Identify women in positions of community and local government leadership for targeted technical trainings.
- Lead the planning and coordination of targeted learning events that emphasize public-sector innovation around public-private ventures.
- Support coordination of large-scale infrastructure projects and other elements of an enabling market environment that local and national governments should consider when attempting to invite private sector investment and market activity.
- Draw on technical resources from with Mercy Corps and PROGRESS Consortium Partners including the University of Nairobi to forge relationships with local government and civil society as a technical resource.
- Strengthen the role of civil society by promoting civic agency, advocacy and participatory planning with the public sector and market actors.
- Ensure that women and girls are actively participating in community engagement processes and that issues affecting women are brought in to the public realm when addressing the strategies for government to support community-wide resilience.
- Provide support, oversight and technical guidance to local Consortium Partners in Wajir tasked with community engagement and advocacy.
- Liaise between PROGRESS Consortium, local government counterparts, relief, aid and resilience agencies and bi-lateral organizations such as UN agencies that support planning and policy for development and management of natural resources and economic development.
- Ensure that coordination linkages are drawn between PROGRESS, DDR and Climate Change Adaption programs and that climate-relevant information from these fora are integrated in to PROGRESS community mobilization and engagement efforts.
Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) and Reporting:
- Support Programme Manager in the achievement of program targets and objectives and support efforts towards the design effective M&E systems and operations.
- Facilitate the coordination, scheduling and production of formal and informal reports and documentation and communication of reports and learning materials.
- Actively record, document and demonstrate all aspects of governance activities for impact measurement and learning purposes.
Coordination and Representation:
- Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other relevant events in the field, in close coordination with the Programme Director.
- Attend key events, committee meetings, fora, seminars, etc. as they relate to East Africa resilience.
- Coordinate activities with consortium partners, sub grantees, local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.
Staff Management, Professional Development and Team building: Contribute to country team-building efforts, and ensure the integration of all team and consortium members into relevant decision-making processes.
Program Support Operations: Ensure close communication across cross-country field teams and consortium members regarding program activities and plans, challenges and obstacles to timely and quality implementation. Coordinate with program, finance, and administration staff for troubleshooting and problem solving.
Organizational Learning: As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
Supervisory Responsibility: Governance Officer, Community Mobilizer
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.
Reports Directly To: Programme Director based in Nairobi, Kenya
Works Directly With: Programme Manager, Team Leaders, Consortium Members, and technical and support staff from Mercy Corps office in Portland, Oregon and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Knowledge and Experience:
The successful candidate will have the following characteristics:
NB: All the positions are pending approval of our PROGRESS program by the donor.
How to Apply
Interested candidates who meet the above required qualifications and experience should submit on or before October 27th, 2014 containing a cover letter, detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing three professional references (including a recent supervisor) to hrkenya@ke.mercycorps.org.
The email subject line must clearly show the job title and location they are applying for.
Applications without the right subject heading will be automatically disqualified.
Please do not attach any certificates.
(ONLY Qualified and selected candidates for the interview will be contacted)
NB: Mercy Corps does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process.
Program Support Operations: Ensure close communication across cross-country field teams and consortium members regarding program activities and plans, challenges and obstacles to timely and quality implementation. Coordinate with program, finance, and administration staff for troubleshooting and problem solving.
Organizational Learning: As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
Supervisory Responsibility: Governance Officer, Community Mobilizer
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.
Reports Directly To: Programme Director based in Nairobi, Kenya
Works Directly With: Programme Manager, Team Leaders, Consortium Members, and technical and support staff from Mercy Corps office in Portland, Oregon and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Knowledge and Experience:
- Advanced University Degree (Masters) in public administration, public policy, political science, or related field.
- At least five years of experience including three years in a senior management position in relevant field.
- Previous experience with and strong understanding of DFID rules, regulations and compliance issues
- Strong writing, communication, organization, prioritization and negotiating skills.
- Strong management skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-sector and cross-cultural issues.
- Experience contributing to donor-funded proposal processes including assessment, design, and writing
- Proven understanding of both urban and rural livelihoods systems, climate change adaptation strategies, public administration and resilience programming;
- Demonstrated knowledge of the Kenyan political context including devolution and recent constitutional changes and the geo-political and socio-economic environment of northern Kenya in particular.
- Demonstrated familiarity with Somali culture preferred.
- Excellent analytical and written skills required. Financial accounting experience preferred.
- Experience in building and maintaining strong/productive relations with implementing and strategic partners and government agencies is required. This includes coordinating with local, national authorities and international counterparts.
- Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
- Demonstrated success building, managing and leading a team of professionals.
- Experience working in conflict environments is preferred.
- Security management experience in remote and insecure environments.
The successful candidate will have the following characteristics:
- A strong team player, with good communication and diplomatic skills.
- Proven ability to work independently as part of a regional team and with international professionals.
- Excellent analytical and information management skills.
- Good organizational skills and ability to work under stress and in austere contexts of remote locations.
- Flexible and creative in planning and problem solving.
- Attention to detail, ability to follow procedures and meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
- Proven excellence maintaining professional internal and external relationships.
- A focus on building staff capacity.
NB: All the positions are pending approval of our PROGRESS program by the donor.
How to Apply
Interested candidates who meet the above required qualifications and experience should submit on or before October 27th, 2014 containing a cover letter, detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing three professional references (including a recent supervisor) to hrkenya@ke.mercycorps.org.
The email subject line must clearly show the job title and location they are applying for.
Applications without the right subject heading will be automatically disqualified.
Please do not attach any certificates.
(ONLY Qualified and selected candidates for the interview will be contacted)
NB: Mercy Corps does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process.