County Emergency Response Coordinator at Mercy Corps

The position

Working closely with USAID Nawiri Chief of Party, and other USAID Nawiri staff, the County Emergency Response Coordinator will be responsible for coordinating and implementing the delivery of emergency drought response with overall coordination of daily program activities and support to program staff, ensuring appropriate systems and mechanisms are in place to track, analyze and report on results as well as engagement with senior management on the strategic direction of the overall response.The Emergency Response Coordinator will support to strengthen smooth implementation of emergency drought response components that include unconditional cash transfers, market systems strengthening  and improved access and utilization of Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM).

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY & VISION

• Leadership for Nawiri’s shock responsive and nutrition resilient emergency response in the context of drought (primarily) and other emergencies if they arise and are aligned to Nawiri’s vision
• Leading a collaborative and co-created emergency response program informed by assessments and evidence of gaps and opportunities that leverage Nawiri’s goal
• Recognizing opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed
• Setting direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to Nawiri’s immediate goals and longer-term development strategy
• Development and organizing activities to secure resources for programs and work with partners to provide support.

 PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Leading  the program team in implementation of the emergency response.
• Overseeing  emergency program startup and ongoing program management and administration of teams across the two field locations.
• Initiating and lead needs assessments, coordinate rapid learning as necessary to feed into project adaptations
• In collaboration with the monitoring and evaluation team, supporting the development of strong data collection and monitoring & evaluation plans within each component, including developing logical frameworks and indicators.
• Attending  response coordination meetings providing feedback and analysis to the SMT with recommendations for implications for longer term development planning.
• Ensuring  that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.
• Ensuring  that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.
• Developing  program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks, beneficiary targeting and distribution process.
• Ensuring  program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
• Working  with communications to design program briefing materials, and respond to requests for program information
• Working with the program staff to ensure that field experiences are documented and used for learning and to advocate on behalf of the communities with which we work.
• Providing accurate routine reports, document results and maintain detailed records of program activities
• Supporting  the Mercy Corps Kenya Office with Emergency Preparedness Planning
• Fulfilling Mercy Corps Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.
• Ensuring all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.

TEAM MANAGEMENT 

• Creating and sustaining a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promoting accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback.
• Orienting and guide team members as necessary.
• Providing team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
• Contributing to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.

 FINANCE & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

• Creation and maintenance of systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
• Ensuring compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.
• Building and/or maintaining operational systems that ensure proper administrative support for programs.
• Drafting and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

• Identifying, building and managing collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.
• Representing Mercy Corps programs with national and international media and participate in community activities as appropriate.

SECURITY

• Ensuring compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensuring that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• A BSc degree or equivalent in relevant field required,
• 5-7 years of field experience in international relief and development programs, including demonstrable success in managing development programs in transitional environments.
• Demonstrated success working effectively and respectfully with host communities, government, private sector, INGO, NGO partners and other stakeholders in complex environments.
• Extensive knowledge of community participatory approaches, disaster risk reduction, recharge, re-use and retention (3R) concept desirable.
• Previous experience working on USAID grants is desirable,
• Excellent and persuasive oral and written communication skills, including report writing,
• Previous working experience in Arid and Semi-arid Land (ASAL) counties is desirable,
• Evidence of leadership on emergency response in draught emergencies is an advantage
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members,
• Proven skills in financial and grants management; prior experience with emergency response grant management for both private and institutional donors desired.
• Knowledge of SPHERE and other humanitarian programming standards.
• Knowledge on CASH programming, Gender in emergencies and application across sectoral interventions is an advantage.
• Successful and proven negotiation, communication and organization skills.
• Excellent oral and written English skills required,
• Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.