Jobs at Mercy Corps

Key Responsibilities

• Manage reliable and cost-effective operations and effective implementation of the strategies of Mercy Corps towards the right direction, including supervision of facilities & office management, information technology, procurement, asset management, fleet management and warehouse management.
• Supports the program team on timely provision of operations support at a higher level of standards.
• Ensures compliance requirements of Mercy Corps and rules and regulations specified by the donors and sometimes host governments.
• Provides management information for decision making as required.
• Support developing budgets for operations activities of country programs as an integral part of program proposal development and country level budgeting.
• Represents Mercy Corps as required in coordination with country management. As a member of program management team, the operations manager will have certain representation at the discretion of the Senior Management Team. The level of representation may vary depend of the country context (i.e. Local Logistics Cluster, NGO Working Groups, etc.)

Strategy, Vision and Management

• Contribute to the country strategic planning processes as an active participant of the program management team.
• Set up the support services and develop procurement and administration plans based on program needs.
• Read program proposals and effectively contribute to program implementation and development.
• Work closely with program management to facilitate operations aspects of program planning, and upcoming operations resources needs, especially procurements.
• Advocate for operations systems: work with all Mercy Corps staff to ensure smooth introduction and adoption of operational systems.
• Work closely with program and finance teams to deliver successful programs while demonstrating excellent stewardship of donor funds and compliance with MC and donor regulations.
• Assist the program team and departments to understand their roles and responsibilities in terms of interaction with operations departments. These include trainings, regular coordination meetings, problem solving and procurement planning and other such planning activities to ensure effective and timely program implementation.
• Responsible for the management of all operations functions and staff; responsible for the full and proper implementation of Mercy Corps systems of management, compliance and control as described in Mercy Corps field manuals contained in the Office in a Box.
•  Work closely with finance compliance to mitigate fraud, conflict of interest, and legal ramifications of Mercy Corps activities.

Operations Management – Procurement

• Provide strategic, technical and managerial leadership and guidance in implementation of Global Procurement and Logistics Policies within the AgriFin program.
• Ensure implementation of appropriate operations policies and procedures that comply with Mercy Corps policies and procedures, host country laws, and with donor rules and regulations
• Ensure timely and accurate processing and documentation of procurements: the process, ensure accurate paperwork and a supply chain as described in the Field Procurement Policies and Procedures (FP3).
• Oversee and manage closely all procurement processes (sourcing/tendering, contracting, etc.) and where necessary chair tender opening sessions
• Ensure procurement records systems are well managed and maintained.
• Manage effectively all third-party contracting processes for the program. Ensure use of correct templates, timely contract renewals and work closely with vendors on resolving any open questions in a timely manner.
• Coordinate with the finance team the status of payment processing, tracking and development of payment schedule.
• Oversee tracking of all assets to ensure accurate record keeping of Mercy Corps and donor assets, including exceptional items that require registration and movement tracking, in accordance with the Mercy Corps Asset Management Manual.

Operations Management – Administration:

• Ensure the Admin systems are implemented as described in the Field Administration Manual
• Oversee the set-up and development of Mercy Corps offices to meet needs of team members including drafting and reviewing contracts for office and housing space, leasehold improvements, IT.
• Continue to the development and/or review of country or field office specific policies (phone policy, IT policy, per diem) and with the administration team communicate new policies to all staff as described in the Field Administration Manual.
• Oversee database & paper file management for administration, procurement, logistics resources documents.
• Oversee facility management, including housing and office leases. Ensure that security standards are maintained at all premises.
• Responsible for expatriate visa and work permits, if necessary
• Ensure IT systems functions as needed.
• Ensure that all Mercy Corps contracts, and business transactions/relationships are transparent and in compliance with Mercy Corps/donor policies.
• Assist as required in maintaining and advising on appropriate security systems and procedures and ensure all staff adheres to these procedures, facilitate Security Management Team meetings when necessary and ensure information is disseminated to all staff.

Resource Management

• Ensure effective and efficient management of administrative, procurement, logistics and IT| resources and reporting in a systematic, transparent and efficient manner to country management.
• Responsible for provision of high quality and timely procurement and other program support.
• Exercising oversight over procurement processes and logistics ensuring compliance with Mercy Corps procurement policies and procedures as well donor rules and regulations.
• Oversee provision of transport and travel support (international and domestic).
• Oversight on maintenance of proper custody of Mercy Corps assets, warehouse inventory and general inventory

Team Management

• Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
• Ensure smooth coordination of day-to-day activities across the Operations and Administration team while always adhering to segregation of duties
• 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.
• Work with all Mercy Corps staff to ensure smooth introduction and adoption of operational systems.
• Promote continuous organizational learning culture with the empowerment of individuals and teams with the identification of learning needs. Create learning opportunities and ensure access to available learning resources.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.
• Assist as required in maintaining and advising on appropriate security systems and procedures and ensure all staff adheres to these procedures, facilitate Security Management Team meetings when necessary and ensure information is disseminated to all staff.
• Coordinate closely with the country security leads on all matters pertaining to security

 Personal Leadership

• Consistently demonstrate flexibility, resilience, and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure, even under difficult circumstances.
• Maintain high ethical standards and treat people with respect and dignity.
• Demonstrate an awareness of his/her own strengths and development needs.

Representation

• Communicate with local partners in a manner consistent to the program team in terms of paperwork and documentation of goods.
• Establish and maintain productive relationships with all stakeholders, vendors, suppliers, etc.

Closing Date 11 April 2022

go to method of application »

The Position Summary 

Working closely with a diversity of county- and Nairobi-based team members, the Project Coordinator is responsible for implementing and coordinating Mercy Corps’ drought response programming in Kenya’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs). S/he will forge partnerships with a range of relevant county government departments, private sector actors, community members and other key stakeholders to ensure Mercy Corps’ activities remain coordinated and responsive to needs. Mercy Corps is responding to the drought conditions through a variety of interventions, including multi-purpose cash, WASH and supporting  pastoral livelihoods. The coordinator will directly implement such activities and coordinate and support other programs and teams to maximize impact of such interventions. The role has significant facilitation/facilitative role with private sector, county governments and other organizations to ensure that intervention and impact is sustained.

Essential Job Responsibilities 

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Manage assigned technical interventions to ensure program activities are responsive to the on-going drought conditions throughout the ASALs and are in line with the programs workplan and budget
• Carry out assessments to assess the current drought response interventions and identify resources, needs and potential complementary activities 
• Ensure an integrated approach to program implementation that maximizes resource utilization and synergy between the staff and different MC programs.
• Manage allocated intervention budgets ensuring all expenditures are legitimate and accounted for with correct budget coding; support the country team in costing drought response interventions and budget preparation
• Provide direct and ongoing field support to the county team, including the provision of advice and technical review in areas related to drought response 
• Recommend program priorities and explore, evaluate, and present new opportunities that leverage impact and/ or complement core activities; participate in designing interventions that address gaps

COLLABORATION / NETWORKING

• Introduce the program(s) to relevant stakeholders including local government, private sector actors, livestock traders, pastoralists and other community members in order to foster ongoing positive cooperation with the program activities
• Establish and maintain productive working relationships with local government departments, representing Mercy Corps in coordination meetings and soliciting their participation in all activities where appropriate and as directed
• Ensure close coordination and sharing of information with relevant stakeholders such as local government departments and NGO’s as appropriate 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

• Work in close liaison with the M&E team in data gathering and documentation of program activities.
• Comply with M&E systems that will be established to measure program impacts and desired results.
• Analyze project implementation strategies to identify constraints to program success and provide timely recommendations.
• As required, submit reports that will be indicative of program progress during implementation. 
• Where needed, support external evaluations by research partners and other organizations.

ACCOUNTABILITY TO PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward 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.  
• Ensure that Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism (CARM) is operationalized within the program. Designate a CARM focal point for the program. 
• Develop a CARM sensitization plan for feedback channels, in coordination with CARM and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) teams, to ensure the harmonization of messaging. 
• Ensure that program stakeholders are proactively informed of the program CARM feedback channels. 
• Ensure that appropriate action is taken for all programmatic feedback Grades 1-4 and that it is appropriately incorporated into program activities and overall implementation strategy. 

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• University degree in an appropriate field of study and at least 5 years relevant experience in a relevant technical role 
• In-depth familiarity with the ASAL region of Kenya is critical
• Experience working on drought response interventions a must 
• Willingness to travel throughout Kenya
• Ability to interact effectively with a wide variety of people. 
• Skills in networking, team-working, and community consultations. 
• Superior reporting, communication and representation skills.
• Good spoken and written English. Fluency in Swahili is required.  Somali language skills will be an added advantage
• Proficiency in MS Office applications i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, MS Project a must

Success Factors 

The successful candidate will have an ability to interact effectively across multiple departments. S/he will be able to support programmatic objectives with timely and meaningful insight, guidance, advice and leadership. S/he will have a demonstrated ability to multi-task, meet deadlines and process information in support of complex program activities. The individual must be willing to travel regularly to project sites, working closely with a variety of implementing partners, businesses, government agencies and other actors. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.