CHARITY JOBS IN AFRICA

Organization: Mercy Corps
Country: Liberia
Closing date: 09 Dec 2014

Position is contingent on anticipated funding.

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Mercy Corps has been operational in Liberia since 2002, most recently implementing programs in food security, peace building, and youth empowerment. Currently, Liberia is the epicenter of a fast-moving regional Ebola epidemic, which also includes Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria. To date, nearly 4,000 people in Liberia have been infected, with over 2,200 deaths (3 Oct 2014). As the Ebola epidemic spreads throughout Liberia, existing social and economic challenges are growing more complex, requiring adaptive and dynamic approaches to help support affected communities as they defend against, cope with, and recover from, this devastating disease.

Mercy Corps’ strategy to respond to the Ebola outbreak focuses on two approaches: 1) to engage local and international organizations through a national network of community organizations to promote healthy behaviors within communities that will help reduce the transmission of Ebola, and 2) address market and household economic challenges that emerge as a result of the Ebola outbreak, paying particular attention to food insecurity and declining livelihoods.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The Program Director will provide overall leadership, management and strategic vision to the implementation of a $12 million E-CAP (Ebola Community Action Platform) program, to ensure that the program meets its targets and deliverables on-time and within budget. S/he will supervise program staff and ensure accountability to Mercy Corps policies and donor rules and regulations and will be the primary program representative to donors, relevant government entities, partners, other implementers and stakeholders.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Strategy and Vision

• Lead the implementation of the E-CAP strategy.
• Play an active role in identifying and developing new initiatives that foster and/or improve strategic objectives of the program and the country office.

Program Operations

• Oversee program start-up, management and administration. Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.
• Ensure beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to transparent criteria.
• Develop partnership frameworks, partner agreements/Memorandum of Understandings, and oversee partner capacity investments, as necessary.
• Oversee performance of consortium partners and sub-grantees.
• Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
• Ensure program strategies and activities represent global good practice in subgrant management and behavior change communications.
• Supervise and/or review the work of program staff and consultants.
• Coordinate with procurement, logistics, security, administration, and human resources teams to ensure operational systems support field activities.

Knowledge Management and Reporting

• Facilitate the achievement of program targets and objectives and lead efforts to design effective monitoring, evaluation and learning systems.
• Oversee the scheduling and production of formal and informal reports on all aspects of the program in a timely and efficient manner.
• Ensure that Knowledge Management and Reporting team focus on developing and supporting program staff and partners to generate information that can be used for ongoing program decision-making while also capturing results at the impact level.
• Support Knowledge Management Manager to document all lessons learned from the program and prepare periodic case studies, beneficiary stories and related publications.
• Work closely with Knowledge Management and Reporting advisers and oversee process of Knowledge Management and Reporting with support from program staff. Ensure easy public access to reports and data, using primarily online, digital methods, and make sure they are widely distributed.

Team Management

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Supervise, hire and orient new team members as necessary.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• Provide team members with information and resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
• Help team members identify problem solving options
• Ensure the integration of team members into relevant decision-making.

Finance and Compliance Management

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations.
• Create and maintain systems to ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with program, donor and Mercy Corps needs.

Representation & Coordination

• Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, partner and other relevant events, in close coordination with the Country Director.
• Coordinate activities with partners, subgrantees, local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.

Security

• Work closely with the country team’s security focal point to develop and maintain systems that promote the safety and security of all team members.
• Ensure that programs are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of safety and security.

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, 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: Direct supervision of E-CAP Team, including Subgrants Director, Project Lead, Program Manager, Communications Manager, Knowledge Management Manager and Digital Outreach Manager.

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Country Director

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Other program managers in-country, finance and operations teams, HQ Regional Program Team, HQ Technical Support Unit

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• MA/S or equivalent in social science, management, international development or other relevant field, preference for experience in overseeing subgrant program and/or behavior change communication.
• A minimum of 5 to 7 years of overseas experience including 3 years in a senior management position.
• Strong skills and a track record in strategic visioning, leadership, and inspiring teams.
• Effective personnel management, coordination, and decision-making skills, with proven ability to be accountable for all components of the program.
• Competent in building networks, strong problem-solving skills, and ability to influence with effective listening, persuasion, negotiation and other techniques.
• Strong understanding of USAID compliance issues
• English proficiency required, including report writing.
• Preference for demonstrated technical expertise in subgrant management
• Experience in the country or region West Africa preferably Liberia
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.

SUCCESS FACTORS:

The successful Program Director will combine exceptional management skills and experience in maintaining donor and partner relationships. S/he will have an outstanding ability to develop, implement and manage innovative programs within the current and future program structure of Mercy Corps in the region and will also have proven experience with cross-cultural teams and capacity building, individual staff development, and strong mentoring skills. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision are essential.

The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments with an appropriate sense of humor and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.

LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:

The position will be based in Monrovia, and may require travel to outlying counties and communities throughout Liberia. The security situation is stable but could change quickly in localized circumstances, although general unrest is not anticipated because of a significant UN, US military, and local police forces to maintain public safety. Monrovia is served by an international airport and has many hotels, restaurants and grocery stores. Health services are currently limited and while we have made provisions for emergency care, team members should not anticipate an environment where casual outpatient services are available. Because safe access to health services should not be anticipated, a degree of self-sufficiency in first aid and medications should be considered. Candidates must consider taking anti-malarials as a preventative measure and other measures to lower their risk of requiring medical services. Candidates with chronic health issues should consider disclosing and self-eliminating from this recruitment process. Currently there is an 11 pm curfew, which could change at anytime, and staff should expect some interruption of movement as the government manages the Ebola situation. Housing will either be at private residences as group housing or at nearby hotels. Traveling in and out of Liberia is increasingly complicated with many commercial airlines suspending service and many countries closing their borders (air, land and sea) to individuals coming from Liberia. Two commercial airlines continue to serve Liberia (Brussels Air and Air Maroc) and UNHAS is currently working to establish air service to Dakar, Senegal and Accra, Ghana.

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 Mercy Corps' 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.dspjo...

Organization: Mercy Corps
Country: Liberia
Closing date: 13 Dec 2014

This position is pending anticipated funding.

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Mercy Corps has been operational in Liberia since 2002, most recently implementing programs in food security, peace building, and youth empowerment. Currently, Liberia is the epicenter of a fast-moving regional Ebola epidemic, which also includes Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria. To date, nearly 4,000 people in Liberia have been infected, with over 2,200 deaths (3 Oct 2014). As the Ebola epidemic spreads throughout Liberia, existing social and economic challenges are growing more complex, requiring adaptive and dynamic approaches to help support affected communities as they defend against, cope with, and recover from, this devastating disease.

Mercy Corps’ strategy to respond to the Ebola outbreak focuses on two approaches: 1) to engage local and international organizations through a national network of community organizations to promote healthy behaviors within communities that will help reduce the transmission of Ebola, and 2) address market and household economic challenges that emerge as a result of the Ebola outbreak, paying particular attention to food insecurity and declining livelihoods.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The Program Quality Assurance Manager (PQAM) is responsible for the overall development and integration of accountability and quality assurance mechanisms for the Mercy Corps Liberia ECAP (Ebola Community Action Platform) program. S/he champions a team culture of learning and continuous quality improvement and is responsible in concert with the Program Director for the development of program strategies and partnership initiatives to deliver immediate and lasting assistance to the most vulnerable beneficiaries in the Ebola crisis in Liberia. S/he manages a team focused on quality in design, monitoring, evaluation, learning, capacity building and communications. The role requires significant liaison with local and international partners and close coordination with other ECAP Managers as well as working in concert with the Program Director. It will also require strong understanding of quality definition and QA/QC methods in humanitarian response and development programming.This is a management position for Mercy Corps with supervisory and managerial responsibilities and will ensure appropriate and effective implementation of all Mercy Corps and sub-grantee programmatic operations in the field. This response has a particular emphasis on working through local partners, to 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 leadership by bringing together the various partners and Mercy Corps team members to deliver coordinated and coherent thematic excellence through E-CAP in Liberia. (For example, focus on improvement tools of M&E, QA/QC and promote a culture of continuous improvement);
• Work with the Program Director (PD) and other team members to formulate and revise E-CAP program strategies and priorities based on lessons learned during implementation and changes in the operating context or Mercy Corps’ understanding of such, and help communicate this strategy to constituencies;
• Support the PD in development, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and administration of humanitarian relief and development projects in line with the Liberia program strategy and in service of reducing Ebola transmission and it’s impacts on Liberian populations and systems;
• Ensure that evidence-based results are clearly documented and communicated, and that program strategy adequately reflects an evidence-based, iterative strategic path;
• Work closely and meet regularly with the PD and discuss interventions and program opportunities;
• Be directly involved in the identification, evaluation and selection of sub-grantees, working closely with the Program Director, Sub Awards Director and the program team. Tasks could include drafting programmatic aspects of Expressions of Interest, Request for Agreements; reviewing sub-grantee applications and the programmatic and management capacities of potential partners; providing qualitative monitoring and quality assurance oversight of all sub-grantee activities; and reviewing sub-grantee narrative reports and verifying reported progress against targets, activities and their quality implementation through leading a team of quality monitors.

Program Operations and Management

• In concert with Program Director, design and implement a partner assessment tool for all partners in Liberia;
• Contribute to an innovative program environment, and where teams constantly seek to maximize impact;
• Strive to create and use standardized tools and practices that lead to high quality, impactful program design and implementation;
• Ensure that programs produce professional quality reports and communications materials and that publishable results are disseminated.

Program Quality Monitoring:

• Work with partners to implement systematized program quality monitoring visits and provide structured feedback in a way that improves progress and impact;
• Ensure that partners have sufficient systems in place to meet program management standards and comply to donor and Mercy Corps regulations and good practice;
• Support development and implementation of protocols and procedures for structuring quality definitions (descriptions of deliverables), Quality Control and Quality Assurance for projects across various implementing partners to ensure 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;
• Review sub-grantee narrative reports and verify reported progress against targets, activities and their quality implementation through leading a team of quality monitors;
• Facilitate elaboration of inclusive program/sub-grant selection criteria that take into consideration needs of different vulnerable groups, and monitor beneficiary selection processes ensuring these criteria are followed;
• Work with program staff to integrate quality monitoring processes based on protocols into program implementation, including internal and external reviews of program quality;
• Ensure that program information shared with stakeholders is presented in languages, formats and media that are appropriate for, accessible to, and can be understood by the target population.

M&E Support:

• Train the Liberia team on principles of accountability and quality management;
• Enhance and support program learning and dialogue through reporting and learning mechanisms to capture programming lessons and outcomes, such as after-action reviews, evaluations, and lessons learned workshops;
• Maintain regular interactions and reporting with key partners, including relevant cluster lead agencies, UN agencies, NGOs, and technical partners;
• Organize and facilitate cross-program or regional knowledge sharing between program staff, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders; represent Mercy Corps in coordination meetings;
• Assist the M&E team in capacity building, program design, monitoring and evaluation exercises;
• Document lessons learned from programs and share internally and externally as appropriate;
• Other duties as assigned .

Team Management

• Work with the Program Director, Sub Awards Manager, Learning and Results Measurement Manager 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;
• 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: Monitoring Officers

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Program Director

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Learning and Results Measurement Manager, All senior team members, program teams, and partners.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree in Social Sciences, in an area of social development or equivalent
• At least 3-5 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
• Strong understanding of different methodologies of QA/QC, monitoring and evaluation and operational research and experience in developing integrated systems
• Ability to effectively establish a learning culture within an organization and with stakeholders
• Experience in successfully establishing and managing collaborative relationships and partnerships with partner organizations and government counterparts
• Experience managing a diverse workforce including effective performance management and utilization 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, commitment to quality in all things, 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 Monrovia, and may require travel to outlying counties and communities throughout Liberia. The security situation is stable but could change quickly in localized circumstances, although general unrest is not anticipated because of a significant UN, US military, and local police forces to maintain public safety. Monrovia is served by an international airport and has many hotels, restaurants and grocery stores. Health services are currently limited and while we have made provisions for emergency care, team members should not anticipate an environment where casual outpatient services are available. Because safe access to health services should not be anticipated, a degree of self-sufficiency in first aid and medications should be considered. Candidates must consider taking anti-malarials as a preventative measure and other measures to lower their risk of requiring medical services. Candidates with chronic health issues should consider disclosing and self-eliminating from this recruitment process. Currently there is an 11 pm curfew, which could change at anytime, and staff should expect some interruption of movement as the government manages the Ebola situation. Housing will either be at private residences as group housing or at nearby hotels. Traveling in and out of Liberia is increasingly complicated with many commercial airlines suspending service and many countries closing their borders (air, land and sea) to individuals coming from Liberia. Two commercial airlines continue to serve Liberia (Brussels Air and Air Maroc) and UNHAS is currently working to establish air service to Dakar, Senegal and Accra, Ghana.

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 Mercy Corps’ 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.dspjo...

Organization: Mercy Corps
Country: Liberia
Closing date: 09 Dec 2014

This position will be filled pending anticipated funding.

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Mercy Corps has been operational in Liberia since 2002, most recently implementing programs in food security, peace building, and youth empowerment. Currently, Liberia is the epicenter of a fast-moving regional Ebola epidemic, which also includes Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria. To date, nearly 4,000 people in Liberia have been infected, with over 2,200 deaths (3 Oct 2014). As the Ebola epidemic spreads throughout Liberia, existing social and economic challenges are growing more complex, requiring adaptive and dynamic approaches to help support affected communities as they defend against, cope with, and recover from, this devastating disease.

Mercy Corps’ strategy to respond to the Ebola outbreak focuses on two approaches: 1) to engage local and international organizations through a national network of community organizations to promote healthy behaviors within communities that will help reduce the transmission of Ebola, and 2) address market and household economic challenges that emerge as a result of the Ebola outbreak, paying particular attention to food insecurity and declining livelihoods.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The Project Lead (PL) is a key position in a 6 month USAID-funded Ebola Community Action Platform Program (E-CAP) for Liberia. The PL will report to the Program Director and work closely with the entire program implementation team and partners to provide essential support and guidance to establish effective project and program management systems, ensure fast on-boarding process for new E-CAP team members and partners, and other critical support as needed to ensure E-CAP meets its targets and deliverables on-time and within budget. S/he will also take the lead in streamlining project management and operations processes, while ensuring adherence to Mercy Corps internal policies and procedures as well as donor regulations. The PL will ensure that program operations are of the highest quality and standards and that day-to day issues are being addressed in a timely and efficient manner. The PL will also support such key start-up activities, such as establishing communication channels and workflows to support the first rounds of subgrants.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Project Management

• Lead the design of effective project management processes to support critical E-CAP projects and activities, e.g., RFA and subgranting processes, subagreement monitoring, quality control and quality assurance (QA/QC) processes, risk management, stakeholder management, integration of monitoring and evaluation with reporting, and work flow integration between all Mercy Corps and partner teams.
• Oversee and manage the onboarding of all new staff and partners, both local and international, to Mercy Corps’ project management systems and procedures. Train new team members as needed to ensure knowledge of Mercy Corps program and project management systems and how to work effectively across different functions.
• Build stakeholder engagement processes that enable program implementation to be responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, and quality standards.
• Understand and incorporate project management resources, systems and structures available from Mercy Corps world-wide to E-CAP project.
• Work with the senior management team to identify and quickly resolve project management issues, bottlenecks and conflicts that affect any aspect of program operations of E-CAP.

Team Management Support

• Orient, and motivate an informed, skilled and efficient team; incorporate staff development strategies and performance management systems into the team building process.
• Advise the managers to work with their teams with an emphasis on excellence and achievement; encourage a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation.
• Provide leadership, direction and support for staff working in a country affected by the Ebola epidemic and a fragile political situation.
• Develop the competencies of the staff, especially national team members, through training, mentoring and coaching strategies.
• Provide formal mentoring and guiding of all E-CAP field staff and partners.

Operations

• Coordinate with procurement, logistics, security, administration, and human resources teams to ensure operational systems support field activities.
• With the Operations, Admin and Finance Managers, evaluate current methodologies and policies used in Mercy Corps Liberia programs, determine their effectiveness and provide suggestions on ways to improve compliance and collaboration, and to ensure program and organizational success.

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.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

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: None.

ACCOUNTABILITY

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Liberia E-CAP Program Director

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Knowledge Management Lead, Digital Outreach Manager, Finance Manager, Operations Manager, Subgrants Director, Admin Manager and Program Managers.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• Certification in Project Management for Development Professionals and/or project management certification from PMI, PRINCE2 or IPMA is required.
• At least 2 years’ experience as a Project or Program Manager
• Proven record of personnel management and trouble shooting skills.
• Experience leading staff development and mentoring.
• A high degree of organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate frequently and effectively in both verbal and written form;English proficiency is required.
• Previous full time experience with systems, procedures and program priorities is preferred.

SUCCESS FACTORS:

A successful candidate will have an ability to work independently, take initiative in tasks and self-learning, and be proactive in communications and development of professional relationships. S/he will be able to effectively mentor and motivate team members across departments, organizations and disciplines, often without direct supervisory authority, and will be able to live and work closely with a diverse team of individuals in a highly intense and fluid work and security environment, with demonstrated sensitivity to the people and issues in Liberia and the region. Excellent team and interpersonal relationship skills, especially in high stress environments are essential for success.

LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:

The position will be based in Monrovia, and may require travel to outlying counties and communities throughout Liberia. The security situation is stable but could change quickly in localized circumstances, although general unrest is not anticipated because of a significant UN, US military, and local police forces to maintain public safety. Monrovia is served by an international airport and has many hotels, restaurants and grocery stores. Health services are currently limited and while we have made provisions for emergency care, team members should not anticipate an environment where casual outpatient services are available. Because safe access to health services should not be anticipated, a degree of self-sufficiency in first aid and medications should be considered. Candidates must consider taking anti-malarials as a preventative measure and other measures to lower their risk of requiring medical services. Candidates with chronic health issues should consider disclosing and self-eliminating from this recruitment process.

Currently there is an 11 pm curfew, which could change at anytime, and staff should expect some interruption of movement as the government manages the Ebola situation. Housing will either be at private residences as group housing or at nearby hotels. Traveling in and out of Liberia is increasingly complicated with many commercial airlines suspending service and many countries closing their borders (air, land and sea) to individuals coming from Liberia. Two commercial airlines continue to serve Liberia (Brussels Air and Air Maroc) and UNHAS is currently working to establish air service to Dakar, Senegal and Accra, Ghana.

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 Mercy Corps' 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.dspjo...

Organization: Mercy Corps
Country: Liberia
Closing date: 12 Dec 2014

This position will be filled pending anticipated funding.

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Mercy Corps has been operational in Liberia since 2002, most recently implementing programs in food security, peace building, and youth empowerment. Currently, Liberia is the epicenter of a fast-moving regional Ebola epidemic, which also includes Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria. To date, nearly 4,000 people in Liberia have been infected, with over 2,200 deaths (3 Oct 2014). As the Ebola epidemic spreads throughout Liberia, existing social and economic challenges are growing more complex, requiring adaptive and dynamic approaches to help support affected communities as they defend against, cope with, and recover from, this devastating disease.

Mercy Corps’ strategy to respond to the Ebola outbreak focuses on two approaches: 1) to engage local and international organizations through a national network of community organizations to promote healthy behaviors within communities that will help reduce the transmission of Ebola, and 2) address market and household economic challenges that emerge as a result of the Ebola outbreak, paying particular attention to food insecurity and declining livelihoods.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The Communications Specialist will develop and implement a communications strategy that articulates Mercy Corps’ vision, strategy and activity for the E-CAP (Ebola Community Action Platform) program to external stakeholders, including donors, government, local and international partners, media and others, and at the same time, supports a robust and principled humanitarian response across the region. S/he will also will establish and maintain relations with relevant stakeholders affected by the crisis and will compile relevant information on needs, challenges, and on-the-ground dynamics, analyze and share this information to support outreach efforts and will at the same time, track and analyze key initiatives, working with partner agencies. The Specialist will also help ensure that Mercy Corps’ positions are well grounded in the priorities of the communities where we work, reinforcing a cohesive and productive organizational culture through effective information sharing, and supporting Mercy Corps’ development as an entrepreneurial, innovative, effective and accountable learning organization.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Lead the development and implementation of Mercy Corps’ communication strategy in Liberia on the Ebola crisis as well as Mercy Corps media activities.
• Track emerging developments and issues affecting the regional humanitarian crisis, including:
• Major needs among affected populations
• Alignment between identified needs and donor priorities
• Regional capacity within the humanitarian system
• Quality of humanitarian coordination at operational, governmental, and donor levels
• Notable emerging trends
• Government, donor and UN policy
• Ensure that the communication strategy implementation draws on Mercy Corps field experience and program expertise.
• Lead the development and implementation of internal communications strategy, to inform key internal stakeholders of latest developments.
• Convey information to the global Communications and Policy and Advocacy (P&A) teams, as necessary, about the crisis.
• Establish and maintain strategic relations with relevant local and international stakeholders, to continually inform, challenge, and improve Mercy Corps’ communications, strategy, and program development.
• Provide representation at the discretion of the Country Director and Program Director with relevant local and international governmental and non-governmental actors and support the Country Director and Program Director in their representational roles.
• Build and maintain a close link with Mercy Corps’ country team responding to the crisis, and regularly gather evidence/experiences from program staff so that analysis is grounded in and supports Mercy Corps’ program work.
• Work with the field team to plan and produce effective, thoughtful and timely written products that advance perspectives important to our mission and strategy.
• Monitor and evaluate the impact of communication work.
• Support the development of donor, government and other external reports.
• Related tasks as required and agreed by the Country Director and Program Director.

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 to Beneficiaries

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: None

ACCOUNTABILITY:

Reports Directly to: Country Director

Works Directly with: Program Director and other program managers in-country, finance and operations teams, HQ Regional Program Team, HQ Technical Support Unit

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• BA/S or equivalent in communications, marketing, or a related field preferred
• 3-5 years’ experience working in marketing or on a communications team
• 2+ years of experience in relief and development field with non-profit, or government and knowledge of Mercy Corps’ work and structure preferred
• English proficiency required
• Excellent writing and research skills required including proofreading and editing proficiency ; ability to “translate” technical language into compelling content necessary
• Strong computer literacy required including MS Office Suite
• Proven experience maintaining a high level of confidentiality and professional conduct
• Highly effective and professional verbal communication skills
• Proven ability to prioritize multiple competing and changing priorities, requests, tasks, deadlines
• Proven ability to manage demands and stresses with grace and humor

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 great analytical skills, 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 an 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 Monrovia, and may require travel to outlying counties and communities throughout Liberia. The security situation is stable but could change quickly in localized circumstances, although general unrest is not anticipated because of a significant UN, US military, and local police forces to maintain public safety. Monrovia is served by an international airport and has many hotels, restaurants and grocery stores. Health services are currently limited and while we have made provisions for emergency care, team members should not anticipate an environment where casual outpatient services are available. Because safe access to health services should not be anticipated, a degree of self-sufficiency in first aid and medications should be considered. Candidates must consider taking anti-malarials as a preventative measure and other measures to lower their risk of requiring medical services. Candidates with chronic health issues should consider disclosing and self-eliminating from this recruitment process. Currently there is an 11 pm curfew, which could change at anytime, and staff should expect some interruption of movement as the government manages the Ebola situation. Housing will either be at private residences as group housing or at nearby hotels. Traveling in and out of Liberia is increasingly complicated with many commercial airlines suspending service and many countries closing their borders (air, land and sea) to individuals coming from Liberia. Two commercial airlines continue to serve Liberia (Brussels Air and Air Maroc) and UNHAS is currently working to establish air service to Dakar, Senegal and Accra, Ghana.

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.dspjo...