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Job Description
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action—helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future. Mercy Corps has been operating in Ethiopia since 2004. In partnership with civil society organizations, academic institutions, private sector, and the government, Mercy Corps Ethiopia has reached more than five million Ethiopians with interventions to save lives and build secure livelihoods. Our programs emphasize market-driven solutions, reinforce social bonds, and help communities build resilience to the impacts of climate change. Currently in six regional states–Afar, Amhara, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, and South Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR), and in Dire Dawa Administration and the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa–Mercy Corps Ethiopia is driven by the mission to contribute the emergence of a peaceful, resilient, and prosperous Ethiopia which is inclusive of youth and women. Our strategic directions focus in promoting inclusive and dynamic markets. promoting peace and social cohesion through strengthening formal/informal governance structures and citizen engagement; improved natural resource governance; and integrated humanitarian response.
Program /Department Summary
The Ethiopia Seed Partnership Plus (ESP+) is a bilateral program between Ethiopia and the Netherlands in international trade and development cooperation. The goal of the proposed extended program ESP+ is to ensure the delivery of quality seed of new, improved, and adapted varieties to one million farming
household across the country for food security, nutrition, and resilience to shocks and stresses. ESP+ will be implemented in Tigray, Oromia, Afar, Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambela, and Somali regions, which are more prone to shocks and stresses. Once conditions allow, activities will commence in Amhara as well. The program will have four components that are Private sector development, Innovation &empowerment, responding to seed insecurity, and Enabling seed sector transformation. Mercy Corps Ethiopia will be leading the third component of the program that mainly deals with Responding to seed insecurity. The ESP+ program will be implemented over four years period from 2024-2027.
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (with frequent travels to field)
Position Status: Full-time
Current Team Member: New Position
Safeguarding Risk Level: Low
- General Position Summary
The ESP+ Program Manager is responsible for the overall management of ESP+ program. He/she responsible for providing strategic and technical guidance, provide guidance on program planning and implementation, ensure effective implementation of all activities and quick response to challenges, monitor and analyze the program environment and progress, using applicable monitoring and evaluation and risk management tools and advise on timely adjustments and corrective measures as necessary. Additionally, he/she is in charge of representing the program during all phases of execution, including participation in consortium engagements. The Program Manager is responsible for the strategic planning and overall management of the program and reports to the Director of Programs.
Essential Job Responsibilities
STRATEGY AND VISION
- Work closely with the Country Director, DOP, and other senior program team members to implement the ESP+ program vision and strategy.
- Lead the development of the ENSP+ detailed implementation strategy.
- Ensure all ESP+ team members have a clear understanding of the program strategy and their role in contributing towards its delivery.
- Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are considered.
- PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
INCOORDINATION WITH MERCYCORPS’ COUNTRY LEADERSHIP TEAM AND PROGRAM TEAM MEMBERS, LEAD THE MANAGEMENT, ADMINISTRATION AND CLOSE OUT OF PROGRAM. ENSURE IMPLEMENTATIONISON TIME, TARGET AND BUDGET.
●LEAD ASSESSMENTS AND ANALYSIS ACROSS ALL TARGET LOCATIONS (INCLUDING NEEDS, CONTEXT ANALYSIS/CAT, SEED SECURITYASSESSMENTS), DRAWING ON EXTERNAL TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AS NEEDED.
●LEAD THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIP FRAMEWORKS TO SUPPORT PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION, PARTNER AGREEMENTS AND ENSURE PARTNER CAPACITY BUILDING.
●WORK WITH PARTNERS (INCLUDINGENSP+CONSORTIUM MEMBERS, GOVERNMENT SECTOR OFFICES AT DIFFERENT LEVELS AND LOCATIONS, PRIVATE SECTOR ACTORS, COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES) IN AFLEXIBLE AND CREATIVE TO ACHIEVE THE BEST POSSIBLE RESULTS FOR ALL SEGMENTS OF THE TARGETED COMMUNITIES.
●COORDINATE, MANAGE AND MOTIVATE PROGRAM TEAMS ACROSS ALL IMPLEMENTATION LOCATIONS, ENSURING THEY HAVE CLEAR OBJECTIVES/INDIVIDUAL WORKPLANS AS PART OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT, AND RECEIVE MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK ONTHEIR PERFORMANCE.
●MENTORPROGRAM TEAM MEMBERS (PROGRAM ANDM&E) REPORTING DIRECTLY TO THIS POSITION, ENSURING THEIR ABILITY TO MANAGE ACROSS PROGRAMS IN EACH OF THE TARGET GEOGRAPHIES.
●ENSURE THAT THE PROGRAM IS MANAGED ADAPTIVELY, THROUGH PERIODIC REFLECTION EXERCISES AND USE OF MELDATA.
●SUBMIT HIGH QUALITY REPORTS TO DONOAND STAKEHOLDERS.
●MONITOR WORK AND TARGETS CLOSELY TO ENSURE THAT PROGRAMS ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE MAXIMUM BENEFIT TO OUR BENEFICIARIES WITHIN PROGRAM TIME FRAMES.
●WORK CLOSELY WITH TEAM AND PARTNERS ENSURING WE ADHERE TO HUMANITARIAN PRINCIPLES, MERCYCORPS’ GENDER POLICIES, DO NO HARM PRINCIPLES AND BENEFICIARY ACCOUNTABILITY STANDARDS.
●INTEGRATE COMMUNITY APPROACHES, GENDER SENSITIVITY AND CAPACITY BUILDING IN TO ALL ACTIVITIES.
●FULFILL MERCYCORPS PROGRAM MANAGEMENTMINIMUM STANDARDS BASED ON THE ORGANIZATION-WIDEGUIDE. - PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT
●CULTIVATE AND NURTURE DONOR RELATIONSHIPS AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS THAT POSITIVELY IMPACT MERCYCORPSABILITYTOINFLUENCEPROGRAM STRATEGIES AND PROPOSAL DESIGN, AS WEL LAS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS THAT RESULT IN STRONGER AND IMPACTFUL PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS.
●HELP TO IDENTIFY NEW FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR AGRICULTURAL/SEED PROGRAMS.
●SUPPORTTHEDESIGNOFNEW PROPOSALSWORKINGONAGRICULTURE/SEEDPROGRAMSINCLUDINGPARTICIPATING IN DESIGN WORKSHOPS.
●SUPPORT WRITING/REVIEW OF CONCEPT NOTES AND PROPOSALS.
●WORK CLOSELY WITH FIELDTEAMS TO INFLUENCE THEIR ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT OF
PROGRAM PREPOSITIONING,
DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION.
TEAM BUILDING AND MANAGEMENT
- LEAD AND MANAGE RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING OF ALL TEAM MEMBERS WORKING IN THE PORTFOLIO.
●OVERSEE THE DOCUMENTATION AND FILING SYSTEMS FOR ALL PROGRAMS IN THE PORTFOLIO AND ENSURE THAT INFORMATION IS ORGANIZED ACCORDING TO THE REPORTING AND AUDITING NEEDS. ENSURE REQUIRED LEVELS OF CONFIDENTIALITY.
●WORK CLOSELY WITH THE COUNTRY TEAM’S SECURITY FOCAL POINT TO DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN SYSTEMS THAT ENSURE THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF THE TEAM IN ALL ASPECTS OF ITS WORK.
●LEAD THE IDENTIFICATION OF PROGRAM ISSUES, CHALLENGES AND RISKS, WITHIN THE TEAM AND LEAD APPROPRIATE RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTS THEM. - ●DEVELOP THE CAPACITY OF THE PROGRAM TEAM, DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR ROLES AND ASSIST WITH CAREER DEVELOPMENT.
●PROMOTE ACCOUNTABILITY, COMMUNICATE EXPECTATIONS AND PROVIDE CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK
●CREATE AND SUSTAIN AWORK ENVIRONMENT OF MUTUAL RESPECT WHERE TEAM MEMBERS STRIVE TO ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE.
FINANCE AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
- ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH DONOR, CONSORTIUM LEAD AND MERCY CORPS’ REGULATIONS RELATED TO PROGRAMMING AND OPERATIONS.
●WITH SUPPORT OF THE OPERATIONS MANAGER, ENSURE ADEQUATE OPERATIONAL SYSTEMS ARE INPLACE TO PROVIDE FOR PROGRAMS IMPLEMENTATION.
●ENSURE PROPER LOGISTICS, ADMINISTRATION, HUMAN RESOURCES AND TRANSPORT NEEDS OF THE PROGRAMS ARE CONDUCTED WITHIN MERCYCORPS POLICY.
●MANAGE PROGRAM BUDGETS AS THE PRIMARY BUDGET HOLDER.
●EXERCISE SOUND JUDGMENT TO ENSURE PROJECTS’ EXPENSES ARE REASONABLE, ALLOCABLE AND PRUDENT. ENSURE ALL PROJECTS’ FUNDS ARE SPENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH DONOR RULES AND REGULATIONS. WORK WITH DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS TO FORECAST EXPENDITURE SURPLUSES AND DEFICITS TO ENABLE ADJUSTMENTS.
●STRICTLY FOLLOW MERCYCORPS’ FRAUD AND PREVENTION GUIDELINES.MONITORING, EVALUATION AND LEARNING
●ENSURE THAT PROGRAM TEAMS ARE CONTINUALLY GATHERING AND DIGESTING OPERATING ENVIRONMENT DATA AND
ACTIVITY REPORTS, AND THAT TEAMS ARE HOLDING FREQUENT ACTIVITY REVIEW SESSIONS TO CONTINUALLY RE EXAMINE THE RELEVANCE AND IMPACT OF THEIR PROGRAMMING.
●COORDINATE AND SHARE INFORMATION WITH THE TEAM LEAD TO ENSURE OVERALL PROJECT TARGETS AND DONOR OBLIGATIONS ARE BEING ACHIEVED. ADVISE ON SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS, AS REQUIRED.
●ENSURE PROGRAM TEAMS HAVE COMMUNITY COMPLAINT AND FEEDBACK MECHANISMS IN PLACE AND THAT COMPLAINTS AND FEEDBACK BEING RECEIVED ARE RESPONDED TO WITHIN A TIMELY MANNER.
POLICY, ADVOCACY, REPRESENTATION
●REPRESENT MERCYCORPS AT RELATED EVENTS AND CONTRIBUTE TO THOUGHT LEADERSHIP ON SEED SYSTEM IN ETHIOPIA AND GLOBALLY.
●IDENTIFY AND NURTURE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS WORKING ON SEED SYSTEMS.
GEDSI (GENDER, EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION)
- UNDERSTAND AND AWARE GDI RELATEDPRIORITIES OF THE COUNTRY OFFICE AND CONTRIBUTE FOR THE REALIZATION OF PRIORITIES (CONTINUALLY WORK TO UNDERSTAND AND BE AWARE OF THE GENDER DIVERSITY ANDINCLUSION PRIORITIES OF THE COUNTRY OFFICE AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE EXECUTION)
● Oversee program startup and ongoing program management and administration of teams across various field locations.
● 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 that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.
● Develop partners’ MoUs and contracts &over see a training program for program partners Develop program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks, beneficiary targeting and distribution.
● Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
● Ensure program implementation is on time, target and within budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
● Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
● Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization wide guide.
● Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.
Supervisory Responsibility
- Promote gender equality and inclusive workplace culture in a day-to-day interaction with a team member, partners and program participants.
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.
ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING
●As part of our commitment to organization all earning 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 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.
SUPERVISORYRESPONSIBILITY
●The program manager will be responsible to directly supervise program team members based in Addis Ababa that are ESP+MEL specialist and Seed system officer.
ACCOUNTABILITY
●Reports Directly To: Director of Programs (LineManager)
Knowledge and Experience
- Master’s degree or equivalent in afield related Agriculture, Seed Systems, Agricultural Market Systems, Rural development, Agricultural economics, Agri business, Cooperative business management or any other relevant field
●Minimum of 5 years’ work experience with NGO and/or profit-making agribusiness working with vulnerable, marginalized communities - ●Proven experience in applying market-based approaches to increase access to agricultural inputs including collaborating with private sector national and international actors to achieve sustainable and scalable solutions for hard-to-reach communities.
●Provenexperiencesupportinginnovativeagriculturalvaluechaindevelopmentthroughmarket system approach with specific focus on seed system strengthening.
●Strong experience working in emergency and conflict sensitive situations and locations.
●Demonstrated success building, managing and leading a team of professionals in a fast-paced challenging environment with high standards for success.
●Strong writing, communication, organization, prioritization and negotiating skills.
●Excellent and proven coordination and representation experience is needed, especially in building and maintaining strong/productive relations with implementing and strategic partner agencies and government agencies.
●Excellent MEL, data analytics and quantitative skills are strongly preferred.
●Strong financial management experience required.
●Strong project management experience required.
●Willingness and ability to travel frequently to Mercy Corps project sites and field locations, including traveling to insecure environments, is required.
●Fluency in English is required.
SuccessFactors
- The successful candidate will possess excellent leadership skills, with the ability to maintain abroad perspective. He/she will undertake innovative and creative approaches, be agile in the conceptualization of new program ideas, and will be well versed in strategic thinking and planning including openness to test new ways to work with private sector actors. The ideal candidate will have a strong curiosity for understanding and working effectively within the complex cultural, political, security and social environment of Ethiopia. They will be an excellent communicator, multi-tasker, and able to work in ambiguous situations. They will be a tolerant and flexible individual able to work in difficult and stressful environments and follow procedures. The successful candidate will be focused on team building and capacity building of national staff team-members; be a strategic thinker, have strong skills
in design monitoring and evaluation of development programs and maintain a sense of humor.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and travel to field offices in often.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal-opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have a sustained global impact. We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status, or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants, or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary-General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and adhere to the Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
How To Apply
All qualified individuals are invited to apply for the advertised position. All applications, including a CV, three references, and all applicable official papers, must be sent electronically.
Only candidates that are short-listed will be acknowledged and called for interviews.
“Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer promoting gender, equity, and diversity. Qualified female and young candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We are committed to empowering women and youth.”
DEADLINE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS: 29 September 2024/ 4:00 PM