Deputy Team leader -The East Africa Border Security Programme (BSP)

Programs and Technical Specialities

Nairobi,
Kenya

Description

Location:Nairobi

Position Status:Full-time, Non-exempt, Regular

Risk Level: ☐Level 3xLevel 2☐Level 1

(Level 3: Frequent contact with participants, direct contact with children, access to sensitive data, and/orhigh levelof accountability.

Level 2: Some contact with participants; unplanned non-direct contact with children.

Level 1: Likely to have no contact with participants or sensitive data)

About Mercy Corps

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.

The Programme

Mercy Corps is seeking a Deputy Team Leader for the FCDO-funded East Africa Border SecurityProgramme. Irregular migration and associated criminal activity in East Africa remain a complex and escalating challenge which leads to significant exploitation of vulnerable people on the move. The East Africa Border SecurityProgramme(BSP) takes a multifaceted approach – integrating ‘prevention’,‘prepare/protect’ and ‘pursue’,working closely with national governments, partners and local communities to disrupt the criminal networks that facilitate human trafficking and smuggling across the land borders of the East Africa

The Position

The Deputy Team Lead (DTL) is a senior member of the BSP team, working with the Team Leader to design and implement strategic interventions that are contextually specific,demonstratelearning andadaptationand achieve sustainable impact. S/he will oversee the efficient deliveryof theprogrammeacross outcome areasacross BSP countries in the East Africa Region, working closely with Consortium and partner-level Outcome Leads, and managingBSPCountry Leads, to ensure that implementation is technically robust, coordinated and coherent and delivered to workplan and budget. S/he will oversee the MRELA Manager to ensure that systems areestablishedand implemented thatmonitorprogrammeactions and progress, generate learning and evidence that supports adaptation and expansion, anddemonstratethe value andimpactsof theprogrammeon disrupting OIC networks.

The DTLwill also play a key role in managing strategic relationships, both with national governments and with the donor, ensuring that these stakeholders are kept abreast ofprogrammedelivery, progress and impacts and responding to requests for information as they arise. S/he willdeputisefor the Team Leaderin her absence,maintainingstrong channels of communication and ensuring continued delivery ofprogrammeefforts.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND VISION

  • Support the TL in providing leadership, vision and strategy to theprogramme’soverall direction and implementation across the region,

  • Contribute to shaping theprogramme’sresearch and learning agenda, working with the Research Partner and MRELA Manager to integrate and advance research,learningand advocacy

  • Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.

PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT

  • Manage and overseeprogrammeactivities inKenya, Ethiopia and Uganda working in close collaborationwithConsortium and partner-based Outcome Leads, Country Leads, andkey project stakeholders, including local government officials, community-based organizations, and other implementing agencies on the ground.

  • Ensure that implementation is integrated across consortium partners, outcomes, aligned toprogrammeworkplans and budgets, and responsive toprogrammeevidence and learning

  • Ensure thatprogrammeimplementation is responsive to communities and governments and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevantprogrammeguidelines, principles, values, qualitystandardsand strategic plan.

WORKPLANNING AND ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT AND PERFORMANCE MONITORING SYSTEMS

  • Coordinate across the Consortia to lead the development and maintenance of integrated programme workplans, ensuring alignment between operational capacity, technicaldeliveryand budget management.

  • Work with country leads and partners toensure workplans are realistic, risk-informedand responsive to changing operational contexts.

  • Monitor implementation progress andidentifyoperational bottlenecks, recommending solutions tomaintaindelivery timelines and programme quality.

  • Work with the MERLA Manager in the development and implementation of adaptive management processes that enabletimelycourse correction based on evidence,dataand contextual analysis.

  • Oversee the integration of learning, feedback and risk information into programme planning and decision-making processes.

DONOR COMPLIANCE, REPORTING AND REPRESENTATION

  • Alongside the Team Leader, serve as a primary point of contact for donor compliance and programme assurance matters.

  • Ensuretimelyandaccuratedonor reporting, including financial, operational and performance reporting,in accordance withcontractual obligations.

  • Represent the programme in meetings with donor representatives and relevant government stakeholders,maintainingstrong relationships and credibility.

  • Ensure responsiveness to ad hoc donor information and reporting needs on programmatic,financial and risk related issues.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

  • Provide leadership and strategic vision toprogrammeteams including consortium and downstream partnersacross multiple BSP countries

  • Oversee the work of Outcome Leads across consortium members, and country leads to ensure quality and performance in the delivery of activities.

  • Promote accountability, communicateexpectationsand provide constructive feedback to staff through regular coaching and annual performance reviews, and ensure that supervisory staff do the samein a timely manner. Implement, and ensure all staff are effectivelyusing,the performance planning and management system,establishingperformanceexpectationsand regularly providing constructive feedback.

  • Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where participating team members – including local partners’ leads and field agents – strive to achieve excellence.

  • Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team membersidentifyproblem solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.

SUPPORT PROGRAMME GOVERNANCE, COORDINATION

  • Contribute to strategic planning, programmegovernanceand decision-making as a member of the Senior Management Team.

  • Ensure programme documentation, approvals and communications meet organisational and donor governance requirements.

  • Promote transparency, accountability and effective communication across programme teams and stakeholders.

  • Work with the Team Lead, to ensure strong coordination mechanisms are in place across consortium partners, donorrepresentativesand Government stakeholders, includingstrong communicationplans, regular steering group meetings, formal and informal information sharing, etc.

LEARNING & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

  • Provide strategic contributions to thought leadership to ensure effective outcomes

  • Promote active learning and adaptive management and contribute to agency-level networks and working groups, through documentation and knowledge sharing around best practices and lessons learned.

  • Promote learning and knowledge management through documentation and knowledge sharing around best practices and lessons learned.

  • Work with the Team Lead and the MRELA Manager toconvenelearning, andreflectionevents across consortium partner and with the donor.

INFLUENCE, REPRESENTATION/INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COORDINATION

  • Represent theprogrammein senior level meetings with ISF, HO, wider UKgovernmentand national partner governments, ensuring diplomacy, relationshipmanagementand influence.

  • Contribute toprogrammevisibility and advocacy work byassistingin the dissemination ofprogrammeresearch and learning information. RepresentMercyCorps in forums with the broader humanitarian and development community.

  • Actively contribute and collaborate with regional and global counterparts to promote best practices within the program.

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 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,monitoringand evaluation of our field projects.

  • Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and valuesat all timesand in all in-country venues.

Supervisory Responsibility

Consortium Partners Outcome Leads; Country Leads; local partners and Research Partner, MRELA Manager

Accountability

Reports Directly To:Team Leader

Works Directly With:Finance andCompliance Director, Communications Specialist, Security and Risk Lead, local and national government officials, local civil society organizations, implementing partners and communities

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design,monitoringand evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

  • Master’s degree inStabilisation, Security Studies, Peace Building and Conflict Resolution or related discipline.
  • At least 15 years’ experience working on similar regional programmes.
  • Proven experience establishing and maintaining programme quality, robust work-planning and performance oversight and MERLA in complex and evolving operating environments.
  • Demonstrated experience overseeing high-risk programmes in complex operating environments, including those related to security, migration, border operations, peacebuilding, counter-trafficking, or violence prevention.
  • Strong experience in workplanning, and adaptive management, including supporting programme start-up, scale-up, and expansion across multiple locations.
  • Demonstrated experience managing programmes funded by major institutional donors (e.g., FCDO, USAID, EU, or similar).
  • Demonstrated effectiveness managing a diverse team of staff, consortium partners and local implementing partners, building a cohesive and results-oriented team to deliver on complex programming result.
  • Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities in high-pressure and complex environments.
  • Excellent writing and reporting skills.
  • Excellent verbal and inter-personalcommunications skills.
  • Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and ability to work effectively across diverse teams, partners, and government stakeholders in complex operating contexts.

Success Factors

The successful candidate will have strong leadership skills asdemonstratedby the ability to lead a diverse team to work together to achieveprogrammeobjectivesrelated to complex and sensitive issues related to security, violencepreventionand vulnerable groups. S/he willdemonstratestrong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills and be committed to the values and mission of MercyCorps. The role requires a collaborative leader who can coordinate diverse teams and functions, strengthen operational systems, and support adaptive management across multiplelocations. The successful candidate will foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and professionalism, while building constructive relationships with donors, government counterparts, and partners. S/he will communicate clearly on sensitive operational matters, remain calm under pressure, anddemonstrateintegrity, resilience, and commitment to safeguarding, duty-of-care, and responsibleprogrammedelivery in dynamic and evolving contexts.

At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.