Emergency and Cash Response Program Manager - CAR

*** This position is pending funding

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.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps has been operational in the Central African Republic (CAR) since September 2007. With offices in Bangui, Bouar, and Bambari, Mercy Corps works to integrate short-term humanitarian assistance with programs to strengthen community resilience and support market-led economic development, with a cross-cutting accent on governance and gender. Mercy Corps takes a sustainable approach to its programming, seeking to change behaviors and create institutions to foster long-term development in the sectors of protection and gender based violence, governance, civil society capacity building, social cohesion and socioeconomic activities. Funding comes from a range of donors including USAID, the European Commission, OFDA, UNHCR and private foundations. By addressing a number of overlapping and associated needs within a wide range of activities, Mercy Corps in CAR takes an integrated approach to ensure the greatest possible impact.

Mercy Corps plays a key role in coordinating with other NGOs and United Nations bodies, including being a member of the executive committee of the CCO (Coordinating Committee of INGOs), the NGO coordination platform for international NGOs in the CAR, composed of 52 organizations.

General Position Summary

The Emergency and Cash intervention Program Manager (ECPM) will be responsible for coordinating and supervising implementation of an ECHO funded emergency project in coordination with a protection monitoring and Gender Based Violence (GBV) project in Nana Mambere prefecture. S/he will provide programmatic and operational oversight for the program, including overseeing the coordination and synergy with the protection project implemented in the same area of operation.

The ECPM is responsible for coordinating and implementing the delivery of emergency aid through a cash based intervention. The area is regularly affected by violence based on armed groups conflicts over control of cattle movements, mineral ressources and commercial routes. Those conflicts create movement of population, generally on short term and destruction of individual or/and communautary infrastructures.

A conflict analisis has been made recently (august 2017) and Mercy Corps, well implemented and accepted in the area has been running a protection monitoring project during 4 years and a social cohesion and conflict mitigation project until November 2017. A field evaluation has been also conducted in October 2017 to complete the informations to prepare this ECHO's funded project.

Based on this history and a communautary network with peace comitees, protection comitees or communautary early warning systems animated by the Protection project, the ECPM has a solid existing structure to monitore the situation and respond when needed.

In order to be more efficient in the speed and quality of the delivery as well as for reducing logistic constrains, the intervention will be done through cash.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision

• Develop and organize activities in coordination and synergy with our protection project
• Maintain good knowledge of presence and capacities of others humanitarian actors to look for synergies
• Create and train an emergency team
• Play an advocacy role for responses to needs identified not covered and to address the roots causes of conflicts and its consequences

Program Management

• Ensure the delivery of quality emergency response by Mercy Corps n the area of the project
• Develop and maintain coordination system with the protection PM to re-enforce mutually both projects by complementing each other
• Clearly communicate with stakeholders and beneficiairies regarding the response to prevent duplication, gaps or wrong expectations
• Have a continuous assessments of the markets capacity and availability of the area of operation to guarantee the efficiency of a cash based intervention
• Develop together with the Protection PM a referral system to address needs uncovered
• Animate regular internal meetings (monthly basis?) with Protection PM, Head of Base and Security Manager for the best coordination and effectiveness of the response
• 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
• Oversee implementation of the emergency response for the project sites
• Lead and assist with development, design, and proposal writing for related programming
• Develop partners' MoUs and contracts to have comprehensive and complementary response to the needs.
• Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
• Ensure program implementation is on time, target and 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.
• Developp an exit strategy for the end of the project through stabilization of the area from advocacy successes or implementation of post emergency and/or development projects in the area by MC or others actors.

Team Management

• Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
• 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.

Finance & Compliance Management

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.
• Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants or visit from the HQ Emergency team, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.
• Have a monthly analisis and review of the budget and its forecast with the Program Director, the Finance Director and Operations Manager.
• Work together with the Compliance manager for the implementation and effectiveness of a complaint mechanism system in our areas of operations.
• Work with the M&E manager for a post distribution monitoring evaluation to asses quality of the response and problems to adress

Influence & Representation

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.
• Develop together with the Protection PM advocacy actions and strategy to address roots causes of the humanitarian situation

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country
• Work closely with the Security Manager to have an up-dated risks analisis, knowledge of mitigation measures implemented accordingly to guarantee access and acceptance in the areas of operations.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

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, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Supervisory Responsibility

Assistant Program Manager

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Programs Director

Works Directly With: Bouar Head of Base, Security manager, Support Departments in Bouar, Technical Units in HQ, Emergency Team in HQ

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/S or equivalent in relevant field; Master's preferred.
• Minimum 2-3 years' NGO experience successfully managing emergency programs in the field, preferably in Africa.
• Experience training and supervising national staff, remote management experience a plus
• Experience managing a cash based intervention program
• Experience developing and conducting culturally appropriate advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns
• A previous Work experience in Central African Republic would be an asset

Success Factors

The successful candidate will have proven experience working in difficult environments and emergency contexts. S/he will have effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational, and prioritization skills with an attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines, and work independently and cooperatively with team members. Essential qualities for this position are an ability to train and facilitate dialogue among a diverse group of individuals with various skill sets and working styles and a commitment to working with community members and within humanitarian coordination mechanisms. The successful candidate must have an ability to assure the respect of humanitarian principles when dealing with sensitive protection-related issues.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Bouar, Central African Republic. Bouar is the second biggest town in CAR with good security in general. It is accessible from Bangui by a full day drive of through UNHAS flights on 1 to several hours, depending of the number of stop in the flight rooting.

This is an unaccompanied post and eligible for Hardship and R&R (one week every 10 weeks). The Central African Republic is a nation of 4.6 million people, ranked as one of the poorest nations in the world, with an average life expectancy of only 49 years. Hospitals and access to medicines is very limited. Malaria is prevalent and it is estimated that 7-8% of the population may be HIV positive. The location is unaccompanied however if security improves this could be revisited. Housing is in-group housing with freedom of movement beyond the house/office. Staff will have access to electricity, water, and internet, though they should expect occasional outages. Access to health care is limited. As an unaccompanied position, this role qualifies for hardship allowance.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside 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.

PI100625375

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