Program Manager - Rponse Rapide aux Mouvement de Populations - DRC

This position is contingent on 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 operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since August 2007, with a staff of around 200 people working in North and South Kivu, with the overall country goal to support vulnerable communities through crises, while fostering programs that build resilience and promote long-term change. Mercy Corps' national office is in Goma with sub-field offices in North Kivu and South Kivu. Mercy Corps' key programming areas include a combination of longer-term development and immediate humanitarian response programs in order to: 1) Improve water service delivery and ensuring equitable access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene services, in urban and rural areas; 2) Improve food security and nutrition; 3) Promote diversified livelihoods, economic recovery and development. Mercy Corps DRC's humanitarian programs aim specifically to assist populations affected by the conflict and crisis in Eastern Congo. With funding from humanitarian donors including OFDA and UN-donors, the humanitarian portfolio continues to expand in order to provide multi-purpose cash assistance and emergency WASH to displaced and host populations. Mercy Corps plans to scale up and expand its humanitarian response to reach more beneficiaries with additional and varied assistance in a wider geographic area. All Mercy Corps interventions in DRC are implemented in a conflict and gender sensitive manner.

General Position Summary

The Program Manager is responsible for coordinating and implementing the delivery of an of a multi-million dollar UNICEF-funded Réponse Rapide aux Mouvement de Populations (RRMP). The RRMP Consortium is a partnership of three international humanitarian aid agencies to model and deliver innovative, effective and efficient humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected communities in North Kivu. The RRMP Consortium needs a strong leadership and coordination function in order to operate effectively and deliver on its intended impact. The PM is an effective communicator able to work with internal and external stakeholders to achieve common objectif and to represent the consortium as a whole, represents the interests of the partnership, and ensures it is working effectively and efficiently across member agencies.

S/he will manage the contractual relationship between the different partners and the current primary donors (notably UNICEF); coordinate the delivery of high quality programming; report on the activities implemented based on donor regulations and build relationships between the consortium and the donors, UN and UN coordination structures and the government where needed. S/he will be the primary program representative to donors, cluster system, relevant government entities, partners, other implementers and external stakeholders.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision

• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative view points are welcomed.
• In coordination with management, set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to country-wide strategy development.
• Maintain strategic vision and provide the operational leadership for the Consortium.
• Maintain strong and transparent communication with consortium partners.
• Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support.

Program Management

• Ensure the program implementation is done in a coordinated way with other emergency actors, delivering assistance to the most vulnerable and using program capacity effectively.
• Ensure the program meets the donor requirement.
• Oversee program start-up and ongoing program management.
• Lead the development of detailed implementation plans, maintaining rapid response capacity, and ensure the delivery of the same.
• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities, authorities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps' relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan (such as Mercy Corps' Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards).
• Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to achieve the desired impact.
• Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.
• Provide managerial and programmatic oversight to partners and sector managers.
• Integrate community, gender and inclusion approaches and capacity building into all activities as appropriate
• Produce written reports on program activities, capturing the impacts of activities.
• Fulfill Mercy Corps Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.

FINANCE, OPERATIONS AND COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

• Collaborate with program, finance and administrative staff.
• In collaboration with the country program's operations and finance departments, ensure proper financial management, procurement, administration, human resources and logistics (including transport, warehousing and asset management) needs of the program are conducted within Mercy Corps' policy and with the maximum benefit to the program.
• Monitor adherence to grant and sub grants agreements, Mercy Corps' policies and procedures and relevant external rules and regulations, including those of the government of DRC.
• Manage RRMP budget(s)

REPRESENTATION & FUNDRAISING

• Identify, build and manage partnerships on state and local levels with different stakeholders such as state and local government, civil society, UN agencies, peer INGOs, businesses and program participants.
• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.
• Host and ensure logistic support for donor or other stakeholders field visits.
• Represent consortium progress to UNICEF, the COPIL, Cluster system and donors.
• Share learnings from the consortium with the greater humanitarian community within DRC.

Influence & Representation

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.
• Participate actively to coordination meetings with emergency stakeholders (OCHA, Clusters, …) in North and South Kivu.
• Demonstrate flexibility, resilience and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure.
• Maintain high ethical standards and treat people with respect and dignity.
• Exhibit an awareness of his/her own strengths and development needs.

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 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.

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/S or equivalent in humanitarian affairs or other relevant field; MA/S preferred.
• 3 years of international relief and development program management experience, in CASH preferred.
• Previous experience in managing consortiums or international sub-grantees preferred.
• Established ability to manage and communicate effectively with team members of varied work styles.
• Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.
• Proven ability to learn quickly, lead a program to achieve stated results and objectives.
• Experience with the development, implementation & compliance of UNICEF funded programs.
• Ability to effectively represent Mercy Corps and its interests to key stakeholders.
• Experience working with host governments and national NGOs.
• Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.
• Excellent oral and written English and French skills required.
• Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.
• Previous experience in insecure environments.
• Internationally recognized qualification in project or program management or a commitment to obtain the qualification in the early months of work.
• Knowledge of Sphere standards and other training in humanitarian response preferred.

Success Factors

The successful PM 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. Prioritizing, problem solving, ability to seize opportunities, 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 and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This position is an unaccompanied position. Shared housing will be provided in Goma according to Mercy Corps DRC housing policy. Goma is a provincial capital of over 700,000 inhabitants. Travel may be required up to 30% of the time to program areas within North and South Kivu. Living in Goma is comfortable, although water and electricity can be unstable. Outside Goma, travel can be dangerous and unpredictable due to armed forces and rebel activity.

While security is quite stable in Goma, North and South Kivu continue to be an arena of violence and insecurity. Mercy Corps' sub-offices experience variable levels of insecurity, with the situation closely monitored by UN peacekeepers. Air travel is necessary to get from one end of the country to the other. Mobile phones and cellular service are widely available. Internet is available in all Mercy Corps offices. Travel to field sites will be required where living conditions are clean and secure, but basic. There are a number of health services available with evacuation options for serious illnesses. There is reasonable access to most consumer goods, although they can be expensive.

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. 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.

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