Food Security Manager - DRC

Position is contingent on new 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 300 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 Mweso (North Kivu) and Bukavu (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 at assisting populations affected by conflicts and crisis in Eastern Congo. With funding from OFDA and Pooled Fund, Mercy Corps currently delivers emergency WASH assistance to displaced populations and host communities in North Kivu. With funding from UNICEF Mercy Corps leads a consortium of 3 organizations in the provision of multi-purpose cash assistance, emergency WASH, health and education services to displaced populations and host communities in Eastern Congo. With funding from ECHO and SDC, Mercy Corps delivers multipurpose cash assistance in Eastern Congo. Mercy Corps currently is expecting to integrate food security assistance to this cash program with anticipated funding from Food For Peace (FFP). All Mercy Corps interventions in DRC are implemented in a conflict, protection and gender sensitive manner.

General Position Summary

The Food Security Manager will be experienced in a broad spectrum of food security technical focus areas with responsibility for implementing and managing the Food Security part of the Kivu's Crisis Response for IDPs program (KCRI). S/he will also make sure technical interventions are integrated, layered and sequenced appropriately at all levels of implementation within the FFP activity. This position will work closely with the KCRI Manager and will ensure that common strategies and approaches are applied consistently.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision

• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints 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 program.
• Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION

• 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 in coordination with the KCRI program.
• 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.
• 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.

Team Management

• Oversee program implementation team, ensuring that all staff are following workplans, activities are on schedule, and project deliverables are completed as planned
• Develop and oversee implementation of capacity building strategy for team members that promotes a culture of learning through systematic analysis and reflection of program data and lessons learned.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.

FINANCE, OPERATIONS AND COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

• Collaborate with support, 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.

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.
• Share learnings from the program with the greater humanitarian community within DRC.

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with 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, FoodSec 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.

Supervisory Responsibility

Number of direct reports is to be determined – 2 officers at the beginning.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Director of Emergency Programs

Works Directly With: Sector leads/program managers, field teams, Emergency M&E team, partner organizations and other implementers

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/S or equivalent experience in food security, nutrition, public health, development studies, social sciences, or other relevant field.
• At least three years of relevant experience in positions of progressively greater responsibility in food and nutrition security programming in a developing country context.
• Established ability to manage and communicate effectively with team members of varied work styles.
• Experience providing leadership, supervising staff, managing multiple complex program components, and convening people across technical teams to build consensus and achieve an outcome.
• Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.
• Proven ability to learn quickly, lead a program to achieve stated results and objectives.
• 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.
• Preference for experience with USAID-funded programs.
• Experience in West Africa, specifically Niger, preferred.

Success Factors

A successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members and other stakeholders of varied work styles and cultures, follow procedures and meet deadlines with flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving. This position requires an ability to think creatively about improving food and nutrition security. S/he will have a proven ability to learn quickly, multi-task, prioritize, take initiative, and be accountable for results, understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details, problem solving, work within a complex and sensitive setting and to follow laws and security protocols. The most successful Mercy Corps team 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 800,000 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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