CASH Advisor - Yemen

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

The Program / Department / Team

Mercy Corps seeks to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression around the world and has worked in the Middle East since the 1980s and currently has offices in Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq. In response to acute and increasing humanitarian needs in Yemen, Mercy Corps opened its office in 2010. Primary program interventions include water, sanitation and hygiene, cash transfers, food security, health and nutrition, and livelihood support. Strategies to enhance the resilience of communities to the harsh environmental and social conditions in the country cut across the portfolio. Currently Mercy Corps Yemen (MCY) has four offices and approximately 100 staff.

The Position

The Cash Advisor will be the lead technical support person for all Mercy Corps Yemen resource mobilization, design and implementation of innovative and impactful cash transfer projects and programmes. The Advisor will lead the development and adaption of implementation tools, assessments and evaluations, technical assistance during implementation of programs and technical write-up and review of project concepts and proposals. The Cash Advisor will lead in ensuring the compliance of the Mercy Corps Yemen cash programming with Mercy Corps PM@MC, sector and donor standards. The Cash Advisor will work under the direct supervision of the Deputy Country Director. S/he will have close working relationships with Grants and Reporting Specialist, MEL Manager, CARM Manager, Technical Advisors, Program Managers, Security Manager, Finance Director and Operations Director. The Cash Advisor will represent Mercy Corps in interagency platforms that include cash transfers.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy

• Provide leadership in the development of a coherent strategy for the implementation of innovative and quality cash transfer programming informed by the Yemen context in line with the Country Office and Resilience strategies.
• Develop strategic frameworks that demonstrate and promote the integration of cash transfers with other sectors in both humanitarian and transitional programming in Yemen.
• Develop a strategy that harmonizes structures and practices for cash transfers across Mercy Corps Yemen projects and programmes.

Technical leadership and capacity building

• Develop and lead in implementing a cash transfer capacity building plan for the Mercy Corps Yemen Country team and partners
• Lead the development of elaborate cash implementation frameworks and Standard Operating Procedures including delivery options, service providers, data collection, targeting criteria, beneficiary selection, and monitoring and evaluation ensuring compliance with Mercy Corps Cash Minimum Standards.
• Coordinate programme skills and resource sharing for quality and harmonized implementation of cash transfer activities
• Lead in designing and refining the cash delivery approach most appropriate to the Yemen context
• Coordinate with and support other technical advisors for the inclusion of cash transfers to address needs across sectors including health, nutrition, food security, WASH and early recovery.

Resource mobilization and reporting

• Actively and closely work and coordinate with the Grants and Reporting Specialist in identifying new opportunities for funding
• Contribute to the retention and growth of existing cash transfer programming for MCY.
• Actively design and draft cash based assistance programme concepts, proposals and budgets.
• Coordinate the timely preparation of quality cash based programming reports for both stand-alone and integrated cash activities
• Work collaboratively with MEL in the preparation of requisite internal and external reports including our contributions to regular interagency reporting.

Influence and representation

• Represent Mercy Corps Yemen in the Cash Consortium Yemen (CCY) structures and ensure harmonizing with agreed framework and practices.
• Actively participate and represent MCY in external sector platforms including, FSAC and the Cash and Markets Working Group and associated sub-groups that are set-up as required.
• Represent Mercy Corps Yemen in sector processes coordinated through the Regional and Global Technical Support Unit on cash programming.
• Identify and build strategic relations with partners for implementation, research and resource mobilization for cash transfers in Yemen

Monitoring and evaluation and research

• Lead the development and implementation of a learning strategy for cash transfers contributing to the overall country learning strategy
• Work closely with the MEL team in the design and implementation of cash transfer monitoring and evaluation plan and development and use of adapted tools and processes
• Provide technical support to program teams across sectors to ensure the collection of regular cash transfers data, its analysis, presentation, dissemination and filing.

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

Matrix technical supervision and support to Cash Coordinator.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Deputy Country Director

Works Directly With: Program Managers, CARM Manager, MEL Manager, Finance Director, Operations Director and Regional and HQ Technical Support Unit.

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, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

● Master’s degree in a development and humanitarian assistance and other related fields

● At least 5 years continuous experience with technical design and implementation of cash transfers programming, 2 years must be in a humanitarian response in a complex context with international NGOs

● Demonstrated experience building the cash transfer capacity of teams across multiple sectors

● Demonstrated experience contributing to cash transfer proposals with major donors including USG (USAID BHA/OFDA/FFP), FCDO/DFID, EU, ECHO and UN OCHA.

● Experience with use of relevant sector assessments tools for service providers, market, needs, distribution and post-distribution processes (e.g. RAM, EMMA, MIFIRA)

● Experience in negotiating and establishing partnership for implementing cash transfers.

● Experience in market system development approaches will be a definite added advantage

● Demonstrated competence in finding solutions to complex problems and delivering results

● Strong influencing and representation skills with multiple stakeholders;

● Excellent written and oral English language skills, Arabic will be an advantage

● Ability to adapt and work effectively in a multi-cultural context

● Strong communications skills with exceptional ability to articulate technical issues with colleagues at different capacity levels

● Experience with preparing high quality reports

Success Factors

The successful candidate will have an ability to work independently, take initiative in tasks and self-learning, and be proactive in communications and development of professional relationships. S/he will be able to work closely with a diverse team of individuals in a highly intense and fluid work and security environment with demonstrated sensitivity to the people and issues in the country. Strict adherence to Mercy Corps security policies and procedure. Capacity to spark innovative and entrepreneurial approaches to programming and inspire groups to collaborate closely to design impactful high-quality programs. Desire and ability to learn and grown, both personally and professionally.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This is an unaccompanied position based in Aden and possibility of working from Sana'a, Yemen, and eligible for hardship and R&R breaks. Housing is in group housing. Security conditions in the country are variable, with a range of violence and insecurity, requiring close monitoring and vigilance. Conflict and corruption have also badly damaged the country's infrastructure. Air travel is necessary to get from one end of the country to the other, though the road network is good, the security situation often precludes travel by road. There is a landline telephone system, a somewhat reliable cellular phone system and internet is available in the residences and offices. Candidates must be able to work in an environment with energy, transportation and communication challenges. The position will require travel to the field sites in Mercy Corps Yemen's operational areas up to 50% of the time including travel to some locations that may be insecure or austere. Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours and as such staff are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

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 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 prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. 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 to adhere to 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.

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