**Note: Position is pending funding.
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 Liberia began operations in 2002 in response to the humanitarian crisis brought about by the two Liberian civil wars which took place from 1989-1997 and 1999–2003. Since then, Mercy Corps’ interventions have evolved based on the context and needs of the Liberian people. With funding from the European Commission, French Development Agency, Irish Aid, and US Department of Agriculture, among others, Mercy Corps Liberia has implemented a range of programs focused on renewable energy, food security, agricultural livelihoods, financial inclusion, nutrition, water and sanitation, infrastructure, and youth economic empowerment. Mercy Corps Liberia works closely with the Government of Liberia (especially the Ministries of Youth and Sports, Health, Labor and Education), the private sector, civil society, international and local NGOs to implement its programs from three offices/sub-offices (Monrovia, Buchanan, and Rivercess). Mercy Corps is one of the foremost development actors in Liberia implementing strategic and systems driven programming in youth employment and entrepreneurship, market systems development and good governance.
The Position
Reporting to the Director of Programs (DOP), the Team Leader will oversee all aspects related to ongoing Market Systems Development (MSD) programming in Liberia, including planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling program activities. The Team Leader will ensure accountability of MSD programs to our program participants, our donors, and key stakeholders, including government authorities. The Team Leader is responsible for ensuring that MSD programming is on-time, on-scope and on-budget. The position holder will provide MSD technical leadership on the strategic development and management of MSD programs from new business development to implementation and close out. Pending funding, Mercy Corps Liberia will start implementing a 45-month MSD program focused on urban/peri-urban youth employment with a base in Monrovia to serve secondary cities in 2-3 counties (2021-2024). We expect the Team Leader to support the expansion of MSD programming and manage additional MSD programs in future. The Team Leader position sits on the Senior Management Team.
Essential Responsibilities
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
● Provide effective leadership in the management of Mercy Corps’ portfolio of MSD programming.
● Responsible for ensuring the program meets targets, is on time, on scope and on budget. This responsibility includes collaborative work planning that keeps all team members accountable, ensuring accurate budget forecasting and analysis of monthly budget vs. actual reports, and proper procurement planning in collaboration with the Operations team.
● Ensure program meetings Program Management @ Mercy Corps (PM@MC) minimum standards.
● Lead day-to-day donor communications on status of program activities.
● Prepare high-quality monthly, quarterly, annual and final project reports in collaboration with the program teams and the MEL team.
● Ensure backstopping for all team members, including by managing a portion of the programs directly when needed, in particular market research, intelligence, assessments and feasibility studies; building private sector partnerships and engagement plans; liaising with labor market actors to find strategic leverage points for co-investment; and designing systemic interventions in response to root causes of market ineffectiveness and exclusion of young people.
TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP
● As the MSD technical lead at the organization, ensure assessment, design and implementation of MSD programming meets the standards of an MSD/MSD for Employment approach;
● Ensure operational systems enable a diversely-skilled program team to implement an MSD program – including standard operating procedures on engaging and contracting with the private sector, enabling intervention or concept design; and guidance for adaptive management.
● Follow analysis of the Liberia socio-political and economic context, ensuring that this analysis is recognized and incorporated in programming.
● Contribute to the development of the country strategy, particularly on MSD components.
TEAM MANAGEMENT
● Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
● Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance discussions and strong performance management protocols.
● Supervise, hire and orient new team members as necessary.
● Train and mentor staff in MSD approaches to ensure successful program implementation.
● Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
BUDGET MANAGEMENT
● Support in the development of financial management tools and the monitoring of budgets.
● Cross-check detailed transactions and review budget versus actual (BVA) spending reports to determine status of program burn rates.
● Work with the Country Finance Director to ensure spend-down plans and cash projections are developed and monitored.
● Lead program input on any budget revisions or programmatic input for financial reports.
PROGRAM MONITORING, EVALUATION AND LEARNING
● Work with the MEL team to ensure the finalization of the program-specific MEL plan and any relevant procedures with clear designation of roles and responsibilities between the Program and MEL teams.
● Ensure that robust monitoring and evaluation, quality data collection and analysis systems are in place, adhered to and used as a decision-making tool, in coordination with MEL team.
● Ensure appropriate attention to program learning and integration of lessons learned.
Supervisory Responsibility
MSD Program Team
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Director of Programs
Works Directly With: Department Heads, Program teams, finance and operational staff; HQ Regional Program Team; Technical Support Unit; Resource Development Department
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
● MA/S or equivalent in international development, international relations, business management or other relevant field highly preferred;
● 5-7 years of field experience in MSD programming with a focus on thin markets required; At least 3 years of experience in management roles;
● Experience directly building partnerships with the private sector to increase employment opportunities;
● Experience managing teams in post-conflict environments for at least 3 years;
● Strong strategic thinker with demonstrated capacity to translate concepts into action, with proven ability to be accountable for all components of the program;
● Ability to think diversely from ensuring all aspects of a workplan are complete to talking strategic visioning with a donor partner;
● Pluses for additional background in financial inclusion, tech-based employment or gender transformative MSD programming;
● Competent in building networks, strong problem-solving skills, and ability to influence with effective listening, persuasion, negotiation and other techniques;
● Persuasive written and oral communication in English, including report writing;
● Prior work experience in Liberia or (West) Africa is highly desirable.
Success Factors
The successful candidate is expected to be a high performer in fast-paced project cycle management, MEL, quality assurance and team and budget management. The Team Leader will have a strong technical understanding of MSD in thin markets such as Liberia. The Team Leader will have excellent writing and analytical skills, as well as the ability to build such capacity in national team members. The Team Leader will be able to meet deadlines with minimal effort. The Team Leader will have an entrepreneurial attitude to figure out challenges as they come up in a way that fully engages the wider team. They will take energy from solving program implementation challenges. They will have a strong ethical center and a commitment to safeguarding. They will be an influencer, able to connect with diverse audiences from a young petty trader to a private sector employer to a high-ranking government official.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The Team Leader is based in Monrovia. The location is accompanied and secure. Housing is individual accommodation with unlimited freedom of movement beyond the house/office. Staff has good access to services, medical, electricity, and water, etc. International schools are available. This position requires up to 40% of travel to field offices in secure environments. This position is not eligible for hardship and/or R&R benefits.
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.