Talent Acquisition Advisor – Ukraine Response At Mercy Corps

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.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps is responding to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and the surrounding region that has been affected by war since 2014 and has rapidly escalated as a result of the Russian invasion of February 2022. Ukrainian team members, their families and their loved ones have been exposed to persistent attacks and many have witnessed death and destruction first-hand, experienced injuries, gone without basic supplies and resources, and have had to flee their homes.

The conflict in Ukraine has resulted in over a mass displacement across the neighboring countries, including more than 3.2 million refugees outside of Ukraine and up to 6.5 million internally displaced. The circumstances and populations are constantly evolving with the conflict. Mercy Corps has reopened its registration and presence in Ukraine as well as offices/activities to support people in neighboring Poland, and Moldova. This includes partnerships, cash, information as protection and other, emergency response activities in a very fluid environment.

General Position Summary

The Talent Acquisition Advisor (TAA) is a high-energy leader who is an exceptional relationship builder, strategic planner, and holder of the recruitment philosophy for Mercy Corps Ukraine Response. S/he leads supports the Ukraine Response Team in identifying exceptional talent to advance Mercy Corps Ukraine Response mission. The TAA works with key internal stakeholders to anticipate and plan for upcoming people needs, manage full cycle recruitment by designing and implementing effective recruitment strategies, building collaborative internal relationships and effective external networks. This position also works with the team across Ukraine response to strengthen their capacity to source, attract and select international talent. This role will be working closely with the new initiative and the proposal development team, senior management team and heads of departments.

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY

Ensure that controls are put in place to allow for transparent and unbiased recruitment processes and systems.
Utilize data analysis to track and ensure progress on active recruitment and upcoming talent needs.
Partner with Senior Management Team (SMT) and other Ukraine response leaders to anticipate future talent needs and proactively act in advance of needs.
Identify areas of opportunity to strengthen recruitment function and proactively offer recommendations to hiring teams including working with hiring managers to ensure Position Descriptions (PD) and recruitment process is adapted to take into consideration the GDI strategy.

TALENT ACQUISITION

Revise position descriptions and advertise positions through Mercy Corps’ website and on external portals.
Shortlist candidates based on established requirements and present them to the hiring manager.
Ensure candidates have relevant experience working in emergency context, and complex programming, hardship locations.
Conduct interviews and provide summary notes to hiring managers then work with hiring manager to determine which candidates to invite for further interviews.
Draft interview guides when appropriate and guide post-interview discussions, when appropriate, and help identify and execute next steps.
Conduct reference checks and follow Mercy Corps established approval process to be able to negotiate offers.
Provide responsive, high-quality service to candidates with additional care for internal or former team members.
Expand the capacity of hiring teams to identify talent via improved interview skills and ability to specify critical needs.

COLLABORATION & NETWORKING

Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with talent sources, in the technical networks, thought leaders, academic institutions.
Assist in promoting Mercy Corps as an employer of choice by attending events, promoting through social media, job boards and developing talent communities.
Build effective partnerships with internal stakeholders to support current needs and develop plans for future needs.
Collaborate with all members of the Global talent team to promote continuous improvement and foster information/idea sharing.

TEAM ENGAGEMENT

Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
Maintain a centralized recruitment plan and tracker, keep up-to-date and share with Ukraine Response Leadership regularly
Provide regular recruitment updates to the SMT

Supervisory Responsibility: None

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Global People Team

Works Directly With: Ukraine Response Team including Response Director, Director of Programs, Global People Teams, New Initiatives team, in-country Recruitment Teams, Senior Leadership Team.

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 Qualifications & Transferable Skills

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in human resources, business administration, social science, or relevant field experience.
5+ years of experience with recruitment/talent acquisition.
Advanced experience with successful sourcing strategies for globally representative and diverse candidates.
Demonstrated experience and ability to create, implement, maintain and improve recruitment strategies and systems in a high-volume context.
Proficiency in MS Office, internet searching, and applicant tracking systems and use of social media for sourcing talent.
Demonstrated understanding of staffing and talent planning in international relief and development environments.
Ability to communicate, influence and problem solve effectively across diverse cultures and geographical distances with sensitivity.
Fluency in English highly required.
Previous experience and understanding of emergency contexts strongly preferred.

Success Factors

The successful individual will develop and maintain productive professional relationships with a broad spectrum of stakeholders within the organization and throughout the relief and development community. S/he will possess the ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously, while remaining focused on the quality of internal and external relationships and will be able to work effectively as the leader of a high pressure function whose performance is key to the enduring success of Mercy Corps Ukraine Response. S/he will be flexible, resilient, possess sound judgment and have a good sense of humor.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This position is based in Poland, unaccompanied, or flexible to other locations working remotely.
While conditions in the country are improving, there are still pockets of violence and insecurity and petty crime is present. Years of conflict and corruption have badly damaged the country’s infrastructure. 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 limited, but 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 several evacuation options for serious illnesses. There is reasonable access to most consumer goods.

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 and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. 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.