Chief of Party – Civic and Economic Integration activity program – Georgia

This 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 has been active in Georgia since 2000, implementing programs in community mobilization, economic/agricultural development, rural development, and development of civil society and democracy. Mercy Corps is currently designing a new program to increase Georgia’s resilience to malign influence by strengthening the civic and economic integration of its ethnic and religious minorities with wider Georgia.

The Position

The Civic and Economic Integration Chief of Party will have responsibility for the overall achievement of objectives, and the day-to-day administration and implementation of a USAID-funded civic and economic integration activity in Georgia. This will include strengthening the capacity of local partners, facilitating clear communication and collaboration in terms of civic and economic issues between diverse groups, promoting people-to-people activities for divided communities and ensuring rigorous measurement of program impact and timely reporting.

Essential Responsibilities

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

● Manage and oversee all civic and economic integration program activities in cooperation with key project partners and stakeholders, including local non-governmental organizations, local government officials, community-based organizations, other international agencies on the ground, and donor;

● Collaborate with program, finance and administrative staff to ensure systems are in compliance with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.

● Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.

● Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.

● Implement and model Mercy Corps’ philosophy of social entrepreneurship, civic and economic integration, and leverage Mercy Corps’ best practices.

● Increase staff capacity by designing and leading technical training sessions for Mercy Corps staff and local partners and providing ongoing coaching and mentoring.

● Promote learning and knowledge management through documentation and knowledge sharing around best practices and lessons learned.

● Collaborate with the local and international stakeholders.

STRATEGY AND VISION

● Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative view points are welcomed;

● Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to country-wide strategy development;

● Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support;

REPRESENTATION

● Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders;

● Communicate effectively to ensure overall program targets and donor obligations are met;

● Maintain good working relationships with the donor, the host country government and local leaders, partner agencies, and other key stakeholders;

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 performance reviews;

● Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.

● Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance & reach objectives;

● Supervise and regularly coordinate with project staff and support departments to ensure smooth planning, preparation, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of program activities;

● Coordinate activities and manage local implementing partner’s program staff;

Supervisory Responsibility

Program Team

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Country Director

Works Directly With: Mercy Corps administration, finance and operations departments. Also works directly with local national staff and affiliated relevant Mercy Corps headquarters units as necessary, including Mercy Corps’ Technical Support Unit and various administrative/financial units.

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

● Masters degree in social sciences, economic development, conflict mitigation or other relevant field preferred.

● Minimum 7 years’ relevant professional experience implementing economic inclusion/ peacebuilding programs, preferably in South Caucasus

● Experience managing USAID programs, and knowledge of USAID compliance and regulations highly preferred.

● Knowledge of market-led development programs which foster peaceful economic links between communities

● Familiarity with the ‘Do No Harm’, People-to-People skills

● Strong facilitation and consensus-building skills.

● Experience managing national and international staff.

● Persuasive written and oral communication in English, including report writing

● Previous experience in Georgia, especially working with minority communities, is desirable

● Knowledge of Georgian and/or Russian language is a distinct advantage

● Must be able to work independently while being a strong team player.

● Knowledge of market-led development programs which foster economic links for minority communities

Success Factors

The successful Chief of Party will have the ability to multi-task, set priorities, and work under tight deadlines within a complex team. The COP will demonstrate strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills and be committed to the values and mission of Mercy Corps. The COP will take initiative and contribute to team efforts, as well as demonstrate an ability to communicate, assume leadership, and make solid decisions while working remotely from country leadership. The COP will demonstrate an astuteness to the sensitivities of working on these issues in Georgia and conduct him/herself in a way that will not put herself, Mercy Corps colleagues, or beneficiaries at undue risk.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Tbilisi with extensive travel to project sites throughout the country. Tbilisi is an accompanied location for spouse and children.

Tbilisi is a comfortable and relatively stable environment, with most amenities available. Major roads in the country are relatively modern and in good condition, but the road network, accommodations, utilities, etc., are more basic in rural areas and in the breakaway republics, where regular travel may be required.

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. Staff 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.

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.