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’ Crisis Analytics teams aggregate and analyze data to improve decision making and access in complex crises. The teams support our programming in Syria, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo and other locations. The teams directly contribute to data-driven decision making by layering information from primary sources, open sources and responders’ programmatic data, where it is analysed by subject matter experts and data scientists. This analysis is grounded in Mercy Corps’ status as an operational NGO, keeping products constructive and relevant.
Typical products and services range from informal briefings to weekly products, contributions to risk assessments, in-depth assessment of the political economy of a defined geography, deep-dives on specific thematics, etc., ranging in themes from conflict to market systems to governance, in line with programmatic needs.
General Position Summary
The Team Lead has responsibility for the effective functioning of the team as a support function to the country programme. The Team Leader is responsible for day to day management of workflows, alignment of products & services with country programme priorities, quality control of products, and developing a process of continuous improvement within the team.
The Team Lead will have responsibility for growing and managing a team of (mainly) consultants, to support the professional development of team members, the Team Leader will need to have sufficient understanding of relevant skills- analysis, primary data collection, fieldwork in complex contexts, mapping/GIS, utilisation of quantitative data sets and tailoring the presentation of findings to different audiences.
The Team Lead will have strong experience as an analyst, able to translate audience needs into data collection tasks and subsequent production of products. The Team Lead will provide inputs as required to improve the team’s analysis, and produce their own analysis.
The Team Lead will have a strong understanding of the humanitarian and development sector, and meaningfully engage with the MC programmes and HQ teams to identify relevant and valuable trends to monitor and research. The Team Lead will ensure outputs are at a high standard and is able to distil quantitative and qualitative research into operationally relevant and clear analytical outputs. This quality will come from an experience in analysis, data collection, local networks, and a collaborative and open-minded approach to problem solving. The Team Lead will have a flexible approach and be familiar in using non-traditional tools and information sources in order to generate insights within a dynamic environment.The Team Leader will be expected to cultivate appropriate networks to improve data collection and impactful dissemination.
The Team Lead will provide an advisory role to senior leadership, and lead external representation (for peer organisations, donors, partners, etc.) of the team’s findings. The Team Leader will engage with counterparts from Mercy Corps’ other Crisis Analysis teams, and the global Crisis Analysis team, as part of a community of practice.
Essential Job Responsibilities
TEAM MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
● Manage the growth and strategy of the Crisis Analysis Team, in close collaboration with the Country Director, ensuring alignment with the current and future needs of the programmes.
● In collaboration with country leadership, set and maintain a mandate for the Crisis Analysis team, and accompanying strategy for delivery.
● Support the systematic use of analysis in programmatic decision making.
● Manage workflow and workload of the team to maximise impactful output.
● Ensure the professional development of team members.
● Proactively seek opportunities to introduce new methodologies and technologies where they add value.
● Ensure the team’s size and skill set remains suitable to deliver against the mandate, including through recruiting and securing resources via proactive business development.
● Implement and manage the team’s budget across a portfolio of awards.
ANALYSIS
● Lead the production of time-sensitive, data-driven analytical products to support programmatic decision making.
● Ensure the Crisis Analysis team’s outputs meet the unique needs of its target audiences, and meet Mercy Corps’ minimum standards for Crisis Analysis work.
● Have final responsibility for quality control of products and engage with the review process of all outputs.
DATA COLLECTION
● Maintain contextual awareness, including the possibility of frequent trips to field locations
● Build inter-organisational relationships to facilitate access to third-party data sources.
● Coordinate with field researchers to ensure data collection is efficient to the team’s requirements and suitably disaggregated.
COORDINATION
● Proactively engage with the Global Crisis Analysis team and counterparts in other countries.
● Build inter-organisational relationships to facilitate access to third-party data sources.
● Develop and maintain an in-depth understanding of Mercy Corps’ programming.
● Build and maintain relevant networks that improve the quality of products.
● As directed, participate in Senior Management Team discussions to provide analytic insights and risk assessments where necessary.
● Present findings to internal and external parties.
● Contribute to proposal writing and business development with the broader country 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.
● Develop and maintain an awareness of humanitarian principles, international humanitarian law and Mercy Corps’ culture and values
Supervisory Responsibility: Team Consultants, including analysts, economists and editors
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Senior Director Global Crisis Analytics
Works Directly With: Country Director; Director of Programs; Program Management; Security Manager; Assistant Programme Officer; Global Crisis Analytics; Regional Humanitarian Advisor and Regional Security Advisor.
Knowledge and Experience Required
● Master’s degree in a relevant field.
● At least five years’ experience in security and/or conflict analysis.
● Experience in remote access humanitarian programming and analysis.
● Able to demonstrate extensive experience in a variety of formal and informal approaches to data collection and analysis
● Able to build and maintain networks of information sources across different geographic locations, sectors and perspectives.
● Demonstrated capacity for analysis that supports decision making.
● Demonstrated high capacity for writing in English on technical subjects.
● Able to convey complex information to a variety of audiences.
● Experience working in a fast-paced environment with high-levels of collaboration.
● Willingness to work and travel in often difficult and insecure environments.
● Experience in liaising with diplomatic and multi-national organizations as well as international NGOs, other non-governmental organizations, donors and academic institutions.
● Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills.
● Experience leading, training, and coaching a team.
● Experience with managing budgets and grant management.
● Competency in Internet and Microsoft Office systems including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and other database/mapping systems
● Fluency in English, both written and spoken, is required.
Preferred
● Fluency in Arabic is an asset.
Success factors
The successful candidate brings together a range of skills and experience, and imbues those in their team, to deliver analysis that allows Mercy Corps to run impactful programmes in highly complex contexts. The candidate knows that analysis is only as good as its up-take with the target audience.
Mercy Corps is investing heavily in analysis at a global level, and the candidate will leverage these resources to improve their own programming, and share the results of their success.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
This is an accompanied position based in Amman,Jordan, a modern city with a lovely climate and access to excellent schools and diverse entertainment options. At 3,000 feet altitude the weather year round is pleasant, with rain interspersed with sunshine from November through March. Jordan’s significant archaeological and natural beauty provides diverse excursion options for residents.
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.