Deputy Chief of Party, Iraq Civic Engagement Activity, USAID/Iraq At Mercy Corps

Position is contingent on 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.

Program / Department Summary
Mercy Corps has worked across Iraq’s 18 governorates since 2003, implementing relief and development programming, more than a third of which has focused on the specific needs of internally displaced persons. Mercy Corps Iraq’s goal is to work with new and existing civil society, public and private sector partners to meet immediate and long-term needs by strengthening communities’ ability to rebuild amidst increasing crises. Mercy Corps Iraq focuses on (1) a relief-to-resilience pathway to meet the needs of conflict-affected communities leveraging agency expertise in conflict management and civil society development (2) a humanitarian response that empowers conflict-affected populations to meet their own needs (3) partnering with conflict-affected adolescents to address their diverse needs, promoting leadership and linkages with civil society.

Mercy Corps is seeking a Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) to lead implementation of the anticipated five-year USAID-funded Iraq Civic Engagement Activity (ICEA). The proposed program will fostering a more politically engaged citizenry in Iraq, enhancing trust and participation in the country’s democratic processes. This activity seeks to elevate civic literacy, empower citizens to actively engage and contribute to discussions on issues of concern. Equipping citizens with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate effectively in the democratic processes. This includes fostering awareness of governmental processes, promoting access to accurate media content, facilitating increased engagement with government entities at various levels, and empowering citizens to participate in public life. The expected result is a more resilient and participatory democracy in Iraq, with a particular emphasis on empowering marginalized groups.

The Position

The DCOP will assist the Chief of Party (COP) in project oversight, managing for results, technical, administrative, operational, and logistical management of the project. This includes oversight of the overall technical approaches, local partners, and day-to-day implementation of all project objectives. The DCOP will supervise a cadre of program and technical staff and ensure accountability to Mercy Corps policies as well as all donor rules and regulations. The DCOP will also have technical experience in one or more of the following areas and be able to provide strong technical inputs: CSO capacity building, civic engagement, and/or governance.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND VISION

In collaboration with the COP, co-lead development of a vision and strategy for ICEA shared with program staff and stakeholders.
Work with the COP and the Technical Leads to create a coherent and integrated overall implementation strategy that is shared with the program team, local partners, and key stakeholders.

TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP

Oversee the local partnership strategy.
Provide technical leadership in the development and implementation of strategies, interventions, and activities that address the program’s results.
Ensure technical compliance with USAID rules and regulations, and adherence to grant agreement
Integrate locally-driven approaches, gender sensitivity, and capacity building into all activities, as appropriate. Ensure interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and program participant accountability standards.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

In collaboration with the COP, ensure implementation is on time, target, and budget, using effective M&E and CLA systems to assess impact. Support the COP in establishing a program management structure that favors integration among technical sectors.
Oversee program and technical start-up and ongoing program management and administration of teams across various field locations.
Lead the development of detailed implementation plans, flowing from annual strategic work- plans, and ensure the delivery of the same.
Oversee the daily implementation of the local partnerships team and Hub offices where technical staff are based.
Coordinate with procurement, logistics, security, administration, and human resources teams to ensure operational systems support field activities.
In collaboration with the ICEA MEL team, monitor implementation through regular site visits and assessments to ensure program quality and impact. Ensure documenting of program achievements and dissemination of lessons learned best practices.
Oversee administration and performance of local sub-grants, including planning, implementation, and compliance.
Provide reviews and input for program documents, including quarterly and annual reports, and other internal and USAID reporting.
Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

Oversee recruitment and onboarding of the program staff and consultants including direct oversight of local partnerships team.
Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of staff roles, and assist with career development.
Provide team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
Promote staff accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one-on-one meetings and performance reviews.
Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

REPRESENTATION

Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO, and other relevant events, in close coordination with the Country Director.
Coordinate activities with consortium partners, sub-grantees, local government, and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.

FINANCE & COMPLIANCE

Ensure compliance with USAID and Mercy Corps’ regulations.
Create and maintain systems to ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with program, donor, and Mercy Corps’ needs.
Ensure sound financial management, including programmatic budgeting, spending projections, and monitoring of payments in compliance with USAID standards.

SECURITY & RISK MANAGEMENT

Work closely with the country team’s security focal point to develop and maintain systems that promote the safety and security of all team members.
Ensure that activities are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.

Supervisory Responsibility

Supervise a cadre of the ICEA Team including the local partnerships team. The number of direct and indirect reports will be determined at a later stage.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: ICEA Chief of Party

Works Directly With: ICEA senior leaders, Director of Programs, Program Performance and Quality Director, other DCOPs, HR, finance and operations teams, HQ Regional Programs Team, 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 and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging program participant communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

5 years of progressive professional experience managing civil society strengthening/civic engagement programs in similar contexts.
Experience working with youth groups and emerging social movements preferred.
3 years of experience in a staff management position, preferably for medium ($10+ million) USAID-funded activities.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, and a proven ability to network and maintain effective working relationships with diverse actors including CSOs, civic groups, community- based organizations, media, academia, political parties, government, the private sector, and donors
Experience managing diverse multi-lingual teams located in different geographic locations
Experience with and commitment to locally led development approaches (e.g., co-creation, micro-grant making, cultivating collective action practices)
Experience with and commitment to adaptive management processes
Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of Iraq’s complex political, governance, and conflict dynamics preferred.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
Familiarity with USAID rules, regulations, and requirements preferred.

Success Factors
A successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members and other stakeholders of varied work styles and cultures, follow procedures and meet deadlines with flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving. This position requires an ability to think creatively about civic engagement to strengthen inclusive, peaceful, and responsive governance. They will have a proven ability to learn quickly, multi-task, prioritize, take initiative, and be accountable for results, understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details, problem solving, work within a complex and sensitive setting and to follow laws and security protocols. The most successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position is based in Erbil and requires up to 50% travel to other locations in Iraq.

The role is unaccompanied, eligible for R&R breaks, and hardship, and housing is provided in shared group housing in Erbil and when travel outside of Erbil is required. The team member must follow all security protocols at all times.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members 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.

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.

Ongoing 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.

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 e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.