More Information
- Experience 5-10
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
Since 1986, Mercy Corps has helped Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza access critical services and become more economically self-sufficient focusing its interventions on WASH, community crisis resilience, economic opportunities, and cash programming. With funding from BHA and ECHO Mercy Corps has been able to work together with communities in the West Bank and Gaza to respond to these needs. The escalation of conflict that began on October 7, 2023, has sharply exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the region. Mercy Corps is actively working to respond to the crisis and restart our humanitarian programs in Gaza where team members there are committed to significantly ramping up much needed lifesaving aid as soon as it is safe to do so.
General Position Summary
The DRD serves as a strong team leader for Mercy Corps’ team inside Gaza, represents the interests of the agency and partners, and ensures all parties are working effectively and efficiently. S/he is detail oriented and has excellent planning and strategic thinking skills. S/he will be an effective communicator with exceptional team building and coordination skills. The DRD will provide strategic leadership to their direct reports and coordinate the delivery of inclusive high-quality programming and reporting.
The DRD will work alongside the Gaza Response Director (GRD) to lead all aspects of the design, planning, coordination and implementation of our Emergency Response efforts inside of Gaza. The DRD will contribute to the development of a strategic vision for Gaza response programming, both for the short and medium to longer-term. This position includes overall management of daily activities and management of programmatic staff present in Gaza, ensuring appropriate systems and support mechanisms are in place to implement and quickly adapt programming, while also upholding the policies for staff safety and security.
Essential Responsibilities
STRATEGY & VISION
● Support the Gaza Response Director in the development of a Gaza Response Strategy and Response Implementation Plan.
● Collaboratively develop and communicate a clear vision of present and future program goals and strategies with program leadership team and other key stakeholders, translating into concrete work plans.
● Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
● Contribute to change management whenever required and applicable, and support consensus building around a common vision of what shared success in Gaza looks like, including the development of appropriate key performance indicators.
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
● Oversee programs and quality, evidence, and learning teams to support program startup and/or ongoing program management.
● Support programs team to develop program implementation strategies for each relevant sector, including partnership frameworks, beneficiary targeting and/or distribution processes.
● Ensure all program staff are familiar with the Mercy Corps Palestine Standard Operating Procedures and work in accordance.
● Promote a culture of shared learning across program teams and of evidence-based decision making in line with MC organizational strategy and sector wide best practices.
● Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.
● Ensure program implementation is on time, target, and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
● Fulfill Mercy Corps Program Management Minimum Standards. Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.
TEAM MANAGEMENT
● Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
● Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
● Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
● Hire, orient and supervise new team members as necessary.
● 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.
FINANCE & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT
● 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.
● Oversee monthly BVA meetings to ensure proper oversight and monitoring of program expenditures against budget, and plan accordingly for any underspends or fluctuations
● Recognize the high level of donor scrutiny in Palestine programming and ensure effective, transparent and responsive compliance mechanisms are in place.
● Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to all programming.
● Build and/or maintain operational systems that ensure proper administrative support for programs.
● Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.
INFLUENCE AND REPRESENTATION
● Identify, build, and manage partnerships with partners, donors, local community leaders, and other stakeholders.
● Anticipate program needs, contribute to shaping donor views on the evolving context and its impact on civilians in Palestine.
● Represent Mercy Corps with national and international media and participate in community activities, as appropriate.
Supervisory Responsibility
● Director of Programs, Quality, Evidence, and Learning Lead, Senior Cash Advisor
● Seconded temporary emergency response staff and consultants.
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Gaza Response Director
Works Directly With: Field programs staff, Operations staff, Regional Program Team, Technical Support Unit, Global Emergency Response team, and additional field and headquarters-based support departments as needed.
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
● BA/BS degree in a relevant field.
● Minimum of 5 to 7 years senior management experience in the INGO sector, including experience in program management including emergency response.
● Strategic and innovative thinker with advanced analytic skills
● Strong representation and negotiation skills
● Sound knowledge of donor standards and procedures.
● Proven supervisory ability and/or technical skills combined with leadership.
● Strong interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues in a diversified multi-cultural and multi-ethnic working environment.
● Skills in managing, organizing, planning, and implementing assigned tasks under pressure of frequent and tight schedules.
● Strong ability to apply good judgment and decision-making skills in difficult and complex working environments.
● Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills in handling management and coordination issues at country program level.
● Excellent verbal and written communication, organizational, prioritization and Microsoft Office applications.
● Excellent oral and written English skills required.
● Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.
Success Factors
The successful Deputy Response Director will skillfully represent programmatic priorities of the agency to government, donors and regional partners while providing effective leadership to the Mercy Corps program team in the transitional response environment. They will be capable of multitasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building. The Director will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level. Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
This is an unaccompanied position is based in Gaza (security permitting), and it requires up to 50% travel across Gaza, West Bank, Jordan, and Egypt to support teams and country programs, which will include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. Housing for this role is in shared housing; access to medical care in Gaza is extremely limited, but adequate medical services are available when traveling outside of Gaza.
This position is contingent upon your ability to pass immigration screening and enter the country and secure a work permit for the location.
This position is contingent on obtaining medical clearance through successful completion of a medical assessment by an external third party. If you are not medically cleared and Mercy Corps cannot reasonably accommodate a medical condition if required, you may not be able to deploy for this position.
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 MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
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. 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.
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.