Director of Programs – Haiti 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 helps communities develop their own ideas to solve Haiti’s most daunting problems by using innovative approaches to bring Haitians new social and economic opportunities and to make their country more secure, productive and just. Established in January 2010, Mercy Corps Haiti has offices in Port-au-Prince, Canaan, Arcahaie, and Mirgoane and more than 80 staff implementing programs in economic development, agriculture, natural resource management and humanitarian response. Mercy Corps’ economic development work is guided by the principles of pro-poor development and demand driven strategies. Mercy Corps takes a progressive approach to development that leads communities and entrepreneurs from relief to sustainable livelihoods to resilience

General Position Summary

The Director of Programs (DoP) will work closely with the Country Director (CD) and program team to lead new program development and ensure effective program coordination and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, quality assurance and accountability in close collaboration with the operations team. The position will be based in Port au Prince, with regular travel to the field sites (40-50%). They will help represent the Mercy Corps programs to donors, other NGOs and stakeholders, thematic clusters, relevant government authorities, and other program partners.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision

Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
Lead the identification of new initiatives and opportunities that respond to identified needs and the country strategy, in coordination with the Country Director and Program Managers, as well as the Regional Program Director, headquarters-based Senior Program Officer, Technical Advisors and other relevant staff.
Support the development of solicited and unsolicited proposals and concept notes.
Support the CD in the annual program planning cycle.

Program Management

Oversee program startup and ongoing program management and administration of teams across various field locations.
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 that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established and well-defined criteria and processes.
Develop partners’ MoUs and contracts and ensure that partners are delivering in accordance with the agreements..
Support the PMs and team in the development and ongoing refinement of implementation strategies.
Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts (adaptive 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.
Conduct frequent field visits to all project sites for monitoring, quality control and program staff mentoring and coaching.
Ensure that community feedback mechanisms are in place, functioning, and clearly communicated to staff and beneficiaries.
Review all draft reports and ensure that reports are ready for submission to HQ on time.

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 regular performance reviews.
Supervise, hire and orient new team members as necessary.
Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
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

Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to programming.
Review BVAs with Finance and Program managers to identify any issues and undertake any necessary budget revisions.
Ensure program close-out begins in a timely manner to minimize any significant under or overspends at the end of the grant (i.e. final variance for all grants should be within 5%)

Influence & Representation

Support the CD in representation in the various coordination platforms and ensure that the PMs are appropriately engaged in coordination mechanisms.
Communicate effectively to external stakeholders Mercy Corps’ mission, programs, and achievements in Haiti.
Ensure that Mercy Corps Haiti is actively engaged in the wider Mercy Corps community around technical and program quality practices.

Supervisory Responsibility

Program Managers, Gender Focal Point, Financial Inclusion Technical Advisor, Communications Officer

Accountability
Reports Directly To: Country Director

Works Directly With: All program staff, both national and expatriate in Haiti; HQ-based program, operations, recruiting, human resources, finance, and technical support teams

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/S or equivalent in social science, management, international development or other relevant field. MA/S preferred.
5-7 years overseas experience, including at least 3 years in a senior management position.
Experience managing humanitarian relief and/or transitional programs in areas affected by insecurity and natural disasters.
Previous experience working in Haiti or similar contexts strongly preferred.
Proven track record in program design, proposal writing and development, and donor reporting.
Trained and knowledgeable in design, monitoring, and evaluation concepts and methodologies. M&E experience should include conducting assessments and surveys, program design using a logical framework approach, selecting indicators, implementing monitoring plans, coordinating evaluations and data analysis.
Experience supervising international and national staff, starting up programs and working in difficult environments.
Experience managing programs in relevant technical area(s) including, Participatory Community Development, Livelihoods, Agriculture, Water and Sanitation, Economic Recovery, Women’s Empowerment and GBV programming, Peace-building, Civil Society Capacity Building and Youth.
Knowledge of major donor requirements and compliance issues.
Strong management skills with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues.
Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meets deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
History of working effectively with host country government, national and international NGO partners, and collaborating with other actors, including the private sector.
Solid knowledge of and experience with security protocols is essential.
Fluency in written and oral French and English is required.

Success Factors

A successful candidate will be conscientious, with excellent judgment and will display an entrepreneurial spirit that is both creative and flexible. They will combine strong communication skills, creativity, initiative, participatory leadership and tactful decisiveness to assist in the development and implementation of Mercy Corps’ country strategy. Prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision are essential. The individual will be a strategic thinker able to bring ideas to implementation in growing program operations. They will have exceptional proposal development skills and an outstanding ability to design, implement and manage innovative programs that respond to current needs. An interest and ability to travel and work in remote environments, and awareness of and sensitivity to multi-cultural international development work and ability to train and facilitate dialogue among a diverse group of individuals with various skill sets and working styles is required. An even temperament and a good sense of humor are appreciated.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

Haiti is a country of 10 million people and is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The country has been wracked by a series of major natural disasters since 2010 including earthquake, hurricanes, and drought. A new government is in place for the next five years which is anticipated to reduce instability, however occasional violent demonstrations and flare-ups in crime can occur. Haiti suffers from chronic high unemployment, severe environmental degradation, food insecurity, and health issues like cholera exacerbated by low levels of access to water and poor infrastructure. Nonetheless, Haiti also has great beauty including beaches and mountainous national parks. Its international airport provides daily flights to multiple destinations in the US, as well as access to DR, Canada, Paris, Cuba, Panama, Curacao, and other locations in the Caribbean.

The position is based in Port au Prince, which is estimated at around 2.5 million people. Although infrastructure is also poor in the capital, comfortable housing with water and electricity are readily available. There are many places to eat in all price ranges, as well as shops, and supermarkets which are comparable to a US supermarket. Self-drive is permitted, however driving can be challenging and traffic is often very heavy.

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in 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.