Food Security and Livelihood Manager – Tonj, South Sudan 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 began programming in Sudan in 1985, and has been operating in states of what is now South Sudan since 2005; operations have continued since the independence of South Sudan in 2011. We have been working to meet people’s immediate needs, and with communities, to build local capacity and promote economic development, especially with the eruption of violence in December 2013. Mercy Corps South Sudan’s priority areas are food security and livelihoods (focusing on cash assistance, market-based solutions in agriculture and economic development), WASH and Education. Mercy Corps has been implementing project which combine agricultural, economic development, WASH, Education and other humanitarian interventions to tackle the convulsive crises affecting vulnerable communities. Mercy Corps has worked to build relationships with local government and other actors, which has enhanced our understanding of local contexts and the multiple stakeholders involved.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

Mercy Corps is seeking a dynamic and passionate Food Security and livelihood (FLS) Manager to lead the implementation of anticipated USAID-funded – Food Security and Resilience for a Stable South Sudan (SECURE) project in Warrap, Western Bahr el Ghazel and Unity State. SECURE project is aim at combating secondary impact of Covid-19 especially on food security and livelihoods of targeted households in Wau, Tonj South and Rubkona Counties in South Sudan. SECURE will enable IDPs and vulnerable host community households have access to life-saving cash, WASH and livelihood opportunities, addressing immediate food security needs and preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus within the states of Warrap, Western Bahr el Ghazel and Unity state.

The food Security and Livelihoods Manager is responsible for leading the overall implementation of the SECURE Project, including ensuring that project activities result in positive outcomes for male and female participants of different age groups. S/he will have overall responsibility for program start-up and implementing, while building team members’ and partners’ capacity to integrate a gender and youth perspective into project activities. The Food Security & Livelihoods Manager is a member for the technical oversight and planning unit that works under the supervision of Director of Programs for South Sudan related to this program. This position includes, developing tools for assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring and oversee activities of consortium partners, capacity building of Mercy Corps staff and partners, reporting, and evaluation of the program and preparing periodic reports back to donors, as well as close coordination with other Mercy Corps programs.

The FLS Manager will supervise program staff and ensure accountability to Mercy Corps’ policies and donor rules and regulations. S/he will be the primary representative to donors, relevant government entities, partners, other implementers and external stakeholders.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Strategy and Vision.

Develop a clear vision for the program, as well as a clear and effective strategy for program implementation and evaluation and ensure that the vision and mission are aligned with contextual realities;
Leading the day-to-day activities of the program, including liaising with key program and consortium partners as well as local authorities to support its successful implementation
Value the role of youth and women in development by maximizing their participation and contribution in the Program’s activities.
Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcome among program team members and other stakeholders
Maintain strong and transparent communication with consortium partners and across technical Teams

Program and Technical Oversight

Provide management oversight over the team and implementation partners including development of work plans, sector result chains, intervention designs, sustainability, monitoring implementation and impact, ensuring that program deliverables are implemented on budget and on time.
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
Manage and coordinate with the team, all program activities design and implementation immediate and resilience food security and livelihood interventions including cash transfers, income generating activities, economic activities, Cash for work and WASH intervention.
Integrate community approaches, Gender and Youth sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate
Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards

Program Quality and Accountability

Ensure the program is sensitive and adaptive to the changing context while in line with best practice.
Coordinate with the Country Office and HQ to build systems that promote beneficiary accountability by ensuring that communities participate in assessments and program design;
Support staff and partners to ensure that communities are informed about our programs and what we do, are aware of their entitlements, are comfortable to give feedback and that feedback is used to improve the quality of our programs;
Ensure integration of M&E and accountability systems that are compliant with relevant standards;
Support and inculcate a culture of learning between programs through consistent sharing of M&E processes and systems;
Conduct monthly program review meetings and quarterly project level review meeting to review and appraise project implementation progress.

Influence and Representation.

Develop and nurture culturally sensitive internal and external relationships and networks to ensure optimum communication and program success
Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with donors, government partners, consortium partners and other stakeholders
Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.
Participate in relevant strategic fora to share Mercy Corps’ experience and promote thought-leadership

Team Management

Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development
Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence
Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
Lead capacity development initiatives for project team members, implementing partners through trainings, mentoring and coaching to ensure there is a cohesive understanding of market systems and project implementation approaches
Maintain a focus on achieving results and meeting the agreed objectives, and proactively solve problems

Finance and Compliance Management

Maintain/upgrade systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures
Prepare procurement plan based on project cycle and ensure all necessary requests (procurement requests, purchase orders, etc.) are accurately prepared and submitted on time.
Enhance internal and external compliance through a strong knowledge of donor rules and regulations and supporting incident-reporting mechanisms when needed.
Work closely with support functions in Mercy Corps South Sudan to ensure highest compliance and adherence to Mercy Corps policies and procedures
Manage grant budgets and work with Finance Team on proper budget management, including, budget development, forecasting and procurement planning, as well as monthly financial reports and BVA reviews.

Security

Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
Proactively ensure the well-being of team members and ensure they are aware of policies to help manage insecure environments.

Partnership (sub-recipient) management and oversight

Consistently engage and communicate with consortium partners to ensure smooth program implementation.
Conduct monthly monitoring visit to project locations and provide technical guidance and support
Conduct capacity assessment for national NGO and develop capacity building plan
Review program narrative and financial reports in accordance with the purpose, terms and conditions of this Subaward.

Organizational 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.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Supervisory Responsibility

Senior FSL Project Officer

Senior ERMS Officer

M&E Officer – CARM/ Safeguarding

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Director of Programs

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

Knowledge and Experience

MA/S or equivalent experience in international development, political science, women’s studies, economics, sociology or other relevant field.
5-7 years’ experience in FSL development work including experience in developing and implementing cash transfer standard operating procedures, resilience agriculture training, VSLA/SHG training, gender/youth mainstreaming and engaging in gender advocacy.
Demonstrated ability to implement a program, manage a team and develop their capacities.
Demonstrated capacity to lead the collection, analysis and utilization of information from a broad range of sources to ensure effective integration of gender and youth concerns throughout the project’s duration. In-depth understanding of gender, age and other socio-cultural factors in the context of food security programming.
Experience in South Sudan or other emergency programs in insecure and conflict context states is preferred
Strong public speaking and facilitation skills required.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office.

Success Factors

A successful candidate will have a strong technical background and will have demonstrated management of similar projects in the past. S/he will have the capacity to deliver and meet deadlines, be conscientious, with an excellent sense of judgment and have an ability to foster solid working relationships with communities, GOs, INGOs, and NGOs and other stakeholders. S/he will have an ability to work simultaneously on multiple tasks with strong computer literacy and exceptional organizational skills.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This position is based in Tonj South town, Warrap State of South Sudan with frequent travel to deep-field locations in Tonj South, Wau town and Rubkona Counties. Accommodation in Tonj Soth is could be in common housing facilities. Laundry, filtered water and cooking facilities are provided by Mercy Corps. 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 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 e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.