Program Performance and Quality (PaQ) Manager – 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.

The Program / Department

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.

On August 14th, 2021 a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Haiti creating widespread destruction, impacting over 130,000 households, and causing over 12,000 injuries and 2,200 casualties. Mercy Corps’ team in Haiti responded immediately, implementing our SMS emergency alert system to provide communities with critical information, as well as distributing Non-Food Items (NFIs) to meet families’ urgent needs including: personal hygiene, food preparation and light and thermal comfort for their shelters.

The Position

**The Program Performance & Quality (PaQ) Manager will provide technical guidance and support for program management, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL), coordination, and program development across the country programs’ portfolio of multiple grants. They will have oversight of the Mercy Corps Program Management Minimum Standards (PM@MC) by working closely with the Director of Programs to advise Program Managers on best practices for program management, in line with PM@MC standards, as well as donor requirements. The role will also have a clear focus in setting the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) agenda for the Haiti country portfolio. They will have oversight of the development of effective program filing and archiving systems, standardization and capacity building of program teams on the process for program deliverable quality assurance checks and making cross-department processes more efficient (as required). The PaQ Manager will assist in securing new programs by supporting proposal development processes, support partnership development, and tracking of new opportunities. They will work collaboratively with the Programs Managers and Directors, Technical Advisors, and MEL teams, and Headquarters (TSU and Desk) staff. The PaQ Manager is highly motivated, they are an effective communicator, self-driven and able to move forward complex projects with limited daily support and direction; they are able to work remotely with internal and external stakeholders to achieve common objectives.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY & VISION

Provide strategic guidance and vision on Mercy Corps Program Management (PM@MC) approaches to MC Haiti Program Managers and Directors.
In coordination with management, set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to country-wide strategy development. This includes supporting development of any sector-specific strategies.
Support cross-program learning, including operation of sector-specific Technical Working Groups.

PROGRAM QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Provide technical oversight to Program Managers to develop program filing and archiving systems and to ensure programs’ documentation is filed, in compliance with PM@MC, donors’ regulations and good practice.
Provide technical guidance to Program Managers to set up effective internal and external program-coordination structures.
Work with Programs and CARM focal points to refine processes for program deliverable quality assurance checks, including monitoring and spot check procedures.
Provide support to Program Managers at key implementation moments (such as kick-off meetings, program initiation meetings, 90-day inception meetings, 90-day end of program transition meetings) and for donor reporting, as required.
Maintain effective communications with Headquarters staff and program teams on program quality and grants tracking issues, and information requests from internal/external sources.

PROGRAM AND PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT

Provide support for propositioning and new program strategy design efforts.
Contribute to proposal development and the design of new programs.
Liaise with the Programs, Finance and Operations teams, and when necessary external partners, in the development of budgets of funding proposals.
Build capacity of Program Managers engaged in proposal development on proposal development processes (in line with PM@MC and internal processes) accordingly.

CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT AND COORDINATION

Support Programs and the MEL Advisor in the development of an adaptive management culture at country-level, providing training and guidance in adaptive management techniques and decision-making.
Build capacity of program teams with information, tools and resources to improve performance and reach objectives, and review programmatic tools (implementation and follow-up of QAC process, development and/or revision of SOPs, etc.).
Organize workshops, trainings (for Mercy Corps Haiti staff and partners) as needed to answer the programs’ needs (including PM@MC training.)

REPRESENTATION AND COMMUNICATION

Provide support to the Programs to represent Mercy Corps programs with national and international counterparts, donors, partners and participate in coordination forums as required.
Provide support to Program teams in the organization of donors’ visits.
Support the development of strategic, cross-program communication materials, such as sector profiles, impact reports, program briefings, leadership and positioning pieces, key messages, talking points, and other relevant pieces.

SECURITY

Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.

Supervisory Responsibility

Gender Coordinator, Senior CARM Officer, Communications Officer, Senior MEAL Manager, Senior Technical Coordinator

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Director of Programs

Works Directly With: Director of Programs, Program Managers, MEL Department, Finance Manager, Operations Director (and associated Managers), Gender Coordinator, Accountability department, HQ-based desk teams, and TSU staff, regional humanitarian response 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.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

BA/S or equivalent in international studies, economics or other relevant field; MA/S preferred.
3-5 years of experience with European and US institutional donors, including grants management, and proposal development.
Field experience in both emergency and development environments preferred.
Experience with the reporting & compliance with a variety of donors, such as ECHO, OFDA, USAID, or private foundations
Ability to work across diverse teams and get buy-in from a variety of stakeholders is essential.
Demonstrated ability in proposal development and program design required.
Advanced written and spoken English and French is required.
Ability to deliver high quality deliverables within short deadlines.
Ability to multi-task and juggle several tasks and relationships at one time.
Previous experience building staff capacity/training and providing technical guidance required.
Excellent communication skills, experience in representing an organization.
Demonstrated proficiency with the MS Office software (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is required.
Proven ability to work effectively in multicultural teams and with technical and administrative staff and consultants.

Success Factors

The successful PaQ Manager will combine exceptional writing skills and experience in providing technical support across program teams. They will also have proven experience with cross-cultural teams and will possess a high level of adaptability and be able to adjust to the constantly changing working environment. They will have previous experience working on a variety of different programs/sectors in emergency and development settings. Prioritizing, problem solving, ability to seize opportunities, attention to detail and strategic vision are essential. The most successful Mercy Corps staff 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 Port au Prince (PaP), which is estimated at around 2.5 million people. Although infrastructure is fairly poor in the capital, comfortable housing with water and electricity are readily available. Living in PaP can be quite comfortable, although based on the fluctuating security context, movement can be restricted. There are many places to eat in all price ranges, as well as shops, and supermarkets which are comparable to a US supermarket. There is reasonable access to most consumer goods, although they can be expensive. Walking is not possible in most cases, however, weekend getaways to the mountains or the beach are an option, security permitting. Self-drive is permitted, however driving can be challenging and traffic is often very heavy. While security outside of PaP can be quite stable, certain parts of PaP continue to be an arena of violence and insecurity.

This position requires 50% of travel by car and air to field offices in insecure environments. Outside PaP, travel can be challenging and somewhat unpredictable due to weather conditions and gang violence depending. Mercy Corps’ sub-offices experience variable levels of insecurity, with the situation closely monitored by the field teams and security actors. Mobile phones and cellular service are widely available. Internet is available in all Mercy Corps offices. Travel to field sites will be required where living conditions are clean and secure, but basic. There are a number of health services available with evacuation options for serious illnesses.

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 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 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.

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.