Team Lead (DCOP for systems-wide economic development program) at Mercy Corps

This position is contingent upon funding and donor approval.

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.

Mercy Corps has been present in Somalia since 2005, with current programming in Somaliland, Puntland, Hirshabelle, Galmudug, Jubaland, South West State and Banadir. Our programming spans multiple sectors and is framed by a high-level strategy for advancing resilience and peace. Seeing ability in vulnerability, we work with and through local communities, including IDPs and returning refugees, to address immediate needs of crisis-affected populations while supporting and strengthening systems that facilitate collective advancement towards long-term and inclusive socio-economic growth, peace, and prosperity. Grounded in core resilience principles of systems thinking, partnership and facilitation, and adaptive management, Mercy Corps’ approach encourages crisis-affected populations, the private sector, government, and civil society to work together towards meaningful and lasting change.

The Program / Department / Team

Mercy Corps in partnership with other international and local organizations are designing a new program focused on driving inclusive, systems-wide economic development in Somalia. The program is underpinned by two key objectives 1) Strengthen and diversify rural and urban livelihoods for marginalized groups and 2) Promote economic agency of marginalized groups. The program will be a five-year program led by DT Global, Mercy Corps and other international and local partners.

The Position

The Team Lead will provide overall leadership, management and strategic vision to the implementation of the program. S/he will manage the program staff, resources and partnerships to ensure that the program meets its milestones on-time and within budget. The Team Lead will supervise program staff and ensure accountability to Mercy Corps’ policies and USAID rules and regulations. S/he will be the primary point of contact with USAID Somalia, DT Global, relevant government entities, implementing organizations, local partners, and other stakeholders. He/She will report to the Mercy Corps Somalia Director of Programs (DOP) and coordinate closely with the DT Global COP, DCoP and partner leadership.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND PLANNING

Lead coordination across consortium partners to ensure integration of program activities and CLA
Provide leadership and strategic vision in all aspects of program implementation, development and management.
Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners, and aligned with Mercy Corps principles, values and strategic plan.
Maintain a strategic plan for the implementation of program activities, including finalizing activities, methods of operation, and means of monitoring and measuring for success.
Work closely with Mercy Corps implementing teams and partners to surface, model, and promote the replication of new ideas and promising practices, growing the evidence base on what works and what doesn’t for building resilience in protracted crises

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

Oversee program start-up, management, and administration
Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using innovative systems to achieve and measure success.
Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate. Certify all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.
Coordinate with procurement, logistics, security, administration, and human resources teams to ensure operational systems support field activities.
Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.

HUMAN RESOURCES, SAFEGUARDING AND DIVERSITY

Assist with the on-boarding of senior team members, ensuring they are set up for success and familiar with agency systems, procedures, and protocols.
Develop the capacity of the program team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
Support Mercy Corps global and regional initiatives for human resources, including safeguarding and diversity, and talent development;

FINANCE AND COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

Ensure compliance with donor 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.

INFLUENCE AND REPRESENTATION

Work closely with USAID Somalia to develop and maintain a strategic learning, influence, and communication strategy, including a schedule for the regular production and release of written products, to include case studies, return on investment studies, and policy briefs.
Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other relevant events, in close coordination with the Mercy Corps Somalia Director of Programs and Country Director.
Coordinate activities with consortium partners, subgrantees, local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.

SECURITY

Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

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.

RISK MANAGEMENT

Engage and the country initiatives on risk management systems are in place;
Collaborate with country leadership to support preparedness and response to major disruptive events;
Engage with country teams on the internal audit process to track findings and ensure country team compliance with IA findings and recommendations;
Engage with country level Ethics and Assurance managers as well as the global Ethics and Assurance department to track and analyze trends and needs across countries;

Supervisory Responsibility

The Team Lead will be overall responsible for supervising the program team. The number of direct and indirect reports is to be determined.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Mercy Corps Somalia Director of Programs (DOP)

Works Directly With: Mercy Corps Somalia Program Managers, finance and operations teams, HQ Technical Support Unit, and partner organizations.

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

MA/S or equivalent experience in humanitarian assistance, international development, or related field.
Minimum of 5-7 years’ relevant experience, with strong preference for significant experience in Somalia or in the Horn of Africa region.
Internationally recognized qualification in project or program management or a commitment to obtain the qualification in the early months of work
5-10 years of progressive experience and proven high level of competence in socio-economic development, economic development-related programs, ideally in in a vulnerable context;
Demonstrated experience with market systems approaches and designing private sector development activities
Demonstrated understanding and considerable experience in the following:
Organizational capacity development, holistic organizational learning and/or organizational development approaches such as CLA.
Design- and systems-thinking for more efficient and effective programming in complex crises, and strengthening capacity of others in the same
Forging consensus among diverse actors around a shared vision, and leading and inspiring them towards that vision
Innovating solutions that enable teams in protracted crises better collaborate, learn and adapt across sector and funding streams
Capturing, analyzing, documenting and communicating evidence and knowledge to inspire and influence change.
Knowledgeable of USAID’s and global best practices for CLA approaches and tools; experience on USAID programs strongly preferred.
Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain relationships with colleagues, implementing partners, donors, local organizations, and partners.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English (required) and Somali (highly desirable).
Strong representation, communication and program marketing skills

Success Factors

The successful Team Lead will be a design thinker who combines innovation and enthusiasm with a deep commitment to influencing transformative change in the way international assistance is designed and delivered in Somalia. The ideal candidate is able to inspire CLA and forge consensus across implementing partners and other stakeholders with diverse and often competing agendas. She/he must be flexible and opportunistic and must model a positive challenge culture that promotes and inspires innovation and learning. S/he combines exceptional management skills with experience in maintaining donor and partner relationships. S/he will also have proven experience with cross-cultural teams and capacity building, individual staff development, and strong mentoring skills. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous 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 ideal candidate for the Team Lead position is willing to be based in Mogadishu with frequent travel to project sites and some travel to Nairobi for meetings and work when necessary. The location is unaccompanied and eligible for hardship and R&R benefits.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours. 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. Notably all Somalia staff are expected to comply with all country security protocols as guided by the country management.

Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision. Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.

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 elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis