Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities.
Driven by local needs, our programs provide communities in the world’s toughest places with the tools and support they need to turn the crises they confront into the opportunities they deserve.
Mercy Corps is looking for committed and dynamic individual to take up the following position:
 
Program and Partnerships Director, Youth Empowered for Success (YES) Program 
Program / Department Summary: Mercy Corps’ goal in Kenya is to strengthen and sustain capabilities of Kenyan society and stakeholders to be agents of positive change in their communities.
It achieves this goal through three objectives:
1) Strengthened ability of local, district, and regional structures to manage conflict and become managers of democracy;
2) Empowered Kenyan youth to achieve a greater voice in national reform and create new livelihood opportunities and
3) More resilient drought affected populations in North Eastern Kenya.
 
General Position Summary: The Programme Director will provide overall leadership, management and strategic vision for the program, managing staff and resources to ensure that the program meets its targets and deliverables on-time and within budget.
The Programme Director will supervise key program staff and ensure accountability to Mercy Corps policies and donor rules and regulations.
He/she will be the primary program representative to donors, relevant government entities, partners, other implementers and external stakeholders for the program.
Involvement of and communication with four consortium partners will be key in maximizing partners’ programme contributions and ensuring programme success.
Essential Job Functions:
 
Program Implementation
  • Provide leadership and strategic vision in all aspects of program implementation, development and management.
  • Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities, government strategies and partners, and aligned with Mercy Corps principles and strategic plan.
  • Ensure adherence to the grant agreement and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
  • Oversee the workplans, schedules and performance of consortium partners and sub-grantees.
  • Conduct frequent field visits to all project sites.
Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) and Reporting
  • Facilitate the achievement of program targets and objectives and lead efforts to design effective M&E systems with consortium guidance.
  • Ensure timely and quality formal and informal reporting on all aspects of the program that includes feedback loops with team members and consortium partners.
  • Ensure program monitoring staff lead the process of converting monitoring information to useable forms for program managers and staff to act on it and make management decisions.
  • Ensure that M&E staff focus on assisting programs to generate practical information that can be used for ongoing program decision-making while also capturing results at the impact level.
Coordination and Representation
  • Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other relevant events in the field, in close coordination with the Country Director.
  • Coordinate activities with consortium partners, sub grantees, local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.
Staff Management, Professional Development and Team building
  • Create a work atmosphere conducive to professional growth and development of excellent personnel at all levels.
  • Implement, and ensure all staff are effectively using, the performance planning and management system, establishing performance expectations and regularly providing constructive feedback.
  • Promote accountability by conducting staff annual performance reviews with direct supervisees, and ensuring that supervisory staff do the same.
  • Contribute to country and regional team-building efforts and strategies, and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
Program Support Operations
  • Coordinate with program and finance and administration staff to ensure operational systems are in place to support field activities including logistics (transport, warehousing and asset management), procurement, security, administration and human resources.
  • Propose the design of new local policies as needed and in accordance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations.
Security
  • Work closely with the country teams’ security focal points to develop and maintain systems that ensure the safety and security of the team in all aspects of its work.
  • Ensure that programs are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security management priorities.
  • Ensure program staff members adhere to all Mercy Corps security protocols.
Organizational Learning: As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
Supervisory Responsibility:
Direct supervision of: 2 Programme Managers, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager.
Accountability: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards 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.
Reports Directly To: Country Director, Kenya (with a dotted line to Uganda Country Director)
Works Directly With: Kenya and Uganda Country Directors, finance and operations personnel, other Programme Managers in both countries (where multiple programs operate), HQ RPT members, and TSU team members.
Knowledge and Experience:
  • MA, MSc or equivalent in social science, management, international development or other relevant field.
  • Ten years of relevant experience including five years in a senior management position at a regional/cross-country level.
  • Experience managing Resilience and/or Climate Change Adaptation projects required
  • Previous experience with and strong understanding of donor rules, regulations and compliance issues
  • Experience implementing activities in East Africa, and specifically Kenya and Uganda – with a strong understanding of the current political, economic, cultural and historical context of both countries
  • Strong written and oral communication skills in English, including report development, writing and editing.
  • Strong management skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues.
  • Proven understanding of resilience approaches and strongly prefer understanding of Mercy Corps’ resilience approaches.
  • Proven understanding of both urban and rural livelihoods systems, climate change adaptation strategies, and resilience programming;
  • Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
Success Factors: The successful Programme Director will possess demonstrated management skills and experience in maintaining donor and partner relationships.
He/she will have an outstanding ability to develop, implement and manage innovative programs within the parameters of the program grant and Mercy Corps’ regional strategy.
S/he will also have proven experience working with cross-cultural teams, mentoring staff, and staff development.
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.
The successful Programme Director must be comfortable operating and traveling in a sometimes volatile security environment and therefore, changing plans and program tactics accordingly.
How to Apply

Interested candidates who meet the above required qualifications and experience should submit a cover letter, detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing three professional references (including a recent supervisor) to hrkenya@ke.mercycorps.org on or before 26th June 2015 by 4.00pm.

The email subject line must clearly show the job title and location they are applying for.
Applications without the right subject heading will be automatically disqualified.
Please do not attach any certificates.



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