Somalia: Emergency Response Team Leader - Somalia

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions
into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Now, and for the future.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps has been present in Somalia since 2005, responding to emergency needs stemming from conflict and displacement, while continuing work to build more resilient, peaceful, and productive communities in Puntland, Somaliland and the South-Central Region. The current drought situation is seeing an increase of emergency activities around life-saving food, water, hygiene programs coupled with ongoing humanitarian programs around economic opportunity and development, youth & education, and reintegration of returnees.
General Position Summary
The Emergency Response Team Leader is responsible for coordinating and implementing the delivery of cash transfer programs, livelihoods and WASH interventions for families affected by conflict or natural disaster for IDPs, returnees and host community households. Position includes overall management of daily program activities and management of program staff, ensuring appropriate systems and support mechanisms are in place to track, analyze and report on results as well as engagement with senior management on the strategic direction of the overall IDP response.
Essential Job Responsibilities
Strategy & Vision

• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy development.
• Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support.

Program Management

• Lead the program team in implementation of all humanitarian response programs.
• Oversee program startup and ongoing program management and administration of teams across various field locations, ensuring community involvement in all phases of the project cycle.
• 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 vulnerability criteria and duplication is avoided.
• Develop program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks, beneficiary targeting and distribution process as well as WASH, and psychosocial.
• Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective MEL systems to reach desired impacts.
• Fulfill Mercy Corps Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps' Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.

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 via regular performance reviews.
• Hire, orient and supervise 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

• 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.
• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.
• Build and/or maintain operational systems that ensure proper administrative support for programs.
• Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.

Influence & Representation

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.
• Represent Mercy Corps programs with national and international media and participate in community activities as appropriate.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.
• Actively engage with Safety & Security Advisor to maintain constant understanding of contextual dynamics and map out drivers of conflict.

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

MEL Team, Humanitarian Program Team, Reporting & Program Support Officer

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Deputy Country Director

Works Directly With: Operations Director, Regional Program Team, Technical Support Unit, SRGE team, and additional headquarters-based support departments as needed.

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/S or equivalent in relevant field required;
• 5-7 years of field experience in international relief and development programs, including demonstrable success in managing development programs in transitional environments.
• 5 years of senior-level leadership, capacity building and field management experience.
• Demonstrated success working effectively and respectfully with host country government, private sector, INGO, NGO partners and other stakeholders in complex environments.
• Proven skills in financial and grants management; prior experience with emergency response grant management for both private and institutional donors desired.
• Knowledge of SPHERE and other humanitarian programming standards.
• Successful and proven negotiation, communication and organization skills.
• Excellent oral and written English skills required; proficiency in Somali language is a plus.
• Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.
• Ability to work in a sometimes solitary environment with moderate to high levels of insecurity and significant restrictions on personal movement.
• Demonstrated ability to work in complex programming and volatile environments**Success Factors**

The successful Team Leader will skillfully represent programmatic priorities of the agency to donors and regional partners while providing effective leadership to the Mercy Corps program team in the transitional response environment. S/he will be capable of multi-tasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building. The Team Leader will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level. Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority. S/he will be able to live and work closely with a diverse team of individuals in a highly intense and fluid work and security environment with demonstrated sensitivity to the people and issues in Somalia and the region. A sense of humor, team mentality and positive nature is highly desirable.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Mercy Corps Somali field offices (Mogadishu, Galkayu, Kismayu, Baidoa) and it requires up to (30%) travel to Nairobi, Kenya. Accommodation is provided in group housing. The Team Leader will support activities throughout Somalia. Mobility in Somalia is restricted and must first be cleared with the Security Advisor. This is an unaccompanied post and eligible for Hardship and R&R. Standard Somali workweek is Sunday – Thursday.

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.

PI98806846

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