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 / Team

Since 1986, Mercy Corps has helped Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza access critical services and become more economically self-sufficient focusing its interventions on WASH, community crisis resilience, economic opportunities, and cash programming. With funding from BHA and ECHO Mercy Corps has been able to work together with communities in the West Bank and Gaza to respond to these needs. The escalation of conflict that began on October 7, 2023, has sharply exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the region. Mercy Corps is actively working to respond to the crisis and restart our humanitarian programs in Gaza where team members there are committed to significantly ramping up much needed lifesaving aid as soon as it is safe to do so.

General Position Summary

The Emergency Response Team Leader is responsible for leading all aspects of the design, planning, coordination and implementation of our Emergency Response for the Gaza and West Bank responses. Sector focus will depend on further assessment, but may likely include, food and non-food Items distribution, cash programming and livelihoods, WASH. This position includes overall management of daily activities and management of 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 country program start up and the emergency response programming.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY & VISION

• Support senior management in developing the strategic direction of the overall response.
• Write and maintain Mercy Corps Gaza and West Bank Strategy and Emergency Response Plan.
• Lead and implement the response strategy in Gaza, in collaboration and coordination with the Palestine team and the support of regional response team members.
• Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support.
• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Oversee program startup and/or ongoing program management and administration of team members.
• 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 the program participants are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.
• Develop program implementation strategies for each relevant sector, including partnership frameworks, beneficiary targeting and/or distribution processes.
• Ensure program implementation is on time, target, and budget, using effective M&E 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

• 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 AND REPRESENTATION

• Lead all aspects of the registration process in Egypt.
• Identify, build, and manage partnerships with partners, donors, local governments, and other stakeholders.
• Represent Mercy Corps with national and international media and participate in community activities, as appropriate.

SECURITY

• Develop and ensure compliance with security procedures and policies.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Supervisory Responsibility

• Emergency Response Team: Emergency Program Manager, Emergency Operations Manager, Egypt Team Leader.
• Seconded temporary emergency response staff and consultants.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Country Director

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

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/BS degree in a relevant field.
• Minimum of 5 to 7 years senior management experience in the INGO sector, including experience in program management including emergency response.
• Strategic and innovative thinker with advanced analytic skills
• Strong representation and negotiation skills
• Sound knowledge of donor standards and procedures.
• Proven supervisory ability and/or technical skills combined with leadership.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues in a diversified multi-cultural and multi-ethnic working environment.
• Skills in managing, organizing, planning, and implementing assigned tasks under pressure of frequent and tight schedules.
• Strong ability to apply good judgment and decision-making skills in difficult and complex working environments.
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills in handling management and coordination issues at country program level.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, organizational, prioritization and Microsoft Office applications.
• Excellent oral and written English skills required.
• Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.

Success Factors

The successful Emergency Response Team Leader will skillfully represent programmatic priorities of the agency to government, donors and regional partners while providing effective leadership to the Mercy Corps program team in the transitional response environment. They will be capable of multitasking, 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.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Jerusalem, and it requires up to 40% travel to Gaza, West Bank, Jordan, Egypt to support teams and country programs, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. Housing for this role is in individual housing, staff will have access to good medical services, and the living situation is of a moderate standard.

This is an unaccompanied position.

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.