Program Officer, Asia – UK or Netherlands
JOB DETAIL
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 is powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
Mercy Corps Europe (MCE) has grown rapidly in terms of volume of activity and complexity. With offices in Edinburgh, London, Geneva and The Hague, we now attract over £90m in income. The breadth and impact of our program makes Mercy Corps a unique and truly rewarding place to work. Our teams are proud of what we achieve in the country program and we are always looking for talented individuals who share our passion and commitment.
The Department
Mercy Corps’ current operations in the Asia region focus on 11 countries (Afghanistan, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Timor-Leste, Thailand, and Uzbekistan). These are a disparate collection of countries with many different challenges and opportunities. Mercy Corps’ past and present activities in the region include: humanitarian response, large- and small-scale conflict mitigation through market systems development, health awareness campaigns for TB eradication and mother and child health; education; nutrition; agribusiness and natural resource management; vocational training and job creation; renewable energy development; financial inclusion; technical assistance to governments and citizens for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR); and water and sanitation work targeting vulnerable populations.
The Position
The Program Officer (PO) will support strategic, impactful, and high-quality programming in the Asia and Europe region (country portfolio to be determined).
Reporting to the Senior Program Officer, the PO supports the SPO, the Regional Director (RD), the Deputy Regional Director (DRD), and other senior regional leaders and Country Offices in many aspects of their country program with European donor business development and grant administration. The PO plays a key role in connecting the country teams to HQ resources/stakeholders and represents the country/regional interests internally with various HQ teams as well as with external stakeholders, including donors. The PO works with the Senior Program Officer (SPO), DRD, RD and other regional leaders to provide the secondary check and support country teams (ultimate point of responsibility) in adhering to internal and external policies and regulations. The PO also provides guidance to the Assistant Program Officer (APO) and helps with the administration that is necessary for robust and accountable grant management. The PO furthermore plays an important role in supporting the SPO in rolling out agency-wide initiatives in countries in the region.
Candidates should have a track record in international relief and development, along with proven experience of managing the development, implementation, administration and compliance of European-funded awards. The successful candidate will possess excellent planning, communication and organizational skills, have a keen eye for detail, be proactive and flexible in their work, and possess the ability to develop strong relationships with colleagues across the agency, both at HQ level and in the field.
Essential Responsibilities
GRANT & AWARD MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAMME SUPPORT
- The PO is the HQ point of responsibility for the management of their portfolio of awards. This includes overall monitoring of awards/program for external/donor requirements as well as Mercy Corps’ internal policies and requirements. The PO provides ongoing monitoring of the status of program and complete regular check-ins on grant requirements (such as co-financing, budget versus actuals, data aggregation, etc.).
- The PO supports country teams to adhere to donor rules and regulations as stipulated in donor agreements, as well as to adhere to Mercy Corps internal policies and Program Management minimum standards.
- In addition to working with country and regional teams, the PO works closely with HQ departments including International Finance and Compliance to ensure effective management of their grant portfolio. The PO is the key donor point of contact on specific country portfolios and maintains strong donor relationships on existing program to contribute to their effective implementation and position Mercy Corps for future funding opportunities.
- The PO reviews and contributes to high quality reports and other donor deliverables. This includes advising country teams on formats for donor reporting and defines timelines to review, edit and input to donor reports submitted in accordance with the agency’s Reporting Standard Operating Procedures and in adherence to deadlines set out in the grant agreement/contract.
- Supports with the maintenance of program documentation and ensures Mercy Corps’ grant managements database is updated for their portfolio of awards. Ensure compliance with Mercy Corps systems, processes and tools in the delivery of programs.
NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT – CONCEPT & PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT
- The PO supports country teams to track and preposition for relevant new business opportunities – working closely with New Initiatives and the Strategic Institutional Partnerships (SIP) Team.
- The PO leads HQ coordination for proposals and concept notes, ensuring that they are developed in adherence to defined Mercy Corps Global and regional processes. Throughout the proposal process, the PO monitors the timeline, status of proposal, provides input into the design, and communicates to the relevant parties as appropriate.
- The PO provides critical review of drafts for coherence and to ensure the application meets the relevant donor requirements and submission standards and manages submission.
- The PO may be asked to take on lead writing responsibilities or may be appointed a different role in the design process from time to time, including travel to the field to help with the design phase, needs assessment and partner coordination.
- The PO works closely with other departments in the development of new proposals or concept notes. For example, the PO will coordinate with the finance department for the development of a realistic and cost-effective budget or with the compliance department to ensure that any due diligence requirements are adhered to.
- The PO ensures the application adheres to the donor requirements and provides input and guidance to the process to ensure eligibility, coherence, and relevance.
EXTERNAL REPRESENTATION
- With guidance from the SPO, RD, DRD, Country Directors and other relevant stakeholders, the PO represents regional interests and programs with external stakeholders as required.
STRATEGY, PLANNING & LEARNING
- With guidance from the SPO, the PO supports country teams with strategy development and planning to adhere to internal strategies and donor priorities in the region. The PO facilitates learning across country portfolios and regions and shares lessons learned and knowledge of agency resources/tools/best practices/etc.
OTHER
- Internal Communication: In coordination with the APO, the PO supports internal communications and ensures knowledge management systems are up to date and accurate to support communication with other teams.
- Knowledge Management: In coordination with the APO, the PO ensures management of agency systems and adherence to HQ-related Program Management minimum standards, etc.
- Orientation: For new-hires visiting HQ, PO provides briefings on context, country strategy and programs prior to their departure as initial step in the on-boarding process. As requested, PO supports supervisors with on-boarding of new key country team members.
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Senior Program Officer.
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
- Educated to Bachelor’s level, or equivalent experience.
- English fluency required.
- 2-4 years of country-based experience in international relief and development; demonstrated knowledge of relevant sectoral and/or operational areas. Asia experience preferred.
- 2-4 years of experience managing the development, implementation, administration and compliance of awards; general program management experience preferred. Similar experience with commercial contracts is also preferred.
- Experience of proposal development with various donors, particularly European institutions (ECHO, EC, AFD, FCDO, Sida etc.), private foundations and corporations.
- Experience with monitoring and evaluation, and other learning efforts.
Success Factors
- Excellent planning and organizational skills.
- Proactive and able to work on own initiative.
- A problem solver, adept in successfully dealing with issues of complexity.
- Demonstrates the ability to mentor colleagues.
- A skilled communicator, able to develop and utilize strong relationships with staff, partners and donors at all levels.
- Able to harness the expertise, experience and ideas of colleagues and effectively use this to improve their own work and support that of others.
- Strong research and analytical skills.
- A skilled writer and synthesiser of diverse and complex information.
- A robust sense of humors is greatly appreciated.
- A demonstrable passion for, and a clear empathy with, the organization’s aims and values.
- Willingness and ability to travel internationally as required.
- Experience working in a multicultural environment and with teams set across different regions
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
This position is based in Edinburgh or London, UK or The Hague, NL with some access to the office contingent on current COVID-19 sensitive policies and hybrid working policies.
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, colour, 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 e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
