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
Mercy Corps has created an Alumni Talent Pool to support leadership continuity, emergency response, and complex program start-up, by fast-tracking Mercy Corps alumni into temporary program and MEL leadership roles at level 6 and 7. The initiative focuses on matching qualified team members with urgent country-based needs, for short-term placements (in most cases, four months or less). This is an opportunity for senior program leaders that offers more professional and personal flexibility and access to diverse experiences.
Work Location: Any country which has a Mercy Corps Country office.
The Role
Mercy Corps alumni (employed within the last four years) qualified to fill program and MEL leadership roles, including Country Director, Emergency Response Lead, MEL Director/Lead, Deputy Country Director, Program Director, or Start-up Team Lead, will be eligible to join the Talent Pool. Once selected into the Pool, members will have quick access to exciting, short-term opportunities in countries where Mercy Corps operates. Between assignments, members will enjoy continued engagement with Mercy Corps and optional professional development and networking opportunities. Responsibilities and supervisory structures will vary depending on the type of assignment, including but not limited to:
Country Director
Responsible for managing programming, operations and security with supervisory responsibility over the country-based team. Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions and resources to achieve program and agency objectives.Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.Build and maintain operational systems that ensure proper administrative support for programs, as well as segregation of duties between finance and operations.Represent Mercy Corps programs with government, donors, partners and media.Emergency Response Lead
Manage all aspects of a rapid, high quality emergency response, including oversight of resources, operations, safety and security, and programmingNavigate humanitarian coordination systems and effectively represent Mercy Corps to government, donors and partners
Hire and supervise a senior management team and other response team members while modeling inclusive leadership
Oversee program quality and effectiveness by ensuring programs are based on assessment of emergency needs, sound design principles, robust technical quality and utilize Mercy Corps and donor required M&E systems.
Director of Programs/Program Director
Oversee program quality and impact by ensuring programs are based on sound design principles and utilize Mercy Corps and donor required M&E systems.
Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corpsโ Program Management policy and beneficiary accountability standards.
Provide support to program teams at key moments including program start-up, kick-off meetings, inception meeting check-ins, quality audits and spot checks, and end of program transition meetings.
Ensure technical excellence by connecting technical resources and support to in-country programming.
Develop and maintain effective processes to produce high quality donor deliverables and reports
Program MEL Lead, MEL Director:
Develop a comprehensive MEL team structure, align PDs to the teamโs requirements, manage recruitment, and ensure MEL resourcing.
Develop, maintain, improve and implement Activity Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plans; design, organize and implement MEL-related surveys and studies.
Working closely with senior management and other leads, develop and drive a learning culture promoting use of data for effective program adaptation, building skills and capacities as needed.
Establishing systems for capturing and presenting evidence of program impact to a wide range of stakeholders, including donors, government, peer agencies, and communities.
Work with senior management to address gaps in the M&E system that affect program implementation; oversee implementation of the MEL Policy standards.
MEL Tech Focus: Develop and implement MEL Technology plans for data collection, storage, analysis and visualization; establish effective data reporting, interpretation, and decision-making workflows.
MEL Tech Focus: Ensure program MEL Tech systems meet standards for responsible data and protection of PII.
MEL Tech Focus: Design and implement system improvements to improve timeliness or augment data through context monitoring or secondary data analysis.
Start-up Team Lead
Lead cross-functional collaboration to devise a project start-up strategy and plan for the inception phase of the project and/or new country program (first 3-6 months).
Ensure tools and tracking mechanisms are in place to accurately assess and communicate progress against the start-up work plan, resources (budget and personnel), and issues during start-up.
Work closely with the HR/Admin team on recruitment, orientation, and training new staff on MC policies and procedures.
Foster a culture of compliance and accountability among the team with regards to Mercy Corps, donor and government laws, policies, rules and regulations; socialize Program Management Minimum Standards and best practices.
Prepare a post-startup work plan to guide transition to regular program implementation.
When on assignment, members will be eligible for competitive salary and benefits. The eligible salary ranges and a description of all benefits associated with these short-term positions (including health care and insurance) will be provided for informational purposes to candidates meeting minimum requirements for the role.
The Process
Applications will be accepted and reviewed quarterly. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview process and to provide professional references; through which we will assess each candidateโs competency in four priority areas - inclusive people management, results-oriented program management, problem solving, and communication. For MEL roles, technical competencies will also be assessed through a written exercise. Those meeting the minimum qualifications and demonstrating competency in the priority areas will be invited to join the Pool.
Once selected into the Pool, members will provide information about their professional experience, qualifications, availability, and preferences. Pool members will then be matched to specific temporary employment opportunities (of 1-4 months) as hiring managers request support from the Talent Pool. Pool members will manage their own time and availability and will have the option to accept or decline any particular assignment.
For more information about the opportunity, you may consult our Frequently Asked Questions here: Alumni Talent Pool FAQ: English, Espaรฑol, Franรงais
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/S or equivalent in a relevant field required
At least 5 years of field experience in international relief and development programs
At least one year prior experience at the director-level
Prior experience with Mercy Corps within the last four years, as an employee and/or consultant (Should have worked with Mercy Corps for at least one year.)
Experience leading teams, managing performance of supervisees, and coaching/ mentoring staff
Professional level proficiency in at least one of Mercy Corpsโ working languages (English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian); proficiency in multiple languages is strongly preferred.
For MEL Roles: Demonstrated experience with building and managing M&E teams as well as M&E systems and tools, including surveys and evaluations. Demonstrated ability to analyze data, manage data quality, and visualize/report results for varied audiences.
For L7 (Country Director) roles: At least 5 years of senior-level leadership, capacity building and field management experience.
For L7 (Country Director) roles: Demonstrated success working effectively and respectfully with host country government, private sector, INGO, NGO partners and other stakeholders in complex environments.
Success Factors
Successful Talent Pool members are self-starters who are ready to dive into an assignment on short notice. They have a positive attitude, are adaptable to changing circumstances, and are focused on problem solving. They have good self awareness, and understand their personal strengths and development needs, which they continuously work on between assignments. Talent Pool members understand that it is a privilege to work in this sector, and bring this enthusiasm to all of their Mercy Corps assignments.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
Living conditions will depend on the location of assignment, but may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. Housing will depend on the assigned post, and will be specified in the position description.
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