Chief of Party, New Civil Society Activity, Kyrgyzstan

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. Program / Department Summary
Working to meet the needs of Kyrgyz citizens since 1994, last year Mercy Corps reached over 250,000 people across the country. Our programming focuses on improving child nutrition, increasing access to hygiene and sanitation, and driving agriculture development. Historically, we have worked with Kyrgyz communities to build peace and improve local governance. Mercy Corps strategy for 2024-27 in Kyrgyzstan aims at enhancing access to food, water, and natural resources, while improving governance and conflict management capacity in vulnerable rural areas for resilient and inclusive communities. Mercy Corps is seeking a Chief of Party (COP) to lead an anticipated five-year USAID-funded New Civil Society Activity. The activity is anticipated to focus on increasing citizen engagement and civil society resilience in Kyrgyzstan on citizen prioritized initiatives.

The Position The COP will provide overall leadership, management, and strategic vision for the implementation of the anticipated Activity, ensuring the program meets its targets and deliverables on time and within budget. They will supervise all program staff and ensure accountability to Mercy Corps policies as well as all donor rules and regulations. The COP will be the primary representative for the program with stakeholders including USAID, government entities, and all other partners. Essential Responsibilities
STRATEGY AND VISION ● Provide overall technical and administrative leadership and expertise. ● Responsible for administering and managing the implementation of the activity and has the overall responsibility for assuring that all assistance provided is technically sound and appropriate to meet activity objectives. ● Lead the development of a shared vision and strategy for the program with the program team and key stakeholders. ● Play an active role in identifying and developing new initiatives that foster and/or improve strategic objectives of the program and the country office. ● Integrate and embrace all voices into shared strategies for inclusive, peaceful, and responsive governance. PROGRAM MANAGEMENT ● Oversee program management and administration for the duration of the program. ● Develop a culture of adaptive management based on evidence and learning. ● Ensure implementation is on time, target, and budget, using effective monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems to assess impact. ● 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. ● Develop equitable partnership frameworks, partner agreements/Memorandum of Understandings, and oversee capacity building for partners. ● Integrate locally-driven priorities and approaches, gender sensitivity, and capacity building into all activities, as appropriate. Certify that all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and program participant accountability standards. ● Ensure program strategies and activities represent global good practice for systems thinking, resilience, peacebuilding, and governance approaches. ● Coordinate with procurement, logistics, security, administration, and human resources teams to ensure operational systems support field activities. ● Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide. TEAM MANAGEMENT ● Oversee recruitment and onboarding of program staff and consultants. ● Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of staff roles, and assist with career development. ● Provide team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance and reach objectives. ● Promote staff accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one-on-one meetings and performance reviews. ● Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence. ● Support Mercy Corps global and regional initiatives for human resources, including safeguarding and diversity, and talent development. REPRESENTATION ● Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO, and other relevant forums in close coordination with the Country Director. ● Coordinate activities with consortium partners, subgrantees, government and other implementers as well as with other Mercy Corps programs. ● Serve as an active contributor and collaborator with regional and global counterparts to promote best practices. ● Maintain close working relationships with counterparts in other organizations and local CSO networks in Kyrgyzstan. FINANCE & COMPLIANCE ● Ensure compliance with USAID and Mercy Corps’ regulations. ● Create and maintain systems to ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with program, donor, and Mercy Corps’ needs. ● Ensure sound financial management, including programmatic budgeting, spending projections, and monitoring of payments in compliance with USAID standards. SECURITY & RISK MANAGEMENT ● Collaborate with country leadership to support preparedness and response to major disruptive events. ● Work closely with the country team’s security focal point to develop and maintain systems that promote the safety and security of all team members. ● Ensure that activities are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security. Supervisory Responsibility Supervise the New Civil Society Activity Team. The number of direct and indirect reports will be determined at a later stage. Accountability Reports Directly To: Country Director, Kyrgyzstan Works Directly With: Activity Team, Regional Directors, Country Director, Director of Programs, MEL Manager, HR, finance and operations teams, HQ and Regional Programs Team, and HQ Technical Support Unit Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging program participant communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects. Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills ● Minimum of 5 years of experience in a senior management position, preferably for medium ($15+ million) and complex USAID-funded activities; previous experience in similar roles (Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, or Program Director) preferred. ● Experience managing diverse multi-lingual teams located in different geographic locations, with experience in Central Asia preferred. ● Familiarity with USAID rules, regulations, and requirements.