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 โ helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.
The Project / Department / Team In Colombia, Mercy Corps helps to build stronger, peaceful, and more productive communities. Mercy Corps is committed to supporting the implementation of Colombiaโs peace agreements as well as its Sustainable Development Goals through our projects. We currently work in the Antioquia, Bolรญvar, Cauca, Cesar, Nariรฑo, and Norte de Santander departments and have reached more than one million people in Colombia since 2005 through our humanitarian and development activities. Mercy Corps is seeking a qualified Chief of Party (CoP) to lead the anticipated, USDA-funded Food for Progress (FFPr) project in Colombia. Globally, FFPr provides for the donation of U.S. agricultural commodities to developing countries and emerging democracies committed to introducing and expanding free enterprise in the agricultural sector. Food for Progress has two high-level strategic objectives: (1) increase agricultural productivity, and (2) expand trade of agricultural products (domestically, regionally, and internationally.
The Position The CoP will provide major oversight of the proposed FFPr project in Colombia. The CoP will provide overall leadership, management, and strategic vision for the implementation of the anticipated project, ensuring that the project meets its targets and deliverables on time and within budget. The CoP will supervise all project 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 project with USDA and other donors, government entities, and all other partners and stakeholders. The FFPr project in Colombia is expected to be five years, with a start date around October 1, 2025.
Essential Responsibilities STRATEGY AND PLANNING
- Lead development of a vision and strategy for the FFPr project shared with the staff, consortium, and key stakeholders.
- Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
- Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions and resources to achieve objectives.
- Foster a culture of collaborating, learning, and adapting for effective implementation throughout the project lifecycle.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
- Oversee project management and administration for the duration of the project. Provide strategic guidance, oversight, and quality assurance for all project activities, outputs. and deliverables.
- Assume overall responsibility for the effective implementation of work plans and ensure delivery is on time, within budget, meets donor and stakeholder expectations, and is contractually compliant.
- Monitor implementation progress, maintain up-to-date logs of issues and risks, manage and mitigate risks, work to resolve issues, and escalate material issues, as appropriate.
- Ensure that project implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corpsโ relevant project guidelines, principles, values, quality standards, and strategic plan.
- Ensure project strategies and activities represent global good practice for agricultural development programming.
- Coordinate with Mercy Corpsโ administration, finance, human resources, logistics, procurement, and security teams to ensure operational systems support activities.
- Fulfill Mercy Corpsโ Project Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.
TEAM MANAGEMENT
- Oversee recruitment and onboarding of the project staff, including expatriates, national staff, and consultants.
- Promote staff accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one-on-one meetings and performance reviews.
- Supervise and manage all project staff to ensure day-to-day activities are implemented in a coordinated fashion according to schedule, budget, and quality.
- Supervise and manage all project partnerships to ensure effective coordination.
- 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.
- Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
FINANCE & COMPLIANCE
- Ensure compliance with USDA and Mercy Corpsโ policies and regulations.
- Create and maintain systems to ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with project, donor, and Mercy Corpsโ needs.
- Ensure sound financial management, including programmatic budgeting, spending projections, and monitoring of payments in compliance with USDA standards.
INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION
- Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO, and other relevant events, in close coordination with the Country Director.
- Coordinate activities with partners, local government, and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.
RISK MANAGEMENT
- Collaborate with country leadership to support preparedness and response to major disruptive events.
- Work closely with the country teamโs security focal point to develop and maintain systems that promote the safety and security of all team members.
- Ensure that projects are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.
Supervisory ResponsibilitySupervise the FFPr Colombia project team. The number of direct and indirect reports will be determined prior project startup.
Accountability Reports Directly To: Country Director, ColombiaWorks Directly With: Regional and Country Leadership Teams; Regional Programs Team; Global and Regional Technical Resources and Quality Unit; other CoPs; other Mercy Corps projects in Colombia; and country finance, operations, and technical teams.
Accountability to Participants and StakeholdersMercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our project 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
- Masterโs degree in a relevant field such as agricultural economics, crop science, development studies, etc.
- Minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in the successful implementation of international development activities, with preference given to agricultural development, export and trade promotion, and food security programming โ at least five (5) years of which must be in senior project management roles that included direct supervision of project teams.
- Experience working on USDA Food for Progress or similar projects is highly preferred. If not with USDA, experience with high-profile U.S. government donors is required.
- Experience in strengthening the capacity of staff and partner organizations.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills. Demonstrated ability to think strategically and communicate a project vision to staff, partners, and key stakeholders.
- Excellent interpersonal and networking skills, and ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders, including government officials, NGO partners, private sector actors, and local communities.
- Internationally recognized qualification in project management or a commitment to obtain the qualification in the early months of work.
- Fluency in spoken and written English and Spanish is required.
Success Factors The successful CoP will combine exceptional team management skills and experience in maintaining donor and partner relationships. They will have an outstanding ability to develop, implement, and manage innovative projects within the current and future structure of Mercy Corps in the region. They will also have proven experience with cross-cultural teams and capacity building, individual staff development, and strong mentoring skills. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving, and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision are essential. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.
Living Conditions / Environmental ConditionsThe position is based in Bogotรก and requires up to 40% travel to other regions of Colombia, which may include insecure locations where freedom of movement and amenities are limited. Bogotรก is a modern city with high-quality services available and a high standard of living. For international candidates, housing for this role is in individual housing (expatriate benefits are available only for non-Colombian hires).
Ongoing LearningIn 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
Team Efficiency and Effectiveness Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work. We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.
Equal Employment OpportunityMercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out different 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 & EthicsMercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, project 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.
As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline ([email protected]).