Deputy Chief of Party - DRC

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 Mercy Corps has been operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since August 2007, with a staff of around 400 people and programs focused in Eastern Congo in North and South Kivu, with the overall country goal to support vulnerable communities through crises, while fostering programs that build resilience and promote long-term change. Mercy Corps’ key programming areas include a combination of longer-term development and immediate humanitarian response programs in order to: 1) Improve water service delivery and ensuring equitable access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene services, in urban and rural areas; 2) Improve food security and nutrition; 3) Promote diversified livelihoods, economic recovery and development. All Mercy Corps interventions in DRC are implemented in a conflict and gender sensitive manner.Mercy Corps is seeking a Deputy Chief of Party (DCoP) to lead the implementation of the five-year USAID-funded Partnership for Development in Eastern Congo (P-DEC). The program is designed to contribute to peace and stabilization through integrated activities that work with local institutions to promote peace and facilitate a transition from humanitarian to development assistance in key areas of eastern Congo. P-DEC is building resilience to conflict in target communities by transforming the inter-related socio-economic and environmental dynamics that perpetuate crises.

General Position Summary The DCoP will provide technical leadership and strategic management to all program areas. He/she will oversee the strategic planning and implementation of all program interventions, ensuring efficient approaches for the program to meet its targets and deliverables on-time and within budget. The DCoP, working closely with the COP, will contribute to overall leadership, management and strategic vision to the implementation of the PDEC. The DCOP will be designated Acting COP in the COP’s absence and represent the program to donors, relevant government entities, partners, other implementers and stakeholders.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision

• Support the COP in steering the program vision and strategy.
• Lead the identification and development of program adaptations that foster and/or improve strategic objectives of the program.
• Play a proactive role in giving traction to program interventions anticipating and troubleshooting in a timely manner.

  Program Management

  • Oversee the technical and implementation of all program activities working closely with program managers in supporting the design of technically sound methodologies grounded in resilience programming.
  • Working with program area managers, lead the development of the program detailed implementation plan ensuring activity sequencing, layering, and integration and oversee efficient implementation or program interventions.
  • Ensure that various analyses and studies conducted in the framework of the program effectively inform activity design and implementation.
  • Working with the COP, ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
  • 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.
  • Confirm beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to transparent criteria.
  • Oversee P-DEC’s grant funds for CSOs and Private Sector Engagement.
  • Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate. Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.
  • Ensure program strategies and activities represent global good practice for peace and stabilization initiatives.
  • Supervise and/or review the work of technical advisors and program consultants.
  • Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.

    Team Management

    • Oversee the program’s teams, develop team members’ capacity, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
    • Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
    • Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
    • Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
    • Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.

      Finance & Compliance Management

      • Ensure compliance with donor 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.

        Influence & Representation

        • In coordination with the COP, represent the program and Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other relevant events, in consultation with the Country Director.
        • As deputized by the COP, coordinate activities with consortium partners, subgrantees, local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.

          Security

          • Work closely with the country team’s security focal point to continuously maintain systems that promote the safety and security of all team members.
          • Ensure that programs are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.

            Organizational Learning

            • As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

              Supervisory ResponsibilityThe P-DEC program area technical teams including managers, team leaders, and officers..

              Accountability Reports Directly To: CoP Works Directly With: Other P-DEC consortium staff, Country Director, Director of Programs, Other DRC Directors and Deputy Directors, HQ Regional Program Team, and HQ Technical Support Unit.

              Accountability to Beneficiaries Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

              Knowledge and Experience

              • MA/S or equivalent experience in development studies, international relations, agriculture, conflict management, economic development or other relevant field pertaining to rural development in conflict-affected settings.
              • Proven experience in Markets Systems Development in fragile contexts.
              • A minimum of 10 years relevant development experience.
              • At least 5 years in team management roles with demonstrated ability to build and foster an adaptive team culture and a record of accomplishment in inspiring teams.
              • At least 5 years in program administration and management roles, preferably in integrated, multi-sectoral programs of a similar size and scope ($20+ million). USAID- funded activities strongly preferred.
              • Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with implementing partners, host governments, donors, other donor-funded projects and stakeholders, and local organizations.
              • Experience with USAID rules, regulations and requirements is strongly preferred.
              • Experience working in Africa required.
              • Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and French fluency.

                Success Factors A successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members and other stakeholders of varied work styles and cultures, follow procedures and meet deadlines with flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving. 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 Conditions The DCoP is based in Goma. The location is unaccompanied. The position is entitled to individual housing. Air travel is necessary to get to the target program geographic areas of Beni and Mambasa as well as other places in the country. There are virtually no telephone landlines in the DRC, though mobile phones and cellular service are widely available. Internet is limited, but available in all Mercy Corps offices. Travel to field sites will be required (up to 50%) where living conditions are clean and secure, but basic. There are a number of health services available with several evacuation options for serious illnesses.Mercy Corps’ Field offices experience variable levels of insecurity, with the situation closely monitored by the security and other UN agencies. Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit 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 et all times and in all in-country.

                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

                Diversity, Equity & InclusionAchieving 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 OpportunityMercy 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 & EthicsMercy 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.