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 Team
The People Team ensures that Mercy Corps has the resources, systems, culture and support in place to drive an ambitious global mission while ensuring our individual team members thrive. With the support and contributions of the individual units, including Global Talent Acquisition, Global Human Resources, Systems and Analytics, Total Rewards, People Operations, and Gender, Diversity and Inclusion (GDI), the People Team seeks to foster and achieve fulfilled, equitable, inclusive, diverse, and high performing global teams. We do this through recruiting and retaining the best global talent and shaping this talent into our future leaders through equitable development opportunities, and then by driving strategic partnership at all levels of the organization. We steward the organizational culture through our systems, structure, and processes and align conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion, wellbeing, total rewards, learning and safeguarding priorities; and connect all of this to our core operations and overall mission.
The Position
The Talent Acquisition Advisor is a critical part of the Global Talent team and supports all Mercy Corpsโ global recruitment efforts, with specific focus on US and HQ hiring by providing full-cycle talent acquisition and recruitment support. This person should be highly ambitious, an exceptional relationship builder and strategic planner, and someone who employs creative approaches to source talent.
As part of the Global Talent Acquisition team, this individual is responsible for identifying exceptional talent to advance Mercy Corpsโ mission. The role has three primary areas of focus; first, work with key stakeholders to anticipate and plan for upcoming people needs; second, oversee and manage full-cycle recruitment, including designing and implementing effective strategies; lastly, build collaborative internal relationships and effective external networks.
The Talent Advisor will increase Mercy Corpsโ talent pool to ensure the agencyโs global talent is representative of the communities we serve and is able to respond to the changing needs of the organization. This person will implement industry โbest practicesโ to recruit for individuals who are aligned with the organizational culture while building Mercy Corps as an employer of choice.
Essential Responsibilities
STRATEGY AND PLANNING
Partner with field leaders and other HQ teams to anticipate future talent needs and proactively take action in advance of talent needs for the Americas region and globally.Ensure consistent communication with Regional Director and regional/global leadership to stay mutually informed on talent activities and needs.Advance the agencyโs aim to have a global team that is representative of the places we work.Track and identify innovative trends in international talent acquisition, particularly in the international humanitarian aid sector.Identify areas of opportunity to strengthen Talent and broader People functions and proactively offer recommendations.FULL CYCLE RECRUITMENT
Take ownership for building and maintaining productive partnerships with field leadership and HQ team particularly at regional level to plan for future talent needs.Increase internal and external talent pools within the region.Provide responsive, high-quality service to candidates with additional care for internal or former team members.Expand the capacity of hiring teams to identify talent via improved interview skills & ability to specify critical needs.Manage the Americas and US/HQ recruitment portfolio including full lifecycle talent acquisition activities for roles within the region and globally as needed.Pivot focus as needed to support rapid growth or proposal bid recruitment including in-country Short Term Assignment (STA).Support recruitment for senior national roles as appropriate through strategy development or actual recruitment.Support the development of tools to ensure national recruitment processes are aligned with global Mercy Corps practices and consistent with local labor context.Revise position descriptions and advertise positions through JobVite on Mercy Corpsโ website and on external portals.Shortlist candidates based on established criteria and present them to the hiring manager.Conduct phone interviews and provide summary notes to hiring managers, then work with hiring manager to determine which candidates to invite for further interviews.Support hiring teams in drafting interview guides, scoring rubrics, and other interview materials.Follow Mercy Corps established approval process to negotiate offers.Utilize applicant tracking system (Jobvite) to manage recruitment from requisition to hire, ensuring compliance with Mercy Corps practices and applicable state and federal laws.COLLABORATION & NETWORKING
Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with talent sources in the region(s) assigned including technical networks, thought leaders, academic institutions.Assist in promoting Mercy Corps as an employer of choice by attending events, promoting through social media, job boards and developing talent communities.Build effective partnerships with internal stakeholders to support current needs and develop plans for future needs.Collaborate with all members of the People team to develop best practices, promote continuous improvement, and foster information/idea sharing.Understand the operational impact of this role within the broader context of the organization, with a particular appreciation on the interdependency of effective HR practices and interdepartmental collaboration.Communicate in a manner that is results-oriented and facilitates cross-functional partnerships.Develop meaningful relationships with leadership teams that facilitate joint problem solving and strategic planning.Supervisory Responsibility
None.
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Global Talent Acquisition Manager
Works Directly With: Global Talent Acquisition Team, Global People Team, National HR Teams, Hiring teams across the organization.
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 Qualifications & Transferable Skills
Bachelorโs degree or equivalent in a relevant field.5+ years of experience with recruitment and talent acquisition related activities.Experience with successful sourcing strategies for globally representative and diverse candidates.Demonstrated experience working in a high-volume and complex recruitment environment.Proficiency in MS Office, internet searching, and applicant tracking systems and use of social media for sourcing talent - JobVite and UKG experience a plus!Experience or interest in broader HR business partner activities as this role requires close partnerships across the People team.Demonstrated interest in staffing and talent planning in international relief and development environments.Ability to communicate, influence and problem solve effectively across diverse cultures and geographical distances with sensitivity.Success Factors
The successful Talent Acquisition Advisor will be a quick learner who is excited to jump into a fast paced and high volume recruitment atmosphere. The Advisor will be excited to learn the complexities of Mercy Corpsโ hiring process and be flexible yet have an astute attention to detail and process. They will possess the ability to prioritize and manage multiple recruitments simultaneously, while remaining committed to providing quality support and communication to our candidates and hiring teams. They will be interested, resilient, possess the ability to problem solve and make decisions while asking questions when needed. A commitment to delivering exceptional service, while also finding joy in this work and the mission of Mercy Corps is critical for success.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position is fully remote, but the employee must be based within the United States, Colombia, or Guatemala. This position will require up to 25% travel to the field and other HQ offices where living conditions may be exceptionally rugged or be in volatile environments where security protocols will need to be followed. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
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 worldโs 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, 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 & 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 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 e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
As a safeguarding measure, Mercy Corps screens all potential US-Based employees. This is done following the conclusion of recruitment and prior to assuming full employment.
Our screening process is designed to be transparent and completed in partnership with new Team Members. You will have the opportunity to disclose any prior convictions at the conclusion of the recruitment process before the check is initiated. We ask that you do not disclose any prior convictions in your application materials or during the recruitment process.
Covid-19 Vaccine Policy for US-Based Employees
Mercy Corps has determined that, in an effort to protect the health, safety, and well-being of all Mercy Corps employees working in the United States, all U.S.-based employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, regardless of prior COVID-19 infection status. This policy is necessary to ensure not only the safety of our workforce, but the ongoing functionality of the organization.
This policy will be revised as needed to comply with federal, state, and local requirements, and to respond to changing guidance from public health authorities.
For new employees this requirement goes into effect within 10 business days of employment. Team members that travel are expected to comply with host-country requirements, including vaccinations. Failure to comply may impact your employment. Proof of vaccination or exemption must be provided.