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 / Department / Team Mercy Corps began working in Myanmar in 2008 to help communities recover from Cyclone Nargis. Our goal is to enable communities to determine their future through food and water security, inclusive and equitable access to economic opportunity, climate change resilience, and equal rights leading to peace and prosperity. We approach our work through a resilience lens, to ensure households and communities can manage the shocks and stresses that threaten these outcomes. The Position This position plays a critical role amongst Mercy Corps Myanmar (MCM)โs Senior Management Team by providing leadership and support in program development and reporting, ensuring donor compliance and quality submissions. The role will work closely with the Director of Programs, the Country Director and the broader Senior Management Team in growing the MCM portfolio in a responsible manner, guided by Mercy Corps Myanmarโs Country Strategy. This includes preparing for and identifying new funding opportunities and translating these opportunities into winning proposals for new programs to strategically connect into a cohesive country portfolio. The role will also support Program leads in delivering timely and high-quality reporting to donors.. Essential Responsibilities New Business Development
Lead on concept note and proposal development in close collaboration with the Director of Programs (DoP) and program teams.
Coordinate key proposal development functions, including but not limited to donor outreach, review of calls, preparation and facilitation of program design workshops, partnership building, pre-bid assessments, teaming agreements, drafting of relevant sections, at times also recruitment and management of external consultants.
Integrate partnersโ contributions and technical reviews into proposals, ensuring high quality submissions which meet all donors and MC internal requirements.
Communicate regularly with the Desk and TSU to agree on proposal development timeframes and update on progress and support required.
Support the Country Director and Director of Programs in the exploration, evaluation and presentation of new project funding opportunities and establishment of new partnerships. Track new potential project opportunities from known and new donors, including pre-positioning wherever possible.
Maintain a country-level proposal development and donor relation tracker
Participate in the evaluation of program priorities within the Program Reporting and Communication
Coordinate report preparation activities, including information collection from field-based teams to write, and submit high quality reports at donor-instructed frequency, including ad hoc reports. Ensure all reports successfully convey program successes and challenges and are presented to Mercy Corps Desk in a timely manner in order to meet donor reporting deadlines.
Work with MEL Manager to analyze, manage, and visualize indicator and monitoring data to effectively and creatively illustrate program progress and findings for donor/external actors.
Spearhead opportunities for thought leadership and increased visibility including video/fact sheet production, position papers, and other related initiatives leveraging evidence from programs.
Provide timely, thorough responses to information requests from internal and external sources including donors, coordination mechanisms, and partners.
Participate in donor meetings, providing requested inputs, taking notes, and ensuring all action items are completed. Grants Management and Program Compliance
Work closely with Finance, MEL teams, and RPT to ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations (including [email protected] minimum standards).
Liaise with Mercy Corps HQ to prepare donor requests for review and approval of program activities, budget revision requests, and other initiatives that require donor approval within the parameters of the award.
Communicate compliance expectations, donor policy updates/changes, and other relevant guidance to team members and partners and assist in the development of strategies to adhere to such guidance, as appropriate. Supervisory ResponsibilityNone. However, and depending on the situation, ad hoc line management of team members might be required. Accountability Reports Directly To: Director of ProgramsWorks Directly With: Country Director, Country MEL Manager, Programme and MEL team members, Operations and Finance team members, TSU teams, MC Desks, Regional Advisors as required. Accountability to Participants and StakeholdersMercy 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
A masterโs degree in relevant subject such as international relations, international development, peace & conflict studies, etc.
4+ years of experience program design, development, reporting, grants management, compliance and/or monitoring and evaluation.
A successful track record of developing winning proposals.
Experience working with various donor agencies (BHA, FCDO, ECHO, UN incl UNOPS, UNICEF, CBPF, etc..) in the humanitarian, peacebuilding and or/development sectors.
Interest and motivation to use data as a key foundation for program quality.
An ability to adapt, be flexible and get things done without having direct line management over projects.
Strong writing skills and excellent analytical abilities.
Excellent ability to develop and maintain personal relationships with a variety of stakeholders.
Fluency in English is required; local Myanmar languages are an asset.
Culturally sensitive, with experience working in Myanmar and/or Asia a plus..Success Factors The successful candidate will be proactive, creative and a problem solver. Ability to work under pressure, independently and with limited supervision. Highly developed interpersonal communication skills. Demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members of varied experiences and work styles, follow procedures, and meet deadlines. Deep commitment to humanitarian principles and values. Proven ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and be accountable for results. S/he has commitment to working with a multi-cultural team and managing difficult situations with high levels of emotional and professional maturity, and ability to maintain a sense of humor in stressful situations. Living Conditions / Environmental ConditionsThe team is flexible on working location for this role and can accommodate remote-work, depending on adequate time-zone coverage with Myanmar and legal working status in selected country. The decision will be made on a case-by-case basis alongside HR depending on the profile of the selected applicant.
Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY 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 at all times and in all in-country venues. 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 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 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.