Democratic Republic of the Congo: Deputy Country Director-Programs - DRC

PROGRAM/ DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Mercy Corps has been operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since August 2007, with a staff of around 250 people working in North and South Kivu. Mercy Corps' national office is in Goma with sub-field offices in Katwe, Mweso, Butembo (North Kivu), Bukavu (South Kivu). Current Mercy Corps activities focus on the provision of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services in camps of internally displaced people, but also large-scale WASH infrastructure and service delivery development in urban centres. Mercy Corps also has Food Security, Economic Recovery/Development and Governance programmes, with an increasing shift towards transitional and integrated development programming. The DRC team has a strong commitment to providing entrepreneurial and innovative solutions to development challenges, and is actively seeking and facilitating market-based solutions.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The Deputy Country Director - Programs (DCD - P) will work closely with the Country Director (CD) and the program teams to lead new program development and strategy, and ensure effective program coordination and technical support, monitoring and evaluation, quality assurance and accountability in close collaboration with the operations, finance and internal control teams. The position will be based in Goma with frequent travel to Kinshasa and field sites. S/he will help represent the Mercy Corps program to donors, major stakeholders (including those from the private sector), relevant government authorities and other program partners such as the Clusters and other NGOs.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Strategy and Vision

• Be an active member of the Country Leadership Team and contribute to setting country program and operations strategy and priorities.
• Lead the development of Annual Plan.

Program Development

• In coordination with the Country Director, Regional Program Director, Program Directors,, Program Managers, Technical Advisors and other relevant personnel and counterparts, lead the identification of new initiatives and opportunities that respond to identified needs and the country strategy;
• Plan and lead assessments to better understand needs for program design and to further develop DRC's country strategy;
• Conduct analyses to determine humanitarian/development gaps and how Mercy Corps should position itself to best serve the needs of beneficiaries;
• Lead the development of solicited and unsolicited proposals and concept notes.

Coordination and Representation

• Establish close and productive relationships with donors, national government authorities, private sector actors, and cluster members (UN and NGO) in Goma/Kinshasa etc., in close coordination with the Country Director, Heads of Offices, and Program Directors;
• Represent Mercy Corps at all relevant coordination meetings in Goma/Kinshasa (Head of Mission, Clusters, Humanitarian Advocacy Group), and increasingly play a lead role in other advocacy and coordination bodies;
• Coordinate with other NGOs in the DRC to consolidate Mercy Corps' strategic niche and comparative advantages, while identifying strategic partnerships;
• Share Country Director's Interims with the Operations Director during the Country Director's absence (25% to 40% of the time on average).

Program Coordination

• Provide leadership in all aspects of program coordination to ensure consistent quality, including the incorporation of cross-cutting themes, lessons learned and best practices;
• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and aligned with Mercy Corps principles, values and strategic roadmap and country strategy;
• Work with Program Managers to monitor adherence to grant agreements, Mercy Corps policies and procedures and relevant external rules and regulations;
• Support Program Managers to oversee performance of partners, sub-grantees, and technical contractors;
• Conduct field visits to all project sites for monitoring, quality control and program staff mentoring and coaching.

Program Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

• Ensure that robust design, monitoring, evaluation and learning (DMEL) and quality assurance and control (QAC) systems are in place, adhered to and used as a decision-making tool, encouraging consistency and best practice across programs;
• Ensure that the DMEL and QAC teams in DRC are actively linked to those at HQ to ensure that global indicators and practices are considered and adhered to where necessary;
• Provide ongoing training and guidance to staff on M&E best practices.

Program Minimal Standards and Reporting

• Ensure that program documentation and program minimal standards are consistently adhered to and that comprehensive dashboards are provided;
• Ensure that a comprehensive reporting schedule is maintained and adhered to according to requirements;
• Provide reporting review and/or support to and as required.

Program Support Operations

• Work closely with the DCD - Operations and Finance Director to ensure that operational and financial management systems are responsive to program needs and that program staff are adhering to both donor and Mercy Corps procedures and regulations.

Security

• Ensure that programs are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security management priorities.

Other

• Conduct him/herself professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Other duties as assigned.

ACCOUNTABILITY:

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards 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.

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 RESPONSIBILITY: Program Managers (currently 2 Program Managers), DMEL Director, Gender Advisor, Grants Officer/Manager, Communications Officer. Functional line with Complex Program Directors (currently 2) for program quality

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Country Director

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Department Heads, DRC country program, finance, internal control, operational staff; HQ Regional Program Team; Technical Support Unit

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• BA/S or equivalent in social science, management, international development or other relevant field. MA/S preferred.
• At least 8 years of overseas experience including at least 4 years in a senior management position.
• Experience managing humanitarian relief and/or transitional programs in areas affected by conflict and insecurity.
• Previous experience working in francophone Africa.
• Proven track record in proposal writing and development.
• Experience managing programs in relevant technical area(s) including Water and Sanitation, Food Security, Economic Recovery, Environment, Livelihoods, Financial Services, and/or services for Internally Displaced Persons. Strong understanding of conflict sensitive program mainstreaming would be a key advantage;
• Strong M&E skills.
• Knowledge of major donor requirements and compliance issues.
• Strong management skills with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
• Fluent written and oral communication in French and English is critical and required.
• Solid knowledge of security protocols and ability to work effectively in an insecure environment.

SUCCESS FACTORS:

The successful DCD - P will have senior level experience in coordinating and managing programs in complex areas affected by conflict and insecurity. S/he will have exceptional program development and proposal writing skills, and an outstanding ability to design, implement and manage innovative programs that respond to current needs and reinforce the future program structure of Mercy Corps in the region. S/he will have proven experience with cross-cultural teams, with strong leadership, communication and 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. Patience, tenacity, diplomacy and a sense of humor will contribute to success.

LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:

This is an accompanied post based in Goma, DRC / Gisenyi, Rwanda. The position is entitled to individual housing and is eligible for R&R.

Goma is a provincial capital of around 1million inhabitants, with travel Bukavu, Kinshasa and field locations. Living in Goma is comfortable, although water and electricity can be unstable. Outside Goma, travel can be dangerous and unpredictable due to armed forces and rebel activity.

While conditions in the country are improving, and security is quite stable in Goma, there are still pockets of violence and insecurity. Mercy Corps' sub-offices experience variable levels of insecurity, with the situation closely monitored by UN peacekeepers. Air travel is necessary to get from one end of the country to the other. Mobile phones and cellular service are widely available. Internet is available in all Mercy Corps offices. Travel to field sites will be required where living conditions are clean and secure, but basic. There are a number of health services available with evacuation options for serious illnesses. There's reasonable access to most consumer goods, although they can be expensive.

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.

Please follow this link to apply: http://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=dGNoYWJvdW5pLjIzOTQ0LjM4MzBAbWVyY3ljb3Jwcy5hcGxpdHJhay5jb20