Deputy Consortium Director - PREVALE

Programme & Policy

Description

DEPUTY CONSORTIUM DIRECTOR

FCDO - PREVALE

Position is contingent on funding - National candidates are strongly encouraged to apply

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organisation powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we collaborate to put bold solutions into action, helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

Enhancing resilience is at the heart of what Mercy Corps does and how we work. Resilience means that people and systems can protect and improve wellbeing in the face of shocks and stresses. Mercy Corps strengthens sources of resilience to enhance the capacities of people, markets, and institutions to handle shocks, reduce risk, build more equitable and responsive systems, and improve well-being. Through our programs, partnerships, and influence, we support communities to cope, adapt, and ultimately thrive.

Since 1986, Mercy Corps Afghanistan has supported communities to recover and build resilience to future shocks, and promote sustainable change by supporting community-led and market-driven initiatives, with a focus on the most marginalised. Our objectives include meeting immediate food and nutrition needs through cash, voucher, and WASH assistance, strengthening capacities for crisis preparedness and response, and in so doing, contribute to resilience through inclusive, climate-smart water systems, enhanced livelihoods opportunities, food security, and social cohesion.

About the Programme

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has launched a call for proposals for NGOs to deliver the Promoting Resilient & Equitable Recovery of Agriculture and Livelihoods in Afghan communities (PREVALE) programme. The overall aim of the 5-year programme is to increase multi-year food productivity and profitability for vulnerable farmers, herders, and land-poor Afghans, including women with intersecting and overlapping vulnerabilities, build community-level resilience to climate and environmental risk, and strengthen livelihoods and local markets.

The FCDO envisions the programme will deliver the following Outcomes, (i) Livelihoods for vulnerable Afghans - including women, smallholders, and the land-poor – are more accessible, productive, profitable, and sustainable, (ii) Targeted communities are better able to anticipate, prepare for, respond, and adapt to environmental and climate shocks and stresses, and (iii) Targeted households have improved food security and nutrition, and reduced harmful coping behaviours.

General Position Summary

Mercy Corps is seeking candidates for a Deputy Consortium Director who will provide support to the overall technical and operational management of an expected five-year PREVALE programme in Afghanistan.

As a key member of the Programme Management Unit (PMU), the Deputy Consortium Director will be responsible for the day to day operational management and coordinate closely with the partners implementation focal points. S/he will contribute to a successful delivery of all outputs under the programme. The Deputy Consortium Director will be representing the Consortium Director in their absence towards FCDO, government ministries and partners.

The Deputy Consortium Director will manage some of the PMU functions and support the Consortium Director with the overall consortium management.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND VISION:

● Support the Consortium Director in the development of a vision and strategy for the programme;

● Support opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative

viewpoints are welcomed;

● Ensure programme quality control across the consortium

● Support the development of annual, integrated strategic work-plans for the programme;

● Foster a culture of collaborating, learning, and adapting for programme effectiveness throughout the programme lifecycle;

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PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT:

● Lead the operational management of the programme activities across the consortium.

● Work with the Consortium Director to oversee programme start-up, management and administration. With the Consortium Director, ensure programme implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective MEL systems to reach desired impacts.

● Ensure that programme implementation is responsive to communities, partners, and changing contexts, and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant programme guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.

● Confirm beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to transparent criteria.

● 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 programme strategies and activities represent global best practice in market systems development, climate-resilient agriculture, water resource management, gender equality, and social inclusion.

● Fulfil Mercy Corps’ Programme Management Minimum Standards based on the organisation-wide guide.

● Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity, safeguarding and capacity building into all activities as appropriate. Certify all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No

Harm principles, and programme participant accountability standards.

● Produce written reports on programme activities, capturing the impacts of activities.

● Conduct frequent field visits to all programme sites – spending up to 30-40% of time in the field.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

● Manage the PMU’s GESI, Protection/ Safeguarding, and Reporting and Admin focal points.

● Closely work with the partners Programme Management/ implementation focal points

● 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.

● Manage and help with the recruitment, orientation, professional development and ongoing training of PMU staff to ensure they are of the quality and technical capacity necessary to ensure the successful implementation of activities.

● Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.

● Assist team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance and reach objectives.

REPRESENTATION

● In coordination with the Consortium Director, represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other relevant events, in close coordination with the Country Director.

● As deputised by the Consortium Director, coordinate activities with consortium partners, subgrantees, local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programmes.

SECURITY

● Ensure that programmes are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of context and security.

● Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.

● Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

● Support to operationalise and maintain an incident management system for the consortium in compliance with organisational and donor requirements

Supervisory Responsibility

Expected to supervise several direct reports. The number of direct and indirect reports will be

determined at a later stage.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: PREVALE Consortium Director

Works Directly With: PREVALE Programme Management Unit (PMU), PREVALE Steering Committee, Mercy Corps Director of Programs, Director of Finance, MEL, Finance, and Operations teams, consortium partner focal points. Coordinates with HQ and Regional Programme team and the Technical Resources and Quality Unit.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our programme 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.

Knowledge and Experience

● Master’s degree in a relevant field such as social sciences, international relations, development studies, etc. However, a Bachelor’s degree and five (5) additional years of relevant international development experience can be substituted for the Master’s degree.

● Minimum of six (6) years of progressively responsible experience in the successful implementation of international development and humanitarian activities, with preference given to market systems, watershed management, agricultural livelihoods development, or climate-resilient agriculture programming

● At least 3 years in team management roles with demonstrated ability to build and foster an adaptive team culture and a record of accomplishment in inspiring teams.

● Experience working on FCDO programmes is strongly preferred. If not with FCDO, experience with high profile institutional donors is required.

● Experience building the capacity of staff and partner organisations.

● Professional experience in fragile contexts is required, with experience in Afghanistan preferred, and with an in-depth understanding of gender, age, and other locally significant socio-cultural factors.

● Excellent oral and written communication skills. Demonstrated ability to think strategically and communicate his/her vision to partners and colleagues.

● Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders, including government officials, NGO partners, and local communities;

● Proven experience navigating complex and high-pressure operating environments.

● Conflict analysis and Do No Harm analysis experience preferred.

● Fluency in spoken and written English is required as well as Dari and/or Pashto.

Success Factors

A successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members of varied work styles and cultures, follow procedures, and meet deadlines with flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving. S/he will have a proven ability to learn quickly, multi-task, prioritise, take initiative, be accountable for results, understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details, problem solve, work within a complex and sensitive setting, and to follow laws and security protocols. The most successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments, and prioritise effective written and verbal communication in all situations. He/she will also see the programme as part of wider Mercy Corps Afghanistan and Mercy Corps global programmes, and be excited to engage at a country office and organisational level.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This position is based in Kabul, Afghanistan, with significant travel required to programme locations across the country.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organisations 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 organisation 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 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, colour, 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, programme 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. 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.

Apply now

Added 1 day ago - Updated 3 hours ago - Source: mercycorps.org