Associate Director at Mercy Corps Nigeria

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

Mercy Corps Nigeria was established in 2012 to respond to these challenges. The Nigeria team is headquartered in Abuja, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with offices throughout Nigeria delivering multi-sectoral life-saving humanitarian support, early recovery, and development programs. Specific sectoral work includes girls’ education and financial inclusion, community peacebuilding, market-based livelihoods and a multi-sector humanitarian response. With the vision of a Nigeria in which all people are empowered, engaged, resilient and secure, Mercy Corps Nigeria focuses on the root causes of conflict, governance, humanitarian needs, and market systems development. Working with a diverse funding base, Mercy Corps empowers people to recover from crisis, build better lives and transform their communities for good. We stand with Nigeria to find and access opportunities, and to be part of lasting and meaningful transformation in the country.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Associate Director

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Position Status:Full-time, Regular

Program / Department Summary

• Mercy Corps Nigeria is one of the sub-partners in a CRS-led consortium planning to deliver a 38 million USD, 24-month humanitarian and early-recovery activity in Borno State titled Transitioning Households to Recovery from Vulnerability (THRIVE). THRIVE will provide context-specific multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance with the goal of saving lives and initiating early recovery in four wards in Borno State, Jere LGA: Mairi, Mashamari, Dusuman, and Maimusari.
• Across the 24-month period, THRIVE will reach over 300,000 unique participants with a humanitarian and recovery intervention covering ten sectors: Food Assistance, Health, Multi-purpose Cash Assistance, Shelter & Settlement, Nutrition, WASH, Protection, Agriculture & Econ. Recovery and Market Systems (ERMS).
• Other partners in the THRIVE consortium are WINN, Salient Humanitarian Organization, Justice Development & Peace Commission (Maiduguri) and Herwa Community Development Initiative (HECDI), Maiduguri.

General Position Summary

• This position offers overall coordination of deliverables and team leadership functions on the Mercy Corps tasks under THRIVE. The Associate Director is a cross-functional program manager and leader who takes full responsibility for the successful delivery of Mercy Corps’ responsibilities within the THRIVE consortium.
• This role will coordinate heavily within Mercy Corps teams, the THRIVE consortium members, the Borno State Government and Jere LGA. Succeeding in this role will require more than advanced education or similar experience – it requires an agile personality, great emotional intelligence, a keen eye for silver lining amid a storm and a desire to define your success around human lives. The Associate Director has a clear understanding of at least six of the ten sectors and how they work well together.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Throughout the life of the award, the success of the Associate Director-THRIVE will be evaluated based upon the following scope:

Defining Strategy For Success:

• You will be a self-starter with the acumen to appreciate the dynamics of setting up a new project. You will develop your strategy for success based upon your diagnosis, highlighting what the THRIVE consortium should expect to celebrate from your team. You will prioritize your “low-hanging fruits” and speak to various stakeholders of your vision for success.
• You will also define at the beginning of THRIVE and refine during implementation what sustainability and exit look like, adhering to all start-up requirements (kick off meeting, recruitments, establishment of systems) in accordance with project management best practice and Mercy Corps internal Project Management @ Mercy Corps 2.0 (PM@MC 2.0) minimum standards.

Manage Cross-Sectoral Delivery:

• You will lead a team delivering interventions across ten sectors. You are expected to appraise yourself of this technical and people diversity.
• You will deploy effective skills in managing and coordinating a successful delivery of an integrated package of multi-sectoral interventions to participants, ensuring the various components and teams do not operate in siloes but are rather working together to great effect.

Strengthen Position in Consortium:

• Mercy Corps is the primary partner in the THRIVE consortium, responsible for the second-largest share of the budget following CRS (the consortium lead) and leadership of selected sectors.
• Within this team, you will secure our lead partnership position in THRIVE and build long-term and productive relationships with all THRIVE consortium members. You will be Mercy Corps’ primary point of representation in THRIVE and with the associated consortia members.

Learning and Adaptation:

• You will work with THRIVE Consortium management structure, Mercy Corps Program Performance and Quality, Crisis Analytics, Strategic Learning Manager and MEL Teams to identify, build and deliver your learning agenda.
• You will ensure documentation of learning throughout the implementation period, including how that is influencing your execution decisions and style, in accordance with PM@MC 2.0 and Mercy Corps Nigeria’s learning agenda.
• You will work with the THRIVE team to encourage a culture of learning and adaptation, and with the broader Mercy Corps Nigeria country team to put in place strong knowledge management systems to ensure such learning is not lost in the future.

Planning, Program and Team Management:

• In your Strategy for Success, you will be expected to define how you will manage all the moving pieces of Mercy Corps deliverables within THRIVE.
• You will work with your team to draw your sectoral workplans and an integrated work plan, with robust work breakdown structures for each sectoral flagship.
• You will lead meticulous planning processes within your team in Mercy Corps and further into the wider THRIVE consortium. In the context of THRIVE’s operations, Planning and Adaptive Management will be an inherent and core success factor.
• You will also appreciate the different strengths and areas of support for your team members, deploying a management style that allows for free thoughts and innovation.
• You will be expected to plough in positive energy to the team and optimize their individual and collective potential, and to build a culture of trust through your team members.
• You will also ensure the sustained documentation of deliverables, best practices and lessons learned in conformity with all project management requirements from Mercy Corps.
• You will be further responsible for the down-stream delivery of activities by Mercy Corps’ local partner, WINN, in the realm of Protection.
• You will ensure all due diligence is carried out on the sub-grantee prior to contracting; that capacity building and support are provided to WINN as deemed required; and that their work is monitored and in line with the project deliverables and quality standards.

Peer-To-Peer Collaboration:

• THRIVE is a consortium led by CRS, which has the overall responsibility for the activity. However, as one among the five partners, Mercy Corps will only be effective and succeed by working harmoniously with all THRIVE partners. Further, Mercy Corps will be implementing a separate sister project (ADAPT II) to THRIVE from Maiduguri albeit in different and distinct LGAs.
• At Maiduguri level, both THRIVE and ADAPT II will significantly share technical and support personnel.
• You will therefore have a peer within Mercy Corps and peers within THRIVE with whom you will have to develop an effective collaboration mechanism.
• You will also negotiate your collaboration plan with Finance, Operations, Security, MEL, Program Reporting and Security Managers within Mercy Corps based in Maiduguri.
• Your peers will need to see you as a reliable team player.

Budget Tracking and Management:

• You are looking to work with USD 17 million budget across 24 months. You will work with the finance team to track your budget expenses versus actuals (BVAs) and make decisions out of BVA reports each month.
• You will plan and manage your monthly and quarterly cash flows, and oversee the timely and compliant expenditure by Mercy Corps’ sub-grantees (one local NGO).
• Your agile planning will ensure timely procurement and delivery of activities. You will plan meticulously to ensure you avoid a No-Cost Extension and safeguard the timely and impactful delivery of all project components.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:

• Mercy Corps holds in high esteem a culture of a respectful workplace. You will demonstrate tolerance, promote increasing spaces for women, youth and individuals abled differently to equally contribute to THRIVE goals and the process of getting there, both at the office and participant communities.

Safety and Security:

• We are still faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, with evolving adaptations to the situation. THRIVE will be executed amid the pandemic, with its mutations.
• Mercy Corps has a duty of care to both staff and participants. Further, the target LGA for THRIVE also faces intermittent security threats from the ongoing insurgency in the Borno State, like most other LGAs.
• You will ensure strict adherence to all health, safety and security protocols put in place by the Government of Nigeria, Borno State Government and Mercy Corps, all anchored by WHO advisories.

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.

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 project.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• 7 Sector Coordinators

Accountability:

• Reports Directly To: Director-Humanitarian Response and Sustainable Solutions-Maiduguri
• Works Directly With: ADAPT II Program Director, CARM Manager, Grants & Reporting Manager, Strategic Learning Manager, PaQ Manager, Finance Manager, Operations Manager, Security Advisor, Senior Field Manager, Deep Field Managers

Knowledge and Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in humanitarian and/or early recovery responses in a managerial-level role
• A compelling reputation for effective people management and admirable interpersonal relations skills. You are that supervisor whose direct reports feel are sad to see you leave.
• Qualified competencies and experience managing or coordinating an integrated multisector portfolio or program.
• Familiarity with USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) Programming. Previous experience with management of activity under what was formerly USAID OFDA and FFP is welcome.
• Familiarity with and understanding of the humanitarian context in Borno State (primary), or similar contexts around the globe (secondary).
• Mid- to Senior-level management experience within a consortium of actors
• Demonstrable analytical and presentation skills. You can do an effective pitch before a board, senior government officials, humanitarian coordination platforms and other equivalents.
• Demonstrated understanding of how covid-19 has affected humanitarian operations and how you have been an integral part of reengineering adaptations in your current or previous roles.
• Illustrated deep interactions with at least six of the ten sectors mentioned above for execution under THRIVE. These sectors define the core of THRIVE’s outcomes.
• At this level, we expect you to be convincingly articulate in your writing, communication, presentation and organization.

Success Factors

• The successful candidate will have the enthusiasm and proactive personality to regularly interact with participants of the THRIVE project. You will need to have patience and skills for succeeding within a team, tolerance for opinions that irk you, including from your junior team members. You will prioritize effective and timely communication of your thoughts and doubts to your team members. You can plan so well to allow you anticipate your results.
• Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours.
• 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.

Application Closing Date
4th February, 2022.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

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 a 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, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity.
• We are committed to the core principles regarding the 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 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.

Note: This position is contingent on funding approval.