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 Position

The COP will provide overall leadership, management, and strategic vision for the implementation of the anticipated Activity, ensuring that the program meets its targets and deliverables on time and within budget. The COP will supervise all program staff and ensure accountability to Mercy Corps policies as well as all donor rules and regulations. The COP will be the primary representative for the program with donors including USAID, government entities, and all other partners and stakeholders.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND PLANNING

• Lead development of a vision and strategy for HRA shared with Activity staff and stakeholders.
• Leverage Mercy Corps’ existing market development and resilience programming and expertise to ensure technical quality and integration with complementary initiatives.
• Participate in Mercy Corps’ strategic discussions at the country and global level.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Oversee program management and administration for the duration of HRA. Ensure implementation is on time, target, and budget, using effective M&E systems to assess impact.
• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards, and strategic plan.
• Develop partnership frameworks, partner agreements/Memorandum of Understandings, and oversee capacity building for partners.
• Integrate locally-driven approaches, gender sensitivity, and capacity building into all activities, as appropriate. Certify that all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and program participant accountability standards.
• Ensure program strategies and activities represent global good practice for market development and resilience programming.
• Coordinate with procurement, logistics, security, administration, and human resources teams to ensure operational systems support field activities.
• Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Oversee recruitment and onboarding of the Activity staff, including expatriates, national staff, and consultants.
• Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of staff roles, and assist with career development.
  Provide team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Promote staff accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one-on-one meetings and performance reviews.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Support Mercy Corps global and regional initiatives for human resources, including safeguarding and diversity, and talent development.

FINANCE & COMPLIANCE

• Ensure compliance with USAID and Mercy Corps’ regulations.
• Create and maintain systems to ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with program, donor, and Mercy Corps’ needs.
• Ensure sound financial management, including programmatic budgeting, spending projections, and monitoring of payments in compliance with USAID standards.

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

• Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO, and other relevant events, in close coordination with the Country Director.
• Coordinate activities with consortium partners, subgrantees, local government, and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.

RISK MANAGEMENT

• Collaborate with country leadership to support preparedness and response to major disruptive events.
• Work closely with the country team’s security focal point to develop and maintain systems that promote the safety and security of all team members.
• Ensure that programs are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.

Supervisory Responsibility

Supervise the HRA Team, including expatiate and national staff. The number of direct and indirect reports will be determined at a later stage.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Country Director, Ethiopia
Works Directly With: Regional Directors, Country Directors, other COPs, Mercy Corps programs in East Africa, finance and operations teams, HQ Regional Programs Team, and HQ Technical Support Unit

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 Qualification & Transferable Skills

• MA/S or equivalent in economics, management, international development, or relevant field.
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience, including proven technical expertise in one or more of the following programming areas: market systems development, agricultural value chain development, income & livelihoods diversification, household access to finance, and resilience strengthening.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a senior management position, preferably for large ($25+ million) and complex USAID-funded activities; previous experience in similar roles (Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, or Program Director) preferred.
• Experience in Ethiopia preferred.
• Strong skills and track record in leading diverse teams, inspiring staff, and developing a shared vision with staff and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain partnerships with diverse stakeholders including national and subnational government, donors, donor-funded programs, private sector actors, and civil society organizations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Familiarity with USAID rules, regulations, and requirements preferred.

Success Factors

The successful COP will combine exceptional team management skills and experience in maintaining donor and partner relationships. They will have an outstanding ability to develop, implement and manage innovative programs within the current and future program structure of Mercy Corps in the region. They will also have proven experience with cross-cultural teams and capacity building, individual staff development, and strong 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.