County Coordinator at Mercy Corps

General Position Summary

The RANGE County Coordinators, working under the supervision of the RANGE Program Manager, are responsible for the overall county-level planning, coordination, implementation and monitoring/evaluation of program activities. S/he will ensure all project initiatives are implemented to achieve maximum impact as per project objectives while remaining on schedule and budget. The County Coordinator directly manages the county-level staff and closely coordinates with staff from other RANGE partners and stakeholders on planning, implementation and layering of activities.

Essential Job Responsibilities

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Provide overall managerial leadership for RANGE activities at the county level, in partnership with key stakeholders.
• In conjunction with the Program Manager, develop county specific work plans and budgets while ensuring teams implement activities on time, within the approved budget, and project deliverables achieve desired impact.
• Lead effective coordination, collaboration and integration among all technical, support and project units, including consortium partners and other stakeholders within the county.
• Attend all quarterly project meetings as well as facilitate planning meetings and workshops with government, NGOs, private sector and community partners to revise plans and promote partner acceptance/buy-in.
• Provide timely updates to the RANGE Program Manager and other stakeholders on progress and issues, identifying risks and proposing solutions for action and early resolution.
• Develop program risk matrix and update the same on an ad hoc and quarterly basis.
• Coordinate with procurement, logistics, security, administration and human resources teams to ensure operational systems support field activities.
• Ensure integration of all identified cross-cutting issues into project activities.

COUNTY GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT

• Act as the primary liaison with county and national government officials at the county level including representation and engagement.
• Identify county and national government departments relevant to RANGE and outline areas of synergies and collaboration.
• Conduct periodic presentations of project progress, challenges and lessons learned to county government department, assembly and partners.
• Organize periodic joint field visits with relevant government departments.
• Facilitate and ensure the participation of relevant county and national government departments in the implementation of the project. 

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Support in the structuring of team roles and responsibilities in the county of operation for the delivery of cohesive program interventions, oversee team members and provide continuous technical support, capacity building, and quality assurance.
• Provide team members and implementing partners with information, tools and other resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Regularly coordinate with program staff and support departments to ensure smooth planning, preparation, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of program activities.
• 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.

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION  

• Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other relevant events at the county-level, in close coordination with the RANGE and Mercy Corps leadership.
• Coordinate activities with consortium partners, sub grantees, local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.

OPERATIONS MANGAGEMENT

• Oversee the smooth flow of routine program support functions (e.g., finance, administration, logistics) in relation to RANGE and ensure compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures.
• Ensure that any procurement is completed, documented, and delivered to end-user in a timely manner, ensuring that items procured meet the specifications of the end-user while adhering to donor and Mercy Corps procurement guidelines.
• Oversee database and paper file management for program files in compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures.

SECURITY MANAGEMENT

• 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.

MONITORING & EVALUATION (M&E) AND REPORTING

• Work closely with the program MEL team members to ensure that effective M&E systems and processes are embedded within the county-level program implementation unit and that data is collected, analyzed, and used to inform ongoing adaptation of program strategies and delivery approaches.
• Ensure learning is blended back into program implementation, creating a cycle of adaptation and program improvement.

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 AND PARTNERS

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and partners 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.
• 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.

Supervisory Responsibility

• Program Officers / Program Assistants in target counties

Accountability

Reports Directly To: RANGE Program Manager

Works Directly with: Country Director, Director of Program, Operations Director, Finance Director, Program Managers, PAQ team, consortium partners, local implementing partners, donor stakeholders.

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field, such as natural resources/rangelands management, livestock production, agricultural economics, veterinary medicine, etc. Master’s degree qualification is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading interventions in these fields above, including utilizing market system development approaches.
• Specific experience in a) Livestock b) Natural Resource Management and/or c) Governance particularly beneficial
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in multi-sectoral programs, managing teams, strategic planning and implementing programs.
• Strong managerial skills, including effective personnel management, adaptive management, coordination and decision-making.
• Experience working within (and leading teams in) large, complex programs required.
• Sound understanding of financial, procurement, administration, and logistics management systems, including remote management.
• Experience coordinating multiple activities, developing synergies and creating opportunities for collaboration.
• Demonstrated experience in team building and team coordination for achieving program goals.
• Strong commitment to local capacity building and the ability to engage local stakeholders in project design and implementation.
• Experience working with host governments at the sub-national level, INGOs and national NGOs.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills; detail-oriented; and possessing an ability to anticipate program and operational needs.
• Proven ability to work cooperatively with others in a team environment and to a diverse group of national and international staff.
• Understanding of adaptive management and participatory methodologies for project design, implementation, and evaluation.
• Demonstrated proficiency with the MS Office software (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint) required.
• Persuasive written and oral communication in English and Swahili required, competency in a relevant local language beneficial.
• Experience within the Arid and Semi-Arid lands required.