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Mercy Corps is a global humanitarian aid agency engaged in transitional environments that have experienced some sort of shock: natural disaster, economic collapse, or conflict.
We are looking for someone with the creativity and drive to further our commitment to improve agriculture systems, empower small producers and build partnerships across our more than 40 countries of operation with our global team members and external partners—such as entrepreneurs, research institutions, funders, corporations, and governments.
Program / Department Summary
Mercy Corps’ Technical Support Unit (TSU) is a key part of the Program Department. It houses subject matter experts whose mission is to help our global teams apply the most effective solutions to the world’s toughest challenges, while building our global reputation and resources to do so. The TSU helps set agency-wide strategy and develops strategic approach documents and other technical briefs for their practice area to inform the entire organization’s work. In addition, it offers technical expertise to offices worldwide - supporting country strategy development and assessments, and engaging throughout the program life cycle from project design and proposal development to quality implementation and evaluations.
As technical experts in their field, TSU Team members are well versed in global practices and abreast of sector specific trends. They also represent Mercy Corps with donors and other strategic partners, and inform and influence both internal approaches and global understanding on how to move the needle on some of the most intractable humanitarian and development challenges of our time, especially in fragile settings.
General Position Summary
The TSU Director for Agriculture Systems is Mercy Corps’ top global technical leader for agriculture programming in fragile and stable contexts. They will have a clear vision for the future of agriculture in the geographies in which Mercy Corps works. They will drive critical technical and funding partnerships, knowing that Mercy Corps can only excel at this work through catalytic collaboration with like-minded entrepreneurs, companies, funders, governments and peer organizations. And they will leverage technology solutions to transform the scale, cost and impact of our work.
The TSU Director for Agriculture is a strong influencer both inside and outside the Agency with the ability to communicate Mercy Corps’ technical strengths and overall vision. They will continue to nurture donor relationships to grow the agriculture portfolio, while supporting country teams in developing innovative climate-resilient and market-based solutions responding to clear trends in the sector. They will be managing advisors and senior advisors, be a member of the TSU Leadership team composed of other Directors and Senior Directors and work closely with other TSU teams on complex, multi-disciplinary programs.
Essential Job Responsibilities
Supervisory Responsibility
The position has supervisory responsibility over the Agriculture Systems technical team.
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Senior Director, Economic Growth, TSU
Works Directly With: all other TSU teams, Research and Learning, Policy and Advocacy, Resource Development, Communications, Humanitarian Response, PaQ, and field teams
Knowledge and Experience
Success Factors
The Director must be a superb team player who has the technical and functional skills to lead the TSU as a coherent, strategic and field-responsive best-in-class technical unit. The Director must be able to guide a team ensuring coherence of vision and strategy across groups as well as be able to identify and pursue new paths forward. They must guide vision and plan for their team(s) that both integrate well and are mutually reinforcing with other parts of the TSU and contribute to the Agency’s Strategic Compass. Directors interact expertly with other Directors and Senior Directors and also with executive team members, peers and high - profile donors to maximize MC influence and impact. In addition, the leader must have strong interpersonal and communication skills to effectively reach across departments within the agency and to networks and associations outside it to build critical partnership to further thought leadership, program innovation and ensure MC relevance and impact on the industry. The successful Director must be a self - starter who demonstrates exceptional ability in leading organizational initiatives and understanding Mercy Corps’ strategic plans and objectives. The Director must have high proficiency for working in varied cultural, political, and religious environments, and must be able to travel and work successfully in austere environments and maintain poise in stressful situations.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
This position will be located in Washington D.C or potentially in one of the regional hubs. The position requires travel at least 30% time to country offices and project sites where living conditions may be exceptionally rugged or be in volatile environments where security protocols will need to be followed. Team members must be ready to travel on short notice in response to any emergency or crisis. The team member must be comfortable working in remote settings with limited infrastructure, food options and sparse living conditions, and may be asked to work over weekends and/or evenings, especially when travelling.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and how we work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization 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, color, 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 team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding relief and development work, while actively engaging 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. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct policies and are required to complete mandatory corresponding elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
Accountability to Participants
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
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