Jobs at Mercy Corps

The Position

Working closely with the Emergency Response Advisor, and other USAID Nawiri staff, the Emergency Response Officer will support in the coordination and implementation of the drought response programme in Samburu and Turkana Counties  County. S/he will work with the USAID Nawiri consortium partners and other stakeholders including relevant government departments, private sector actors, local leaders, and communities to ensure effective and efficient delivery of the drought response programme. The Emergency Response Officer will support to strengthen smooth implementation of emergency drought response components that include unconditional cash transfers, market systems, and improved access and utilization of Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM). The position will be responsible for implementation of daily program activities and support to program staff, ensuring appropriate systems and mechanisms are in place to track, analyze and report on results as well as engagement with other programme components to support the implementation of an integrated response.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY & VISION

• Support the Emergency Response Advisor to implement Nawiri’s shock responsive and nutrition resilient emergency response in the context of drought (primarily) and other emergencies if they arise and are aligned to Nawiri’s vision
• To support in the implementation of a collaborative and co-created emergency response program informed by assessments and evidence of gaps and opportunities that leverage Nawiri’s goal
• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed

 PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Support the program team in implementation of the emergency response.
• In collaboration with the Emergency Response Advisor and the monitoring and evaluation team, support the development of strong data collection and monitoring & evaluation plans within each component.
• Attend response coordination meetings providing feedback and analysis to Emergency Response Advisor, highlighting emerging issues and make recommendations for implications better programme delivery.
• 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.
• Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.
• Develop program implementation plans in consultation with the Emergency Response Advisor, including response to Community Accountability and Reporting Mechanism (CARM) issues, beneficiary targeting and cash disbursement process.
• Ensure program implementation is on time and target using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
• Work with other program staff to ensure that field experiences are documented and used for learning and to advocate on behalf of the communities with which we work.
• Provide accurate routine reports, document results and maintain detailed records of program activities
• Support the Mercy Corps Kenya Office with Emergency Preparedness Planning
• Fulfill Mercy Corps Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.

TEAM MANAGEMENT 

• Contribute to county team-building efforts, create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback.
• Support to induct and guide team members as necessary.
• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.

 FINANCE & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

• In consultation with the Emergency Response Advisor, create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.
• Build and/or maintain operational systems that ensure proper administrative support for programs.

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.

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.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• A bachelor’s degree in social sciences, development studies, disaster management, Nutrition or equivalent qualifications.
• At least 5 years’ progressive experience in project/programme management preferably in a humanitarian context.
• A good understanding of integrated programming, multi-sectoral programming, linking humanitarian and long-term development work.
• Good inter-personal skills and being able to effectively to work with a diverse team of internal and external partners.
• Experience in stakeholder engagement skills, with a proven record of working with relevant government departments, private sector and communities.
• Excellent organizational skills, including forward planning and ability to meet deadlines.
• Ability to be flexible and achieve results in a fast-moving environment.
• Well-developed oral and written communication skills in English and Kiswahili. Knowledge of local language is an added advantage.
• Demonstratable experience of integrating gender and diversity into programme work.
• Previous working experience in Arid and Semi-arid Land (ASAL) counties is desirable,
• Knowledge of SPHERE and other humanitarian programming standards.
• Knowledge on cash programming, gender & nutrition in in emergencies and application across sectoral interventions is

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The Position

The Finance and Subgrants (F&S) Manager works under the guidance and supervision of the Finance & Compliance Director and with close direct interaction with the Jobtech Alliance Director, partner start-ups, and Mercy Corps Finance Teams in up to 10 countries across Africa.  Key roles are project Financial management, monitoring and reporting and subgrants management with up to 20 start-ups. The F&S Manager is an integral part of the Jobtech Alliance Project Management Unit, and helps to create systems that are efficient, secure and effective in achieving the results of the program.

Key Responsibilities

FINANCE

• Support the Programme Team Lead in managing all financial operations of the project, including accounting and reporting, cash management, and budget management.
• Manage financial operations and financial reporting of the Jobtech Alliance.
• Provide monthly management reports to the Jobtech Alliance Director and Deputy Regional Direct and Finance Director, including expenditures by fund and country, subgrantee reporting and other financial information, in a timely and accurate manner.
• Lead annual budgeting process and budget revisions.
• Ensure that the project financial operations are in compliance with all CFYE and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
• Ensure that monthly transactions are reviewed and entered in the General Ledger accurately and on timely basis
• Review payment documents and other supporting documents related to program costs, ensuring their compliance with the local laws, donor regulations and MC Kenya internal policies.
• Be prepared to respond to any budgetary and financial inquiries from the donor, consortium members and Mercy Corps senior management within East Africa and home office in Edinburgh, Scotland.
• Prepare monthly cash flow projections and request funds from the country office.
• Provide financial advisory on overall strategic programme decisions.
• Review and track expenses and proper documentation as per Mercy Corps procedures and donor requirements for record keeping and accountancy.

GRANT AND SUBGRANT MANAGEMENT

• Oversee and coordinate management of subgrant agreements and financial management of subgrants.
• Provide direct oversight of subgrants and finance team including staff of consortium partners.
• Responsible for processing of subgrants and issuance of payments, transfers and transactions between country teams and partners.
• Oversee pre-award and post-award activities include asset control, timely reporting and contract fulfilment to check against payment.
• Work with Jobtech Alliance programme team to verify and track budget and expenditures vis-à-vis subgrant awards and ensure proper reporting, documentation and overall deliverables are reviewed by Senior Management and signed off on prior to issuance of payment.
• Provide regular reports on Jobtech Alliance, issues, recommendations that need to be considered for operational adjustment.
• Work with Mercy Corps team members and subgrantees management teams to conduct ad-hoc audit review of Jobtech Alliance field operations.
• Coordinate Jobtech Alliance expenditure verification and project audits.
• Other financial and subgrant tasks as required.

Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) and Reporting

• Work with the Jobtech Alliance Senior Management, M&E and finance team members to ensure that Jobtech Alliance deliverables are aligned with value-for-money objectives and that financial milestones are proportionate to programme milestones.
• Provide financial perspective in management and decision-making to enhance Mercy Corps’ adaptive management.

Program Support Operations:

• Ensure that Jobtech Alliance financial systems are efficient and are based on smooth-running infrastructure that facilitate timely and efficient program implementation. Provide regular review of field operations to ensure cost-effectiveness and provide guidance on improved operational practices for value-for-money.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics or relevant field; advanced degree preferred.
• Professional accounting certification CPA(K).
• At least seven (7) years of demonstrated professional experience managing grants, subcontracts, procurement and compliance with donor regulations, preferably Donor-funded projects.
• Strong accounting skills and experience in management of the general ledger, journal entries, payables and balance sheet.
• Demonstrated experience applying clauses and negotiating without heavy management oversight including developing amendments and modifications as a result of negotiations.
• Experience providing capacity-building training to staff and local organizations.
• Proven abilities in analytical, excel and reporting skills.

Required competencies and skills:

 Grants Administration

•  Knowledge and application of best practices in grant management.
•  Demonstrated knowledge of financial and management systems, regulations and reporting requirements. Evidence of ability to be creative and flexile within those requirements.
•  Analytical capabilities with accounting procedures and processes for structuring projects.
•  Knowledge of grants management software and information technology skills.

Management and Communications

•  Ability to communicate technical, budgetary and program details to staff, grantees and applicants.
•  Ability to design and implement effective workflow processes and procedures.
•  Capability to foster an atmosphere which recognizes and respects cultural and individual differences.

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The Position

The Results, Learning & Research Director is responsible for driving the learning agenda of the Jobtech Alliance, steering a learning community of actors interested in jobtech, and evaluating the results of the initiative itself. You will have a key role in driving the overall strategy of the Jobtech Alliance. Expect us to move fast, make mistakes, learn a lot, and re-start a few times. You’ll be traveling 0% of the time across different African markets.

Key Responsibilities

LEARNING STRATEGY AND AGENDA

• Develop an overarching learning strategy for the Jobtech Alliance covering the learning agenda and key questions, process for learning generation and dissemination, and engagement of both start-ups and other research actors in the process
• Continue to evolve both learning agenda and strategy for knowledge generation based on emerging experiences with the Jobtech Alliance

RESULTS STRATEGY AND MEASUREMENT

• Develop strategy and tools for data collection and measuring impact of the Jobtech Alliance at the level of jobseeker, business and ecosystem (to satisfy both above learning agenda and donor requirements)
• Oversee implementation of the results measurement system, including direct management of MEL Officer
• Lead development of evaluation reports for the Jobtech Alliance community and donors

MANAGING LEARNING PARTNERSHIPS AND COMMUNITY

• Develop relationships with existing research collaborators in the jobtech space (including the ILO) and new ones
• Host a network of jobtech researchers and learning stakeholders to share, collaborate and advance learning of the sector

LEARNING & RESEARCH PROJECTS

• Manage research projects responding to key learning themes. This could involve contracting other research partners and contributing technically, or managing research teams directly.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• A minimum of 10 years experience across the economic development and start-up spaces. This could involve roles in consultancy, research, impact evaluation or adjacent functions. We welcome diversity of experience.
• Proven track record of setting up Monitoring & Evaluation systems to assess impact achieved by private sector partners.
• Visionary thinker, with capacity to see key themes in an emerging sector and set a trendworthy learning agenda.
• Demonstrated capacity to manage relationships and partnerships with other researchers or research organizations.
• Outstanding analytical capacity, with capacity to bring clarity for others and make quick decisions.
• Experience working in or with jobtech platforms is a strong plus.
• Competence in French is a strong plus

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The Position

We are recruiting a Venture Building Manager responsible for end-to-end engagement with jobtech start-ups under the Innovation Lab component of the program. Venture builders will be responsible for developing a pipeline of exciting jobtech platforms with potential for significant employment outcomes, working with them to develop concepts for Mercy Corps’ interventions, managing selection and onboarding, and managing support packages to realise results. We are building this team and program from scratch, so there is a big opportunity to contribute to the overarching initiative structure. Expect us to move fast, make mistakes, learn a lot, and re-start a few times. You’ll be traveling up to 20% of the time across different African markets.

Key Responsibilities

PIPELINE DEVELOPMENT & PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

• Conduct market research to guide start-up outreach and investment strategies.
• Map, develop and maintain relationships with relevant external stakeholders to widen pipeline, including accelerators and start-up networks.
• Develop a pipeline of exciting jobtech start-ups across multiple African markets with the potential to achieve greater scale, impact, and/or inclusivity.
• Work with pipeline start-ups to identify potential concepts for partnership, collaboratively deciding on packages of support. Where beneficial, identify linkages between Mercy Corps country portfolios and pipeline start-ups.
• Lead due diligence up to review by the Selection Committee, and oversee the contracting and onboarding of selected start-ups.

VENTURE BUILDING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, ADVISORY

• Manage interventions with partner start-ups, coordinating external technical assistance providers, deployment of finance, and connections to other project partners.
• Monitor performance of portfolio, continuing to adapt interventions to maximise impact. Feed back into overarching program strategy.
• Manage partner milestone reporting, fund disbursement from Mercy Corps, and monitoring requirements.
• Where suitable, Venture Builders could be deployed for brief secondments to partners to support implementation of interventions.

LEARNING AND INFLUENCE

• We operate as a ‘do-tank’, ensuring that learnings from this emerging sector are shared back to the community. Document lessons learned, write up experiences from portfolio start-ups for the Jobtech Alliance blog, host webinars for the Jobtech Alliance on key topics, or conduct exploratory research on emerging topics - you’re the boss.
• In partnership with portfolio start-ups and other Jobtech Alliance members, identify key research topics and build collaborative research on key topics surfacing from our work
• Where relevant, collaborate with country teams to share lessons learned and identify synergies and opportunities for integration and expansion

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• A history of excellence in achieving results and self-management.
• Minimum of 8 years’ experience working with start-ups, VCs, accelerators or other start-up ecosystem actors. This could involve working on business strategy, market research, product, operations, or investment. We welcome diversity of experience.
• Through-the-roof EQ, with excellent communication skills (written and verbal), and a collaborative approach to working with others.
• Outstanding analytical capacity, with capacity to bring clarity for others and make quick decisions.
• Competence in French is a strong plus
• Experience working in or with jobtech platforms is a strong plus.
• Other pluses include experiences with portfolio management or MBA/equivalent/

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The Position

We are recruiting a Senior Venture Building Manager responsible for end-to-end engagement with jobtech start-ups under the Innovation Lab component of the program, and contributing to overall program strategy. The Senior Venture Building Managerwill be responsible for developing a pipeline of exciting jobtech platforms with potential for significant employment outcomes, working with them to develop concepts for Mercy Corps’ interventions, managing selection and onboarding, and managing support packages to realise results. S/he will be well-equipped to interact with corporates and bigger start-ups, and will bring a strong network. Expect us to move fast, make mistakes, learn a lot, and re-start a few times. You’ll be traveling up to 20% of the time across different African markets.

Key Responsibilities

STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT

• Contribute to the overall venture building strategy of the program, and identify opportunities to enhance program outcomes.
• Develop tools and processes used throughout the partner engagement lifecycle

PIPELINE DEVELOPMENT & PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

• Conduct market research to guide start-up outreach and investment strategies.
• Map, develop and maintain relationships with relevant external stakeholders to widen pipeline, including accelerators and start-up networks.
• Develop a pipeline of exciting jobtech start-ups across multiple African markets with the potential to achieve greater scale, impact, and/or inclusivity.
• Work with pipeline start-ups to identify potential concepts for partnership, collaboratively deciding on packages of support. Where beneficial, identify linkages between Mercy Corps country portfolios and pipeline start-ups
• Lead due diligence up to review by the Selection Committee, and oversee the contracting and onboarding of selected start-ups.

VENTURE BUILDING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, ADVISORY

• Manage interventions with partner start-ups, coordinating external technical assistance providers, deployment of finance, and connections to other project partners.
• Monitor performance of portfolio, continuing to adapt interventions to maximise impact. Feed back into overarching program strategy.
• Manage partner milestone reporting, fund disbursement from Mercy Corps, and monitoring requirements.
• Where suitable, Venture Builders could be deployed for brief secondments to partners to support implementation of interventions.

LEARNING AND INFLUENCE

• We operate as a ‘do-tank’, ensuring that learnings from this emerging sector are shared back to the community. Document lessons learned, write up experiences from portfolio start-ups for the Jobtech Alliance blog, host webinars for the Jobtech Alliance on key topics, or conduct exploratory research on emerging topics - you’re the boss.
• In partnership with portfolio start-ups and other Jobtech Alliance members, identify key research topics and build collaborative research on key topics surfacing from our work
• Where relevant, collaborate with country teams to share lessons learned and identify synergies and opportunities for integration and expansion.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• A history of excellence in achieving results and self-management.
• Minimum of 10 years experience working with start-ups, VCs, accelerators or other start-up ecosystem actors. This could involve working on business strategy, market research, product, operations, or investment. We welcome diversity of experience.
• Through-the-roof EQ, with excellent communication skills (written and verbal), and a collaborative approach to working with others. Experience in senior management teams, and working with senior leaders in the start-ups space.
• Outstanding analytical capacity, with capacity to bring clarity for others and make quick decisions.
• Experience working in or with jobtech platforms is a strong plus.
• Other pluses include experiences with portfolio management or MBA/equivalent/