Assistant Program Officer - Learning & Leadership Development

Location: Washington, DC

Valid unrestricted work authorization in the country in which you will be based (United States) is required at the time of application for this position.

Position Status: Full Time, Exempt, Regular

Salary Level: The salary range for this position is $46,000-$49,000 USD commensurate with experience

About Mercy Corps

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 Program / Department / Team

The People Team ensures that Mercy Corps has the resources, systems, culture, and support in place to drive an ambitious global mission while ensuring our individual team members thrive. The People Team seeks to foster and achieve fulfilled, equitable, inclusive, diverse, and high performing global teams. We do this through recruiting and retaining the best global talent and shaping this talent into our future leaders through equitable development opportunities, and then by driving strategic partnerships at all levels of the organization. We steward the organizational culture through our systems, structure, and processes and align conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion, wellbeing, total rewards, learning & leadership development; and connect all of this to our core operations and overall mission.

The Position

The Assistant Program Officer for Learning & Leadership plays an important role in the project management, administration, and communication in support of the agency’s learning portfolio. The learning portfolio currently consists of a coaching initiative, the mid-level Emerging Leaders Program, the Next Generation Leadership program, the Women in Leadership program, and several pilot initiatives over the next year. This role works with a dynamic team responsible for the learning programs at the agency.

Essential Responsibilities

PROJECT MANAGEMENT SUPPORT

• Facilitate the development and implementation of tracking and project management tools and systems, including preparing work plans, mid-term assessments, and end of project evaluations for each program.

• Assist in development of regular portfolio updates to key stakeholders.

• Support the development of an impact tracking framework.

• Lead the design and administration of leadership program selection processes in partnership with IT and project leads.

ADMINISTRATION

• Provide overall administrative support to the Learning and Leadership Development team, including maintaining file structures and administering a Microsoft Teams collaborative environment.
• Lead the administration of key programs in the Leadership Development Portfolio.
• Participate in and contribute to leadership portfolio planning meetings, including scheduling and note taking.
• Support learning portfolio logistics as needed for training programs.
• Maintain and distribute a database of leadership portfolio alums.
• Schedule events and meetings and be able to host and facilitate conversations.
• Produce distanced learning events, as needed, utilizing Zoom and other webinar platforms.

COMMUNICATION & COORDINATION

• Support internal communications efforts for the learning and development portfolio, including leveraging social media and existing communication channels.
• Provide language access support to Francophone program participants.
• Support developing internal communications tools and messages.
• Support the preparation of internal and external reporting and proposals as needed.
• Coordinate the translation and interpretation of documents and resources from English to other Mercy Corps languages (French, Spanish, and Arabic) and vice versa.
• Facilitate correspondence with leadership portfolio participants and applicants, supervisors and other stakeholders as needed.
• Work collaboratively with other key stakeholders engaged in or in support of learning and development at Mercy Corps.

Supervisory Responsibility

None

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Director, Learning and Leadership Development

Works Directly With: Senior Director Talent Management, Learning and Leadership Development, Program Officers L&LD, learning program partners, working group members, and program participants.

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
**

• BA/S in relevant field or equivalent experience is preferred

• 3+ years of relevant work experience in a professional setting is required

• Experience in one of the following or a related field is required: project management, administration, and/or distance learning

• Advanced language skills in French and English with:

  • Strong writing skills and mature communications skills
  • Fluency with data presentation and communication tools

• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work cross-functionally.

• Proficiency with MS Office software required (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint)

• Demonstrated interest in learning and development in a global setting.

Success Factors

The successful candidate is well organized, a collaborator, and results driven. They can manage a significant amount of information, navigate, and track multiple work streams for the timely completion of work plan deliverables. They are bilingual (French and English advanced proficiency) and a clear communicator, good writer, and able to develop and utilize strong relationships with team members and across functional units in the organization to achieve project objectives. Flexibility and willingness to engage in a wide range of support activities, including basic administrative tasks when needed. A sense of humor and strong interpersonal skills in order to work independently and collaboratively across teams and with a myriad of stakeholders.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The hybrid position is based in Washington, DC and will require regular office presence in our DC office 1-2 days/week. Must be able to flex schedule for early morning and late-night calls where necessary to coordinate across our global team.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/short term assignment to a field posting. 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.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and 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 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, 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 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 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 to 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.

As a safeguarding measure, Mercy Corps screens all potential US-Based employees. This is done following the conclusion of recruitment and prior to assuming full employment.

Our screening process is designed to be transparent and completed in partnership with new Team Members. You will have the opportunity to disclose any prior convictions at the conclusion of the recruitment process before the check is initiated. We ask that you do not disclose any prior convictions in your application materials or during the recruitment process.

Covid-19 Vaccine Policy for US-Based Employees

Mercy Corps has determined that, in an effort to protect the health, safety, and well-being of all Mercy Corps employees working in the United States, all U.S.-based employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, regardless of prior COVID-19 infection status. This policy is necessary to ensure not only the safety of our workforce, but the ongoing functionality of the organization.

This policy will be revised as needed to comply with federal, state, and local requirements, and to respond to changing guidance from public health authorities.

For new employees this requirement goes into effect within 10 business days of employment.  Team members that travel are expected to comply with host-country requirements, including vaccinations.  Failure to comply may impact your employment.  Proof of vaccination or exemption must be provided.