Mercy Corps is hiring a
Location: Open to considering candidates who are currently based in the following locations: Portland, OR, Washington, DC, London or Edinburgh, UK, or Nairobi, Kenya.
Position Status: Full-time, Regular, Exempt
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 Department Team
Mercy Corps alleviates poverty, suffering, and oppression and works to build secure, productive, and just communities in over 40 countries around the world. Our Program Department supports field-led work that delivers measurable impact.
Mercy Corps’ Technical Support Unit (TSU) is a key part of the Program Department. Mercy Corps’ TSU 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. By advancing technical excellence the Unit plays a key role in driving Mercy Corps’ impact, innovation and influence around the world. Current TSU teams are: Food Security and Nutrition; Resilience; Economic and Market Development; Financial Inclusion; Agriculture Systems; Governance and Partnerships; Peace and Conflict; Youth, Gender and Girls; Environment, Energy and Climate; Technology for Development; and New Initiatives.
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. This agenda requires the team to know about progress and results across programs and paint a picture of the best that Mercy Corps has to offer based on thematic learning from across our regions. This drives innovation inside the agency, grows the portfolio, and fosters learning internally and with external stakeholders so that we can make a bigger difference in the lives of people we work with.
The TSU Director for Food Systems is Mercy Corps’ top global technical leader for programming across agri-food systems in fragile contexts. They will have a clear understanding of the impacts of current food crisis and a clear vision for the future proofing food systems in the geographies in which Mercy Corps works. The Director has extensive experience improving, restoring, and transitioning livelihoods across food systems. The Director will have a deep understanding of the inequalities within food systems and how to design programs that drive transformation and advance inclusive food systems. The Director will also understand the role of investing in food systems to advance resilient nutrition outcomes. The Director will be a recognized leader in advancing locally led solutions across food systems in fragile contexts. They will drive critical technical and funding partnerships, knowing that Mercy Corps can only excel at this work through catalytic collaboration with partners, 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 Food Systems guides and facilitates the work of the team. They will partner with country and program leadership to ensure technical consistency across existing programs and grow the portfolio guided by strong vision. The Director will have experience working with and managing global teams in a matrixed environment. The Director is a strong influencer both inside and outside the Agency with the ability to communicate Mercy Corps’ technical strengths and overall vision. The Director will have extensive experience building and maintaining partnerships with private sector, NGOS, and key stakeholders in the countries where Mercy Corps work to ensure a country driven approach to delivering agrifood system solutions. They will 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.
STRATEGY, INFLUENCE, and REPRESENTATION
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT, SUPPORT, and IMPACT
TEAM MANAGEMENT
The position has supervisory responsibility over Senior Advisors and Advisors.
Reports Directly To: Senior Director for Food Security
Works Directly With: Other TSU Directors, Country Directors, HQ and program teams.
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.
M.S./M.Sc. or equivalent or above in a relevant technical field is required.
6+ years of conflict and climate sensitive agrifood system programming, preferably in Africa. A deep understanding of livelihoods and food systems is required. Additional experience should include some of the following - knowledge of market driven, nutrition, and climate smart and natural resource management approaches
Additional experience should include:
Strong understanding of resilience approaches in food security programming and humanitarian and development work, as well as an understanding of conflict dynamics.
Proven ability to set a vision, drive an agenda, and successfully navigate differing opinions and competing agendas in a resource constrained environment.
Experience in monitoring and learning in reduced access contexts.
Established global, regional, country level professional networks and partnerships with key actors in the sector to increase scale and impact.
Building solid working relationships with donors, peer agencies, corporations, and foundations. Demonstrated representation and donor cultivation skills.
Proven leadership, self-motivation, and strong interpersonal skills.
Experience leading matrixed teams in non-hierarchical settings; and working with teams of diverse backgrounds.
Effective coaching, development, and management of individual staff and teams.
Exceptionally strong verbal and written communications and organizational skills required.
Experience producing and presenting policy and donor relevant research or other brief
Ability to work effectively under tight deadlines and in sparse working environments.
Willingness and ability to travel to Mercy Corps project sites and field locations, including traveling to insecure environments, is required.
Familiarity with major donors, e.g. USAID, FCDO, the EU and relevant foundations and corporations.
Fluency in English required.
The successful director must be a self-starter who demonstrates leadership in verbal and written communications, international and country level partnership development, and team management. Multi-tasking with proven ability to manage competing priorities, follow procedures, and meet deadlines is required. The director manages their team to have an impact on revenue, program quality, overall strategy and thought leadership. The director leads and nurtures individual team member development and works effectively with different work styles. The position must communicate and work with a variety of external groups including private sector partners, peer agencies, academic institutions, and donors. The director is flexible and creative in planning and problem solving, and has a proven ability to learn quickly, take initiative and be accountable for results. The director has the vision and drive to lead initiatives in the agency that are more than program development, that demonstrate understanding for the larger picture while remaining focused on and able to handle the details. The individual must have a high proficiency for working in a variety of 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
The position is based in the United States, United Kingdom, or Kenya and it requires up to 40% travel to support country programs, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. Housing for this role is in individual housing and staff will have access to good medical services and the living situation is of a high standard.
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
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 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.
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 and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme**.** 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.
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.