Mercy Corps Program Manager Job in Kenya

Mercy Corps Program Manager Job in Kenya

Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities.

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Driven by local needs, our programs provide communities in the world’s toughest places with the tools and support they need to turn the crises they confront into the opportunities they deserve. 

Mercy Corps has had a presence in Kenya since its humanitarian response to the post-election violence in 2008. Mercy Corps works almost exclusively in high-risk conflict and post-conflict environments. 

While we recognize that these are difficult places to operate, we believe that transitional environments – countries affected by civil wars, economic and political crisis, or natural disasters – also offer tremendous opportunities for positive change. 

We currently implement over 30 peace building programs in some of the world’s toughest places, including Iraq, Somalia, and Sudan. Our current work builds on an exceptionally strong historical foundation. 

Since the late 1990s, Mercy Corps has implemented over 95 peace building programs in over 30 countries and regions, making Mercy Corps a true leader in the field. We are presently looking for a committed and dynamic individual to take up the following position.
 

Program Manager - Peaceful Empowerment in Arid Lands (PEARL)
 

Program / Department Summary: USAID has recently awarded Mercy Corps a Conflict Management and Mitigation (CMM) grant to implement a proposed PEACEFUL EMPOWERMENT IN ARID LANDS (PEARL) program in Turkana and West Pokot Counties with offices in Eldoret and Lodwar. Mercy Corps is looking for committed and dynamic individual to take up the following position.
 

General Position Summary: The PEARL Program Manager will have responsibility for the overall achievement of objectives, and the day-to-day administration and implementation of the program. 

This will include strengthening the capacity of local partners in the areas of peace building and conflict management, training and curriculum development, reviewing the design and implementation of peace building projects, facilitating clear communication between diverse groups, and ensuring rigorous measurement of program impact and timely reporting.

Essential Job Functions:
 

Program Management

• Manage and oversee PEARL program activities (in West Pokot and Turkana) in cooperation with key project stakeholders, including local non-governmental organizations, local government officials, community-based organizations, other international agencies on the ground, and key donors;
• Collaborate with program, finance and administrative staff to ensure systems are in compliance with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
• Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
• 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.
• Implement and model Mercy Corps’ philosophy of social entrepreneurship and leverage Mercy Corps’ best practices.
• Increase staff and local partner capacity by designing and leading technical training sessions on conflict management for Mercy Corps staff and local partners and providing ongoing coaching and mentoring.
• Promote learning and knowledge management through documentation and knowledge sharing around best practices and lessons learned;

Strategy and Vision

• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to country-wide strategy development.
• Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support.

Representation

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.
• Maintain good working relationships with the donor, the host country government and local leaders, partner agencies, and other key stakeholders;

Team Management

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via performance reviews.
• Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Supervise and regularly coordinate with project staff and partners, and support departments to ensure smooth planning, preparation, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of program activities;

Accountability to Beneficiaries: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries 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.
 

Organizational Learning: As part of Mercy Corps' agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.

Supervisory Responsibility: Project team and local partner activities
 

Reports Directly To: The Deputy Country Director
 

Works Directly With: Mercy Corps administration, finance and logistics departments in Eldoret, Lodwar and Nairobi. Also works directly with local national staff and local partners and affiliated relevant Mercy Corps headquarters units as necessary, including Mercy Corps’ Conflict Management Group and various administrative/financial units.

Knowledge and Experience:

• Master’s degree in conflict mitigation, social sciences, international relations or other relevant field preferred.
• Minimum 5 years’ relevant professional experience implementing conflict management and reconciliation, youth, or livelihoods programs, preferably in insecure or transitional environments.
• Strong facilitation and consensus-building skills.
• Experience managing staff.
• Proven ability to work through, develop the capacity of and mentor local partners.
• Familiarity and experience with USAID regulations preferred.
• Must be able to work independently while being a strong team player
• Proven oral and written English language skills; demonstrated ability to develop and write quarterly reports independently.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly to remote and insecure areas such as the border of West Pokot and Turkana.

Success Factors: The successful Program Manager will have the ability to multi-task, set priorities, and work under tight deadlines within a complex team. S/he will demonstrate strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills and be committed to the values and mission of Mercy Corps. 

S/he will take initiative and contribute to team efforts, as well as demonstrate an ability to communicate, assume leadership, and make solid decisions while working remotely from country leadership. 

The successful Program Manager must be motivated and energized about traveling in remote and insecure areas and tackling large-scale, protracted conflict situations.

Interested candidates who meet the above required qualifications and experience should submit a cover letter, detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing three professional references (including a recent supervisor) to hrkenya@ke.mercycorps.org on or before Thursday 25th June by 4.00pm. 

The email subject line must clearly show the job title and location they are applying for. 

Applications without the right subject heading will be automatically disqualified. 

Please do not attach any certificates.

(Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 

We will only get in touch with shortlisted candidates.)

NB: Mercy Corps does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process.