Program Manager (THRIVE) at Mercy Corps Nigeria

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Program Manager (THRIVE)

Requisition Number: PROGR003374
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Employment Type: Full-time, Regular
Salary Level:7

Program/Department Summary

• Mercy Corps Nigeria is one of the sub-partners in a CRS-led consortium planning to deliver a 38 million USD, 24-month humanitarian and early-recovery activity in Borno State titled Transitioning Households to Recovery from Vulnerability (THRIVE).
• THRIVE will provide context-specific multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance with the goal of saving lives and initiating early recovery in four wards in Borno State, Jere LGA: Mairi, Mashamari, Dusuman, and Maimusari. Across the 24-month period, THRIVE will reach over 300,000 unique participants with a humanitarian and recovery intervention covering ten sectors: Food Assistance, Health, Multi-purpose Cash Assistance, Shelter & Settlement, Nutrition, WASH, Protection, Agriculture & Econ. Recovery and Market Systems (ERMS). Other partners in the THRIVE consortium are WINN, Salient Humanitarian Organization and Justice Development & Peace Commission (Maiduguri)

General Position Summary

• This position offers overall support to the Associate Director on tracking granular day-to-day program deliverables and team leadership functions on the Mercy Corps tasks under THRIVE.
• The Program Manager - THRIVE is a multi-sectoral program manager and leader who will support the Associate Director by taking responsibility for the successful delivery of Mercy Corps’ responsibilities within the THRIVE consortium.
• The role will be taking lead in the agriculture activities. This role will also support in coordinating program operations within Mercy Corps teams, the THRIVE consortium members, the Borno State Government and Jere LGA.

Essential Job Responsibilities
Throughout the life of the award, the success of the Program Manager - THRIVE will be evaluated based upon the following scope:

Defining Strategy For Success:

• You will develop your strategy for success based on your diagnosis, highlighting what the THRIVE program should expect to celebrate the team.
• You will prioritize your “low-hanging fruits” and speak to various stakeholders about your vision for success.

Manage Cross-Sectoral Delivery

• You will support in driving a team delivering interventions across ten sectors.
• You will deploy effective skills in driving successful delivery of an integrated package of multi-sectoral interventions to participants, ensuring the various components and teams do not operate in siloes but are rather working together to great effect.

Learning And Adaptation:

• You will work with THRIVE Associate Director, Mercy Corps Program Performance and Quality, Crisis Analytics, Strategic Learning Manager and MEL Teams to identify, build and deliver your learning agenda.
• You will ensure documentation of learning throughout the implementation period, including how that is influencing your execution decisions and style, in accordance with PM@MC 2.0 and Mercy Corps Nigeria’s learning agenda.
• You will work with the THRIVE team to encourage a culture of learning and adaptation, and with the broader Mercy Corps Nigeria country team to put in place strong knowledge management systems to ensure such learning is not lost in the future.

Planning, Program And Team Management:

• In your Strategy for Success, you will be expected to define how you will work with program sector leads to manage all the moving pieces of Mercy Corps deliverables within THRIVE in coordination with the Associate director.
• You will be required to support the downstream delivery of activities by Mercy Corps’ local partner, WINN, in the realm of Protection.

Peer-To-Peer Collaboration:

• THRIVE is a consortium led by CRS, who have the overall responsibility over the activity. However, as one of the five partners, Mercy Corps will only be effective and succeed by working harmoniously with all THRIVE partners.
• Further, Mercy Corps will be implementing a separate sister project (ADAPT II) to THRIVE from Maiduguri albeit in different and distinct LGAs.
• You will collaborate and plans with Finance, Operations, Security, MEL, Program Reporting and Security Managers within Mercy Corps based in Maiduguri. Your peers will need to see you as a reliable team player.

Diversity, Equity And Inclusion:

• Mercy Corps holds in high esteem a culture of respectful workplace. You will demonstrate tolerance, promote increasing spaces for women, youth and individuals abled differently to equally contribute to THRIVE goals and the process of getting there, both at the office and in participant communities.

Organizational Learning:

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit mercy corps as well as themselves.

Accountability To Beneficiaries:

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward 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 project.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• Sector Coordinators

Accountability:

• Reports Directly To: Associate Director for THRIVE
• WorksDirectly With: ADAPT II Program Director, CARM Manager, Grants & Reporting Manager, Strategic Learning Manager, PaQ Manager, Finance Manager, Operations Manager, Security Advisor, Senior Field Manager, Deep Field Managers.

Knowledge and Experience

• Candidates should possess a Bachelor's Degree / Master's Degree qualification
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in humanitarian and/or early recovery responses in a managerial-level role.
• Strong experience in managing agricultural programs and livelihood programs for a minimum of 5 years.
• A compelling reputation for effective people management and admirable interpersonal relations skills. You are that supervisor whose direct reports feel are sad to see you leave.
• Qualified competencies and experience managing or coordinating an integrated multisector portfolio or program.
• Familiarity with USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) Programming. Previous experience with management of an activity under what was formerly USAID OFDA and FFP is welcome.
• Familiarity with and understanding of the humanitarian context in Borno State (primary), or similar contexts around the globe (secondary).
• Mid- to Senior-level management experience within a consortium of actors
• Demonstrable analytical and presentation skills. You can do an effective pitch before a board, senior government officials, humanitarian coordination platforms and other equivalents.
• Illustrated deep interactions with at least six of the ten sectors mentioned above for execution under THRIVE. These sectors define the core of THRIVE’s outcomes.
• At this level, we expect you to be convincingly articulate in your writing, communication, presentation and organization.

Success Factors

• The successful candidate will have the enthusiasm and proactive personality to regularly interact with participants of the THRIVE project.
• You will need to have patience and skills for succeeding within a team, tolerance for opinions that irk you, including from your junior team members.
• You will prioritize effective and timely communication of your thoughts and doubts to your team members. You canplan so well to allow you anticipate your results.
• Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours.
• 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.

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, colour, 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 the 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 adhere to the Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times.
• Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

Application Closing Date
24th February, 2023.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• Applicants should have their CVs and Cover Letters in one document addressing the position requirements.
• Female candidates who are qualified are strongly encouraged to apply.