Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Closing date: 20 Jan 2019
This position is pending donor approval
Estimated start March 15, 2019
About Mercy Corps
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.
About Mercy Corps in the DRC
Mercy Corps is an international humanitarian and development Non-Governmental Organization which has been operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since August 2007, with a staff of about 300 people. Mercy Corps' country office is located in Goma with field offices in Kitchanga, Kiwanja, (North Kivu) and Bukavu (South Kivu), and a representative office in Kinshasa.
Current Mercy Corps DRC activities in DRC focus on humanitarian and stabilization programming, in sectors of; WaSH and emergency cash-based assistance, food security, good governance and economic recovery programs, with an increasing shift towards transitional and integrated development programming.
Program Summary
A Consortium composed of Mercy Corps (MC) and Search for Common Ground (SFCG), in cooperation with multiple local and international partners, are implementing the integrated Food Security and Inclusive Access to Resources for Conflict-Sensitive Market Development (FARM) program, which seeks to improve stability for men, women, boys and girls through improved land governance and access to land, as well as the development of a more efficient and inclusive market environment for over 250,000 direct and indirect beneficiaries, in the chiefdoms of Bashali (Masisi) and Bwisha (Rutshuru). FARM is a four years program funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kigali, Rwanda, aligned with the International Stabilization Support Strategy (I4S), which paves the way for the stabilization of Eastern DRC.
General Position Summary
The Grants and Partnership Manager is responsible for supporting coordination across the wide range of international and national partners that are helping the Consortium to implement the FARM program (13 local partners contracted under Subgrant agreements, up to 5 service contracts and multiple MOUs with local and provincial authorities). This involves leading programmatic and financial oversight of established work plans and budgets, nurturing synergies and cross-learning among the consortium partners, supporting partners with technical resources and guidance on grants management and M&E systems and tools, and ensuring timely narrative and financial reporting in compliance with donor standards and templates.
Essential Job Responsibilities
Strategy & Vision
- Ensure that partners are operating in alignment with the strategic goals of the FARM program.
- Identify and support opportunities for innovative action and synergies among partners.
- Create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed and learning is leveraged to ensure adaptive program strategy.
Program Management
- Manage FARM sub-award portfolio, including monitoring grant performance, financial oversight, disbursements and M&E requirements.
- Create and maintain effective grant management information, documentation, compliance and tracking systems, in line with Mercy Corps and the donor's standards and requirements.
- Ensure grants implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective grants management standards and systems.
- Consult program Managers and FARM M&E Officer as needed for enhanced monitoring and evaluation exercises according to Mercy Corps' best practices and compliance requirements.
- Identify potential problems during implementation by the consortium partners and collaborate with the Program Managers to make recommendations.
- Ensure that Consortium partners complete narrative and financial reports in a timely manner in line with templates provided by Mercy Corps, and integrate partner reporting into reports and communications for the donor.
- Ensure that Consortium partners reporting is properly embedded into FARM IATI reports, submitted quarterly.
- Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps' Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.
Finance & Compliance Management
- Ensure the grants management is transparent and compliant with donor and Mercy Corps regulations and procedures.
- Monitor all approved grants and ensure timely financial projections and reporting is completed in line with Mercy Corps and donor templates.
- Liaise with Finance to address any reporting challenges in a timely manner.
Influence & Representation
- Develop and manage collaborative relationships with Consortium partners
- Maintain communication tools and systems to ensure effective coordination and reinforce Mercy Corps' ability to represent the Consortium.
- Document success stories and lessons learned among partners and coordinate with the Communication Specialist to publicize the work of the FARM Consortium.
Monitoring, Evaluation & Consortium Learning
- In collaboration with FARM M&E Team, support Consortium partners to develop and maintain program monitoring tools and systems and utilize data and analysis to inform program management and ensure timely, efficient and reliable monitoring of program outputs and outcomes.
- Foster a community of practice, whereby partners share lessons learned and best practices.
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 projects.
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
Reports Directly To: Program Director
Works Directly With: Consortium Partners' program managers and finance personnel, FARM Managers, Mercy Corps Finance staff and MEL team
Supervisory Responsibility: N/A
Knowledge and Experience
- BA/S: sociology, economics, finance, business administration, international development or related field. MA/S preferred.
- 2-4 years of experience in international development, with notable experience in grants management and report writing.
- Experience with development projects in sub-Saharan Africa preferred.
- Experience with grants management.
- Experience with monitoring and evaluation.
- Fluent in spoken and written English and French
- Excellent computer literacy is required, with strong organizational skills.
Success Factors
The successful Grants and Partnerships Manager will have track record experience in contracts and grants management with national and international organizations in fragile contexts. Meticulous, well organized, and detail-oriented with an eye towards accountability, transparency in projects management, grants disbursements, monitoring and evaluation for high performance to achieve desired impact. S/he will have proven experience in be an excellent coordinator with experience in complex and challenging contexts. S/he will be comfortable working with cross-cultural teams and bring excellent communication and mentoring skills. Multitasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision are essential for this position. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations. Patience, tenacity, diplomacy and a sense of humor will contribute to the success of this position.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
This position will be based in Goma (DRC). Accommodation will be provided in Goma within group housing. Goma is a provincial capital of over 700,000 inhabitants. Living in Goma is comfortable, although water and electricity can be unstable. There are different restaurants and leisure activities available.
Travel between 20%-30% within implementation areas.
While conditions in the country are improving, there are still pockets of violence and insecurity. Mercy Corps' sub-offices experience variable levels of insecurity, with the situation closely monitored by UN peacekeepers. Air travel is necessary to get from one end of the country to the other. Mobile phones and cellular service are widely available. Internet is available in all Mercy Corps offices. There are a number of health services available with evacuation options for serious illnesses. There's reasonable access to most consumer goods, although they can be expensive.
Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY 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.
Diversity is powerful. To achieve transformational change, we seek out team members with different origins, beliefs, backgrounds and ways of thinking. Diversity helps us unlock complexity
PI106414035
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