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.
PROGRAM/ DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:
Mercy Corps has been operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since August 2007, with a staff of over 300 people working in Eastern DRC, with the overall country goal to support vulnerable communities through crises, while fostering programs that build resilience and promote long-term change. Mercy Corps’ national office is in Goma with sub-field offices in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri. Mercy Corps’ key programming areas include a combination of longer-term development and immediate humanitarian response programs in order to:
1) Improve water service delivery and ensuring equitable access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene services, in urban and rural areas;
2) Improve food security and nutrition;
3) Promote diversified livelihoods, economic recovery and development.
Mercy Corps DRC’s humanitarian programs aim specifically to assist populations affected by the conflict and crisis in Eastern Congo. With funding from humanitarian donors including ECHO, OFDA, FFP, and DFID, the humanitarian portfolio continues to expand in order to provide multi-purpose cash assistance and emergency WASH to displaced and host populations. Mercy Corps plans to scale up and expand its humanitarian response to reach more beneficiaries with additional and varied assistance in a wider geographic area. All Mercy Corps interventions in DRC are implemented in a conflict and gender sensitive manner.
GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:
As part of Mercy Corps’ Emergency Portfolio of programs, the Emergency Grants Manager will work closely with the Emergency Programs Director, SAFER Consortium Director and the Grants and Reporting Officer to ensure high-quality and impactful programming as part of Mercy Corps DRC’s Emergency response. S/he will support humanitarian efforts in DRC by assisting in the implementation of life-saving interventions, including activities carried out within the multi-million-dollar DFID-funded SAFER program - a Consortium of actors working together to promote a rapid, principled, efficient and effective response to humanitarian needs. **
The Emergency Grants Manager will assist in securing new programs by coordinating or leading proposal development processes while also supporting existing programs to ensure high-quality and timely donor reporting and communications.
The Emergency Grants Manager will support quality program implementation through a variety of channels including management of high-level donor communications, ensuring adherence to donor requirements, management of reporting requirements, coordination across consortium actors, as well as regular engagement and coordination with MC HQ, DRC mission-level teams and the Emergency team. S/he will ensure high quality and timely performance reporting is in place for all grants including, but not limited to, bi-weekly program updates, monthly sector reviews, and quarterly, annual, and final program reports, as well as internal reporting under Mercy Corps’ complex programme arrangements including liaison and coordination with the complex program board.
The Emergency Grants Manager will be responsible for collating and updating the programs tools that will align with Mercy Corps’ programme management minimum standards (including program file documentation, program documentation, program performance and financials). The Emergency Grants Manager will also assist with the production of communication materials that bring together program learning including; development of success stories, response to written information requests and impact reporting. S/he will coordinate with donors, partners and other NGOs as required by the Director of the Emergency Portfolio and SAFER Consortium Director and will attend key coordination and advocacy meetings as needed.
ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
STRATEGY & VISION
● Contribute to collective vision and direction for the emergency portfolio to achieve the highest level of impact
● Ensure high programme quality, and constant improvements through innovation, active pursuit of lessons learned and adaptability to changing dynamics and contexts
● Identify opportunities for innovative collaboration with other internal departments and partners to drive forward quality programming
NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
● Coordinate and oversee new business development partnerships and relationships
● Oversee proposal development processes, including drafting and producing high quality concept notes and proposals that support Mercy Corps DRC’s strategic programming goals
GRANT MANAGEMENT
● Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective grants management standards and systems with donors, partners and Mercy Corps teams
● Ensure that partners and MC teams complete narrative and financial reports in a timely manner in line with templates provided by Mercy Corps
● Ensure that partners' reporting is properly embedded into overall reports to the donor
● Manage Reporting officer and ensure quality and review of all donor reports prior to submission
● Ensure proposals and project reports comply with donor and Mercy Corps’ procedures and best practices.
● Support M&E Manager in M&E and reporting duties including, responding to information requests, supporting the fulfillment of donor M&E requirements, monitoring and reporting on program impact.
● Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards
● Organise regular meetings with relevant stakeholders (i.e. Mercy Corps team members and partners) to gather feedback and document lessons learned to improve the quality and relevance of the reporting and communications with donors
● Ensure that the Emergency Department has sufficient systems in place to meet programme management standards and comply with donor regulations and good practice, including the Quality Assurance and Control process
● Ensure complex programs are meeting Mercy Corps’ identified complex program standard
● Support and ensure teams are adhering to programme policies, protocols and systems
● Set up protocols to inform programme implementation, including internal and external reviews of programme quality
● Set up and maintain a number of team coordination tools, holding components to account to deadlines
● Ensure all programme management minimum standards are met (including risk management, issues management, lessons learned etc). Communicate and inculcate these requirements across the team
● Coordinate with programme, finance and administration staff to ensure operational systems are in place to support field activities (including logistics, procurement, security, administration and human resources)
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 donors templates
● Monitor approved grants and monthly burn rates, ensure submission of timely financial spend projections and reporting is completed in line with Mercy Corps and donor templates through monthly BvA meetings and ongoing budget tracking
● Work with HQ to ensure on-time and on-budget reporting and manage donor communications and requests
● Coordinate with Finance to address any reporting challenges in a timely manner
● Ensure the monitoring of the grant agreement for compliance with Mercy Corps policies and procedures as well as donor/government/external rules and regulations, particularly in regards to subgrants and partners
INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION
● Represent Mercy Corps with donors and within the humanitarian community through communications and attendance at key internal and external meetings, as needed.
● Manage donor communications regularly and efficiently in partnership with Mercy Corps senior leadership and Emergency team
● Develop and manage collaborative relationships with Mercy Corps team, implementing partners and donors
● Maintain communication tools and systems to ensure effective coordination across the portfolio
● Organise and conduct monitoring visits to the project sites and host visitors and donors, as needed
● Maintain regular communication with Mission level and HQ focal points to ensure the programme is run in coordination with other programmes and departments, and Mercy Corps complex program guidelines, leveraging cross programme learning particularly on programme management and collaboration where possible.
● 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.
● 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.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: Grants and Reporting Officer
ACCOUNTABILITY:
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: EMERGENCY PROGRAMS DIRECTOR
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Consortium SAFER Director, Consortium Partners, Country Director, Deputy Country Director - Programs, Emergency Team Members, Mercy Corps HQs, Program Delivery Managers, Operations Director (and associated Managers including HR/Administration Manager), and the Finance Director.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
● Master's degree in one of the following: Public Policy, Governance, International Development or other related fields
● 5-7 years of experience with European or/and US institutional donors, including grant management, and proposal development
● Experience working and supporting humanitarian and emergency programming with displaced populations (i.e. MPCA, NFIs, WASH)
● Field experience in conflict and development environments. Exposure to gender, protection, and conflict mitigation and management programs
● Ability to work in a sometimes solitary environment with moderate to high levels of insecurity and significant restrictions on personal movement
● Fluent English and fluent French are required
● Ability to deliver high quality reports within short deadlines
● Demonstrable knowledge of DRC an added advantage
● Ability to multi-task and juggle several tasks and relationships at one time
● Excellent communication skills, experience in representing an organization.
● Demonstrated proficiency with the MS Office software (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is required
● Previous experience working with international organizations required and history with DFID, ECHO and USAID-funded initiatives desirable
● Proven ability to work effectively in multicultural teams and with technical and administrative staff and consultants
SUCCESS FACTORS:
A successful candidate will have an ability to work independently, take initiative in tasks and self-learning, and be proactive in communications and development of professional relationships. The incumbent will be able to live and work closely with a diverse team of individuals in a highly intense and fluid work and security environment with demonstrated sensitivity to the people and issues in the region. The Emergency Grants Manager will demonstrate exceptional interpersonal, relationship and cross-cultural communication skills especially in high stress environments are essential for success. The Emergency Grants Manager will be committed to the values and mission of Mercy Corps; have the ability to creatively problem-solve, to juggle multiple priorities under tight deadlines and to calmly and diplomatically deal with unexpected and sudden events impacting program operations with patience, dynamism, tenacity and a good sense of humor.
LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:
This position is an unaccompanied position. Shared accommodation will be provided in Goma according to Mercy Corps DRC housing policy. Goma is a provincial capital of over 700,000 inhabitants, with potential travel to Bukavu and Kinshasa. Living in Goma is comfortable, although water and electricity can be unstable. Outside Goma, travel can be dangerous and unpredictable due to armed forces and rebel activity.
While conditions in the country are improving, and security is quite stable in Goma, 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. Travel to field sites will be required where living conditions are clean and secure, but basic. 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 of 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.
