Tracking Code: 218832-927
Job Location: Bangui, Bangui, Central African Republic
Position Type: Full-Time/Regular
Job Description
PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:
Mercy Corps has been operational in the Central African Republic (CAR) since September 2007. With offices in the Bangui and in Bouar, Bambari, and Bangassou, Mercy Corps works to integrate short-term humanitarian assistance with programs to strengthen community resilience and support market-led economic development, with a cross-cutting accent on governance and gender. Mercy Corps takes a sustainable approach to its programming, seeking to change behaviors and create institutions to foster long-term development in the sectors of protection, governance, civil society capacity building, water/sanitation, and food security. Funding comes from a range of donors including the European Commission, OFDA, US Department of State, DFID, the United Nations, FIDA, and private donations. By addressing a number of overlapping and associated needs within a wide range of activities, Mercy Corps in CAR takes an integrated approach to ensure the greatest possible impact
GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:
The Senior Program Manager of Protection will work closely with Protection Program Managers, protection program teams and the Deputy Country Director (DCD) to ensure effective coordination and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and quality assurance of Mercy Corps CAR’s protection portfolio, which currently includes child protection, gender-based violence (GBV) and protection monitoring programs. The Senior Program Manager – Protection will spend approximately 40% of their time as the GBV-sub cluster co-lead at the national level, for which Mercy Corps chairs, and will work closely with GBV sub-cluster members and the Lead Agency, UNICEF.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
Strategy & Vision:
- Establish a country-level Protection Program strategy streamlining all protection programs under a clear protection framework that is aligned with the Mercy Corps CAR country strategy and Mercy Corps vision for change.
- Ensure that all Protection Program managers adhere to the country level Protection Program Strategy.
Protection Program Coordination
- Provide leadership in all aspects of program coordination for the protection programs portfolio to ensure consistent quality, including the incorporation of cross-cutting themes, quality data analysis, lessons learned and best practices.
- Ensure that protection program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and aligned with Mercy Corps’ principles, values, global strategic roadmap, and CAR country strategy.
- Work with Protection Program Managers to monitor adherence to grant agreements, Mercy Corps’ policies and procedures and relevant external rules and regulations;
- Support Protection Program Managers to oversee performance of partners, sub-grantees, and technical contractors and adhere to MC’s Minimum Standards for Program Management.
- Conduct frequent field visits to all protection project sites for monitoring, quality control and program staff mentoring and coaching.
- Build up protection programs’ staff capacity and ensure effective and qualitative program implementation
Program Monitoring and Evaluation and Reporting
- Ensure that robust monitoring and evaluation, quality data collection and analysis systems are in place for the protection portfolio, adhered to and used as a decision-making tool, encouraging consistency across programs.
- Provide ongoing training and guidance to Protection Program Managers on M&E best practices.
- Ensure that donor reports produced by the protection programs team effectively demonstrate the impact of Mercy Corps’ protection program interventions.
- Review all protection program reports to ensure a high-quality product (in either English or French, depending on the donor).
Coordination and Representation
- Establish close and productive relationships with national government authorities and cluster members (UN and NGO) in CAR working on protection, in close coordination with the Deputy Country Director.
- Coordinate with other NGOs working in the protection sector in CAR to consolidate Mercy Corps’ comparative advantage, while identifying new strategic partnerships.
Co-lead the national level GBV sub-cluster (50%)
- Co-facilitate the inter‐agency, multi-sectoral GBV coordination mechanism at the national level – the CAR GBV Sub-Cluster. Serve as sub-cluster Lead in the absence of UNICEF.
- Support day-to-day activities of the GBV Sub-Cluster to develop and strengthen multi-sectoral and inter-agency GBV prevention and response interventions including operationalization of referral and reporting mechanisms, information sharing, coordination, and monitoring and evaluation.
- Mainstream and integrate GBV across the humanitarian response through the inter-cluster coordination and among the different clusters.
- Support and expand use of the Gender-based Violence Information Management System (GBV IMS) to ensure safe and ethical data collection and management.
- Provide technical support to the development of relevant advocacy and policy documents to address GBV in the context of broader gender (inequality) issues.
- Collect, compile, and analyze monthly GBV report data with an emphasis on identifying trends and patterns. Develop monthly report formats that capture relevant information and that support the analysis and evaluation of program progress and outcomes.
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 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.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: All Protection Program Managers
ACCOUNTABILITY:
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Deputy Country Director
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: All protection program staff, both national and expatriate in CAR; Field-based Finance Manager, Operations Manager, other PMs, and other MC staff; local government and sub-cluster member organizations.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
- MA/S or equivalent in management, social science, international development, or other relevant field.
- Minimum 5 years’ NGO experience in progressively responsible positions, including at least 2 years in a senior management position.
- Prior experience or training in gender issues and their application in international humanitarian settings.
- Awareness and demonstrable knowledge of gender-based violence and protection issues.
- Knowledge of humanitarian emergency operations and roles/responsibilities of humanitarian actors.
- Experience working in remote emergency settings is essential. Experience in Africa and particularly working in conflict-affected zones is a plus.
- Diplomacy and assertiveness; the ability to respectfully and carefully confront and discuss sensitive issues with a wide range of actors, groups, and individuals.
- Strong understanding of donor compliance issues.
- Strong management skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues.
- Strong communication skills in English, including report development, writing and editing.
- Demonstrated financial management skills.
- Ability to build, manage, and lead a team of professionals and the ability to function as a team player among peers.
- Demonstrated proficiency with the MS Office software (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is required.
- Fluent French and English are essential; familiarity with Sango is an advantage.
- Patience, flexibility and excellent diplomatic skills are critical.
SUCCESS FACTORS:
The successful candidate will have proven experience working in difficult environments and emergency contexts. S/he will have effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational, and prioritization skills with an attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines, and work independently and cooperatively with team members. Essential qualities for this position are 1) an ability to travel and work independently in very remote environments; 2) an ability to cope with insecurity; 3) sensitivity to multi-cultural development work; 4) an ability to train and facilitate dialogue among a diverse group of individuals with various skill sets and working styles; and 5) a commitment to working with community members to make concrete improvements to their livelihoods and living conditions. S/he will be highly effective at building teams, problem solving, conflict resolution, and capacity-building and will also have the skills to engage, motivate and encourage staff to bring creative solutions to protection issues, identify opportunities for increased impact, and pursue project objectives.An even temperament and a good sense of humor are critical to success in this position.
LIVING/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:
This position is unaccompanied for spouses and/or children and includes hardship allowance and R&R benefits. In previous years, Bangui was generally free of any serious threats towards international or national staff, outside of petty theft. However, carjacking and targeted looting do occur on occasion. Hospitals and access to quality health care is very limited. Malaria is prevalent. It is estimated that 7-8% of the population may be HIV positive. Suitable group housing is available, but electricity and clean water are sometimes sporadic.
Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps' policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues
