Senior Program Officer - Latin America, Balkans, Caucasus (217549-927) May 17 2011 Vacancy

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Established in 1979, Mercy Corps is a non-profit international relief and development organization committed to alleviating suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. Supported by headquarters in North America and Europe, the agency's global programs employ 3,500 staff worldwide and reach 16.4 million people in more than 35 countries. Program Operations Department, headed by a Regional Program Director (RPD) responsible for Latin America, the Balkans, and Caucasus is based in Portland, OR. Mercy Corps’ Latin American operations include significant programming through country offices in Guatemala and Colombia, and partnership programs in Honduras and Nicaragua. There is potential interest in expanding programming to Bolivia and Cuba. Mercy Corps in the Balkans and Caucasus include operations in Kosovo and Georgia.

Current programmatic sectors in Latin America include: food security and maternal/child health and nutrition; conflict mediation & land reform; economic development; agricultural services; human rights, democracy and governance; IDPs; civil society and community mobilization. In Kosovo, programs are primarily centered on support for refugees and internally displaced persons.  In Georgia, the programming landscape includes agricultural development through a market-driven, facilitative approach and disaster risk reduction activities.

Mercy Corps’ HQ-based Program Department is responsible for supporting field-led programming and implementation that delivers measurable impact, providing support in the design, monitoring, implementation and evaluation of field-led programs and operations, ensures qualitative and timely donor reports and seeks to enliven our innovative approach

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The Latin America, Balkans and Caucasus Senior Program Officer supports continued growth and implementation of high-quality, strategic and impactful programming in the region, supports & sometimes leads new program development, assists with recruitment of field teams, manages existing grants along with country teams and the Regional Finance Officer, assists with public relations materials and information flows, conducts external representation to donors and partners, ensures overall internal reporting is high quality and on-time and assists and advises the RPD with initiatives related to these activities including participation in regional strategy setting. S/he facilitates all communications between headquarter departments and the Field.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

New Program Development 

• Fundraise successfully by leading, coordinating and/or assisting with all facets of proposal development in tandem with colleague Program Officer, relevant departments and as directed by the RPD.  This includes research on funding opportunities, communicating with donors, traveling to the field for assessments and proposal design and writing, coordinating the overall proposal development process, ensuring up-to-date capacity statements, participating in content provision, working with field leadership on new program strategy and supporting the RPD in the development and articulation of regional and country program strategies.

Recruitment

• Ensure a smooth recruiting process for key Field positions, participating at relevant stages.
• Write and maintain Position Descriptions and assist with the processing of new hires and transfers to the field.
• Work closely with Country Directors and the RPD to maintain optimum field staffing levels and modify recruitment strategies in response to changing programming contexts.
• Assist newly-hired staff with issues related to deployment.

Grant Administration and Management

• Act as focal point between the Field and donors for all grant reporting; edit, translate and assist with the writing of quality and timely grant reports; ensure that all deadlines are met.  
• Ensure that all grant information is entered in to the Grant and Information Tracker (GAIT) database and Digital Library.
• Maintain adequate records on all correspondence and documentation related to the management, staffing and implementation of grants.
• Coordinate the maintenance of important grant documents including signed grant agreements, final proposals, final budgets or cost applications, modifications, reports, extensions or any other pertinent communication that impacts the implementation of agreements, in tandem with International Finance and the Regional Finance Officer.
• Assist with the monitoring of grant budgets to ensure timely implementation.
• Assist the field with qualitative monitoring and evaluation of strategic grants.
• Coordinate all logistical and technical needs to the Field, including the identification, contracting, deployment and payment of consultants; recruitment of expatriate staff and all travel needs.

Representation

• Act as key program representative to donors and coordination entities relative to Mercy Corps’ program presence in Latin America, the Balkans and Caucasus. This includes close coordination with the Public Affairs and Communication teams. 
• Serve as an informed resource on country and regional issues; provide project updates to other MC departments and external organizations. 
• Represent Mercy Corps and Latin America, Balkans and Caucasus regions to external audiences and serve as a spokesperson to media.
• Assist the field with production of public relations materials as needed. 
• Handle all desk communications, including responses to field questions and needs.
• Liaise with donors and technical assistance agencies, public requests for information, etc.

Other duties

• Communicate and coordinate with Latin America, Balkans and Caucasus country program focal points and the Digital Librarian for updates and maintenance.
• Recruit and supervise assistant program staff, interns or volunteers as needed or required. 
• Travel to the field to provide program support as needed.
• Manage all electronic communications with the field. Manage other duties and initiatives as requested or needed.

Accountability:  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 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:  Regional Program Director (RPD) for Latin America, the Balkans, and the Caucasus

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH:  Mercy Corps’ Latin American Country Directors and their teams; HQ Program and Technical Support Units and Departments including Resource Development, Material Aid, Public Affairs , GEO, Logistics and Finance; Mercy Corps Counterparts at MC HQ offices in Europe; MC donors and partners.     

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• BA/S in relevant international development field required; MA/S or equivalent preferred for senior level position.
• 3-5 years of international relief and development program management experience, including program development, strategic planning, program implementation and evaluation, staff supervision and development, training, team building, finance and administration, donor relation, and inter-agency and intra-agency communications is preferred.
• Excellent communication and writing skills. 
• Demonstrated knowledge of relevant sectoral and/or operational areas (agriculture, relief to recovery, access to financial services, health/nutrition, economic development, IDP).
• Experience managing the development, implementation, administration and compliance of US Government, EC/ECHO, UN, private foundation and corporate grants, and related programs required.
• Experience with USAID Food for Peace programs desired. 
• Experience representing the organization and its interests to a diverse range of local and international government officials, local civil society organizations, other international organizations, the media and the public preferred.
• Willingness and ability to travel to Mercy Corps’ project sites and field locations required. 
• Experience working in and traveling to insecure environments required. 
• Preference given to candidates with prior experience in the Latin America Region.  
• Proficiency in Spanish is highly desired, but not required.
• Proficiency with MS Office software required (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

SUCCESS FACTORS:

The successful SPO will bring an attitude of initiative, creativity, innovation and flexibility to the Latin America Desk and will display a commitment to Mercy Corps’ mission and values, working to enhance and protect the reputation of the organization throughout the region and within the international development community. S/he will be a versatile multi-tasker with proven ability to organize, take charge, and prioritize many urgent tasks as needed,  combining participatory and visionary leadership and tactful decisiveness to foster growth and quality into regional programming. An understanding of the current political, economic, social conditions and the historical context of Latin America is important, along with the ability to obtain, analyze and act on large amounts of information from a diverse range of sources, taking charge of delegated responsibilities with little supervision and have the confidence and humility to work effectively with a large variety of people who will be diverse both culturally and economically. S/he must be sensitive to political and cultural nuance and able to consistently apply excellent judgment to a variety of demanding and fast-changing situations. A robust sense of humor is greatly appreciated.  S/he will be an excellent program designer and proposal writer.  Having experience and established networks in the region will be a huge benefit, particularly in Guatemala and Colombia.  We are interested in candidates who can make a minimum of a two-year commitment to this position, with possibilities for career advancement within the organization after that.

LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:

This position is based in Portland, Oregon with frequent travel to the capital cities and remote locations within Colombia, Guatemala and other parts of Latin America, as well as Kosovo. The position is expected to travel up to 35% of the time.   Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit to a field posting. Staff 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.

Please apply online at
http://mercycorps.silkroad.com/epostings/submit.cfm?fuseaction=app.dspjob&jobid=217549&company_id=15927&version=1&jobboardid=479

Closing date: 17 May 2011 — Mercy Corps