PROGRAM SUMMARY
Mercy Corps has been present in the Middle East since the 1980s and currently has offices in Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Libya. Mercy Corps opened its office in Yemen in 2010. Mercy Corps has been present in Yemen since 2010, helping Yemeni youth work toward building a more peaceful and hopeful future through programming focused on youth community engagement, networking and mentorship through economic opportunity. Mercy Corps is working to strengthen its presence in Yemen, particularly in the area of Humanitarian Response to the Yemeni population affected by recent conflict, food insecurity and displacement. Yemen is currently in the midst of a large humanitarian crisis that will only continue to grow over the next 12 to 14 months. Mercy Corps is building a multi-sectoral approach in Yemen that will address social, economic and infrastructure needs. Through these activities Mercy Corps seeks to provide Yemenis with the means to achieve a long-term recovery.
Mercy Corps has expanded her programming in Yemen and now has 3 offices (Aden, Sana’a and Taiz). Sana’a is the main office where as Aden and Taiz are Sub Offices. Currently, Mercy Corps in Yemen has 13 international colleagues working in all 3 offices and will soon expand to 5 more internationals coming up to a total of 18 international colleagues and over 70 national colleagues. Furthermore, the Mercy Corps Yemen office is anticipating an expansion of these programmes. This expansion will take Mercy Corps to at least one and potentially new governorates which provide a series of challenges and complexities (with movement, recruitment, implementation and most of all safety & security).
GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY
The Head of Office (HoO) is a management position for Mercy Corps with supervisory and managerial responsibilities, and ensures appropriate representation of Mercy Corps in the field. The HoO is ultimately responsible for ensuring that programs run smoothly by coordinating and overseeing the daily operations of the sub-office, monitoring and responding to the security situation, and keeping up to date with contextual developments. This includes training and supervising administrative, logistics, procurement, finance and program staff and ensuring compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures. S/he will supervise and support all programs implemented from the Taiz office, as well as identify needs and opportunities for future programming and will support all Program Managers to ensure that programmatic objectives are met within allotted time, budget and quality standards.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
Strategy and Vision
- Assist with development, design, and proposal writing for related programming, including participation in needs assessments;
Representation
- Liaise with local government officials, UN and other international agencies, local NGOs and civil society organizations, local leaders and other community members to foster coordination and ensure support for and acceptance of Mercy Corps activities;
- Receive, brief and support all Mercy Corps visitors to Taiz;
Program Management
- The HoO will manage all Humanitarian and Development programs implemented from the Taiz field office. S/he will ensure that programmatic objectives are met within allotted time, budget and quality standards;
- Work closely with all SLT members as well as CD to coordinate and provide operational support to program activities, ensuring that the team is able to adhere to work plans, that activities are on schedule and of quality, and that program deliverables are completed as committed;
- Oversee the smooth flow of information to the CD and work closely with the Country Finance team and Country Operations team;
- The HoO will ensure that the projects under his/her supervision compile with all Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures;
- Head of Office will maintain and advise on appropriate security and safety systems and procedures and ensure all staff are aware of and adhere to these procedures and work closely with the Country Safety and Security Manager and his team based in Sana’a;
- Ensure all team members are aware of and compliant with Mercy Corps personnel policies, including conflict of interest and general conduct;
- Liaise with local government officials, UN and other international agencies, local NGOs and civil society organizations, local leaders and other community members to foster coordination and ensure support for and acceptance of Mercy Corps activities;
- Ensure effective and transparent use and documentation of financial resources by all staff in compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures;
- Ensure that procurement is completed, documented, and delivered to end-user in a timely manner, ensuring that items procured meet the specifications of the end-user while adhering to donor and Mercy Corps procurement guidelines;
- Report daily/weekly/monthly on program and administrative activities and security situation, in addition to incident reports, to CD as per determined communication schedule;
- Assist with development, design, and proposal writing for related programming, including participation in needs assessments;
- The Head of Office will work closely with the Govt Liaison & Security Advisor so as to inform staff as required on government policies pertaining to his/her programme;
- Work closely with all stakeholders when it comes to Humanitarian response;
- Design, plan and implement an effective and efficient Humanitarian response for the most vulnerable communities in the project area;
- Attend Cluster meetings at Taiz and if need be at Sana’a level;
- Ensure a high degree of professionalism and neutrality when it comes to implementing the response;
- Receive, brief and support all Mercy Corps visitors to the region;
- Conduct him/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission;
- The HoO will will support all Program Managers to ensure that programmatic objectives are met within allotted time, budget and quality standards;
- Work closely with Program Managers to coordinate and provide operational support to program activities, ensuring that the team is able to adhere to work plans, that activities are on schedule and of quality, and that program deliverables are completed as committed;
Team Management
- Ensure the smooth running of the base (office and residence), in terms of having the appropriate staff, infrastructure and systems in place to provide a comfortable and professional working and living environment, and providing any necessary training or guidance;
- Assist CD in maintaining and advising on appropriate security and safety systems and procedures and ensure all staff are aware of and adhere to these procedures;
- Ensure all team members are aware of and compliant with Mercy Corps personnel policies, including conflict of interest and general conduct;
Operations
- Oversee the smooth flow of routine support functions (e.g., finance, administration, logistics) of the Mercy Corps office and compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures;
- Ensure effective and transparent use and documentation of financial resources by all staff in compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures;
- Ensure that procurement is completed, documented, and delivered to end-user in a timely manner, ensuring that items procured meet the specifications of the end-user while adhering to donor and Mercy Corps procurement guidelines;
- Ensure all aspects of asset management including maintenance of the asset register and the investigation of any missing assets, as well as stock management, including ensuring sound transfers between sub-offices;
- Supervise the management and maintenance of vehicle fleet, office facilities, and equipment, including power supply;
- Oversee database and paper file management for finance, administration, HR, and logistics documents; ensure files are complete and in compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures;
- Advise the CD and other staff as required on government policies and procedures, taxation and on interaction with local authorities;
- Conduct him/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission;
- Other duties as assigned;
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: This position will manage a diverse team of international and national staff members, directly supervising program managers, finance officer, logistician and administration officer.
ACCOUNTABILITY:
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Country Director
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Program/Support teams throughout Yemen, in particular the HoO will work with the Sana based Finance team, Security Manager and CD.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
- A BA/S or equivalent in relevant field; MA/S preferred.
- Minimum 5 years’ NGO experience successfully managing programs and supervising diverse teams in the field, preferably in the Middle East.
- Strong financial and operational management knowledge or experience required.
- Experience in highly volatile security situations and a commitment to team safety.
- Demonstrated ability to implement a complex program, manage a range of staff and with strong emphasis on developing their capacities.
- Program experience should include program implementation, DM&E, needs assessments, report and proposal development and budget monitoring.
- Experience in monitoring and managing security plans and situations is a distinct advantage.
- Demonstrated proficiency with the MS Office software (i.e., Word, Excel, Power Point) required.
- English proficiency required; excellent written and oral skills.
- Essential Arabic language skills preferred.
- Prior experience living overseas and ability to work comfortably in the Yemen cultural environment isrequired.
SUCCESS FACTORS
A successful candidate will have effective verbal and written communication skills, the ability to multi-task, great organizational, and prioritization skills with an ability to effectively represent the organization and its interests to a diverse range of stakeholders, including local and international government officials, local civil society organizations, donors, other international organizations, the media, and the community. S/he will have demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow and enforce procedures, meet deadlines, and work independently and cooperatively with team members, have strong people skills and the ability to motivate diverse teams. An interest and ability to travel and work in remote and dynamic environments, with experience in insecure environments is an advantage as is an awareness of and sensitivity to multi-cultural international development work and ability to train and facilitate dialogue among a diverse group of individuals with various skill sets and working styles. S/he will 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 sense of humor.
LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
This unaccompanied position will be based in Taiz, Yemen and is eligible for R&R breaks. Taiz is Yemen’s second largest city, and in the capital of the most populous Governorate also called Taiz. It has a coast line that runs along the Red Sea. The position required frequent field visits as permitted by security considerations. While conditions in the country are improving, there are still pockets of violence and insecurity. This position will be required to reside in a group living environment in guest housing; must be able to work in an environment with energy, transportation and communication challenges. The team member must follow all security protocols at all times.
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. Staff 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.
Mercy Corps is an AA/EOE.
How to apply:
