Colombia Country Director

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

Program / Department Summary

For 16 years, Mercy Corps has successfully worked in more than half of the country with communities most affected by conflict, both pre- and post-2016 Peace Accords. Mercy Corps program participants include displaced and refugee populations, smallholder farmers and victims of natural disasters. Mercy Corps Colombia’s rapidly growing portfolio, which will have an operational budget of approximately $20M+ in FY2023 and in FY2024, includes programs focusing on the Venezuelan refugee response (including cash transfers, psychosocial support, legal support, small business, and employment opportunities), land titling, illicit crop substitution, and improved productivity and increased income from coffee farming, especially for women farmers. Mercy Corps Colombia is the lead organization of the VenEsperanza cash consortium, the largest cash transfer program in Colombia, which includes as its main partners (sub-grantees) World Vision, Save the Children and IRC. VenEsperanza has reached, to date, over 400,000 individuals with Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA). Mercy Corps Colombia donors include USAID/BHA, BPRM (State Department), European Commission, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Conrad Hilton Foundation, and the Starbucks Foundation. Also, we have become a trusted partner of several key Government of Colombia agencies including the President’s Office, Foreign Affairs, the national Victim’s Unit, the National Learning Service, and the Agency for Child and Family Welfare. The Mercy Corps Colombia program is the largest in the Americas region, with over 280 staff members located in Bogotá and five field offices throughout the country.

General Position Summary

The Mercy Corps Colombia Country Director (CD) is an innovative leader responsible for resourcefully managing day-to-day operations in Colombia. This person has held senior roles in managing operations and/or programming in fluid environments and formulating strategic direction within an international development context. The CD has supervisory responsibility for the country team and implementation of security protocols. The CD is responsible for ensuring the smooth functioning of the country program in compliance with local laws, Mercy Corps policies and procedures, and donor rules and regulations. They will also ensure that all Mercy Corps Colombia programs are implemented in accordance to PM@MC standards, ensuring a high level of program quality, and that programs are implemented on time, on budget, and on scope. This person will contribute to the development of sustainable, multi-sector programming, ensure accountability to beneficiaries and donors, placing a high value on innovative solutions to relief and development issues and creative partnerships. Ideally, this person will have extensive experience and expertise in emergency response and rapid expansion of activities and support functions.

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY & VISION

• Formulate, plan and communicate a clear vision of present and future program goals and strategies to team members and stakeholders that translates into concrete programs and work plans.
• Lead country planning processes and provide strategic updates.
• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions and resources to achieve program and agency objectives.
• Use technical support teams collaboratively.
• Explore, evaluate and present new country and project funding opportunities that leverage impact and integrate initiatives and activities; support and direct related fund-raising activities with both institutional and private donors.

TEAM MANAGMENT

• Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles, provide mentorship, and assist with career development.
• Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.

PROGRAM OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

• Oversee program quality and impact by ensuring programs are based on sound design principles and utilize Mercy Corps and donor required M&E systems.
• Ensure effective, transparent use of resources in compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies/procedures.
• Oversee budget management of sub-grantees/sub-contractors, if applicable.
• Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.
• Promote a culture of ethics through leadership by example.

FINANCE & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.
• Build and maintain operational structures that ensure efficiency and proper segregation of duties between finance, administration and logistics and fully support field office teams.

INFLUENCE AND REPRESENTATION

• Represent Mercy Corps programs with national and international media and participate in community activities as appropriate.
• Maintain productive relationships with internal and external constituents such as private partners, local governments, foundations, the private sector and donors.
• Anticipate needs, understand diverse donors and contribute to shaping donor’s views on relief and development.
• Explore, evaluate and present innovative funding opportunities that support the objectives for the country as a whole.
• Demonstrate flexibility, resilience and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure.
• Maintain high ethical standards and treat people with respect and dignity.
• Exhibit awareness of his/her own strengths and development needs.
• Liaise with the global security team, the Regional Program Director and the Regional Security Advisor on crucial events, high-risk periods, incident reporting and security policy changes.

Supervisory Responsibility: Deputy Country Director for Programs, Deputy Country Director for Operations, Security Manager, and Ethics Manager.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Americas Regional Director

Works Directly With: Regional Program Team**,** International Finance, Program Quality Unit, Technical Services Unit, New Initiatives, Policy and Advocacy, People Team, Communications, Humanitarian Leadership and Response and Security.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• BA/S or equivalent in relevant field required; MA/S preferred.
• 10+ years of field experience in international relief and development programs, including demonstrable success in managing emergency response and complex development programs.
• Minimum of 5 years of senior-level leadership, capacity building and field management experience.
• Capacity to respond to emergency and disaster response as appropriate.
• Knowledge of Sphere standards and other training in emergency response preferred.
• Demonstrated success working effectively and respectfully with host country government, private sector, INGO, NGO partners and other stakeholders in complex environments.
• Internationally recognized qualification in project or program management or a commitment to obtain the qualification in the early months of work.
• Proven skills in financial and grants management; prior experience with USAID, BHA, BPRM, ECHO, Canada donors and grant management is preferred.
• Successful and proven negotiation, communication and organization skills.
• Excellent oral and written English skills required; fluency in Spanish is required.
• Ability to work effectively with a diverse team in a sensitive environment.
• Previous work experience in insecure environments.

Success Factors

The Colombia Country Director is an assertive, fast thinking, experienced leader. They have a thorough understanding of what it takes to ensure that Colombia operations provide client-centered that help deliver impactful programs in challenging environments. They will inspire confidence among our key stakeholders, including donors, government leaders, NGO and private sector allies, as well as team members. The Country Director is an excellent communicator who can lead teams towards achieving a shared goal and can drive a fast-paced and adaptive program. They can create a stimulating working environment that encourages innovation and accountability and can work effectively with an ethnically and gender diverse team in a sensitive environment. The Country Director is capable of team building and capacity-building of national staff. They have excellent information management skills and can think strategically.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Bogotá, Colombia. Housing will be provided as individual accommodation with unlimited freedom of movement beyond the house/office. All MC Colombia employees are expected to work a 5-day work week with occasional need to work extended hours and on weekends/holidays.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.