Mercy Corps
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 operational in Sudan since 2004, and currently has a country office in Khartoum and field offices in South Darfur, South Kordofan, White Nile and Gedaref states. We work with Sudanese communities to build resilient scalable solutions that interrupt the cycle of fragility and crisis due to conflict and climate change by improving food and water security, peace and governance and enabling economic opportunities in the agricultural sector.
Our programs in Sudan cover the triple nexus approach with a range of projects interlinking the humanitarian, development and peace sectors. Our humanitarian response focuses on integrated FSL, Cash, WASH, Protection and Nutrition activities with cross-cutting focuses on youth and gender. These programs have a strong emphasis on increasing self-reliance through the provision of improved livelihood opportunities. Under our peace program, we aim to promote an active role for women in preventing and mitigating violence and conflict especially in South Darfur and South Kordofan in collaboration with civil society. Our development program is pioneering a Market System Development (MSD) approach to support the food security and strengthening of agricultural markets systems for small holder farmers in South Kordofan and Blue Nile. The project has a focus on the empowerment of women and promotion of climate resilient agriculture.
Working with a diverse base of donors that includes the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Switzerland Development Cooperation (SDC), Swedish International Development Agency, GIZ, Sudan Humanitarian Fund and others, Mercy Corps empowers people to recover from crisis, build better lives and transform their communities for good. We work closely with the private sector, civil society and governance structures at local, regional and national levels to facilitate change and ensure that opportunities are inclusive of all Sudanese.
Innovation is an important part of our programs, and we are levering new technologies and modalities to alleviate suffering and poverty thereby helping people build secure, productive and just communities. Mercy Corps’ work emphasizes community-led, market-driven interventions through public, private and civic sector partnerships. Examples of innovation in Sudan include the use of solar energy to provide sustainable potable water supplies for displaced communities and the introduction of hermetic bags to reduce post-harvest losses for small holder farmers.
General Position Summary
The Mercy Corps Sudan Country Director is an innovative and visionary leader responsible for resourcefully managing all programming in Sudan to deliver impact, harness innovative solutions and influence lasting and systemic change. Building on a strong foundation of programming that has improved the lives of more than 175,000 Sudanese in 2021 alone, the Country Director will continue to oversee the delivery of high-impact, multi-sector programming that is accountable to both beneficiaries and donors. Placing a high value on innovative solutions to development issues and creative partnerships, s/he will position Mercy Corps to access funding opportunities that strategically connect programs into a cohesive country portfolio, guided by a long-term strategy. With a total budget of approximately $25 million, the Country Director has full supervisory responsibility for the country team and is responsible for building a cohesive team that works together to deliver high-impact programming across the country.
Essential Job Responsibilities
STRATEGY & VISION
● Formulate and plan, in consultation with key stakeholders, a clear vision of present and future program goals and strategies which can be clearly communicated to team members, local beneficiaries, international partners, governmental counterparts, and donors.
● Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcome, heard and acted upon.
● Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve goals and objectives.
● Explore, evaluate and present new project funding opportunities that leverage impact and integrate initiatives and activities, support and direct related fundraising activities with both institutional and private donors.
● Evaluate country specific program priorities and contribute to regional and global strategy development and prioritization.
LEADERSHIP & CULTURE
● Commit to preserving an organizational culture of trust, transparency, diversity, equity, and inclusion across the team and global organization.
● Uphold a culture of integrity through ethical decision-making, safeguarding and compliance with the Code of Conduct.
● Lead by role modeling self awareness to foster an environment of mutual respect, diversity and inclusion so that all team members are included, supported and can thrive.
● Create a culture of accountability for highly effective communication systems and relationships to ensure every voice matters.
TEAM MANAGEMENT
● Recruit, manage, motivate, and onboard an informed, skilled and efficient team with an emphasis on high quality impact, inclusion and achievement.
● Encourage a team culture of growth, learning, creativity and innovation by incorporating a culture of continuous feedback, development and performance management.
● Establish credibility within the team by demonstrating personal accountability, flexibility, resilience and dedication to quality programming by creating positive relationships and having composure in complex situations.
● Ensure people focused human resource systems are in place and consistent with Mercy Corps global policies, including position descriptions, team member onboarding, performance management, professional development plans and reporting mechanisms.
PROGRAM IMPACT, MONITORING AND EVALUATION AND LEARNING
● Oversee program quality and impact by ensuring programs are based on sound design principles and utilize Mercy Corps and donor required M&E systems.
● Gather evidence of program impact through robust agency standard procedures for data gathering, reporting, and evaluating program outputs and outcomes
● Lead country team to strive for impact at country and regional level leading to sustained change based on solid systems and incorporation of learnings into programs.
● Fulfill Mercy Corps Program Management Minimum Standards.
● Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and program participant accountability standards, including an effective Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism and safeguarding mechanisms across all programs.
INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION
● Maintain productive relationships with internal and external constituents such as private partners, national government, foundations, the private sector, etc.
● Maintain productive relationships with the international community inclusive of the United Nations, International NGOs, Think Tanks, Research Institutes and Foreign Governments.
● Anticipate needs, understand the donor pool and contribute to shaping donors’ views on humanitarian and development strategies.
● Represent Mercy Corps programs with national and international media.
PROGRAM OPERATIONS AND COMPLIANCE
● Coordinate overall country budget; manage budget within approved spending levels and establish an annual cash flow plan to ensure a steady and adequate supply of funds for program activities.
● Build and maintain operational structures that ensure proper segregation of duties between finance, administration and logistics and fully support field programs.
● Build and maintain an environment of collaboration among program, finance, operations and human resource team members resulting in optimal support for program activities.
● Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
● Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
● Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations, policies and procedures, and the implementation of appropriate risk mitigation measures to reduce Mercy Corps exposure to potential risk.
SECURITY
● Manage security and safety of the entire country team and Mercy Corps assets according to best practices, MC operating standards and field realities.
● Liaise with the Regional Director and Africa Regional Security Advisor on crucial events, high risk periods, incident reporting or security policy changes.
ACCOUNTABILITY TO BENEFICIARIES
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our program participants and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging participant communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Supervisory Responsibility: Director of Programs, HR Director, Finance Director, Operations Director.
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Regional Director
Works Directly With:, HQ-based Program, Operations, Finance, Compliance, Fundraising and Technical Support Unit; Regional leadership, technical support, operations and MEL teams.
Knowledge and Experience
● BA/S or equivalent in relevant field required; MA/S preferred.
● 7-10 years of field experience in international relief and development programs, including
demonstrable success in managing (large, complex, transitional) development programs.
● 5 years of senior-level leadership, capacity building and field management experience.
● Demonstrated success managing and bringing together a multi-cultural team with team members
in multiple offices.
● Demonstrated success representing complex programmatic objectives to diverse stakeholders in order to position Mercy Corps as a strong implementer and thought-leader with donors, development partners, government and other stakeholders.
● Successful and proven negotiation, communication and organization skills.
● Demonstrated experience multi-tasking and success in securing funding for country programs.
● Demonstrated success working effectively and respectfully with host country government,
private sector, INGO, NGO partners and other stakeholders in complex environments.
● Proven skills in financial and grants management; prior experience with USAID, European donors, UN agencies, and other key donors preferred.
● Internationally recognized qualification in project or program management or a commitment to
obtain the qualification in the early months of work.
● Excellent oral and written English skills required; proficiency in Arabic is a plus.
● Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.
● Previous work experience in countries where travel to insecure areas is required, and
management of programs in insecure locations.
● Capacity to respond to emergency and disaster situations as appropriate.
Success Factors
The successful Sudan CD will set a bold, transformative vision for Mercy Corps’ programing in South Sudan and skillfully represent programmatic priorities of the agency to donors and regional partners while providing effective leadership to the Mercy Corps program team. The CD will have high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building and will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level. The role is a hands-on position and success will be determined by the level of direct engagement in program development, oversight of projects, fundraising for new projects and representing the agency to stakeholders. The successful CD should welcome multitasking and taking an active role in program design and overarching strategy. Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position is based in Khartoum, Sudan. The location is accompanied and secure. Housing is family accommodation with unlimited freedom of movement beyond the house/office. There are international schools in Khartoum. Staff have decent access to services including medical, electricity, water, etc. This position requires 35% travel by road and air to field offices in often insecure environments.
Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside 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.
Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision. Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.
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. 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 toMercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct E-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.