Program Development and Reporting Manager

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

Mercy Corps is currently helping Venezuelans seeking refuge and opportunity in Colombia. Since beginning our response in June 2018, we’ve helped more than 350,000 people by providing emergency cash to purchase food, water and other urgently needed items. The VenEsperanza Consortium is a partnership between four international humanitarian aid agencies to model and deliver innovative, effective cash assistance programs to support People in Need, including Venezuelan refugees and migrants who intend to stay in Colombia, Colombians returning from Venezuela, and host community members. Led by Mercy Corps, the Consortium also includes Save the Children (Save), World Vision International (WVI) and International Rescue Committee (IRC).

General Position Summary

The Program Development and Reporting Manager will support the Consortium in building and administering its current and expanding cash program. The Manager will assist in securing new programs by coordinating and leading proposal development processes and ensuring high-quality and timely donor reporting. S/he will know and advise teams on donor rules and compliance. S/he will work collaboratively with Consortium partner Program Managers, Finance and Compliance Teams, Field Office and Headquarters staff, including through facilitation and co-leadership of Consortium working groups, to advance common workstreams and maintain high program quality. S/he will support the Consortium’s thought leadership, advocacy, and communications agendas, and will represent the Consortium as appropriate in internal and inter-agency fora. It is critical that the Program Development and Reporting Manager is an excellent communicator, who is supportive and solution-focused. The Program Development and Reporting Manager needs to be highly motivated, self-driven and able to support complex programming with limited daily support and direction; s/he will be able to work remotely with internal and external stakeholders to achieve common objectives.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Program Quality

• Lead and/or facilitate consortium working group convenings, ensuring that the Programs/Technical Working Group, Communications, Safeguarding, Reporting, Steering Committee, and other relevant inter-agency advance in their workflows, and coordinate convenings as needed to ensure task follow-up and accountability.
• Establish systems for regular grant monitoring and facilitate regular bilateral and consortium-wide discussions with Program, MEL, Finance, Operations, Director of Programs/Country Director, and Consortium Director to ensure that performance is tracked effectively, risks and issues are flagged and action taken as appropriate.
• Develop and implement advocacy strategies to the Colombian humanitarian community and Government of Colombia to strengthen program management and response to participants, around issues such as allowable cash transfer values, needs-based approaches, and other relevant issues.
• Maintain close bilateral partnership with consortium member teams to ensure an open line of communication, troubleshoot agency-specific concerns, and provide other key guidance to ensure program management and harmonization.
• Provide regular management information to the Senior Leadership Team and Mercy Corps Complex Board on the performance of the VenEsperanza program.
• Maintain an online grant filing system, reporting and compliance tracker (ensuring compliance with PM@MC minimum standards), risk register, and other program management tools.
• Play a leading role in Grant Kick-Off and Close-Out meetings to ensure that all grant information, including deadlines, donor priorities and requirements, are communicated and understood by partner teams, and grants are closed in compliance with donor regulations.

Program Compliance

• Work closely with Finance, Complex Board, and HQ Compliance team to ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations (including PM@MC minimum standards).
• Liaise with Mercy Corps HQ to facilitate donor requests for review and approval of program activities (e.g. program adaptations, events), communications initiatives (e.g. press releases, reports, campaigns) and other initiatives that require donor approval within the parameters of the award contract.
• Ensure that program is executed in alignment with the donor agreement and the applicable donor regulations, staying abreast of changes in regulatory environment related to donor/grant compliance; updating partnership process, tools, policies and procedures as necessary.
• Communicate compliance expectations, donor policy updates/changes, and other relevant guidance to consortium partners and assist in the development of consortium-wide strategies to adhere to such guidance, as appropriate.

Program Reporting and Communications

• Lead all reporting workflows and processes between partner reporting and program teams and Mercy Corps Colombia and HQ to ensure the timely and quality development, review and submission of reports and other communication products.
• Coordinate, write, and submit high quality reports at donor-instructed frequency, including: monthly reports, semi-annual reports, FFP-modality reports.
• Work with M&E Manager to analyze, manage, and visualize indicator and monitoring data to effectively and creatively illustrate program progress and findings to donor/external actors.
• Spearhead opportunities for thought leadership and increased visibility on behalf of the consortium, including video/fact sheet production, position papers, thought leadership pieces, and other related initiatives leveraging evidence from programs.
• Provide timely, thorough responses to information requests from internal and external sources, such as Cash Working Group, GIFMM and sub-clusters, and Government of Colombia.
• Participate in donor meetings, providing requested inputs and contributing to discussions around program management and strategy.

Proposal Development

• Interface with Mercy Corps HQ (Americas RPT) to keep abreast of donor strategic priorities, specific requirements, and deadlines.
• Participate in the strategic evaluation process for new funding opportunities.
• Oversee proposal development processes, including drafting and producing high quality concept notes and proposals that support Consortium’s strategic programming goals. This involves developing, managing and sharing the proposal development calendar in-country and with headquarters, ensuring funding proposals are submitted in a timely manner.
• Coordinate funding opportunities with relevant Mercy Corps and consortium partner teams and facilitate discussions to design sound technical proposal ideas. Use partner inputs to lead on proposal writing, development, and submission processes to donor, ensuring partners’ compliance with established deadlines for providing technical input and comments.
• Facilitate administrative elements of the proposal development process, including Issues Letters. PAL/PML processes, and other relevant internal or donor requests as necessary.

Team Management

• Hire and supervise team member(s) responsible for administrative, reporting, and support duties for the consortium.
• Develop the capacity of the supervisee, deepen his/her understanding of their role and assist with career development.
• Assist Mercy Corps and partner team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
• Support Consortium Director and represent consortium on behalf of Director in internal or external capacity, as appropriate.
• 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.
• Assist in recruiting, orienting, and new team member onboarding as necessary.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Supervisory Responsibility

Reporting and Program Development Coordinator

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Consortium Director

Works Directly With: Consortium Deputy Director and M&E Manager, partner Program Managers, Consortium research consultant, Consortium communications advisor, Finance, Reporting, Safeguarding/CARM, and Compliance teams, Mercy Corps HQ Americas desk, Compliance, Finance, and Ethics teams

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 Qualifications & Transferable Skills

• Bachelor’s degree required. Masters or equivalent in a field related to Humanitarian or International Development or relevant fields is preferred.
• 5+ years of experience providing coordination or management support to program implementation in a relevant field of expertise that includes:
• Preparing writing and analysis on programmatic activities.
• Budget management experience.
• Managing work plans.
• Proposal and new business development
• Representing programs with donors and external stakeholders.
• Leading coordination between multiple stakeholders
• Experience working in Latin America and Venezuela’s humanitarian context.
• Proven ability to work cooperatively with internal and external stakeholders, and to play a leadership role in convening groups. Astute skills in relationship building and coordination and collaborative communication.
• Experience working with USAID/BHA required, DFID, EC, GAC, SIDA and other donors a plus.
• Understanding and experience of adaptive management.
• Extensive experience with monitoring and evaluation and other learning efforts.
• Excellent writing and communications skills required.
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently to Mercy Corps project sites and field locations, including traveling to insecure environments, is required.
• Fluency in English and professional fluency in Spanish required.

Success Factors

• Highly developed interpersonal communication skills.
• Experience in all phases of project management.
• Deep commitment to humanitarian principles and values.
• Ability to work under pressure, independently and with limited supervision, and to be proactive.
• Demonstrated creative problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members of varied experiences and work styles, follow procedures, and meet deadlines.
• Multi-tasker with the proven ability to organize and prioritize competing priorities.
• Proven ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and be accountable for results.
• Demonstrate a strong understanding for cultural, political and religious environments and be able to live and work successfully in those environments.
• Ability to maintain a sense of humor in stressful situations.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Bogotá, the capital, which is a large and fairly modern city with good access to public services such as well as excellent medical care. Bogotá is an accompanied/family post. Housing is 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. There are excellent international schools in Bogotá and professional health services available. This position requires up to 20% time for travel by air and land to project sites in sometimes insecure environments. Mercy Corps Colombia is a member of UNDSS and expects staff to follow security protocols to minimize security risk in the field.

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.

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 a 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 theInteragency 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 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.