Senior Advisor, Resilience Curriculum and Adult Learning – Technical Support Unit

Location: Remote US or any Mercy Corps Europe office location

Position Status: Full-time, Regular

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.

The Program / Department / Team (Program / Department Summary)

Mercy Corps’ Technical Support Unit (TSU) is a key part of the Program Department. TSU subject-matter experts help set agency strategy and provide consultation to help our global teams apply the most effective solutions to the world’s toughest challenges, while building our global reputation and resources to do so. One of the teams within the larger TSU, the Resilience Technical Support Unit supports the operationalization of Mercy Corps’ global strategy by stewarding and championing the application of our resilience framework, working closely with programs across the development-humanitarian-peace nexus to integrate resilience practices and elevate results and learning to inform regional and global strategy and influence wider industry change.

The Position (General Position Summary)

The Senior Advisor is responsible for the development and execution of a capacity strengthening approach and corresponding adult learning material that supports Mercy Corps program, program support and operational teams to apply a resilience approach across our work. The position will work in line with the resilience framework articulated in Mercy Corps’ new global strategy, Pathway to Possibility. Drawing on and improving existing curriculum, tools and guidance, the Senior Advisor will operationalize and scale systems and processes for deepening the application of resilience across the agency, including improving user engagement and experience with resilience guidance, curriculum, and other technical support resources. Additionally, the Senior Advisor co-leads the Resilience Community of Practice, a critical cohort of resilience learners.

Specifically, this role will facilitate a learner-centered curriculum and capacity strengthening design process that defines key user groups; engages these groups in identifying their resilience learning assets and needs; inclusively assesses the ability of current curriculum and capacity strengthening modalities to support these groups; and defines the agency’s core models or pathways for resilience learning. They then drive the creation and/or strengthening of core resilience curricula, manage implementation of learning models/pathways, and enhance and maintain knowledge management systems for accessing and using these curricula and other resources. This includes through linkages to and outreach with resilience-focused programs and country teams to stay abreast and encourage sharing of up-to-date resilience learning and resources.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND PLANNING (15%)

• In close consultation with key agency stakeholders, develop a model and plan for consolidating and scaling the use of resilience curriculum, tools and guidance across the agency.
  • Identify and engage a stakeholder group representative of targeted resilience learners within country and regional programming roles and among key global program support teams for participation in a learner-centered design process
  • Facilitate inclusive process to assess the assets and needs of targeted resilience learners
  • In partnership with key stakeholders, articulate a learning model for resilience that includes both deep dive and lighter touch learning pathways, based on user needs and best practices in adult learning, knowledge uptake and behavior change
  • Work with other departments to evaluate online and in-person learning pathways and assess potential resource needs/costs for resilience capacity strengthening objectives
• Lead on measurement and analysis of key performance indicators to inform ongoing strategic decision making around resilience curricula, and support adaptive management on capacity strengthening / learning pathways

CURRICULUM DESIGN / PROJECT MANAGEMENT (60%)

• Develop and manage detailed workplans to advance short and long-term goals for resilience learning pathways.
• Develop and implement a “quick-win” roadmap for moving existing resilience curricula into an accessible repository that anticipates long term knowledge management needs
• Assess existing resilience technical resources and curriculum against learning objectives identified through learner-centered design process
• Adapt, synthesize, and right-fit resilience curriculum, guidance and tools for targeted resilience learners’ assets and needs and prioritized learning pathways, working in collaboration with Resilience Technical Support Unit colleagues and country/regional program collaborators.
• Manage the roll out and implementation of the resilience learning model, including publishing guidance and tools on relevant platforms, managing training and other learning pathways, ensuring financial sustainability, and tracking uptake.
• Travel to country program locations to pilot and facilitate in-person resilience learning processes, as necessary, and collect feedback to improve design, implementation, and supportive systems
• Identify and manage consultants and firms as required to fulfill project components
• Collaborate with the People Team to identify linkages to national team member development initiatives to enable staff access to high quality resilience learning opportunities
• Collaborate with the Program Performance and Quality Team to identify and advance opportunities to streamline resilience curriculum with other agency curricula

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND CAPACITY-SHARING (25%)

• Co-manage the Resilience Community of Practice, including primary lead on systems to enhance curriculum-related knowledge management
• Develop and facilitate an approach for knowledge management of Mercy Corps’ resilience curricula, tools and guidance
• Distill and curate key resilience resources to enhance systematic knowledge uptake and adaptive learning
• Conduct regular outreach to country and regional teams to identify and ensure sharing of up-to-date resilience learning and resources
• Act as focal point for the Resilience TSU to maintain knowledge management portals for resilience content

Supervisory Responsibility

Supervisory responsibility over consultants.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Global Resilience Director

Works Directly With: Other Resilience Technical Support Unit colleagues; Strategy & Realization Unit; and regional / country program 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 Qualification & Transferable Skills

• Bachelor’s degree required. Masters degree in related area preferred (such as education, social sciences)
• 5+ years of experience leading the development and facilitation of inclusive, adult learner-centered curriculum and capacity sharing materials, including in international development/humanitarian contexts
• Experience with building or supporting the inclusion of curricula and learning models into organizational systems
• Strong understanding of resilience and systems thinking fundamentals
• Demonstrated project management experience
• Experience managing consultants and/or contractors
• Ability to facilitate and relate to stakeholders at multiple levels across-cultural contexts, including attention to social-cultural/historical context in curriculum development
• Demonstrated ability to lead consensus building during collaborative processes to achieve a final product on time
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and concisely with exceptional interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, and a proven ability to translate complex methodologies and analytical results to higher-level insights and key takeaways
• Willingness and ability to travel to Mercy Corps project sites and field locations, including traveling to insecure environments, is required
• Familiarity working with major donors such as USAID, FCDO, the EU and other institutional, corporate and private international donors preferred
• Fluency in English is required; proficiency in French, Arabic or Spanish is a plus

Success Factors

The Sr. Curriculum Advisor is creative, an inclusive collaborator and a “do-er”. A self-starter, they are motivated by a sense of urgency yet are comfortable taking the time to get the small things right. They can zoom in and zoom out, balancing an understanding for the larger picture while remaining focused on and able to work out the details to advance multi year objectives. Like all positions within the Technical Support Unit, this role requires strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills, and a level of emotional intelligence proficiency that quickly builds and maintains productive relationships across teams. Being aware and sensitive to international development issues and diverse cultures is critical.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position can be home-based, remote or based in any MC location where Mercy Corps has an administrative or country office; however, the candidate must currently reside in and hold a passport from the country in which they reside or prove that they have the legal right to live and work in that country. The role occasionally requires travel (25% or less) which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. The role collaborates with colleagues spread across multiple time zones; a willingness and ability to participate in remote meetings/calls outside of standard “8 to 5” working hours as necessary is part of the role.

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.

As a safeguarding measure, Mercy Corps screens all potential US-Based employees. Any offers of employment or continued employment are dependent on the successful completion of the screens which include, but are not limited to our Background Check and Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme processes,

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.

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

Covid-19 Vaccine Policy for US-Based Employees

Mercy Corps has determined that, in an effort to protect the health, safety, and well-being of all Mercy Corps employees working in the United States, all U.S.-based employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, regardless of prior COVID-19 infection status.

This policy will be revised as needed to comply with federal, state, and local requirements, and to respond to changing guidance from public health authorities.

For new employees this requirement goes into effect within 10 business days of employment. Team members that travel are expected to comply with host-country requirements, including vaccinations. Failure to comply may impact your employment. Proof of vaccination or exemption must be provided.