Temporary Assistant Programme Officer, E4I – UK or NL (until end June 2023)

Location: Edinburgh, London, UK, or NL

**Position Status: Temporary

Duration: Until end of June 2023

Salary range: Edinburgh: 18K-21,9K; London: 21K-25.6K; NL: 25.9K – 31.5K

Apply with CV and Cover Letter by January 8th

The applicant must have the independent right to live and work at the location of assignment (ie., not require visa sponsorship)**

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.

Mercy Corps Europe (MCE) has grown rapidly in terms of volume of activity and complexity. With offices in Edinburgh, London, Geneva and The Hague, we now attract over £90m in income. The breadth and impact of our programmes makes Mercy Corps a unique and truly rewarding place to work. Our teams are proud of what we achieve in the country programmes and we are always looking for talented individuals who share our passion and commitment.

The Department

In September 2021, Mercy Corps (MC) and Energy 4 Impact (E4I) merged with the goal of increasing access to climate-smart, sustainable energy for communities in greatest need, globally. Against a backdrop where 800 million people globally lack access to energy, 8 in 10 of whom live in “fragile” states, there has never been a more urgent time to help these communities build back better with access to clean, sustainable energy, leveraging our organizations’ collective strengths. The merger unlocks a tremendous opportunity to place sustainable energy at the heart of development, humanitarian, and climate imperatives.

The Position

The Assistant Program Officer (APO) provides administrative support to the Programme Lead – E4I and Managing Director of E4I. The APO will work to support the implementation of key projects and workstreams that contribute towards the fulfillment of the MC-E4I merger and MC’s access to energy work. The APO will play a key role in managing information and data in relation to the merger and the E4I Platform. The APO will facilitate use and access of information for other HQ departments and retention of institutional knowledge. The APO supports adherence to internal and external policies and regulations and is responsible for administrative duties for the E4I Platform.

Essential Job Responsibilities

GRANT ADMINISTRATION AND PROGRAMME SUPPORT

• Support with administrative tasks such as maintaining required documentation for grants
• Assist in monitoring and ensuring grant compliance with donor regulations and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
• Support the transfer of and integration of E4I awards into Mercy Corps’ systems.
• Advise country teams on formats for donor reporting and define timelines to review.
• Provide comprehensive reviews of donor reports and ensure that reports are submitted in accordance with the agency’s Reporting Standard Operating Procedures and in adherence to deadlines and requirements set out in the grant agreement/contract.
• Supports the review process of donor agreements and contracts at HQ
• Initiate, coordinate and send out New Award Initiation Summaries and project Close-out messages.
• Serve as the primary point for internal communications, facilitate use of Mercy Corps web-based information systems to draft and update program materials
• Supports country teams with ad-hoc writing tasks such as drafting country and programme fact sheets/summaries, dollar handles, etc.

Recruitment Support and Deployment

• Manage consultant contracting processes; ensuring necessary documentation has been submitted to relevant people, follow up with teams when the field team has not received a response; support new hires/consultants/interns/etc.

Proposal Coordination

• Undertake donor research and identify appropriate funding opportunities from donors, also reviewing donor guidelines and carrying out eligibility checks for new funding opportunities identified, and initial liaising with country offices on opportunities.
• Provide administrative support for proposal development such as drafting Past Performance Reports/capacity statements/or other required documents, copy-editing, and final compilation for submission as needed.
• For programmes requiring online submissions, lead on coordinating registration and submission via online portals

Knowledge Management

• Maintain up to date country and grant information in Mercy Corps’ knowledge management tools and platforms.

Orientation

• Facilitate the training of new Programme and other staff as appropriate on internal grant management, administration and proposal development processes, tools and systems.

Other:

• Act as a focal point for backstopping for the Programme Lead, E4I during field trips or short-term absence.
• Ad hoc administrative tasks for regional leadership as required. Due to the nature of the merger, we would anticipate this to be a lot.

Reports Directly To: Programme Lead, E4I

Works Directly With: MC-E4I merger team, Energy TSU team, Business Development team, field based programme teams, Country Directors of Programmes, MCE and MCG Programmes team, Finance, Compliance, Communications, Policy and Advocacy, the Africa Regional Representative, New Initiatives, Programme Accountability and Quality, Strategic Partnership Team.

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.

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/Sc in International Development or equivalent experience in related field.
• Two years of demonstrated experience in a professional environment or providing administrative/coordination support.
• Proven ability to communicate effectively with colleagues from various backgrounds and cultures.
• Proficiency with MS Office software required (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint).
• Prior NGO or international development experience preferred
• Prior work experience in countries within Africa region, or regional understanding, is preferred but not essential.
• Knowledge of relevant technical sectors (energy, humanitarian, economic development, agriculture, peace-building, etc.) is an advantage

Success Factors

• Excellent planning and organisational skills, able to multitask.
• Proactive and able to work on own initiative.
• A problem solver, adept in successfully dealing with issues of complexity.
• A skilled communicator, able to develop and utilise strong relationships with staff, partners and donors at all levels.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Strong research and analytical skills.
• A skilled writer and synthesiser of diverse and complex information.
• A robust sense of humour is greatly appreciated.
• A demonstrable passion for, and a clear empathy with, the organisation’s aims and values.
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally as required.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a short term assignment to the field. 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 locations.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Edinburgh, London or Hague.

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 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.