Ukraine Response – Consortium Director

This position is pending funding.

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 is responding to the Ukraine emergency since the escalation of armed conflict across the country in February 2022 The attacks set off a wave of displacement internally and into the countries along Ukraine’s western borders. Mercy Corps response program will focus on multi-purpose cash intervention and other key sectors, particularly food security, livelihoods, NFIs, and protection. Mercy Corps is also supporting local NGOs and other civil society actors currently supporting displaced populations, as well as those in Ukraine sheltering in place. As Mercy Corps pursues its objectives in the region it will continue to assess the security situation in areas of potential operation, with an eye towards the logistics of possible programmatic interventions and positioning going forward.

The Position

Mercy Corps is responding to the Ukraine crisis with large-scale consortium programming with a focus on Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA). The Consortium is a partnership between four international humanitarian aid agencies to model and deliver innovative, effective cash and other humanitarian assistance programs to support people affected by the Ukraine crisis, including people within Ukraine and refugees in surrounding countries. The Consortium requires a strong leadership and coordination function in order to operate effectively and deliver on its promise as a premier mechanism for assistance, primarily via cash, in response to the Ukraine crisis.

The Director serves as a strong team leader for the consortium as a whole, represents the interests of the partnership, and ensures it is working effectively and efficiently across member agencies. In addition, the Director supports the Consortium partnership in designing the central coordination role to ensure stability and flexibility to respond to further opportunities.

S/he will be an effective communicator with exceptional team building and coordination skills. S/he is responsible for building and managing the relationship between international and national NGO partners implementing a common, primarily cash-based response to the Ukraine humanitarian crisis. S/he is detail-oriented with excellent planning skills. S/he will also be experienced in networking and donor representation.

The Director will provide operational leadership to the consortium. S/he will manage the contractual relationship between the different partners and the Consortium donors; coordinate the delivery of high quality programming; report on the activities implemented based on donor regulations; and build relationships between the Consortium, donors, UN coordination structures, and governments.

Essential Responsibilities

Strategy & Program Development

• Build a strategic vision and provide the operational leadership to set up and operate the Consortium;

• Participate and lead program design efforts;

• Assist the Consortium in planning its own development and in seeking funding support for its vision. Assist Mercy Corps in adapting the consortium to meet the needs and context of the Ukraine response;

• Recognize and lead opportunities for innovative action with the Consortium;

• Build implementation momentum by harmonizing implementation strategies and plans;

• Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support;

• Develop and manage a clear system for tracking and reporting against deliverables;

• Maintain strong and transparent communication with consortium partners.

Consortium Leadership

• Coordinate closely with the Response Directors and other Senior Members of the Ukraine Response within each agency to build strategies and ensure they are understood and guide decision-making throughout the response;

• Provide leadership to increase coordination, collaboration, communication and harmonization of Consortium programming and operations inside Ukraine and neighboring countries where the consortium operates;

• Build consensus around a common vision of what shared success in the Ukraine response looks like, including development and tracking of appropriate indicators;

• Build consensus around priorities to improve the delivery of assistance in the Ukraine response and to make program strategies and frameworks consistent across the response;

• Oversight to ensure the Consortium is able to meet donor and internal obligations on scope, time and budget, including efficient coordination on common program, operational and funding issues;

• Facilitate sharing and learning across member agencies to incorporate learning from the response, and other regions, in project design and management;

• Set-up and engage the Steering Committee in ongoing contextual analysis that enables programs and teams to adapt to significant changes in the geopolitical/conflict environment;

• Create and maintain systems to ensure efficient and transparent capture of program data for management decision-making and timely and informative internal and external reporting;

• Create and maintain systems to ensure technical coherence and synergies amongst programs and promote creative programming across the program’s portfolio.

• In coordination with the Steering Committee and relevant coordination bodies, engage in strong regional-level representation with donors, international and local NGOs and networks;

• Participate in shaping policy positions and advocacy messages pertaining to the overall humanitarian situation in the Ukraine crisis.

Representation and Coordination

• Participate in external representation of the consortium with various groups including donors, governments, and coordination bodies;

• Present consortium progress to donors, Cash Working Groups, governments, and others as requested;

• Coordinate with the CCD members in the Ukraine response;

• Share Consortium learnings with the greater humanitarian community;

• Chair Steering Committee and Technical Working Group meetings as required.

Program Management

• Manage the contractual agreements with partners and Mercy Corps.

• Oversee operational planning for ongoing program activities across the consortium.

• Manage and oversee the recruitment of Consortium-level team members and relevant Cash Working Group co-leads

• Ensure that program implementation is conducted with the respect to grant agreement(s) and timeframe.

• Ensure a robust monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning system is in place, including gathering data for case studies.

• Conduct planning and progress review meetings.

• Adhere to all Mercy Corps procurement, logistics and administrative regulations related to programming.

Finance and Compliance Management

• Ensure the consortium is in line with donor and Mercy Corps compliance rules and regulations.

• Oversee the consortium overall budget and ensure partner expenditures are in line with agreed upon budgets.

• Monitor expenditures and forecasts.

• Work closely with the Finance and Compliance team members, Mercy Corps finance and grant teams, and Mercy Corps headquarters to ensure timely financial reporting on behalf of the consortium.

Security

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

• Ensure that security information that could affect programming is shared with all Consortium members.

Supervisory Responsibility

Consortium Deputy Director and Consortium MEL Manager

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Ukraine Response Director/Consortium Steering Committee

Works Directly With: Mercy Corps Ukraine Response Senior leadership, Consortium Partner Agencies, Mercy Corps Programs, Operations and Finance teams, Regional/HQ Technical Support Units.

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/BS or equivalent in international studies, economics or other relevant field; MA/S preferred.

• 5-7 years of international relief and development program management experience, in emergency and recovery program management.

• Previous experience in managing consortiums or managing/facilitating/influencing in network or partnership settings preferred.

• Previous experience working with OFDA and/or FFP preferred.

• Combination of direct and remote management experience preferred.

• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with colleague agencies.

• Fluency in Russian or Ukrainian is preferred

• Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.

• Experience working with local authorities, national and international NGOs.

• Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.

• Excellent oral and written English required.

Success Factors

The successful Director will combine exceptional team building, planning and communication skills and experience in maintaining donor and partner relationships. S/he will possess a high level of adaptability and be able to adjust to a constantly changing working environment. S/he will have previous experience in implementing programs in insecure and conflict contexts. Prioritizing, problem solving, ability to seize opportunities, attention to detail and strategic vision are essential. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Lviv, Ukraine. Accommodations are being defined and access to services – medical, electricity, water, etc is in place but may change depending on the situation. This position requires travel to surrounding countries, as security permits. Given the emergency context, this position requires exceptional work schedules, including evenings and weekends

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.**