Location: Remote; any location of MC operations preferably Middle East or Africa

Position Status: Full-time

Salary Level: HQ5 - Salary benchmark in line with national scales

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’ Technical Support Unit (TSU) is a key part of the Program Department. TSU subject-matter experts help set agency strategy and provide consultation – from assessment and design through project implementation and results measurement – to country offices worldwide, in some of the world’s toughest places. TSU team members lead research, foster organizational learning, represent Mercy Corps to external audiences, and develop partnerships.

The Position

Recognizing that violent conflict is the leading cause of suffering and extreme poverty, Mercy Corps distinguishes itself among leading international aid and development agencies by working to address the root causes of conflict in the world’s most difficult places. With Mercy Corps’ focus on reducing fragility and building community resilience and well-being, the Peace and Conflict team in the TSU, as part of the broader Peace and Governance team, is a leading agency voice that both amplifies the peace and conflict work of our global peacebuilding leaders and contributes to program excellence and the lasting impact of our work. Since the late 1990s, Mercy Corps has implemented more than 100 conflict management programs in more than 40 African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Balkan, and Latin American countries.

The Peace & Conflict Advisor position focuses on providing expert technical support and capacity building to Mercy Corps program and country teams in peace and conflict. The support includes program design and development, advancing key technical initiatives, network and partnership development, representation at key sector forums and events, helping to monitor and improve program quality and relevance, staying current on industry innovation and best practices, writing competitive proposals for submission to donors, delivering training, and disseminating information to internal and external partners. The Advisor will also coordinate cross-agency matrixed teams, share and build the capacity of others, and help integrate their technical areas with others.

The Advisor is conversant in a range of peace and conflict tools and approaches, contributing to overall technical quality in peacebuilding and peace integration across the team’s priority themes: implementing the gender, peace & security (GPS) agenda; advancing peace in complex crises to bridge the humanitarian-development-peace nexus; addressing climate-related drivers of conflict; building social cohesion across communal and identity lines; and addressing the governance-related causes of conflict. In particular, the Advisor will provide expertise and influence on GPS. The Advisor will drive thought leadership, technical tool development, knowledge management, program design, and program support on GPS and will advance the overall vision for Mercy Corps’ work in this area, in close coordination with other TSU leaders and across TSU teams.

Essential Job Responsibilities

PROGRAM AND PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT

Coordinate select agency-wide, multi-country strategic proposal opportunities
Lead write and review proposals and concept notes for funding from donors including foundations, corporations and US, European, and UN agencies.
Gather/analyze data and complete assessments to determine community needs and priorities and Mercy Corps’ competitive advantage for funding.
Work with programs, country/regional teams, and technical support units on prepositioning and development of strategies.
Work with other TSU members on the design and support of multi-sectoral programs that encompass elements of broader agency goals such as resilience, food security, and youth development.
Keep up to date on relevant strategies being developed or applied by significant governmental, academic, and non-profit groups. Work with Mercy Corps to determine how the agency can best work with and/or influence such materials.
Lead complex, competitive proposals and large integrated teams following Mercy Corps’ best practices in proposal development, team management, and the appropriate sectoral area.
Cultivate and nurture donor relationships and strategic partnerships that positively impact Mercy Corps ability to influence program strategies and proposal design, as well as strategic partnerships that result in stronger and impactful program development efforts.
Work closely with program, country, and/or regional leaders to influence their engagement and support of program pre-positioning, development and implementation.

PROGRAM QUALITY

Participate as an active, integrated member of the team providing technical support to a portfolio of programs especially those working on GPS.
Support effective interventions in the areas of the assigned team’s focus, using integrated approaches and applying systems thinking.
Help maintain standards of program delivery that apply agency priorities and comply with relevant regulations and requirements.
Build capacity with Mercy Corps staff and partners to better design and implement programs.
Take leadership in identifying and addressing program quality needs. Collaborate with program, country, and/or regional leaders to problem solve.
Provide technical support to teams to deliver project activities using a feminist approach, prioritizing process over product, self reflection, intersectionality, and inclusion.
Provide technical support to program elements to strengthen women’s participation and leadership in peacebuilding processes, including support for capacity-building activities for women’s organizations.
Provide technical support to the institutionalization of gender equality within peacebuilding, including within Mercy Corps’ interest-based negotiation and mediation toolkit and within Early Warning/Early Response systems.
Act as a thought partner with Gender and Social Inclusion Advisors and other team members on feminist approaches, feminist MEAL, specific technical topics as described above, or other as needed.
Help set strategies and execute plans to address agency-wide program quality needs together with the Peace & Conflict Director.

STRATEGY, LEARNING, AND IMPACT

Support strategy development and implement key sub-sector initiatives, such as GPS.
On behalf of the Peace and Conflict team, lead coordination and collaboration with other TSU teams, such as Inclusion, on GPS and other key initiatives.
Advance, through relationship-building and representation, Mercy Corps’ profile in GPS.
Work with the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) team and program/country teams to ensure that monitoring and evaluation is practical and reflects best practices.
Contribute to agency-wide initiatives such as the research agenda around Thought Leadership priority topics.
Provide in-country and remote training and support for Mercy Corps team members, partners, and others.
Develop a deep understanding of the shared incentives and values that will entice partners to connect and work across sectors, both internally and within projects.
Support new and ongoing programs with best practice advice and assistance on assessment, implementation, research, and evaluation needs.
Conduct assessments; write case studies, learning documents, short articles, and blogs; and develop internal and external dissemination plans for all products.
Nurture partnerships with universities, research institutions, and other organizations to produce case studies, assessments, and other learning documentation, as well as enhance program quality.
Develop and cultivate a sustainable community of practice to support cross-regional learning and localized peace and conflict expertise

POLICY, ADVOCACY, AND REPRESENTATION

Represent Mercy Corps at academic events, conferences, media forums, and other events; contribute to thought leadership in area of expertise.
Participate in the Women, Peace and Security Network Canada and other GPS-related global networks.
Identify and nurture strategic partnerships with other organizations and institutions.
Establish Mercy Corps as a prominent agency in GPS.
Cultivate strong partnerships and external collaboration related to GPS.
Develop and implement a targeted policy and advocacy agenda with assistance from other Mercy Corps teams.
Present concepts and ideas to donors, partners, and peer organizations that influence them to drive innovation and positive change.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

Supervise interns and consultants, as needed.
Develop the capacity of interns and assist with career development.
Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on one engagement.
Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
Hire, orient and lead interns and consultants as necessary.

LOCALIZATION

Support teams to participate as a supportive force to women’s movements and women-led organizations within their country contexts; this may include liaising with women’s networks and collectives working on peacebuilding advocacy and collective action.

Supervisory Responsibility

The position has supervisory responsibility over interns and/or consultants.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Director, Peace and Conflict TSU team

Works Directly With: All other TSU teams, global, and country 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 projects.

Knowledge and Experience

Bachelor’s degree required. M.A, M.S., M.Sc., or equivalent in a field related to peacebuilding, conflict/security studies, gender equality, women’s studies, or other relevant technical areas is preferred.
5+ years of experience providing increasingly proficient technical support in the relevant field of expertise that includes:
Preparing writing and analysis on proposal development.
Demonstrating strong theoretical and applied peacebuilding knowledge.
Producing and publishing influential articles and blogs.
Training, coaching, or mentoring people in understanding and applying peacebuilding and gender equality theories and approaches, and in particular feminist approaches.
Leading all aspects of large and complex proposals and managing integrated proposal teams.
Developing and delivering training curricula.
Demonstrating strong theoretical and applied knowledge of the field of expertise.
Using integrated approaches and applying systems thinking.
Practical implementation experience, typically over the course of at least 2 years, that includes:
A combination of successful temporary duration assignments (under two weeks), longer-term assignments (two or more weeks), and/or living in a peace & conflict program implementation location for an extended period.
A number of emergency response assignments or other crisis response work that demonstrates the ability to successfully adapt support and assistance methodologies to real-world complexities.
Managing and implementing successful programs on the ground.
Delivering capacity building curriculum or other processes for country program teams.
Advanced understanding of the women, peace and security agenda, including UNSCR 1325 and its complementary resolutions.
Willingness and ability to travel frequently to Mercy Corps project sites, including traveling to insecure environments, is required.
Familiarity with major donors such as GAC, USAID, FCDO, the EC and relevant foundations and corporations.
Fluency in English is required, and fluency in French is strongly preferred.

Success Factors

The Advisor will demonstrate significant experience managing programs, further enhancing their ability to adjust technical theories to meet real world complexities. The Advisor should have the proven ability to influence donors, partners, and peer organizations toward innovative programs and best practices. Through experience managing all aspects of large or complex proposals, the individual will be able to advise and coach other Mercy Corps staff on how to adjust their methodology. The Advisor must take a lead role in building and maintaining external relationships as well as demonstrating the drive and initiative to contribute to internal team efforts. The Advisor must have a personal and professional commitment to gender equality and inclusion, and to applying an intersectional feminist approach in how they understand and deliver their work. The Advisor must provide technical support in a way that shares power and values the contributions of those with whom they work. All TSU positions require 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

The position may be based in any place where Mercy Corps is registered to operate. The position requires travel at least 30% time to countries where living conditions may be exceptionally rugged or be in volatile environments where security protocols will need to be followed. Team members must be ready to deploy on short notice in response to any emergency or crisis. When traveling for work the team member must be able to work in remote settings, over weekends and/or evenings as required by the schedule, and in settings with limited infrastructure, food options, and living conditions.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed or on a visit/TDY. 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.

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