Deputy Country Director of Programs - Colombia

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 Summary

For 16 years, Mercy Corps has successfully worked in more than half of the country with communities most affected by conflict, both pre- and post-2016 Peace Accords. Mercy Corps program participants include displaced and refugee populations, smallholder farmers, victims of natural disasters, LGBTI+ community members, and youth. Mercy Corps Colombia’s rapidly growing portfolio, which will have an operational budget of at least $36M in 2023, includes programs focusing on the Venezuelan refugee response (including cash transfers, psychosocial support, legal support, small business, and employment opportunities), land titling, illicit crop substitution, and improved productivity and increased income from coffee farming, especially for women farmers. Mercy Corps Colombia is the lead organization of the VenEsperanza cash consortium, the largest cash transfer program in Colombia, which includes as its main partners (sub-grantees) World Vision, Save the Children and IRC. VenEsperanza has reached, to date, over 470,000 individuals with Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA). Mercy Corps Colombia donors include USAID/BHA, BPRM (State Department), European Commission, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Conrad Hilton Foundation, and the Starbucks Foundation. Additionally, we have become a trusted partner of several key Government of Colombia agencies including the President’s Office, Foreign Affairs, The national Land Agency, the national Victim’s Unit, the National Learning Service, and the Agency for Child and Family Welfare.

The Position

The Deputy Country Director of Programs (referred to as DCD-Programs below) will be directly responsible for program design and implementation in Colombia during the period of assignment. They will have supervisory responsibility for the annual program portfolio of across a diverse group of private foundation, USG, and European Union donors. The DCD will supervise four staff members directly, including the Land and Rural Development Director, Emergency and Early Recovery Programs Director, MEL Manager, and CARM (Community Accountability and Reporting Mechanism) Manager. The DCD will, when needed, mobilize internal and external technical resources to ensure the quality of the programs implemented under his/her supervision.

The DCD will work closely with the DCD-Operations, as well Finance, Communications, HR and Security departments to ensure that all the aspects of the program implementation under their responsibility are compliant with MC and donor standards, rules and regulations. The DCD will work closely with key managers to provide leadership in all areas of programming excellence. The DCD will support the Mercy Corps Colombia Country Director and VenEsperanza Consortium Director to ensure that all programs meet targets in a timely manner and with the highest level of quality and accountability, both to donors and program participants.

Essential Job Responsibilities:

PROGRAM LEADERSHIP

• Coordinate the development and writing of high-quality grant proposals 1) to maximize the Mercy Corps Colombia proposal win rate, and 2) to ensure a steady pipeline of funding for programs aligned with Mercy Corps Colombia and global strategic priorities;

• Oversee program management to ensure that Colombia programs are on scope, time and budget;

• Provide support to the startup of new grants as needed;

• Facilitate sharing and learning across different Mercy Corps Colombia offices and support teams to incorporate learning from the response, and other regions, in project design and management;

• Liaise regularly with designated Program Officers in Portland and Edinburgh, as well as the Corporate and Foundations Partnership team, to ensure successful grant management with donor headquarters;

• Ensure quality donor reporting.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Foster a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence;

• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback as needed;

• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.

FINANCE & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations;

• Work with program managers to review expenses vs. budget on a monthly basis;

• Provide adequate technical, analytical and administrative support for programs.

REPRESENTATION & NEW INITIATIVES

• Act as Interim Country Director in rotation with the DCD-Operations as needed;

• In coordination with Colombia the Country Director, the VenEsperanza Director and other senior leadership, engage in effective representation with donors, international and local NGOs and networks;

• Represent Mercy Corps Colombia in cash consortium and coordination platforms such as the Cash Working Group, UN coordination groups, and the International NGO Forum as needed;

• Explore, evaluate and present innovative funding opportunities that support program objectives.

SECURITY

• Work with the Country Director and the national and regional Security Focal Points to ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

**Supervisory Responsibility
**Four direct reports including two Program Directors, the MEL Manager, and the CARM Manager.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Country Director
Works Directly With: DCD-Operations, VenEsperanza Director, Finance Director, Security Manager, Ethics and Assurance Manager, and HR Manager, as well as the LAC Regional Director. The DCD-Programs also works closely with the HQ-based Regional Management Team and other HQ (e.g., Technical Unit) team members.

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 and Transferable Skills

• An MA/S in international relations, economics, development or relevant field;

• At least 8 years of senior-level leadership and management experience in large and complex programs including humanitarian operations, previous work experience in the Americas preferred;

• Proven success in business development across a broad range of government and private foundation donors;

• Knowledge of the international humanitarian system, institutions and donors, and of compliance requirements, accountability frameworks and best practices; prior experience with funding from USAID, PRM, EC, and private foundations;

• Robust experience in developing, operationalizing, and implementing program strategies;

• Demonstrated success working effectively and respectfully with host country government, private sector, INGO, NGO partners and other stakeholders in complex environments;

• Highly-developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching;

• Solid project management skills related to international, cross-functional teams;

• Experience of solving complex issues collegially, defining a clear way forward, and utilizing best practices in management to ensure shared success;

• Outstanding analytical and strategic thinking skills, with a focus on results and impact;

• Excellent oral and written English skills required as well as fluency in Spanish;

• Previous Colombia experience preferred.

Success Factors

The successful candidate is an opinionated, fast thinking, experienced leader. The DCD has a thorough understanding of what it takes to deliver impactful programs in challenging environments. The DCD is an excellent communicator who can inspire broad and diverse teams towards achieving a shared goal and drive a fast-paced and adaptive program. They can create a stimulating working environment encouraging innovation and accountability. They are able to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment and prioritize team-building and capacity-building of national staff. The DCD has excellent information management skills, is a strategic thinker. The DCD has an outstanding ability to design, implement and manage innovative programs that respond to current needs and reinforce the future program structure of Mercy Corps in Colombia.

Living Conditions/Environmental Conditions:

The position is based in Bogotá, Colombia. For international hires, housing will be provided as individual accommodation. There is 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.

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 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. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.