Digital Peacebuilding Project Manager - Technology for Development

Location: Washington, DC or US Remote 
Position Status: Full Time, Regular, Exempt
Salary Level: The salary range for this position is $64,000 - $70,000 USD

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 field offices worldwide. TSU team members lead research, foster organizational learning, represent Mercy Corps to external audiences, and develop partnerships. The TSU is also integral to global business development and revenue. The role will work closely with both the Technology for Development (T4D) and Peace & Conflict TSU teams.

The T4D team collaborates with Mercy Corps teams to unlock new possibilities and reach more people through the power of technology. We think beyond today’s context, exploring how we can use current and emerging technology to shrink the global digital divide and help people in vulnerable communities adapt to and overcome evolving challenges.
Mercy Corps’ Peace & Conflict work supports locally-led interventions and processes to transform conflict drivers at the society level, increase social cohesion and conflict management capacity at the community level, and promote inclusive decision-making at the individual level to bring about a reduction in violence and long-term peace. We believe that good governance and local ownership lie at the heart of all sustainable peace outcomes. Mercy Corps’ programming in the peacebuilding sector includes youth violence prevention, social cohesion; dispute resolution, mediation, and conflict management; preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE); climate security; peace and technology; advancing peace in complex crises; and gender, peace and security.

General Position Summary

The Digital Peacebuilding Project Manager will lead all activities related to the Reducing Online Conflict Community (ROCC) - a newly funded digital peacebuilding working group. They will be the focal point for organizing and convening working group sessions globally and regionally, in close collaboration with global, regional, and country-level partners. The purpose of the Reducing Online Conflict Community (ROCC) is to bring together and facilitate a discussion between the Digital Peacebuilding working group, a sub-group of Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP) in Washington DC, and a few selected partners from contexts in which we work who collaborated to produce the December 2021 position paper Social Media, Conflict, and Peacebuilding. The ROCC will support these actors to advance a common agenda, shared frameworks, and best practices around preventing and mitigating social media drivers of conflict, and provide a strategic point of contact with and channel for soliciting input from relevant technology actors that are interested in engaging.

Essential Job Responsibilities

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• Oversee project/activity startup and ongoing project/activity management and administration of the ROCC working group.
• Lead on the preparation and regular updating of the ROCC workplan
• Organize and set agendas for global and regional meetings, coordinate with peer organization focal points, and facilitate or work with and prepare the facilitator.
• Develop and manage the working group, integration and communication between partners, and ensure action points and next steps are complete.
• Work to drive strong, open and sustained communication channels within the working group, and with the wider stakeholder community, communicating effectively to ensure overall project/activity targets and donor obligations are met.
• Ensure Mercy Corps compliance with donor requirements.

RELATIONSHIPS AND COMMUNICATION

• Develop partnerships for the ROCC at regional and global levels, coordinating with new members and managing the community.
• Coordinate, manage and plan logistics and provide operational support for the ROCC, ensuring regular communication and knowledge management
• Provide regular updates to a wide range of stakeholders via newsletters, etc.
• Liaise with and manage relationships between global and regional peer organizations and relevant teams.
• Liaise with other team members of the Technology for Development (T4D) team and the wider Technical Support Unit (TSU), to secure alignment on potential interdependencies across projects/programs.
• Liaise with Policy and Advocacy team to advance working group papers and advocacy agenda

STRATEGY & VISION

• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.
• Provide overall support to the implementation of the Digital Peacebuilding initiative, the Peace & Conflict TSU, as well as other key stakeholders in TSU and in close collaboration with relevant country/regional teams and peer organizations.

MEASUREMENT & IMPACT

• Working with Senior Advisors on the Technology for Develop and Peace & Conflict teams, identify clear project and activity goals and objectives with corresponding measurable indicators.
• Ensure project/activity implementation is on time, target and budget using effective M&E systems to measure desired indicators and overall program impact.
• Report against milestones on a quarterly basis.
• Collaborate with Research and Learning team as initiatives emerge from ROCC groups

FINANCE & COMPLIANCE

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency and development programming.
• Maintain up to date knowledge of Mercy Corps procurement and operational procedures - at Field and HQ levels.

Supervisory Responsibility

None

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Senior Advisor, Technology for Development
Works Directly With: Mercy Corps Peace & Conflict Director, Mercy Corps Research & Learning team, Mercy Corps Policy & Advocacy team, external peer organization ROCC focal points, global Mercy Corps field teams and funders for the purposes of reporting performance and measurable impact.

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 & Transferable Skills

• BA required in related field,  Masters Degree preferred.
• 4+ years working in international development or related field or 4+ years experience where combined with an advanced degree.
• Experience in relationship and partner management - particularly in remote situations.
• Multicultural program implementation and coordination experience.
• Strong interest in digital peacebuilding, weaponization of social media, and technology for development.
• Experience in knowledge management & internal communications.
• Experience with protection mainstreaming desirable, but not a requirement.
• Knowledge of social media platforms desirable, but not a requirement.
• Experience in working effectively with multicultural and remote teams.
• Excellent intercultural communication and interpersonal skills.
• Multi-stakeholder environment experience with ability to develop partnerships through soft skills as well as business planning.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to facilitate meetings, effective presenter and open collaborator.
• Ability to work in highly complex and diverse operational environments.
• Ability to manage and prioritize large numbers of projects and change initiatives targeting delivery in parallel.

Success Factors

The position will have highly developed interpersonal skills and strong coordination and collaboration experience. They will have experience coordinating global and regional working groups, made up of different organizations or stakeholders. Overall success will require this person to develop and maintain this working group, while working seamlessly collaboratively and cooperatively with remote teams and partners. This will require stewardship and flexibility with limited supervision and input from multiple stakeholders.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is remote or can be based in any country where Mercy Corps is registered and may require up to 15% travel to multiple global locations. This position is expected to travel unaccompanied, which may include some weekends. Consistent communication is important where infrastructure allows.
Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. 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.

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.

As a safeguarding measure, Mercy Corps screens all potential US-Based employees. This is done following the conclusion of recruitment and prior to assuming full employment.

Our screening process is designed to be transparent and completed in partnership with new Team Members. You will have the opportunity to disclose any prior convictions at the conclusion of the recruitment process before the check is initiated. We ask that you do not disclose any prior convictions in your application materials or during the recruitment process.

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 is necessary to ensure not only the safety of our workforce, but the ongoing functionality of the organization.

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.