**This position is for 6 months.

**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 has been working in Afghanistan since 1986. Following the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA or Taliban) government in August 2021, Mercy Corps Afghanistan (MCA) has launched a humanitarian program in the north of the country.

The humanitarian pivot responds to the situation in Afghanistan, which is facing a complex humanitarian crisis. MCA is committed to rebuilding its country program to deliver impact for all Afghans, working with them toward a more peaceful and resilient Afghanistan and the ability to grow a humanitarian program is key strategic component

The Position

As it rebuilds, MCA needs to grow its humanitarian program portfolio to deliver impact for vulnerable Afghans. The Humanitarian Program Manager (HPM) will act as a lead and focal point for the country program in building internal capacity for humanitarian action; in assisting in program concept and funding proposal development; in liaising with the humanitarian coordination structure and with humanitarian donors; and in ensuring that all MCA humanitarian programs are implemented with quality and impact, are accountable, and compliant.

The HPM works under the guidance and supervision of the Director of Programs and closely with the Senior Advisors for Program Operations, the Humanitarian Access Advisor, and others. S/he will be based in Kabul with field travel to oversee activity implementation.

The humanitarian program manager ensures the efficient and effective implementation of the response program. S/he is responsible for coordinating and implementing the delivery of the response program, and ensuring appropriate systems and support mechanisms are in place to track, analyse and report on results. S/he is a strong team leader, able to develop and mentor team members and is an effective communicator, able to work with internal and external stakeholders to achieve common objectives.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY & VISION

Set direction of the humanitarian program following its launch, by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to define and achieve the objectives of the next program phase.
Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

Oversee program startup and ongoing program management and administration of teams across various field locations.
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.
Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria, and that feedback mechanisms are in place.
Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Code of Conduct; Gender, Diversity and Inclusion guiding documents; Core Humanitarian Principles and Do No Harm.

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

Work closely with the regional/HQ New Initiatives and Business Development teams, technical support units, Senior Advisors on Program Operations, Grants & Reporting Officer, and others to identify program development opportunities, shape and inform program concepts and proposals, and support the RPTs in proposal negotiation and grant reporting.
Engage with the full range of humanitarian donors in-country and those teams based in Qatar, including UN agencies, UK FCDO USAID/BHA and US State/BPRM, under the guidance of the Director of Programs;
With the support of the Country Director, Director of Programs and Resource Development teams, engage where appropriate with private donors, including inputting to funding concepts and proposals.

REPRESENTATION

Represent Mercy Corps in the relevant clusters and contribute to the joint needs assessments, response planning and reporting;
Engage and develop partnerships with different United Nations agencies such as UNICEF, WFP and UNHCR;
In coordination with the Director of Programs, the Country Director, and Policy and Advocacy teams, support advocacy on humanitarian issues at national and international levels;
Contribute to the development of concepts notes and proposals, working with the Grants & Reporting Officer;
Coordinate with relevant Safetyand Access colleagues and the Global Crisis Analytics team to ensure optimal safety and security management procedures and practices are in place for the humanitarian response program;
Continually monitor the safety and security situation, adapting staff safety and security procedures accordingly in collaboration and cooperation with the Safety & Access Manager and Security Focal Points;
Coordinate with operations teams to ensure effective functioning of logistics systems to procure, store and distribute supplies and services for the timely delivery of the project.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT CYCLE

Develop or adapt the relevant tools related to program identification and design during in the humanitarian response that includes but is not limited to the following:

○ Develop a rapid needs assessment tool kit;

○ Develop a Multi-sectoral need assessment tool kit;

○ Develop a rapid gender analysis tool;

○ Develop a gender integration tool kit;

○ Develop a Gender and Commodity Management Guide;

Develop or adapt the relevant tools related to the program set up during emergency response that includes but is not limited to the following:

○ Establish criteria to determine the implementation modality (direct vs partner);

○ Determine a community selections criteria and process;

○ Establish a distribution plan decision mechanism (Blanket vs selected distribution);

○ Establish vulnerability criteria;

Develop or adapt the relevant tools related to the program closeout and archiving.
Conduct consultations meetings through the process of tools development with Afghan staff including female staff;
Socialize the developed tools with the relevant staff in Afghanistan;

Team Management

Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage team members and technical consultants
Ensure team members improve performance & reach objectives.
Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence, and cultivate resilience and well-being under challenging situations.

Supervisory Responsibility

Project Manager of specific humanitarian projects.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Director of Programs

Works Directly With: Senior Advisors on Program Operations; Grants & Reporting Officer; technical 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 field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

5 to 7 years of experience working internationally in humanitarian programs; Previous experience of managing programs in large-scale emergency response and in fragile, insecure environments;
Previous experience in program management across multiple locations, including remote management;
Demonstrated ability to build staff capacity as well as an excellent team and interpersonal relationship skills, especially in a cross-cultural setting, required;
The ability to communicate program objectives and represent Mercy Corps to international donors, government officials, local groups and community members is critical.
Commitment to, thorough understanding of, and able to train staff in participation and accountability approaches;
Demonstrated ability to contributing to setting up monitoring & evaluation systems in large complex programs;
Proven ability of mentoring and coaching;
Fluency in verbal and writing English is required. Speaking Dari or Pashto is an advantage.
Experience in change management preferred;
Previous experience working in Afghanistan, South Asia or the Middle East and/or knowledge of the region is preferred;
Ability to speak/understand Dari or Pashtu a plus;
The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.

Success Factors

A successful candidate will have strong management and organizational skills and the ability to interact effectively with international and national personnel. They will have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and a demonstrated ability to multi-task and process information into action. The successful candidate will have proven experience working with a cross-cultural team and possess capacity building and strong mentoring skills. They will demonstrate an understanding of cultural, political and religious considerations in the region.

Afghanistan is a very challenging yet equally rewarding place to work and Mercy Corps recognizes that it requires a unique set of skills and interests in the successful candidate. Academic background and previous experience are very valuable but are not the only driving criteria for selection. A personality that enjoys working in difficult locations, can accommodate the insecurity that defines Afghanistan and can cope with periods of intense activity as well as periods of isolation and potentially loneliness is imperative.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position will be based in Kabul. The security situation is volatile and may spike into acute periods of insecurity. S/he is expected to follow all security protocols including limited movement when necessary. Some remote working may be needed. A certain international standard of medical care is available in Kabul, however for serious cases, evacuation is required, and therefore staff must be able to be 24 hours away from medical care. All offices have internet connectivity and communication is reliable. Accommodation is shared housing, equipped with generators and heating, with cooks and cleaners provided by MC.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/short term assignment 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. It will be important for the successful candidate to show an ability to work in an austere environment where personal liberties may be restricted from time to time, based on ambiguous information. A cordial demeanor is required so as to not impose on the peace of mind of colleagues.

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.