Temporary- Start-Up Program Manager, Clackamas County - Mercy Corps Northwest

Location: Portland, Oregon or any US locations in PST, MST, or Central Time zones
**_
Valid unrestricted work authorization in the country in which you will be based (United States) is required at the time of application for this position.

Funding for this position is dependent upon Mercy Corps Northwest receiving a grant from Clackamas County. This funding has not been secured at the time of posting this position.
_**Position Status: Full-time, Temporary, Exempt  Salary Level: The salary range for this position is $64,000 - $68,500 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.

The Mercy Corps Northwest Team

Mercy Corps Northwest’s (MCNW) 20-member team builds just, productive and resilient communities across the Pacific Northwest. We fulfill our mission by serving women, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), immigrants and refugees, justice-involved individuals and other underserved communities.

The Position

Mercy Corps Northwest (MCNW) is in the final throes of negotiating an award with Clackamas County. This is a capacity building project working through local community-based organizations (CBOs) in Clackamas County. The objective of the program is to strengthen 12 CBOs over the life of the project (March, 2023 - September 30, 2024) and specifically help them recover from the economic impact of COVID, strengthen their services to make them more sustainable and be more resilient. Although Mercy Corps is experienced with capacity building programs overseas, this will be the first time that MCNW has managed a capacity building program that works through local organizations. We will look to learn from and utilize MC systems and tools to the best of our ability in this capacity building program. The successful candidate will possess knowledge of these MC systems and tools and will help us leverage and use them. We are seeking an individual who can help set us up for success and have a strong project start-up with several, critical project deliverables needing to happen in the first 3 months of the project. This is envisioned as an 8-week position beginning in late February.

Under this award, MCNW is expected to work with and strengthen 12 CBOs based in Clackamas County. We are agnostic about the focus of the CBO and will prioritize those: 1) that are BIPOC-led and BiPOC-serving, 2) that are rural 3) those that serve the aging and youth, and 4) groups that have not received assistance from Clackamas County.
In order to select CBOs we will issue an RFA to solicit applications. CBO applicants can apply to our RFA and/or to 2 other agencies’ processes that are also funded by Clackamas County for the same scope. Given that this is a start-up role, we are looking for a qualified candidate that can start as soon as the award is signed by Clackamas County, in late January or early February.

Essential Responsibilities

• Developing, promoting and releasing a RFA to which beneficiary organizations can apply (release in early March)
• Holding Q and A sessions with beneficiary organizations around the RFA to ensure they get their questions answered and have clarity on the RFA content (mid March)
• Leading the onboarding of the incoming Program Manager for the Clackamas County Initiative (March)
• Drafting an SoP that details how we will operate this program, processes, reviews and approvals.
• Bringing together a MC/MCNW committee to review RFA applications and lead the scoring and documentation process with the internal committee (late March)
• Notifying and communicating with organizations about their application status (late March)
• Coordinating and reporting with Clackamas County on our process and progress including coordinating with other agencies’ also managing the Clackamas County award.
• Organizing and working in concert with team members and consultants to conduct Organizational Capacity Index (OCI) assessments with the selected 12 beneficiary organizations and select 1-2 priorities from that process for each organization (if time permits--late March early April)

Position Deliverables

• RFA released on time with Q and A sessions to educate prospective applicants about the RFA.
• Program Manager onboarded including an initial 30-day workplan.
• Project-level SoPs drafted and reviewed by the support team.
• RFA submissions reviewed and scored by MC/MCNW Committee and winners notified.
• Project level meetings held with Clackamas County and other sub-recipient agencies as requested.
• Plan and schedule in place for OCI sessions with beneficiary organizations; beginning OCI prioritizations sessions held with clear 1-2 priorities identified if time permits (by MC team members or consultants).

Supervisory Responsibility
None
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Executive Director
Works Directly With: Mercy Corps Northwest staff and HQ staff

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

• 4 + of years of experience with Mercy Corps programming required. Both field experience and work in HQ in a program capacity is preferred.
• Understanding of Mercy Corps HQ processes and how to access support, including the TSU, is required.
• Understanding of MC capacity building programs and how they work is required. Understanding of or use of MC’s Organizational Capacity Index (OCI) is preferred.
• Experience leading or participating in a MC-led RFA process is preferred.
• Experience communicating and reporting to donor agencies.
• Experience collaborating and planning with partner organizations around shared goals.
• Demonstrated ability to be extremely process oriented and assume responsibility for processes.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedure and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and analytical abilities both independently and cooperatively.
• Excellent computer skills required, including familiarity with Word and Excel; comfort with IT functions a plus.

Success Factors
This candidate will have strong organizational and time management skills; having the ability to prioritize multiple tasks and meet deadlines. You must be a self-starter, working independently or within a team, being driven and not afraid to explore situations and ask questions to gain better understanding. Proficiency in Microsoft Office (i.e., Outlook, Word, Excel), Google suite and MS365 will be expected to provide excellent communication, both written and verbal, while working in a fast-paced, team-oriented office environment.

It is vital that you have a proven history of working with MC in the field and/or HQ and understanding of MC program products and systems, including working with, and reporting to donors.

Experience coordinating and planning with development organizations would be a desired skill for this individual. You should have experience onboarding new MC staff to project and project tools as well as the proven ability to work collaboratively utilizing MC program and support functions.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position can be based in Portland, Oregon or based out of a US home office located in Pacific, Mountain, or Central Time Zones.

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.