Temporary Program Officer – Global Programs

This position is open to Portland, Or, Washington, DC and Edinburgh, UK

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

The Global Program Team supports the Mercy Corps mission and works with program impact, innovation and influence at its core. The Global Program Team reports to the Senior Vice President (SVP) of Programs and is composed of both headquarters and field-based teams. These teams are guided by our Mercy Corps Compass – the all-agency strategy – and work in close partnership with all other agency departments, to deliver the highest quality and impactful results in programs and initiatives. The SVP directs the areas of Program Strategy, Growth, Performance, and Quality to deliver the most effective, efficient use of program resources in all locations. These global efforts are prioritized by teams working across units focused on Program Strategy and Leadership; Program Operations; Humanitarian Leadership and Response; Technical Leadership / New Initiatives; and Innovation / Ventures — as well as Regional and Country teams across the Mercy Corps world. The Global Program Leadership Team, led by the SVP of Programs, is accountable for the combined success of Programs overall and shares our adaptive thinking, entrepreneurial spirit, and community-focused solutions throughout the agency.

General Position Summary

The Programs Officer is a key member of the Global Programs department. Their primary role is to support the SVP of Programs and Senior Director of Programs (Senior Director) to enable greater departmental impact, efficiency, and effectiveness through the development and management of processes, systems, and prioritized initiatives. In doing so, the Programs Officer will help to inform and improve program strategy delivery, business planning, implementation practices, and systematic learning. They are experienced working across departments, an expert liaison with critical agency counterparts in regional, country, and headquarters offices, and practiced at managing complex initiatives with multiple stakeholders. They are a proficient user of data analysis tools and use their clear, concise communication skills to bring relevant information into decision-making processes proactively. The Programs Officer translates and shares program performance information, improves and documents decision-making processes, and drives the successful uptake of department success metrics and management best practices. They are experienced in working closely with the Regional Program Team (RPT) and country offices to ensure strong internal cohesion and practices, while proactively building relationships with other departments to support program strategy alignment and communication throughout the agency. They can multi-task and manage several projects simultaneously.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Operations & Knowledge Management

• Improve knowledge management and data/information retention across the Program department.
• Develop processes and templates to develop greater capacity, improve collaboration, maintain knowledge management and data retention across programs to promote and foster learning.
• Serve as liaison – a point of information and coordination – for internal and external groups to interact with Programs and the RPT. Proactively identify and undertake activities that will promote communication, cohesion, and esprit de corps within Programs.
• Support the establishment of systems and standards to encourage greater efficiency and standardization for Programs.
• Develop, manage and maintain internal functions that support more effective, efficient, and consistent business functions
• Represent Sr. Director of Programs in department and agency meetings.

Grant Management

• Manage agency registrations and ongoing maintenance on donor platforms such as USAID, Global Affairs Canada, etc, and serve as the agency’s single point of contact for these donor platforms.
• Provide orientation to new team members, including RPT, Country Directors, Regional Directors as requested.

Special Projects Management

• Support and/or lead specific, time-bound projects that contribute to program effectiveness and quality.

• Provide ongoing troubleshooting and issues management support to the Program Leadership Team.

• Serve as a coordinator and contributor to ease the development and implementation of the Global Programs Strategy

Financial Management

• Lead financial tracking, analysis, and forecasting of overall Programs Department: Drive and present the analysis of monthly financial data for Program management in order to facilitate informed decision making by Global Program Leadership Team. For example, track quarterly grant acquisitions, monthly actual expenditures versus projections, core investment trends, proposal development efforts, and other unbudgeted financial obligations.

Data Analytics

• Steward the use of program data in strategic decision-making at the country, regional, and agency levels. Coordinate with Program Data Product Owner to leverage and promote access to meaningful data sets for analysis between departments.
• Foster transition from static data to dynamic data platforms to enable agile planning and management of agency resources.
• Proposal Development – track success metrics of new business development, including cost of proposal development, return on investment and effectiveness/efficiencies of process from positioning to award.
• Conduct research and analysis of special projects/initiatives to improve processes and outcomes.

Reporting & Communications

• Prepare (and when required present) key presentations for both internal and external use.

Supervisory Responsibility

• None

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Senior Director of Programs

Works Directly With: SVP of Programs; Senior Director of Programs; Program Leadership Team, particularly Regional Directors; Regional Program Team; other HQ departments (programs and non-programs)

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

• BA/S in relevant field required
• 2-4 years experience in an NGO or non-profit setting
• Experience working internationally within the humanitarian sector preferred
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and provide project management support.
• Demonstrated ability to complete quantitative and qualitative analysis. Demonstrated proficiency in identifying, organizing, analyzing, systematizing, visualizing, and summarizing disparate sources of data.
• Project Management experience, with proven ability to lead multiple projects at once.
• Demonstrated ability to establish rapport and work effectively across HQ departments as well as regional and field teams. Experience successfully guiding, coaching, orienting and/or training colleagues to adapt and use new or updated business processes and/or systems.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to synthesize and communicate information in a clear manner.
• Superior interpersonal skills and ability to work cross-functionally.
• Proficiency with MS Office and Google Suite as well as proven business correspondence writing and editing skills is necessary.
• Proven experience maintaining confidentiality.

Success Factors

The Programs Officer must be a detail-oriented multi-tasker who is able to communicate clearly and work under pressure. They are a problem solver who is adept in successfully dealing with issues of complexity. They must demonstrate patience, flexibility, and taking the initiative to solve problems. Vital skills include communication (both written and verbal), as well as building and maintaining effective internal and external relationships. The Programs Officer must demonstrate the ability to understand and follow agency procedures, meet deadlines, and work both independently and as part of a diverse global team. Exposure to and interest in international development issues is important, and an understanding of Mercy Corps and the complex challenges faced by teams is critical. A robust sense of humor is greatly appreciated.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position may be based in Portland, Or, Washington, DC or Edinburgh, UK. Remote work will be considered within these geographic zones.

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

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.