Temporary – Cash Specialist (Start-up Support) – Kathmandu, Nepal

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 / Team

Mercy Corps has started a new program to enhance food and nutrition security, reduce future humanitarian caseload and improve the resilience of communities to recurrent shocks in the Karnali Province in Nepal, on October 1, 2020. The program is a Multi-Year Emergency Food Security Activity funded by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Affairs (BHA), and implemented in 6 districts (Mugu, Jumla, Kalikot, Surkhet, Achham, and Dailekh, with cluster hubs in Surkhet and Jumla) in the Karnali River Basin area. The new program, called “Building Hope Along the Karnali River Basin (Bhakari)”, builds upon many of the successes of the Nepal team’s previous Food for Peace program which ended in January 2020, the PAHAL program, but with some new districts and a much heavier emphasis on emergency response through cash transfer programming. Parallel to the emergency cash programming are emergency-prevention components of agriculture and market systems, disaster risk reduction, water for productive use, natural resources management, and a large emphasis on a gender and social inclusion approach, all with a highly integrated multi-sectoral approach.

The Position

The purpose of this temporary assignment is to work with and guide our Bhakari team – including the Emergency Response Senior Manager and the Cash Transfer Advisor – to set up the processes and systems for cash transfer programming in Bhakari in partnership with a Cash Consultant. This includes leading or supporting the development of several products to launch the cash transfer component’s basic infrastructure, listed below.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND PLANNING

• Work with the TSU focal points and the national Cash Consultant to develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for both conditional and unconditional conditional transfers (CTs)
• Support MEL and CARM teams in developing plans for CTP. Specifically:
  • Contextualize Market Price Data Collection Tools & Plan
  • Draft a Distribution Monitoring Plan
  • Develop a Post-Distribution Monitoring Tools
• Create a Post-Disaster Rapid Assessment Tool
• Lead the development of Cash for Work project identification process and criteria

• Lead the development of Participant Selection Process. Specifically:

  • Draft selection criteria and weighting process
  • Develop rapid selection survey tool
  • Develop training protocols for rapid survey enumerators with MEL team

• The STA deliverables include:

  • Finalized SOPs for both conditional and unconditional CTs
  • Contextualize Market Price Data Collection Tools & Plan
  • Post-Distribution Monitoring Tools
  • Post-Disaster Rapid Assessment Tool
  • Cash for Work project identification process and criteria
  • Selection criteria and weighting process narrative
  • Participant selection survey tool
  • Training protocols for rapid survey enumerators with MEL team

REGIONAL SYSTEMS AND SUPPORT FUNCTIONS

• Review and support country team adherence to Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures at they pertain to CT and CFW programming

Supervisory Responsibility

N/A

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Chief of Party, Bhakari

Works Directly With: National Cash Specialist Consultant, Bhakari Emergency Response Senior Manager, Bhakari Emergency Response Cash Advisor, Mercy Corps Global Food Security and Cash Transfer Technical Advisors, Global Cash Quality Program Manager, Technology for Development Advisor

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

• MA/S or equivalent in Food Security and Livelihood, Humanitarian Response, Economic development, International development, or other relevant degree preferred
• 5 – 7 years’ experience in humanitarian relief, preferably including Nepal
• Fluency in Mercy Corps’ Cash Transfer Minimum Standards and Programming Toolkit
• Extensive experience setting up and managing cash assistance programs
• Experience in emergency market mapping, value chain analysis, and other relevant market assessment tools;
• Experience working with FFP/OFDA (now USAID-BHA)
• History of working effectively and respectfully with host country government, INGO and NGO partners
• Demonstrated ability to support complex programming and meet tight deadlines
• Excellent oral and written English skills required
• Internationally recognized qualification in project or program management prefered

Success Factors

The Cash Specialist will demonstrate a winning track record in development of cash strategy and tools, and bring flexibility, creativity, and enthusiasm to every project they undertake. The individual must have the ability to multi-task, set priorities, pay attention to detail, and work under tight deadlines within complex team environments. They will demonstrate strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills, and a level of emotional intelligence proficiency that quickly builds and maintains productive relationships across teams. Being aware and sensitive to international development issues and diverse cultures is critical.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Kathmandu and is unaccompanied. Due to changing visa regulations, remote work may be required. Kathmandu is a culturally dynamic capital city that can provide a comfortable, safe living environment with access to amenities, although a sense of patience with routine (and extended) power cuts, water shortages, air/ noise pollution, and traffic is required. Some travel to field locations may be required, some of which are easily accessible but many others of which are quite remote and require extended travel (by flight, vehicle, hiking, and occasionally motorcycle) in locations that may be distant from amenities or health care.

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.