Assistant Program Officer, Crisis Analytics – Edinburgh or The Hague

Location: Edinburgh or The Hague
Position Status: Full-time, 6 months Fixed Term
Salary: £21,000 for Edinburgh, €30,000 for The Hague
Closing date: 6 December 2020

Candidates must have the right to work in the location that they are applying for.
Applications will be considered with CV and cover letter.

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.

Department Summary

Mercy Corps’ Crisis Analytics teams aggregate and analyze data to improve decision making and access in complex crises. The teams support our programming in Syria, Libya, Democratic Republic of Congo and other locations. The teams directly contribute to data-driven decision making by layering information from primary sources, open sources and responders’ programmatic data, where it is analysed by subject matter experts and data scientists. This analysis is grounded in Mercy Corps’ status as an operational NGO, keeping our products constructive and relevant.

The global Crisis Analytics team provides leadership and support to the country-level teams.

General Position Summary

The Assistant Program Officer (APO) provides administrative support to the Senior Director and Senior Advisor for Crisis Analytics to support the growth and implementation of high-quality and impactful Crisis Analytics programming. This support also extends to the Crisis Analysis teams themselves, supporting their compliance with Mercy Corps policies and procedures. The APO will play a key role in maintaining and improving analytical standards within the teams, and improving the effectiveness of their products.

Essential Job Responsibilities

GRANT ADMINISTRATION:

• For Global Crisis Analytics (CA) and relevant country-level CA teams, complete administrative tasks such as maintaining required documentation, as per the Program File, and knowledge management of grants, copy-edit support of reports, etc.

PROPOSAL COORDINATION:

• Provide administrative support for proposal development such as drafting Past Performance Reports/capacity statements/or other required documents, copy-editing, and final compilation for submission.
• Tracking of funding opportunities relevant to Crisis Analytics.

ANALYTICAL SUPPORT:

• Provide surge support to Global CA team and country-level CA teams as requested, including conducting research, managing data, contributing analysis and preparing products for publication.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT:

• Maintain up to date product and grant information in Mercy Corps’ online knowledge management tools, e.g., GAIT, DL, HUB.

RECRUITMENT SUPPORT & DEPLOYMENT:

• Ensure necessary documentation has been submitted to relevant people; support new hires/consultants/interns/etc.
• Manage consultant contracts for Global Crisis Analytics and for the Yemen Analysis Team.

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.

Supervisory Responsibility

None.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Senior Advisor, Crisis Analytics

Works Directly With: Humanitarian Leadership and Response team, Crisis Analytics Team Leaders, HQ Program units and other departments, including Resource Development, Finance, People, Legal, Policy and Advocacy; MC donors and partners.

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor degree or equivalent in International Development or related field highly preferred.
• One year of demonstrated experience in providing administrative/coordination support.
• Proven ability to communicate effectively with colleagues from various backgrounds and cultures.
• Proficiency with MS Office software required (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Prior NGO or international development experience preferred.
• Knowledge and interest in conflict/crisis analysis, the intelligence cycle, etc. is beneficial.
• Knowledge of French is beneficial. English fluency is required.

Success Factors

The Assistant Program Officer must be a detail-oriented multi-tasker who is able to communicate clearly and work under pressure. The APO must demonstrate patience, flexibility, and taking initiative to solve problems. Vital skills include communication (both written and verbal), as well as building and maintaining effective internal and external relationships. The APO must demonstrate the ability to understand and follow agency procedures, meet deadlines, and work both independently and as part of a complex distanced-based, multi-cultural team. An exposure to and interest in international development issues is important, and an understanding of the complex challenges faced by program teams operating in overseas environments is critical.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in either Edinburgh or The Hague. It requires up to 20% travel to crisis-affected areas, sometimes on short notice.

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.