Essential Responsibilities:

• In partnership with the Country Director and Senior Management Team (SMT), ensure the development of the country-wide strategic plan that reflects the portfolio of programs, including development of annual Fiscal Year Plans and sector strategies.
• Ensure program portfolio champions Mercy Corps’ Pathway to Possibilities (P2P) approach and leverages the agency expertise around markets in crisis.
• In partnership with the PaQ team, ensure cross portfolio and program communication and learning.
• In partnership with SMT, organize and facilitate country-level platforms for exchange, including senior management meetings and other methods of engagement.
• Ensure integration and linkages across portfolios of work, programs and field offices.
• In partnership with the Country Director and with assistance from SMT, lead new business development initiatives including managing and coordinating proposal development efforts, donor engagement and communications.
• Ensure new business opportunities are in line with Mercy Corps Ethiopia’s strategic vision and deliver impact, fulfill donor requirements and address the local needs of communities.
• Continue to look for new and innovative opportunities and ensure ongoing development of an idea/innovation pipeline to push forward innovations.
• Ensure programs are implemented in ways that are responsive to the communities, in line with Mercy Corps’ principles, values and strategic planning, and follow Mercy Corps’ compliance procedures.
• In partnership with the PaQ team, ensure that programs are managed and meet the minimum standards for program management at Mercy Corps (PM@MC).
• Ensure teams have access to essential technical expertise and support with an emphasis on market systems, economic and micro enterprise development technical support.
• Ensure all program leads are using program management tools to ensure programming is on-time, on-scope and on-budget and using effective operational systems, including finance, logistics, security, and administration.
• Ensure programs are coordinated and create opportunities for strategic discussion from the field teams to management and vice versa on implementation issues.
• Oversight of the development of high-quality donor reports for all programs under supervision prior to submission to the donor.
• Ensure transparent use of financial resources in compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures.
• Provide overall strategic leadership to the Program team, and ensuring team fully understands and can operationalize both program agreements and the overall P2P country strategy.
• Ensure all teams understand and can operationalize Mercy Corps’ community-led, market-driven approach, and that gender equality is mainstreamed into all program strategies, programs, and projects.
• Supervise and mentor Program Managers/direct reports to ensure that both programs and projects follow sound planning, implementation, monitoring, learning and adaptation processes; have high performing teams; receive appropriate technical input and
• support, utilize good performance management processes; focus on quality, accountability, and results; deploy cutting-edge technical approaches; and, that good participatory methods and stakeholder engagement approaches are used.
• Ensure the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) team and all program teams understand, appreciate and utilize our project design, monitoring, learning, accountability, and documentation tools and system.
• Ensure that projects and programs receive necessary technical support by: identifying, organizing, and when appropriate delivering trainings, cross-learning exchanges, and information sharing; encouraging and supporting self-directed learning.
• Ensure regular field monitoring visits and provide feedback in ways that improve both project and program level progress, impact, influence, and innovation.
• Lead programming meetings monthly to ensure team learning and cross collaboration.
• Minimum Requirements:

  Education:

  • MA/S or equivalent in management, international development or other relevant field; some economic development studies required.

  Experience:

  • 7-10 years’ experience administering donor grants for a variety of sectoral areas; specific experience in market systems and economic development and micro enterprise development.
  • 7-10 years’ demonstrated ability to build staff capacity in cross-cultural settings as well as excellent team-building and interpersonal skills.
  • 5-7 years of field experience, in positions of increasing responsibility.
  • Verifiable record of developing successful proposals for new projects and programs from conception to submission.
  • 5-7 years’ experience with donor requirements of USAID/USG, SIDA, DFID, corporations, private donors and/or foundations.