Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In a disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action – helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future. Mercy Corps has been operating in Nepal since 2005, implementing programs in food security, agriculture, market development, financial services, youth engagement, climate change adaptation, and disaster risk reduction.
“Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision, and we encourage people from all backgrounds, especially women and members of disadvantaged groups to apply. Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer”.
Mercy Corps invites applications from all interested and potential Nepali candidates for the following position:
Position: Senior Project Officer
Location: Taplejung with a frequent field visit to SAFAL II Project field locations.
Position Status: Full-time, Regular
General Position Summary:
The Senior Project Officer will be directly responsible for facilitating, implementing and monitoring of the program interventions, establishing linkages and effective capacity building for expanding access to financial services in his/her district of responsibility, in expanding and adopting new business practices in a sustainable manner. S/he will work closely with various stakeholders, especially with partner institutions, Municipalities/Rural Municipalities and concerned District Coordination Committees. S/he will work closely with the Program Manager, the project team, MEL department, and concerned stakeholders and provide feedback on the progress of the project while facilitating appropriate support and technical assistance for project participants. S/he will be responsible for meeting reporting requirements and adhering to deadlines. S/he will serve as Mercy Corps’ primary liaison with beneficiary communities and local stakeholders. The Senior Project Officer must be a dynamic and effective person who has an understanding of the principals of financial services and market lead-community based approaches and who is motivated by finding new solutions and working in a positive, team-oriented way.
As gender and social inclusion (GESI) is cross-cutting and core components of all MC programs, the Senior Project Officer is required to own these components and ensure GESI sensitivity and integration into his/her work area.
Essential Job Responsibilities :
The specific duties and responsibilities of the Senior Project Officer include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
Strategy and Vision
• Promote and adhere to the principles and objectives of Mercy Corps and its strategy to expand access to finance;
• Identify SACCOs partners’ capacity building needs such as personal development and organizational needs, essential for expanding access to finance.
Program Management
• Provide support to prepare overall project plan and implement in the district of responsibility and selection of project beneficiaries
• Support the Program Manager, M&E Officer in managing and implementing the project, ensuring that activities mentioned in the project planning documents are carried effectively by monitoring field and district level activities and providing regular written reports on progress, quality, challenges and recommendations
• Execute SAFAL ll interventions effectively in the district of responsibility
• Facilitate community interactions and provide technical coaching and training to project supporting cooperatives
• Facilitate, implement and monitor financial literacy training for adults and youths
• Provide technical assistance to cooperatives supported by the project
• Ensure that innovative approaches, good practices, particular challenges, or good results are documented to support agency learning
• Organize District Project Advisory Committee (DPAC) and Municipal Project Advisory Committee (M- PAC) meetings
• Liaise with the other organizations (government, private, civic) as appropriate
• Ensure clear, timely and proper coordination at all levels
• Ensure proper integration of GESI aspects into sector-specific program planning and implementation
• Other duties as assigned by Program Manager
Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluations
• Facilitate in conducting surveys and studies
• Maintain, monitor and measure project implementation data entry, keeping Program Manager informed at all times.
• Track project impact, standards, and operational compliances and facilitate other project M&E events.
• Prepare and submit Work Plans with the budget projection of assigned districts.
• Work closely with M&E officer to generate and collect required information and data in the process of measuring results.
• Supervise the process of data collection and compilation as required for preliminary assessments, baseline and impact evaluation.
• Prepare monthly/quarterly progress reports and documents capturing project learning’s and good practices as well financial report and submitted to Program Manager.
• Ensure that innovative approaches, good practices, particular challenges, or good results are documented to support agency learning.
• Ensure monitoring of field level project activities is on time, target and budget, and propose recommendations for improvements.
Others
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Mercy Corps as a humanitarian agency is expected to respond as and when crisis and a humanitarian situation occurs.
• As an MC employee, all staff are expected to be part of humanitarian and emergency response in addition to their regular roles and responsibilities in such situations.
• Other duties as assigned by the direct Supervisor and or the Country Director
• Promote and adhere to the principles and objectives of Mercy Corps and its strategy to expand access to finance
2. FINANCE & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT
• Ensure that MC operational policies and procedures are followed while ensuring downward and upward project efficiency, transparency and accountability
• Ensure that functional administrative systems are established and maintained in the project at the field level.
• Support and orient on MC Code of Ethics and uphold Mercy Corps’ Zero tolerance of corruption policy.
3. TEAM MANAGEMENT
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews
4. PARTNERSHIP MANAGEMENT
• Ensure project actions implemented by establishing synergies between other MC-N supported projects in the district, Municipality/ Rural Municipality and communities.
• Coordinate and collaborate with MC-N projects in the district, Municipality/ Rural Municipality and communities to achieve the overall goal of community resilience through coordinated planning of resources.
• Establish good coordination with government and non-government stakeholders to prevent duplication of actions and for resource leveraging.
• Facilitate the process to increase access of vulnerable communities to resources allocated by different government and non-government agencies to implement community plans.
• Organize regular DPAC/ MPAC monitoring visits and meetings to share project progress and receive feedback. Ensure timely submission of project plan and progress report to concerned government body as per prevailing planning process and review process of Government of Nepal.
• Coordinate and liaise with private sector actors to implement interventions jointly for synergistic effect.
• Analysis and internal communication of the local context to inform appropriate planning
5. SECURITY
• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
6. ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING
• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
7. ACCOUNTABILITY TO BENEFICIARIES
• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
• 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.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Reports Directly to: Program Manager, SAFAL and SERVE
Works Directly with: Program Manager, Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer, Project team; other project implemented in the responsible districts, Municipality/ Rural Municipality level Management Committees, District Level authorities, Project Support Unit, DM&E Unit, Finance/Compliance, HR and Operations team members.
Knowledge and Experience :
• Bachelor degree in Finance, economics, or Business Administration
• At least 5 years of experience in community development, microfinance, or cooperative development programs.
• Experience with participatory, inclusive targeting, MEL, community mobilization, and group facilitation. Experience building capacity of local financial institutions (SACCOs),
• Willingness to travel frequently to remote areas
• Strong report writing and budgeting skills
• Strong training development and facilitation skills
• Experience of working rural community through community based approaches in Livelihood & Economic Development.
• Competence riding a motorbike preferred
• Excellent negotiation, representation, skills and the ability to work comfortably with an ethnically diverse staff in a very sensitive environment
• Negotiation, networking, coordination and representation skills with key local actors
• Ability to work effectively with and building capacity of an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.
Success Factors :
A successful Senior Project Officer will be able to manage and mobilize project resources for effective and efficient implementation of the project activities to achieve the results and influence public, private and civil society organization to replicate and scale-up project best practices and learnings related to market-driven solutions to risk reduction and integration of financial services approaches with the market-development and livelihood interventions. S/he should have the ability to travel frequently to remote areas and the capacity to develop training package and tools as required. Well versed in cooperative and microfinance modalities & community facilitation approaches in rural Nepal. Possesses necessary technical acumen on capacity building of cooperatives and establish linkages.
The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.
Last date to apply: July 12, 2019
Please refer to nepal.mercycorps.org for the full position description.
HOW TO APPLY
Interested candidates are requested to submit Cover letter and Mercy Corps Application Form available at http://nepal.mercycorps.org by COB July 12, 2019 to the email address: [email protected] and or hard copy can be dropped and logged in Mercy Corps Nepal Country Office, Sanepa Chowk, Lalitpur, Kathmandu.
“Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision, and we encourage people from all backgrounds, especially women and members of disadvantaged groups to apply. Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer.”
[Please mention the title of the Position and location on the subject line of the e-mail/ envelope of hard copy while applying]
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Telephone enquiries will not be entertained.
