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

Mercy Corps has been present in Niger since 2005, focusing its interventions on improving food security, livestock research, youth livelihoods, conflict prevention & social cohesion, climate change adaptation, and emergency response outcomes. Mercy Corps has also been working in Burkina Faso since 2016 with activities in social cohesion and youth and livestock programming. Our work in these areas contributes to local communities’ resilience to shocks and stresses and enables them to achieve long-term, inclusive and equitable development. Mercy Corps’ vision for change requires the private sector, government and civil society to work together to create meaningful and sustainable change. Mercy Corps is currently implementing 12 development and humanitarian programs worth more than $63 million, with field offices in Abala, Filingue, Maradi, Tillabéri in Niger as well as Ouagadougou, Fada N’gourma, Gaoua, Ouahigouya, and Po in Burkina Faso. In 2021, we were able to assist more than 125,000 disadvantaged Nigeriens and Burkinabè.

Mercy Corps Niger and Burkina Faso are parts of a Mercy Corps sub-regional Sahelian Region, where teams and programs are aligned around a common Sahel Strategy.

General Position Summary

This is a temporary assignment of 3 months to provide interim cover while the long term CD is out on paternity leave. The Interim Country Director for Niger and Burkina Faso is an innovative and visionary leader responsible for resourcefully managing all programming, resulting in lasting improvement in the lives of communities in these countries. S/He has held senior roles in formulating strategic direction within an international development context. The Interim Country Director is responsible for developing the overall strategic direction for programming and new business development in cooperation with Mercy Corps’ senior management team and local and international partners. S/He is also responsible for developing and implementing systems, policies and procedures for Mercy Corps’ operations in both countries. As Mercy Corps’ senior manager in these two countries, the Interim Country Director is also responsible for financial oversight, strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, staff security, Human Resource management and representation in the field. The Interim Country Director must be comfortable leading a team of high performers; be able to confidently represent at high-level forums to influence and secure ongoing investment; nurture a culture of shared excellence based on learning and trust; and take considered risks in innovating and negotiating within a society that is in rapid change. This is an exciting opportunity to influence key outcomes and make a lasting difference in the lives of the people living in the Sahel region.

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY & VISION

• Formulate and plan, in consultation with key stakeholders, a clear vision of present and future program goals and strategies which can be clearly communicated to team members, local beneficiaries, international partners, governmental counterparts, and donors.

• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcome, heard and acted upon.

• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve goals and objectives.

• Explore, evaluate and present new project funding opportunities that leverage impact and integrate initiatives and activities, support and direct related fundraising activities with both institutional and private donors.

• Evaluate country specific program priorities and contribute to regional and global strategy development and prioritization.

• Ensure that country strategies are well aligned and contribute to the Sahel Strategy, contributing to build strategic ideas and resources at the regional level.

  LEADERSHIP & CULTURE

  • Commit to preserving an organizational culture of trust, transparency, diversity, equity, and inclusion across the team and global organization.

  • Uphold a culture of integrity through ethical decision-making, safeguarding and compliance with the Code of Conduct.

  • Lead by role modeling self awareness to foster an environment of mutual respect, diversity and inclusion so that all team members are included, supported and can thrive.

  • Create a culture of accountability for highly effective communication systems and relationships to ensure every voice matters.

    TEAM MANAGEMENT

    • Recruit, manage, motivate, and onboard an informed, skilled and efficient team with an emphasis on high quality impact, inclusion and achievement.

    • Encourage a team culture of growth, learning, creativity and innovation by incorporating a culture of continuous feedback, development and performance management.

    • Establish credibility within the team by demonstrating personal accountability, flexibility, resilience and dedication to quality programming by creating positive relationships and having composure in complex situations.

    • Ensure people focused human resource systems are in place and consistent with Mercy Corps global policies, including position descriptions, team member onboarding, performance management, professional development plans and reporting mechanisms.

      PROGRAM IMPACT, MONITORING AND EVALUATION AND LEARNING

      • Oversee program quality and impact by ensuring programs are based on sound design principles and utilize Mercy Corps and donor required M&E systems.

      • Gather evidence of program impact through robust agency standard procedures for data gathering, reporting, and evaluating program outputs and outcomes

      • Lead country team to strive for impact at country and regional level leading to sustained change based on solid systems and incorporation of learnings into programs.

      • Fulfill Mercy Corps Program Management Minimum Standards.

      • Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and program participant accountability standards, including an effective Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism and safeguarding mechanisms across all programs.

        INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

        • Maintain productive relationships with internal and external constituents such as private partners, national government, foundations, the private sector, etc.

        • Maintain productive relationships with the international community inclusive of the United Nations, International NGOs, Think Tanks, Research Institutes and Foreign Governments.

        • Anticipate needs, understand the donor pool and contribute to shaping donors’ views on humanitarian and development strategies.

        • Represent Mercy Corps programs with national and international media

          PROGRAM OPERATIONS AND COMPLIANCE

          • Coordinate overall country budget; manage budget within approved spending levels and establish an annual cash flow plan to ensure a steady and adequate supply of funds for program activities.

          • Build and maintain operational structures that ensure proper segregation of duties between finance, Administration and logistics and fully support field programs.

          • Build and maintain an environment of collaboration among program, finance, operations and human resource team members resulting in optimal support for program activities.

          • Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.

          • Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.

          • Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations, policies and procedures, and the implementation of appropriate risk mitigation measures to reduce Mercy Corps exposure to potential risk.

            SECURITY

            • Manage security and safety of the entire country team and Mercy Corps assets according to best practices, MC operating standards and field realities.

            • Liaise with the Regional Directors and Africa Regional Advisor" id="link" class="link">Security Advisor on crucial events, high risk periods, incident reporting or security policy changes.

              Supervisory Responsibility: The Interim Country Director supervises all international and national team members in Niger and Burkina Faso.

              Accountability

              Reports Directly To: Deputy Regional Director for Africa – Sahel
              Works Directly With: HQ-based Program, Operations, Finance, Regional Program Team, Compliance, Fundraising and Technical Support Unit
              
              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 or equivalent in the relevant field required; MA/S preferred.

              • 7-10 years of field experience in international relief and development programs, including demonstrable success in managing large, complex, transitional development programs

              • 5 years of senior-level leadership, capacity building and field management experience.

              • Demonstrated success managing and bringing together a multi cultural team with team members in multiple offices.

              • Successful and proven representation, negotiation, communication and organization skills.

              • Demonstrated experience multi-tasking and success in securing funding for Country Programs from a broad spectrum of donors.

              • Demonstrated success working effectively and respectfully with host country government, private sector, INGO, NGO partners and other stakeholders in complex environments.

              • Proven skills in financial and Grants Management.

              • Internationally recognized qualification in project or program management or a commitment to obtain the qualification in the early months of work.

              • Excellent oral and written French and English skills required.

              • Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.

              • Previous work experience in countries where travel to insecure areas is required, and management of programs in insecure locations.

              • Capacity to respond to emergency and disaster situations as appropriate.

                Success Factors

                The successful CD will set a bold, transformative vision for Mercy Corps’ programing in Niger and Burkina Faso and skillfully represent programmatic priorities of the agency to donors and regional partners while providing effective leadership to the Mercy Corps program team. The CD will have high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building and will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level. The role is a hands-on position and success will be determined by the level of direct engagement in program development, oversight of projects, fundraising for new projects and representing the agency to stakeholders. The successful CD should welcome multitasking and taking an active role in Program Design and overarching strategy. Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.