Location: Dhangadhi, with frequent field visits
Position Status: Full-time, Regular
Salary Level: O2

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In a disaster, inhardship, 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. We take a systems- based approach in our programming, with the aim of improving the lives and potential of vulnerable individuals and communities across Nepal.

Program / Department Summary

The Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance (ZFRA) is a global consortium of nine organizations including international NGOs, private sector and academic organizations, who have come together with the support of the Zurich Foundation to drive better policy and practice to reduce the negative impact of floods on peoples’ and communities’ ability to thrive.

Mercy Corps is leading the ‘influencing and advocacy’ work within the ZFRA, as well as making substantial contributions to work streams on knowledge management, research, and piloting innovative field programming with communities, business and government. In Nepal, the Alliance is composed of Mercy Corps, International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), and Practical Action. The ‘influence and advocacy work’ within ZFRA will be complemented by community programming and interventions, which aims to increase knowledge and understanding about systematic approach of resilience building at community level using tools such as the Flood Resilience Measurement for Communities framework. ZFRA in Nepal, including Mercy Corps, will share program outcomes and learnings with local governments to support planning and investment to enhance communities’resilience to climate-related hazards, including floods. Mercy Corps is seeking a dynamic and inquisitive individual to be a part of Mercy Corps’ Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance team in Nepal. The Senior Project Officer-Flood Resilience will be part of a dynamic team, and play a leading role in advancing our work at local and provincial level.

General Position Summary

The Senior Project Officer - Flood Resilience will be responsible for conducting flood resilience assessments, and designing and implementing community interventions to address gaps identified. Specifically, they will lead local project partners in assessing community flood resilience through the Flood Resilience Measurement for Communities tool, and sharing results with community members and local governments to inform community action plans and municipal plans that strengthen flood resilience activities. They will also ensure quality design and delivery of the capacity building initiatives to community and local governments, such as the mobilization of CDMCs and strengthening coordination mechanisms. They will work closely with relevant stakeholders (partners, communities, district and provincial disaster risk management institutions, private sector service providers, relevant ministries, NGOs and UN agencies) at the local and provincial levels. Finally, they will communicate program progress and outcomes with the broad ZFRA team to inform both national and international policy dialogues related to disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation.

Essential Responsibilities

Program Management and Implementation

• Support management and implementation of flood resilience measurement for communities (FRMC) and community interventions and ensure program implementation through mobilization and support to local implementing partners
• Coordinate application of the FRMC across 14 community disaster management committees (CDMCs) and ensure fulfilment of the stipulated targets
• Facilitate CDMCs and local governments to grade FRMC results and interpret the results for community sharing and using them to develop community action plans
• Facilitate the communities to identify necessary interventions (in order of their priorities) that will enhance community resilience to floods
• Facilitate engagement of ward, local government levels for resources leveraging and funding support to include the community action plans for flood risk reductions, as informed by the FRMC in annual development pains and ensure allocation of budget towards flood risk reduction and resilience building of vulnerable communities
• Ensure implementation of the agreed targets and monitor local implementing partners’ activities and budget expenditure as agreed in partnership agreement/sub grants agreement

Capacity Building

• Identify partners’ capacity building needs on risk assessment process, disaster risk reduction and climate
• adaptation planning
• Support in building capacities of local government institutions on planning, policy formulation, budget
• allocation and implementation of disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation with focus on flood
• resilience
• Provide support to the local implementing partner staff in enhancing their knowledge, capacity and
• awareness of Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience with focus on flood resilience

Monitoring, Reporting and Documentation

• Work closely with the ZFRA team in Mercy Corps, MRED team and alliance members in facilitating specific research/ assessments to document evidence based learnings on flood resilience
• Participate and support implementing partners to prepare monthly/quarterly plans and to generate quality progress reports and documents capturing project learning’s and good practices
• Ensure that innovative approaches, good practices, particular challenges, or good results are documented
• to support agency learning, sharing and dissemination
• Ensure monitoring of field level project activities is on time, target and budget, and propose recommendations for improvements.
• Prepare and collect monthly/quarterly reports from partners and support for bi-annual and annual donor reporting
• Keep track of quantitative and qualitative progress as shared by partners through the reports and validate/verify before reporting

Coordination and collaboration

• Coordinate and collaborate with the Mercy Corps Nepal projects, government departments and offices in the Palikas, district and province to achieve the overall goal of community resilience through coordinated planning
• Establish good coordination with government and non-government stakeholders to prevent duplication of actions and ensure synergy and collaborative efforts
• Establish good relationships with implementing partners and assist/advice for organization development needs

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership
• Proactively ensure that team members and community operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies

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

Others

• Ensure proper integration of safeguarding and GESI aspects into sector specific project planning and implementation
• Mercy Corps as a humanitarian agency is expected to respond as and when crisis and humanitarian situation engulfs. As an MC employee all staff are expected to be part of humanitarian and emergency response in addition to their regular roles and responsibilities
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and not to jeopardize its humanitarian mission
• Other duties as assigned by their supervisor and or Country Director

Supervisory Responsibility

N/A

Accountability

Reports Directly to: Policy and Advocacy Specialist and MRED Deputy Program Manager
Works Directly with: MRED Program and Zurich Alliance 2 partners in Nepal

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

• A bachelor's degree in environment, disaster risk management, social science, development or related field; Master's degree preferred
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in community assessment, baseline assessment, research and project management
• Strong analytical skills and technical knowhow of resilience measurement tools and frameworks;
• Experience in applying resilience measurement tool or similar in the community context and facilitating stakeholder outreach activities
• Demonstrated knowledge of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in Nepal, and government structures at local and provincial levels
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills with an ability to connect and enhance conversations with diverse stakeholders
• Ability to identify needs and interventions for resilience building of target communities and local bodies
• Ability and willingness to coordinate, share knowledge and to build capacities of local field staff
• Proven writing, analysis and presentation skills
• Fluency in written and spoken English and good drafting skills
• Past experience in the DRR related works across Sudurpaschim province, project areas in particular will be an added advantage
• Negotiation, networking, coordination and representation skills with key local actors

Success Factors

The successful senior project officer will combine exceptional collaborative and technical skills with a focus on disaster risk management approach and tools specifically experienced on flood resilience and disaster governance at local bodies, they will be capable of multitasking, rapid decision-making, initiative, drive and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building. They will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level. 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. Prioritizing, problem solving and the capacity to balance attention to detail and maintaining strategic vision are essential.

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 e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.