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

General Position Summary  

The Team Leader will provide overall leadership, management and strategic vision to the implementation of the proposed project ensuring the program meets its targets and deliverables on-time and within budget. The Team Leader will supervise program staff and ensure accountability to Mercy Corps policies and donor rules and regulations. S/he is responsible for managing relationships with local partners, program participants, and donor representatives, contributing to the achievement of country goals through innovation and program development; displaying expertise in education sectors. S/he will ensure the project team works closely with the existing girl's education project.

As gender and social inclusion (GESI), governance and M&E are cross-cutting components of all Mercy Corps program(s), the Senior Project Officer is required to own these components and ensure GESI sensitivity and integration, governance practices and M&E systems are integrated 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:

Strategy & Vision

• Provide overall strategic direction, leadership, technical and operational management of the project team to ensure the timely and qualitative delivery of program objectives
• Support development of cross-team coordination mechanisms to ensure effective collaboration and integration across key program areas and functions
• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed
• Contribute to and oversee learnings of the project and share them with stakeholders
• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to country-wide strategy development
• Develop and organize activities to leverage existing and secure new resources and support for programs

Project Management

• In close collaboration with the project team, the girl's education project team, finance, and administrative staff ensure that all components of the project are implemented in alignment with donor and Mercy Corps policy guidelines
• 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
• In coordination with the Country Program Assurance and Quality (PAQ) team, ensure that robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), knowledge management and quality assurance systems are in place, adhered to and used as decision-making tools to inform adaptive management, while also capturing best practices and lessons learned across programs
• Use findings from the project to Influence government stakeholders (in collaboration with STEM) about strong safeguarding measures
• Ensure the timely preparation of high-quality progress, program, and donor reports in both content and form from the project implementation team
• Implement and model Mercy Corps’ philosophy of social entrepreneurship and leverage Mercy Corps’ best practices
• Ensure strong CARM system is in place monitor the register so that issues are analyzed for patterns and resolved
• Cultivate a deep understanding of safeguarding issues in the program context and provide input into best practices
• Contribute to the dialogue on safeguarding in the region and within Mercy Corps more broadly
• Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the Program Management at Mercy Corps guidelines
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Safeguarding Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards

Team Management 

• Hire, orient, and directly manage staff in the day-to-day and develop the capacity of this team particularly around CARM and safeguarding
• Work closely with the Human Resources team is trained in gender accountability and this is incorporated into the position descriptions of all program team members
• Regularly convene partners and Mercy Corps team to monitor progress against project milestones and share lessons learned
• Develop the capacity of the team by deepening their understanding of their roles and assist with career development
• Assist team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance & achieve objectives
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence
• Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary

 Team Building & Capacity

• Create a work atmosphere conducive to professional growth and development of excellent personnel at all levels, proactively seeking out capacity building opportunities and engaging in the career development of M&E staff
• Identify technical skills gaps of project staff to provide necessary support through training, workshops, and materials as per need
• Contribute to team-building efforts and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision- making processes
• Conduct capacity building of field and implementing partner staff on M&E concepts through designing and delivering formal training and orientation
• Provide technical support to the project and partner staff in reviewing project learning and understanding best practices, producing notes for a file on the same
• Assist the project team to organize program related events and event reports, in coordination with field staff
• Design and facilitate capacity building training to Mercy Corps and partner staff on data management and software
• Provide ongoing technical assistance to local partner staff, MC staff and community stakeholders on the implementation of the activities, both core implementation and M&E
• Implement and ensure all team members, including partners, are effectively using the performance planning and management system, establishing performance expectations and regularly providing constructive feedback

Finance & Compliance Management  

• Monitor adherence to the grant agreement, Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures and relevant external rules and regulations

Influence & Representation  

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with partners, grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders
• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.
• Demonstrate flexibility, resilience, and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure
• Maintain high ethical standards and treat people with respect and dignity
• Exhibit an awareness of his/her strengths and 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

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 

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
  

Safeguarding, Ethics & Integrity  

• All Mercy Corps staff members are expected to behave ethically and demonstrate the highest integrity in their professional and personal life. Mercy Corps has zero tolerance to any form of fraud, corruption, abuse, harassment or exploitation. Any breach of our policies or misconduct will lead to disciplinary action or may lead to termination
• Mercy Corps has zero-tolerance for abuse, sexual misconduct and sexual exploitation (PSEA) of the people we work with and our own staff members. All staff must commit to internal policies

Others  

• Ensure proper integration of child safeguarding and GESI aspects into sector specific project planning and implementation
  
• Mercy Corps as a humanitarian agency is expected to response 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 his/her supervisor and or Country Director

Supervisory Responsibility: M&E Coordinator & Senior Project Officers

Accountability
Reports Directly to: Program Manager 
Works Directly with: Country Leadership, Mercy Corps Support Functions Team and partners (local NGOs, civil society actors, government bodies, etc.), MEL, and STEM II project team

Knowledge and Experience 

• Master Degree in Education, Development Studies, Social science, or any other relevant fields
• Minimum 8 years’ relevant professional experience implementing development, right based or education programs and atleast 3 years in leadership role is a must
• Prior experience in budget and partner management
• Experience in dealing with institutional donors and ability to manage donors reporting and communication independently
• Experience in designing or managing programs with multiple stakeholders (including related government line agencies) involved in the implementation
• Awareness of the particular needs and related program considerations for children, vulnerable and marginalized communities
• Established the ability to manage and communicate effectively with team members of varied work styles
• Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem-solving.
• Proven ability to learn quickly, lead a program to achieve stated results and objectives
• Experience working with governments, civil society, national and international organizations.
• Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.
• Ability to effectively represent Mercy Corps and its interests to key stakeholders
• Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment

Success Factors: 

The successful Team Leader will combine exceptional management skills and experience in maintaining donor and partner relationships. S/he will have an outstanding ability to develop, implement and manage innovative programs within the current and future program structure of Mercy Corps in the country. S/he will also have proven experience with cross-cultural team and capacity building, individual staff development and strong mentoring skills. Prioritizing, problem solving, ability to seize opportunities, attention to detail and strategic vision are essential.

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. Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. 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