GBLCAREERS

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In 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.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps Nigeria implements a variety of programs with the vision of a Nigeria in which all people are empowered, engaged, resilient and secure. The organization’s programs are implemented in twelve states, mainly in North and North-East Nigeria and Lagos. Our work covers the following sectors: economic development, livelihoods/food security, adolescent girls & boys empowerment, financial resilience, conflict mitigation and humanitarian response. Common themes include community engagement, inclusive development, gender, and working in partnership with local government, the private sector and civil society actors.

General Position Summary

The Resilience Advisor is responsible for integrating findings from Mercy Corps’ Strategic Resilience Assessment (STRESS) into programming in Northeast Nigeria, tracking progress and providing strategic and actionable guidance. The Advisor partners with program teams, including the EC-funded Maida early recovery program and other humanitarian projects (to be determined with leadership), to pioneer resilience application in a rapidly changing context. She/he will work closely with early recovery and humanitarian program teams to review program strategies, identify opportunities to operationalize recommendations from the STRESS and adapt or develop program tools to better incorporate a resilience approach, drawing from and improving upon Mercy Corps’ resilience framework and best practices. She/he is responsible for managing and coordinating communication of key learning to inform Mercy Corps’ application of resilience in humanitarian/transitional and conflict contexts.

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Support existing and emerging resilience programming and initiatives that link into the Mercy Corps Nigeria Strategy.
• Deliver technical support and mentoring to program managers and technical resource personnel/teams, in conducting resilience assessments, incorporating adaptive management practices in their work, and incorporating resilience measurement.
• Provide strategic technical support and capacity building to selected early recovery and humanitarian programs, working closely with the program team–including at field sites–during inception/start up and implementation to design, adapt, monitor and document program strategies to reinforce resilience-building objectives.
• Review selected programs’ technical approaches and implementation strategies and develop customized recommendations to integrate and refine STRESS-identified resilience capacities.
• Provide ongoing technical guidance and targeted implementation support to humanitarian program teams on opportunities to adapt and improve resilience-building approaches to address evolving conditions, through participating, coordinating and collaborating extensively with the Mercy Corps Technical Leads for Shelter/WASH/Cash/Protection.
• Work closely with Mercy Corps resilience and complex crises stakeholders to help define, support and field test an approach to better understand and monitor “resilience tipping points/thresholds” of vulnerable groups in complex crisis, in order to better inform early intervention.

PROGRAM QUALITY, LEARNING AND COMMUNICATION

• Develop a monitoring, evaluation and learning framework to track progress and results on resilience application in selected programs, including drafting quarterly learning briefs based on activities carried out and program learning/results.
• Work with the technical leads for Shelter/WASH/Cash/Protection and senior leadership to reflect on country level progress against strategic internal targets.
• Develop an institutional resilience knowledge management and communications plan, sharing out findings and updates through appropriate internal channels.
• Organize program reflections to review learning and discuss new information and implications for programming.
• Work closely with program leadership to identify capacity building needs and develop and deliver tailored tools, resources, one on one support and/or training workshops.
• Develop the capacity of key team members to lead resilience integration across Mercy Corps Nigeria.
• Create and share strategic reports highlighting findings, lessons learned and next frontiers for research and learning, including making recommendations for minimum standards/tenets/principles for what is possible in operationalizing and building resilience capacities within humanitarian and early recovery programming, in coordination with technical advisors.

REPRESENTATION

• 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.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with resilience stakeholders and identify strategic implementation, research and private sector partners that can contribute to Mercy Corps Nigeria’s portfolio development, influence and impact.
• Participate in relevant strategic external working groups and fora to share Mercy Corps’ experience and promote thought-leadership in resilience.
• Maintain partnerships with key resilience stakeholders, including local civil society organizations.

SECURITY

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members 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.

Supervisory Responsibility

Senior Resilience Officer.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Deputy North East Nigeria Program Director

Works Directly With: North East Programs Director and Deputy Director, Program Quality Advisor, relevant program teams and leads for Shelter/WASH/Cash/Protection, Sr. Regional Resilience Advisor and relevant Technical Support Unit staff

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/BS or equivalent in international studies or other relevant field; MA/S preferred.
• At least 3 years of program management experience in humanitarian and early recovery programming involving livelihoods, food security, protection, shelter, WASH or other sector
• Previous experience working in Nigeria and the North East strongly preferred.
• Previous experience working on resilience-focused programming strongly preferred but not mandatory. Experience with resilience theory and practice, systems thinking and adaptive management a plus.
• Experience with participatory assessment methodologies a plus.
• Proven experience successfully coordinating teams, negotiating and influencing others to get results without formal supervisory authority
• Demonstrated ability to transfer knowledge to diverse audiences through training, mentoring, and other formal and non-formal capacity building methods necessary.
• Knowledge of SPHERE and other humanitarian programming standards.
• Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.
• Occasional travel to programme areas is required.
• Essential computer literacy and capacity to work with MS Office applications highly desirable.Success Factors

The successful Resilience Advisor will be an intrepid relationship manager skilled at working across teams to achieve results. S/he will be conscientious, with an excellent sense of judgment and commitment to integrity. S/he will demonstrate effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational, and prioritization skills. Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines, and work independently and cooperatively with team members is required. The successful Advisor will have a sincere interest to see big picture trends through various systems lenses, and roll up his/her sleeves to put theory into practice in field work. S/he will have interest and ability to travel and work in remote environments and awareness of and sensitivity to multicultural international development/humanitarian work. Finally, s/he will have an ability to train and facilitate dialogue among a diverse group of individuals with various skill sets and working styles through innovative capacity building and facilitative techniques.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Maiduguri, Nigeria. This assignment is unaccompanied. Team members in this location are expected to follow all Mercy Corps security protocols, which may change from time to time, relevant to the prevailing risk environment. Medical services are available. Electricity is available but is predominantly through generator. Running water, Internet connectivity and communication are reliable.

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. Staff are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps’ policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

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