**Contingent upon Donor Funding**
Location: Abuja Nigeria
Position Status: Full-time, Exempt or Non-exempt, Regular
Risk Level: X Level 3 ☐Level 2 ☐Level 1
(Level 3: Frequent contact with participants, direct contact with children, access to sensitive data, and/or high level of accountability.
Level 2: Some contact with participants; unplanned non-direct contact with children.
Level 1: Likely to have no contact with participants or sensitive data)
About Mercy Corps
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. Mercy Corps is transitioning to Prosper Global. Learn more here. As the transition is being implemented by location, you may see the Mercy Corps and Prosper Global names used concurrently during this period. This is an administrative transition, and our teams, programs and commitments continue without interruption.
The Program / Department / Team
Nigeria is Africa's most populous country, and its influence spreads across the continent. Yet, inequality and insecurity have consistently undermined Nigeria's development. Mercy Corps Nigeria was established in 2012 to respond to these challenges. The Nigeria team is headquartered in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and has programs across 16 states. Mercy Corps works with communities to build economic opportunities, enhance water security, drive peace and good governance, and ensure food security. Our activities aim to build resilience through an integrated approach, helping communities and the most marginalized within them cope, adapt, and thrive in the context of numerous shocks and stresses. With a strong and growing team, Mercy Corps works to achieve the vision of a Nigeria in which all people are empowered, engaged, resilient, and secure.
The Position
The Chief of Party (CoP) will lead implementation of Mercy Corps' market systems and youth employment vision in Nigeria, advancing sustainable pathways to work for young women and men through climate-smart agrifood systems and private sector engagement. As the senior-most leader of this flagship investment, the CoP will serve as the chief architect and strategic leader, driving systems change, strengthening agricultural market systems, and positioning the Program as a catalyst for inclusive economic growth and sustainable employment opportunities.
As the senior-most leader of the Program, the CoP will serve as an ecosystem builder, strategic influencer, and trusted thought partner to, government institutions, private sector leaders, financial institutions, and development stakeholders. The CoP will cultivate high-value partnerships, influence investment and sector priorities, and position the Program as a leading platform for innovation, learning, and systems change within Nigeria's agricultural ecosystem. The successful candidate will be a highly accomplished development leader with a demonstrated ability to steward large and complex investments, inspire high-performing teams, influence senior decisionmakers, and drive transformational change at scale while delivering lasting opportunities for young people, strengthened market systems, and sustainable impact beyond the life of the investment.
Essential Responsibilities
STRATEGY AND PLANNING
- Provide visionary leadership for Programs, setting the strategic direction for a flagship investment that advances systemic change, strengthens agricultural market systems, and enables large-scale, sustainable pathways to dignified and fulfilling work for young people across Nigeria.
- Serve as the principal steward of the Mercy Corps Program, shaping Program strategy, influencing investment decisions, and ensuring alignment between donor ambitions, partner contributions, market opportunities, and long-term impact objectives.
- Lead and inspire a diverse ecosystem of Program partners, government institutions, private sector actors, financial institutions, research organizations, and development stakeholders around a shared vision for youth employment, agricultural transformation, and inclusive economic growth.
- The CoP will be expected to identify and unlock opportunities for innovation, co-investment, strategic partnerships, and thought leadership that strengthen the Nigeria Program Program's contribution to national development priorities for transformational impact
- Drive innovation, adaptive management, and strategic learning across the Program, ensuring that evidence, emerging opportunities, and implementation insights continuously inform decision-making, Program evolution, and systems-level impact.
- Champion cross-cutting priorities including youth empowerment, gender equality, social inclusion, safeguarding, climate resilience, and locally led development, ensuring they are fully embedded across Program strategy, partnerships, investments, and results.
- Represent the Program and organization at the highest levels with donors, government leaders, industry stakeholders, and development partners, serving as a trusted thought leader and advocating for innovation, systems change, and inclusive economic opportunity.
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
- Provide executive oversight of Program performance, ensuring delivery of transformative outcomes, achievement of strategic objectives, and responsible stewardship of program resources in alignment with Mercy Corps standards and commitments.
- Lead and strengthen a high-performing ecosystem of Program partners, fostering alignment, accountability, collaboration, and collective ownership of results while ensuring the Program functions as an integrated platform for learning, innovation, and impact.
- Drive the design and implementation of partnership, investment, and capacity-strengthening approaches that build the long-term sustainability, effectiveness, and leadership of Program partners and wider ecosystem actors.
- Ensure Program interventions are market-driven, evidence-informed, youth-centered, climate-smart, gender-transformative, safeguarding-focused, and responsive to emerging opportunities and challenges within the agricultural ecosystem.
- Champion a culture of performance, innovation, adaptive management, and continuous learning, leveraging evidence, technology, and real-time insights to inform strategic decisions and maximize impact at scale.
- Provide strategic oversight of operational, financial, compliance, safeguarding, and reputational risk management, ensuring that Program systems, resources, and support functions effectively enable implementation excellence and sustainable results.
EVIDENCE AND LEARNING
- Provide strategic oversight of Program learning and adaptive management processes, ensuring evidence, data, and stakeholder feedback are systematically used to inform decision-making, improve performance, and strengthen impact.
- Champion a culture of learning, innovation, and accountability across the Program, fostering collaboration among consortium partners to identify, document, and scale promising practices and lessons learned.
- Lead periodic Program reviews and reflection processes, using performance data, market insights, and implementation learning to adapt strategies, manage risks, and maximize opportunities for achieving sustainable outcomes.
- Ensure Nigeria Program’s generated evidence, results, and lessons learned are effectively communicated to partners, government stakeholders, and broader sector audiences to influence policy, practice, and systems-level change.
TEAM MANAGEMENT
- Build, lead, and inspire a high-performing multidisciplinary leadership team, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, innovation, inclusion, and continuous learning across the Program.
- Provide strategic leadership and mentorship to senior Program staff, creating an enabling environment that empowers teams to perform, collaborate effectively, and deliver results at scale.
- Promote a culture of adaptive leadership, evidence-based decision-making, and shared accountability, ensuring teams are equipped to navigate complexity, manage change, and respond to emerging opportunities and challenges.
- Foster strong collaboration and alignment across Program partners, technical teams, and support functions, ensuring collective ownership of results and effective coordination toward shared Program objectives.
- Champion talent development, succession planning, and leadership growth, strengthening the Program's long-term capacity and contributing to the development of future leaders within Mercy Corps and the wider ecosystem.
REPRESENTATION
- Serve as Mercy Corps' representative at strategic stakeholders’ platforms, building trusted partnerships and positioning the Mercy Corps as a leading contributor in youth employment and climate-smart agriculture.
- Cultivate and manage high-value relationships with government, private sector, financial institutions, development partners, and ecosystem actors to strengthen collaboration, influence priorities, and unlock opportunities for scale and sustainability.
- Represent the Nigeria Programs at national, regional, and global forums, leveraging Program evidence, learning, and partnerships to drive thought leadership, policy influence, and systems-level impact.
- Foster collaboration across Nigeria Program partners and complementary initiatives to maximize collective impact, accelerate learning, and advance long-term change within Nigeria's agricultural ecosystem.
FINANCE AND COMPLIANCE
- Ensure compliance with the Mercy Corps’ regulations.
- Create and maintain systems to ensure effective and transparent use of fina...