Location: Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Position Status: Full-time, Regular
Language: Required language fluency in French
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.
Program/Department Summary
Mercy Corps helps communities develop their own ideas to solve Haiti’s most daunting problems by using innovative approaches to bring Haitians new social and economic opportunities and to make their country more secure, productive and just. Established in January 2010, Mercy Corps Haiti has offices in Port-au-Prince, Jeremie, and Miragoane and more than 80 staff implementing programs in WASH, financial inclusion, economic development, agriculture, natural resource management and humanitarian response. Mercy Corps’ economic development work is guided by the principles of pro-poor development and demand driven strategies. Mercy Corps takes a progressive approach to development that leads communities and entrepreneurs from relief to sustainable livelihoods to resilience.
Mercy Corps Haiti is going through a transformational change at this moment. As a catalytic organization, our future impact will increasingly focus on sustainability and transformative change, supporting lasting improvements in the lives of the communities we serve. This ambition will be supported through several key drivers, including: evidence-based programming, learning generation to influence systems change, scaling impact through Mercy Corps and strategic partners, stronger knowledge management and impact measurement, expanded partnerships and alliances, greater commitment to gender equity and diversity and strategic advocacy and fundraising.
General Position Summary
As a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) in Haiti, the Director of Program Development, Quality and Learning (PQL) is responsible for driving cross-functional engagement in the development and delivery of Country Program Strategy, developing annual plans and reporting on results. S/he is responsible for ensuring development and delivery of high quality, evidence-based, innovative programs that contribute to Mercy Corps Global Strategy and Mercy Corps Haiti new strategic vision. The Director of PQL ensures that a robust monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) system is in place, that the country office engages in the collection and use of evidence and that this is shared across the global organization, and that reliable data is used for decision-making. One key aspect of the role is ensuring capability building, mentoring and coaching of the Program/Project Managers in order to support program quality in line with global standards and key performance indicators. As a senior leader in the country office s/he plays a representational role with the government, donors, partners, peer agencies, and others. The Director of PQL supports strategic positioning with donors and partners and leads on project design to ensure that the country office strategy can be delivered in line with Mercy Corps vision.
As one of the most senior staff in the Country Office, the Director of Program Development, Quality and Learning must demonstrate the qualities of agile leadership. This role plays a key role in defining and pursuing the strategic direction for Mercy Corps programs in Haiti, ensuring the relevance, coherence, safety and impact of our programs. It is essential that the Director of Program Development, Quality and Learning builds and maintains strong relationships across functions within the Country Program.
Essential Job Responsibilities
STRATEGY & VISION, PLANNING & REPORTING
- Lead the development/updating of the analysis of the country context ensuring community, partners and other stakeholders’ participation as necessary.
- Lead the SLT to develop/update and drive forward the Country Program Strategy that is in line with the global strategy.
- Provide leadership on development of the Country Annual Implementation Plan, monitoring of progress against the plan, and completion of accurate, on-time Country Annual Report of outcomes and impact, aligned with the Global Results Framework.
- Facilitate the development and pursuit of thematic and cross-cutting strategic priorities in line with the Country Program Strategy, including gender equality, to guide current and future Mercy Corps programming and Humanitarian Principles.
- Support ownership and commitment to the Country Program Strategy by all staff and departments through clear communication, regular feedback on progress and engagement of all functions in updates.
- Participate in global discussions and working groups to represent country programs, in learning for a, in strategy design and policy development.
- Support change processes and roll out new ways of working to improve achievement of the Country Program Strategy.
- Drive Innovation and thought leadership at all levels in the CO (strategy, programme, project and individual levels).
PROGRAM DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
- Lead strategic resource (financial, materials & human) mobilization drive and ensure the Country Program is always resourced to drive programme design and development.
- Work with CD and SMT to set funding targets and drive implementation at all levels ensuring the entire Country Program is committed to and aware of these contributions to these targets.
- In consultation with the Country Director and Members, ensure technical engagement with donors to pre-position and prepare for opportunities, and engage in strategic positioning work directly as appropriate.
- Lead the identification of new initiatives and opportunities that respond to identified needs and the country strategy, in coordination with the Country Director and Program Managers, as well as the Regional Program Director, headquarters-based Senior Program Officer, Technical Advisors and other relevant staff.
- Play a leading role in designing innovative projects/proposals, including:
- Engaging with technical experts as needed to ensure high quality, evidence-based designs that draw on needs assessments, learning from past programs and program standards principles.
- Ensuring partners are identified and appropriately engaged in program design, linking with Operations as need be for assessments, especially to strengthen gender sensitivity at design stage.
- Ensuring proposal designs and their budgets include robust MEAL plans that are aligned with the Global Results Framework and build in critical learning questions.
- Ensuring the project budget will enable the project to be delivered as designed.
- Incorporating community participation into design, as relevant.
PROGRAM QUALITY AND PROGRAM TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE
- Ensure the Country Program delivers high quality, multi-sectoral programming in both development and humanitarian contexts (as appropriate).
- Monitor and advance technical and operational quality of programmes, including conducting regular field visits to provide feedback on quality benchmarks, soliciting inputs for design of new programs and collecting ideas for innovation.
- Monitor program Key Performance Indicators and, in partnership with other functions, take steps to improve the quality programming platform to meet agreed upon standards.
- Work closely with the Director of Operations to ensure procedures are followed throughout the project cycle and across the portfolio.
- Ensure Program/Project Managers proactively and regularly communicate planned requirements for program design, learning and implementation to relevant Country Program departments/functions.
- Oversee program startup and ongoing program management and administration of teams across various field locations.
- Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.
- Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established and well-defined criteria and processes.
- Develop partners’ MoUs and contracts and ensure that partners are delivering in accordance with the agreements.
- Support the PMs and team in the development and ongoing refinement of implementation strategies.
- Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
- Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts (adaptive management).
- 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.
- Conduct frequent field visits to all project sites for monitoring, quality control and program staff mentoring and coaching.
- Ensure that community feedback mechanisms are in place, functioning, and clearly communicated to staff and beneficiaries.
- Review all draft reports and ensure that reports are ready for submission to HQ on time.
- Lead and coach the Program/Project Managers to enable them to successfully deliver against the Country Program Strategy.
- Ensure effective working relationships with Mercy Corps global, Member and regional technical advisors, procuring te...