Chief of Party, Increasing Resilience of Island Economies in Jamaica
Description
**Contingent upon Donor Funding**
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.
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
Climate change severely and disproportionately impacts small islands in the Caribbean. Worsening environmental risks like rising and warming seas, volatile dry and wet seasons, and catastrophic storms mean that islands and small island developing states (SIDS) bear the brunt of the impacts of climate change, even though their carbon footprint is small relative to the world’s largest carbon producers, and their capacity to cope is constrained by their narrow resource base.
Caribbean islands need flexible tools to make them more resilient through the climate crisis. Tools that protect and improve lives, livelihoods and the natural resources these communities depend on. Mercy Corps partners with community service organizations across the Caribbean to strengthen the networks around vulnerable communities, provide resources to build out adaptive programming, and respond collaboratively to climate threats as they arise.
Mercy Corps began this work following the historic 2016 hurricane season. Since then, with the help of our donors, more than $34 million has been put toward preparedness, response and climate resilience programming in the Caribbean. Mercy Corps has learned that empowering people and their communities with flexible assets and knowledge is the best way to measurably protect lives and livelihoods.
General Position Summary
Mercy Corps is seeking a Chief of Party (COP) to lead the implementation of an anticipated five-year USAID Increasing Resilience of Island Economies in Jamaica (IRIE Jamaica). The purpose of IRIE Jamaica is to strengthen communities, key economic sectors, and Jamaica's enabling environment to prepare for climate change and disasters.
The CoP will provide overall leadership, management and strategic vision to the implementation of the IRIE Jamaica program, to ensure that the program meets its targets and deliverables on-time and within budget. The CoP will supervise program staff and ensure accountability to Mercy Corps policies and donor rules and regulations. S/he will be the primary program representative to donors, relevant government entities, partners, other implementers and stakeholders.
Essential Job Responsibilities
Strategy & Vision
- Lead the development of a vision and strategy for the program shared with program team and key stakeholders.
- Provide overall technical and administrative leadership and expertise. Responsible for administering and managing the implementation of the activity with the overall responsibility for assuring that all assistance provided is technically sound and appropriate to meet activity objectives.
- Integrate and embrace all voices into shared strategies and foster an inclusive culture of systems thinking, collaboration, learning, and adaptation.
Program Management
- Oversee program management and administration of the activity. Ensure implementation is on time, target, and budget, using effective M&E systems to assess and reflect on progress and understand impact.
- Develop partnership frameworks, partner agreements/Memorandum of Understandings, and capacity strengthening for partners
- Provide strategic oversight of MEL systems, ensuring they are responsive to the program’s technical strategy and learning needs.
- Integrate cross-cutting approaches including locally driven, shock-responsive, climate-adaptive, social and gender inclusive, youth empowerment, and nutrition sensitive approaches.
- Ensure interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, program participant accountability standards, and program management minimum standards.
- Ensure program strategies and activities are evidence-driven and represent global good practice in livelihood, climate-resilient agricultural development, market systems development, resilience, and food security and nutrition programming.
- Coordinate with procurement, logistics, security, administration, and human resources teams to ensure operational systems support field activities.
Team Management
- Oversee recruitment and onboarding of the Activity staff and consultants.
- Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect and learning where team members strive to achieve excellence.
- Provide team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance, enhance technical and partnership management skills, and reach objectives.
- Promote staff accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one-on-one meetings and performance reviews.
- Promote a team culture of evidence-based decision-making and regular use of diverse data sources for continual learning and adaptation.
Representation
- Liaise with and represent the Activity to USAID.
- Ensure collaboration between the Activity and complementary activities to scale influence, enhance learning, and drive collective impact.
- Establish and maintain strong relationships between the Activity and the Jamaican Government, ensuring implementation drives development gains in line with key policies
Finance & Compliance Management
- Ensure compliance with USAID and Mercy Corps’ regulations.
- Create and maintain systems to ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with program, donor and Mercy Corps’ needs.
- Ensure sound financial management, including programmatic budgeting, spending projections, and monitoring of payments in compliance with USAID standards.
Security
- Work closely with the country team’s security focal point to develop and maintain systems that promote the safety and security of all team members.
- Ensure that programs are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.
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
The IRIE Activity team
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Caribbean Director
Works Directly With: The Activity team, regional team, finance and operations teams, Regional Program Team, and Global Technical Support Unit.
Knowledge and Experience
- Advanced degree in social science, management, international development or other relevant field.
- A minimum of 10 years of international experience in management positions including in a program manager role for a program of similar size and scope (preferably $10 million and above).
- Demonstrated experience in climate adaptation, collaborating with local CSO networks, working with government ministries/entities, climate-related disaster risk reduction, and/or resilience.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, and a proven ability to network and maintain effective working relationships with diverse actors.
- Experience managing diverse teams including inspiring staff and developing a shared vision with staff and stakeholders.
- Experience in and knowledge of the Caribbean context preferred.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
- Familiarity with USAID rules and regulations required.
Success Factors
The successful CoP 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 region. S/he will also have proven experience with cross-cultural teams and capacity building, individual staff development, and strong mentoring skills. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous 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.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The CoP is based in Kingston, Jamaica. All Mercy Corps employees are expected to work a five-day work week. This position requires 40% of travel by road to field program locations.
Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside 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 Mercy Corps policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision. Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.