Assistant Program Officer, Gender and Youth Associate Award (GAYA)

Programs Washington, District of Columbia Portland, Oregon Anywhere, United States

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Description

Location: Remote-based position in US or UK
Valid unrestricted work authorization in the country in which you will be based (United States or UK) is required at the time of application for this position.
Position Status: Full-time, Regular (2 years)
Salary: Starting salary for this role is $46,000 - $49,000 for US-based candidates. Starting salary of 31,120 GBP for UK-based candidates.

 

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps’ Technical Resources and Quality Unit (TRaQ) is a key part of the Program Department. TRaQ subject-matter experts help set agency strategy and provide consultation – from assessment and design through project implementation and results measurement – to field offices worldwide, in some of the world’s toughest places. TRaQ team members lead research, foster organizational learning, represent Mercy Corps to external audiences, and develop partnerships. The TRaQ is also integral to global business development and revenue.
The Assistant Program Officer (APO) is a member of the TRaQ and will support the Gender and Youth Capacity Building, Learning and Small Grants Associate Award (AA) under Implementer Led Design, Evidence, Analysis, and Learning (IDEAL) program. This AA is an $8.8 million dollar program over 5 years designed to provide strategic capacity strengthening to implementing partners of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) and other food security stakeholders.

General Position Summary

The Assistant Program Officer (APO) provides administrative and operational support to the GAYA team and to the Cultivating Inclusion for Food Security (Cultivate) Fellowship in particular. This position will primarily support the Gender Advisor in carrying out tasks related to the Cultivate Fellowship, ensuring the continued high-quality and impactful implementation of the fellowship. The APO will support both the fellowship overall as well as specific regional cohorts. The APO will also provide support to GAYA beyond the fellowship, including general logistics and administrative support as well as support to other GAYA activities. 

Essential Job Responsibilities

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT, GAYA FELLOWSHIP -  60%
  • Support the Gender Advisor in planning selected fellowship events and activities, participate in key sessions, contribute to the development of selected tools and products to support the fellowship.
  • Support the Gender Advisor to update, track progress against, and maintain the fellowship workplan.
  • Maintain internal and external document management, tracking, and learning systems, including maintaining the curriculum index, fellowship learning document, and production trackers. Create and maintain folders for fellows. 
  • Support the set-up and maintenance of cohort-specific Google sites.
  • Attend internal and external meetings, keeping minutes of selected meetings or sharing screen.
  • Manage the fellowship-specific email inbox.
  • Support the drafting of fellowship updates, including for the donor. 
  • Contribute to fellowship recruitment cycles, including updating related documents, preparing recruitment communications, entering/tracking application information, and scheduling related calls and meetings. 
  • Manage documentation and tracking of fellow-related information including registration, travel for the in-person workshop, and session attendance.
  • Proactively lead logistical and production support for fellowship virtual sessions. Provide production support during virtual events.
  • Lead on communication with the cohort and individual fellows as related to logistics, travel, session updates, and general inquiries; set up and manage WhatsApp group for the cohort. 
  • Coordinate material revision and review, including tracking progress and coordinating with GAYA team members. 
  • In partnership with the Gender Advisor, lead logistics planning for in-person workshops, including venue identification, event planning, vendor coordination, ordering supplies, coordinating with other team members on payments, and preparing documentation for fellows. This includes close collaboration with Mercy Corps country teams.
  • When necessary, provide translation of materials in a second language (French/Spansih).
  • Provide the above support to related activities/sub-activities such as the Cultivate Fellowship Alumni Network and fellowship-related Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) efforts. 
  • Support with content and resource development at the direction of the Gender Advisor.
GRANT, FINANCE, PROCUREMENT & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT - 30%
  • Lead coordination on key events and activities, participate in workshops
  • Lead on tracking program expenditures and coordinating and drafting reports as required
  • Support the award staff with administrative tasks such as maintaining required documentation per award filing structures
  • Ensure compliance with USAID and Mercy Corps’ logistical, procurement and financial procedures.
  • Maintain systems for the efficient procurement of equipment and services, payment processing and financial tracking
  • Support the GAYA Program Officer to ensure all GAYA financial transactions are processed, documented and filed
  • Support with content development and technical assistance at the direction of the GAYA Director 
LOGISTICS/ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT- 10%
  • Provide logistical support for technical and knowledge sharing meetings and events  (online, in-person including international) 
  • Take minutes at team and other relevant meetings and ensure they are circulated and filed accordingly
  • When necessary, provide written translation of materials in a second language  
  • Support GAYA team members with ad hoc administrative tasks and calendar coordination as needed and at the direction of the Program Director.
  • Provide administrative support to other GAYA activities or priorities at the direction of the Program Director.
SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES 
  • Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work 
  • Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members 
  • Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options 

Supervisory Responsibility

None. 

Accountability

  • Reports Directly To: Gender Advisor, with a dotted line to the Program Director on overall GAYA support
  • Works Directly With:  GAYA’s Youth Advisor; Technical Advisor for Research & Learning, Advisor for Knowledge, Communications, and Learning; Small Grants Team; Program Officer; IDEAL Team; TRaQ team members including members of the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Team and other IDEAL AAs (PWS, REAL, HAEC, PCS, IMPEL, and CALA); BHA Implementing Partners, and Mercy Corps HQ teams as appropriate including Resource Development, Finance, Leadership, and Organizational Effectiveness, Legal, Policy, and Advocacy; Mercy Corps Counterparts at HQ offices in Europe; and Mercy Corps’ donors and partners.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualifications & Transferable Skills

  • BA/S in International Development or related field highly preferred. 
  • 3 years of demonstrated experience in administration or program support is required. 
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills along with demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with colleagues from various backgrounds and cultures.
  • Knowledge or previous exposure to relevant technical sectors (gender equality, social inclusion, youth, protection) is a plus.
  • Proficiency with MS Office software required (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and organization/managing meetings using online platforms (e.g. Teams, Zoom) preferred.
  • Language proficiency in French or Spanish strongly preferred.
  • Experience working with USAID/BHA programs is a plus. 

Success Factors

The Assistant Program Officer must be a detail-oriented multi-tasker who is able to communicate clearly and work under pressure. They must demonstrate patience, flexibility, and taking initiative to independently propose solutions and solve problems. Vital skills include communication (both written and verbal), as well as building and maintaining effective internal and external relationships. S/he must demonstrate the ability to understand and follow agency procedures, meet deadlines, and work both independently and as part of a complex distanced-based, multi-cultural team. An exposure to and interest in international development and/or humanitarian issues is important, and an understanding of the complex challenges faced by program teams operating in overseas environments is critical. They must demonstrate a passion for gender equality, diversity, and social inclusion issues. 

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position can be based remotely in the US or UK.. The position may require up to 5% travel to activity locations, some of which may lack amenities or be in volatile environments where security protocols will need to be followed. 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 MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

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