About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization driven 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. In times of disaster, in dire conditions, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to implement bold solutions - helping people overcome adversity and build stronger communities.

Our impact is strengthened by our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe that teams composed of individuals with varied backgrounds, perspectives, and skill sets are better equipped to generate innovative solutions and achieve lasting change. Mercy Corps actively promotes an inclusive work environment where all team members feel valued, empowered, and able to contribute to our collective mission of building stronger, more resilient communities worldwide.

The Program

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.

The Position

The Program Development and Knowledge Manager is responsible for leading and managing all proposals development efforts for the Haiti office, including modifying/expanding existing programs and launching new programmatic initiatives and knowledge management of the Haiti program. This involves leading the process of developing narratives, budgets, and relevant attachments and coordinating inputs from all other staff relevant to the initiative at the field and global office levels. The Program Development and Knowledge Manager also maintains working relationships with donors, cluster leads, consortium members, and other institutions at the Port-au-Prince level. The Manager also identifies partners for partnership and implementation of programs to grow the humanitarian/development portfolio and ensure further expansion of the Country Program. S/he will know and advise teams on donor rules, compliance and support external coordination mechanisms to drive innovation and enable organizational agility to adapt to the changing context. S/he will work collaboratively with the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Regional Program Team (RPT), Finance and Compliance Teams, Country Program and other Global staff, as necessary. S/he will support the country team’s thought leadership, advocacy, and communications agendas as appropriate. It is critical that the Program Development and Knowledge Manager be an excellent communicator, who is supportive, and solution focused. The Program Development and Knowledge Manager needs to be highly motivated, self-driven and able to support complex programming and coordination support with limited daily support and directions; s/he will be able to work remotely or in office with internal and external stakeholders to achieve common objectives.

Essential Job Responsibilities 

PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT  

• Interface with Mercy Corps Global teams (including LAC RPT) to keep abreast of donor intelligence, strategic priorities, specific requirements, and deadlines.
• Participate in the strategic evaluation process for new funding opportunities aligned to the country strategy and maintain a tracking system of go/no go decisions and proposal submissions.
• Support proposal development processes, including drafting and producing high quality concept notes and proposals that support strategic programming goals. This involves developing, managing and sharing the proposal development calendar in-country and with headquarters, ensuring funding proposals are submitted in a timely manner.
• Coordinate funding opportunities, mobilize support from relevant Mercy Corps technical teams, and facilitate discussions and reviews to design sound technical proposal ideas.
• Facilitate administrative elements of the proposal development process, including Issues Letters, PAL/PML processes, and other relevant internal or donor requests, as necessary.
• In partnership with Country Director, Country and LAC regional leadership, support the development of the MC Haiti fundraising strategy.

PROGRAM QUALITY

• Establish and monitor systems for regular grant opportunity facilitation through regular bilateral discussions with Country Director, RPT, MEL, Finance, Operations and to ensure that performance is tracked effectively, risks and issues are flagged, and action taken as appropriate.

●       Maintain close bilateral partnership with country team members to ensure an open line of communication, troubleshoot agency-specific concerns, and provide other key guidance to ensure program management and harmonization.

●       Maintain an online grant filing system, reporting and compliance tracker (ensuring compliance with PM@MC minimum standards), risk register, and other program management tools.

●       Play a leading role in grant proposal kick-off and close out meetings to ensure that all grant information, including deadlines, donor priorities and requirements, are communicated and understood by partner teams.

●       Facilitate training, learning opportunities and/or tools to country team members to develop an enriched and conducive organizational culture that is knowledgeable of business development and key donors (e.g. Department of State) to support the country team’s overall goals and vision.

●       Liaise with the Director of PQL and/or Program Managers to ensure that the program is executed in alignment with the donor agreement and the applicable donor regulations, staying abreast of changes in regulatory environment related to donor/grant compliance, updating partnership process, tools, policies and procedures, as necessary.

●       Highlights to teams and the Director of PQL problems of budget under/over-spending, delays in implementation, or risk of under-performance on indicators.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

●       Develop and maintain an overview of all grants, donor requirements, rules and regulations, and internal and external deadlines, including the filing of grant documents (including in the grants database).

●       Contributes to the development and review of donor reports.

●       Ensures quality and control of reports, including the inclusion of cross-cutting program elements and M&E structures.

●       Work closely with the Finance and Compliance team to ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations (including PM@MC minimum standards).

• Mobilize internal and external knowledge networks to drive innovation, learning, grow humanitarian/development portfolio and enable organizational agility in a rapidly changing context.
• Ensure that Mercy Corp’s country program is grounded in evidence, responsive to global shifts, and strategically connected to advocacy, influencing, communications, and partnerships.

• Liaise with the MEL Manager, Director of PQL, Country Director and RPT to ensure the country program benefits from practical, evidence-based guidance that drives real-world impact.
• Liaise with the Country Director to strengthen Mercy Corp’s positioning, influence, advocacy, communications, and brand strategy through alignment with programmatic evidence and strategic priorities. 
• In collaboration with the Country Director, drive a positive and high-performance culture across the country team embracing values-based leadership, holding self and others accountable for behaviors, drawing on strengths and reflecting on areas of self-development.

Supervisory Responsibility:

None

Accountability:

Reports Directly To: Country Director

Works Directly With: Director of PQL, MEL Manager, Finance & Compliance Manager, Safeguarding/CARM, Regional LAC desk, and LAC Senior Program Development Advisor and Ethics.

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. 

Qualifications & Transferable Skills

●       Bachelor’s degree required. Master or equivalent in a field related to Humanitarian or International Development or relevant fields is preferred.

●       4+years of international experience providing coordination or management support to program implementation in a relevant field of expertise that includes preparing writing and analysis on programmatic activities, budget management experience, managing work plans, proposal and new business development experience.

●       Experience working in Haiti, Latin America and the Caribbean is a plus. 

●   Experience in NGO coordination mechanisms to amplify NGO voice and advocacy efforts.

●       Experience in evidence-based actions and/or programming a plus.

●       Proven ability to work cooperatively with internal and external stakeholders, and to play a leadership role in convening groups. Astute skills in relationship building and coordination and collaborative communication. 

●       Experience working with USAID/BHA required; ECHO, EC, GAC, SIDA and other US and European institutional donors a plus. 

●       Understanding and experience of adaptive management.

●       Extensive experience with monitoring and evaluation and other learning efforts.

●       Excellent writing and communications skills required.

●       High attention to details and planning out deadlines.

●       Willingness and ability to travel frequently to Mercy Corps project sites and field locations, including traveling to insecure environments, is required.

●       Fluency in written and oral French and English is required.

Success Factors 

The staff member will demonstrate a winning track record in program development, and bring flexibility, creativity, and enthusiasm to every project they undertake. The individual must have exceptional writing skills and the ability to multitask, set priorities, pay attention to details, and work under tight deadlines within complex team environments. The incumbent will have a love of writing, strong interpersonal skills, and a healthy competitive spirit, and have the drive and initiative to contribute to internal team efforts. Being aware and sensitive to international development issues and diverse cultures is critical. S/he will also be willing and able to travel for extended periods to work with country teams on program development strategies and proposal efforts for a wide variety of donors.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Port-au-Prince. Housing is provided, and the role is eligible to hardship and R&R.

Haiti is a country of 11 million people and is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.  The country has been wracked by a series of major natural disasters since 2010 including earthquakes, hurricanes, and drought.  A new government is in place for the next two years which is anticipated to reduce instability, however occasional violent demonstrations and flare-ups in crime can occur.  Haiti suffers from chronic high unemployment, severe environmental degradation, food insecurity, and health issues like cholera exacerbated by low levels of access to water and poor infrastructure.  Nonetheless, Haiti also has great beauty including beaches and mountainous national parks. Its international airport provides daily flights to multiple destinations in the US, as well as access to Dominican Republic, Canada, Paris, Cuba, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and other locations in the Caribbean. The Capital city, Port au Prince, is estimated at around 2.5 million people.  Although infrastructure is also poor in the capital, comfortable housing with water and electricity is readily available.  There are many places to eat in all price ranges, as well as shops and supermarkets which are comparable to a US supermarket.  Self-drive is permitted, however driving can be challenging, and traffic is often very heavy.

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in 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 always 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

Team Engagement and Effectiveness

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.

We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law.

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 and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. 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.

As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline ([email protected]).