Description

Location: Portland, OR; Washington, DC; or Remote (within the United States)

Valid unrestricted work authorization in the country in which you will be based is required at the time of application for this position.

Position Status: Full-time, Regular, Exempt (Temporary: 4-6 months, end of February 2025 to end of July 2025, Parental Leave Coverage)

Salary: 

• US: Starting salary for this role will be USD $84,000 - $89,250 commensurate on experience.  
• Based on local benchmark for candidates outside the United States. 

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.

The Team

Mercy Corps’ global safeguarding team is a key part of the Mercy Corps Ethics and Compliance Department (ECD) and leads our organizational efforts to prevent, detect, deter and respond to safeguarding issues. The team reports to a Senior Director of Safeguarding who reports to the Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer (CECO). At Mercy Corps, safeguarding is a holistic term encompassing our prevention and response to sexual exploitation and abuse of program participants, sexual harassment in the workplace, trafficking, and child safeguarding. We seek to ensure that all team members, program participants and partners are able to safely exercise their agency, access resources they need, and use and share their power safely in order to cope, adapt and thrive in their environments. The global safeguarding team is bolstered by a global network of focal points and champions working at the country level to mainstream safeguarding and raise awareness about individual rights and responsibilities of our team members, participants, partners, volunteers and others who are a part of the critical work we do. 

The Position 

This position will play a critical role in supporting the global organization’s safeguarding efforts, particularly around the roll out of Core Safeguarding Standards, and will contribute to the agency’s strategic vision by developing systems to monitor, advise on and improve the safeguarding systems, capacity and progress of our country and operational teams.  

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND PLANNING

• Work with the regional senior leadership team to develop and support the regional strategy.

• Mobilize support services and risk management resources to enable country and regional leadership teams to execute their respective strategic priorities.

• Lead the development and administration of regional and country level reports on key  finance, operations and human resources indicators.

• Manage and administer regional core budgets in coordination with regional and global leadership.

• Lead on measurement and analysis of regional key performance indicators to inform strategic decision making. 

REGIONAL SYSTEMS AND SUPPORT FUNCTIONS

• Ensure that effective systems are in place in all country offices for the adequate management of human resources, financial and operational field support functions;

• Review and support country team adherence to Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures;

• Capture and disseminate best practices on operations, finance and HR systems across country teams to ensure highest quality and standards.

• Provide dedicated support to country teams in the event of an emergency or start up of a complex program that requires additional resources.

• Collaborate with country finance leads in producing bi-annual master budgets. 

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

The Systems & Analytics Project Manager has no supervisory responsibilities.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Senior Director of Safeguarding

Works Directly With: Global Safeguarding Team; Ethics and Compliance Department, MCG and MCE Compliance, Global Safeguarding team

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

• Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) and 5+years of professional experience in the development/humanitarian sector.

• 1+ years of experience with data management systems and automated workflows.

• Proficiency in managing Power BI dashboards at an intermediate level, with experience in DAX coding and the ability to write basic measures in Power BI.

• Advanced experience in data analysis and visualization software, including Excel.

• Proven experience working cross-functionally with both technical and non-technical teams, with strong cross-cultural communication skills.

• Proficiency with MS Office software required (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and Google suite (Google drive, docs, sheets).  

• Experience of developing global procedures and guidance for NGO program management.

• Experience with gender based violence, protection and/or safeguarding field; including a deep understanding of survivor sensitivity  

• Demonstrated knowledge and experience collaborating with cross-functional teams throughout the program management cycle within an international organization.

• Skilled in delivering professional development in program management through both direct and remote support.

• Ability to establish and strengthen global networks and internal communication channels effectively.

• Experienced in coordinating with diverse stakeholders, managing varying perspectives and priorities.

• Internationally recognized qualification in project or program management, is a plus.

• Proficiency in English (spoken, written, and reading) is required. Fluency in an additional language, such as French, Spanish, or Arabic, is a plus. 

Success Factors

The successful candidate has passion for the critical role of safeguarding in humanitarian work. They possess a sustained lens of cultural humility in seeking and creating best practice in the context of insecure and opaque environments with a broad spectrum of cultures, languages and education levels. They have an abiding sense of empathy for the stakeholders, participants and survivors we serve, and for the difficulties that INGOs and our partners face in carrying out this work. They consistently navigate difficult circumstances with a calm demeanor and reach understandings and resolutions in a methodical, analytical and empathetic manner. They persist in moving complex problems forward and strive to make substantial improvements in a timely yet methodical manner. The Advisor leads by example and motivates a diverse array of stakeholders, tempering technical expertise with a desire to learn from a place of equity.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This position is open to applicants within the United States or any Mercy Corps office location. It offers flexibility for remote work but requires flexibility to work and be available during U.S. time zones, specifically PST (Pacific Standard Time) or EST (Eastern Standard Time), to ensure effective team collaboration.

This is a temporary assignment to cover parental leave, expected to last approximately 4-6 months, starting at the end of February 2025 and extending through the end of July 2025. No travel is expected or required for this position.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a business trip to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps'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 and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. By applying for this role an applicant confirms that they have not previously violated an employer’s sexual misconduct, sexual exploitation and abuse, child safeguarding or trafficking policy. 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 e-learning 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]).

Covid-19 Vaccine Policy for US-Based Employees   
Mercy Corps has determined that, in an effort to protect the health, safety, and well-being of all Mercy Corps employees working in the United States, all U.S.-based employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, regardless of prior COVID-19 infection status. This policy is necessary to ensure not only the safety of our workforce, but the ongoing functionality of the organization. This policy will be revised as needed to comply with federal, state, and local requirements, and to respond to changing guidance from public health authorities.    

For new employees this requirement goes into effect within 10 business days of employment. Team members that travel are expected to comply with host-country requirements, including vaccinations.  Failure to comply may impact your employment. Proof of vaccination or exemption must be provided.