Deputy Chief of Party - DRC

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 has been operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since August 2007, with a staff of around 400 people and programs focused in Eastern Congo in North and South Kivu, with the overall country goal to support vulnerable communities through crises, while fostering programs that build resilience and promote long-term change. Mercy Corps’ key programming areas include a combination of longer-term development and immediate humanitarian response programs in order to:  1) Improve water service delivery and ensuring equitable access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene services, in urban and rural areas; 2) Improve food security and nutrition; 3) Promote diversified livelihoods, economic recovery and development. All Mercy Corps interventions in DRC are implemented in a conflict and gender sensitive manner.Mercy Corps is seeking a Deputy Chief of Party (DCoP) to lead the implementation of the five-year USAID-funded Partnership for Development in Eastern Congo (P-DEC). The program is designed to contribute to peace and stabilization through integrated activities that work with local institutions to promote peace and facilitate a transition from humanitarian to development assistance in key areas of eastern Congo. P-DEC is building resilience to conflict in target communities by transforming the inter-related socio-economic and environmental dynamics that perpetuate crises.

General Position Summary

The DCoP will provide technical leadership and strategic management to all program areas.  He/she will oversee the strategic planning and implementation of all program interventions, ensuring efficient approaches for the program to meet its targets and deliverables on-time and within budget. The DCoP, working closely with the COP, will contribute to overall leadership, management and strategic vision to the implementation of the PDEC. The DCOP will be designated Acting COP in the COP’s absence and represent the program to donors, relevant government entities, partners, other implementers and stakeholders. 

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision

• Support the COP in steering the program vision and strategy.
• Lead the identification and development of program adaptations that foster and/or improve strategic objectives of the program.
• Play a proactive role in giving traction to program interventions anticipating and troubleshooting in a timely manner.

Program Management

• Oversee the technical and implementation of all program activities working closely with program managers in supporting the design of technically sound methodologies grounded in resilience programming.
• Working with program area managers, lead the development of the program detailed implementation plan ensuring activity sequencing, layering, and integration and oversee efficient implementation or program interventions.
• Ensure that various analyses and studies conducted in the framework of the program effectively inform activity design and implementation.
• Working with the COP, ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
• 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.
• Confirm beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to transparent criteria.
• Oversee P-DEC’s grant funds for CSOs and Private Sector Engagement.
• Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate. Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.
• Ensure program strategies and activities represent global good practice for peace and stabilization initiatives.
• Supervise and/or review the work of technical advisors and program consultants.
• Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.

Team Management

• Oversee the program’s teams, develop team members’ capacity, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
• Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
• Create and sustain a