Program Manager_Kyiv at Mercy Corps

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, and 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

Mercy Corps’ Ukraine crisis response seeks to meet the humanitarian needs of vulnerable Ukrainians and other conflict-affected people where they are: displaced inside Ukraine, refugees in Poland, Romania, and Moldova, or trapped behind the frontlines. We aim to reach 500,000 vulnerable people with multi-purpose cash assistance, in-kind humanitarian support, and protection services across four countries. Almost all of our impact will be delivered in partnership: with Ukrainian, Polish, Romanian and Moldovan civil society organizations through a granting program that matches humanitarian action with capacity strengthening and with peer international NGOs through a consortium in Ukraine.  Mercy Corps is responding to the Ukraine crisis with large-scale consortium programming focusing on Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA). The Consortium is a partnership between four international humanitarian aid agencies to model and delivers innovative, effective cash and other humanitarian assistance programs to support people affected by the Ukraine crisis within Ukraine.

General Position Summary  

The Program Manager ensures efficient and effective implementation of the program activities within s/he office’s implementation coverage area. S/he is responsible for coordinating and implementing the delivery of the response program, including daily management of program activities and program staff and ensuring appropriate systems and support mechanisms are in place to track, analyze and report on results. S/he is a strong team leader, able to develop and mentor team members in their office location, and is an effective communicator, working with internal and external stakeholders to achieve common objectives. S/he is responsible for managing relationships with local partners, beneficiaries, and donors, contributing to achieving the response program’s objectives.

Essential Job Responsibilities 

STRATEGY & VISION

• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy development.
• Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support.
• Contextualize program-wide work plans to be fit for purpose for the implementation office’s coverage area.
• Synthesize clear and timebound work plans for the program coverage area and ensure that tasks within these work plans are achieved.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Oversee program startup and ongoing program management and administration of teams across the assigned field location.
• Integrate the use of community approaches in the design, implementation, and maintenance of projects.
• Ensure program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards, and strategic plan.
• Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide policy and toolkit.
• Ensure program implementation is on time, within target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
• Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donors and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
• Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria and that a feedback mechanism is in place.
• Develop partners’ SoWs, follow up on contracts & oversee induction/training for program partners.
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Code of Conduct; Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion guiding documents; Core Humanitarian Principles, and Do No Harm.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Hire, orient, and supervise new team members as necessary.
• Ensure team members improve performance & reach objectives.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence and cultivate resilience and well-being in challenging situations.
• Contribute to AoR team-building efforts, help team members identify problem-solving options, and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
• Link team members to training, mentoring, guidance, and resources as needed to perform their roles.

INFLUENCE AND REPRESENTATION

• Identify, build, and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partner staff, sub-grantees, donors, local governments, and other stakeholders.
• Ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.
• Demonstrate flexibility, resilience, and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure.
• Maintain high ethical standards and treat people with respect and dignity.
• Exhibit an awareness of people’s strengths and development needs.
• Contribute to representation and relationship building with local authorities.

LIAISON & REPRESENTATION AT THE FIELD LEVEL

• Establish and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders and represent Mercy Corps in the different fora with relevant government and local authorities, partners, NGOs, and UN agencies.
• Identify strategic partnerships and opportunities for current and future Mercy Corps activities.
• Establish and maintain strong mechanisms for communication and information flows among the field team and between the field office and the head office.

SECURITY

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies
• Contribute to creating a secure environment for team members.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

• 3 to 5 years of experience in managing programs in emergency contexts, with a proven track record.
• BA/BS or equivalent; MA/S preferred.
• Excellent oral and written English skills are required.
• Proficiency with MS Office software (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Familiarity with Core Humanitarian Competencies (as defined in the Humanitarian Capacity Framework)

Technical competencies:

• Understands Sphere Standards and ensures they are met
• Can conduct rapid needs assessments in line with Mercy Corps’ approach and the industry’s best practice
• More than 50% of Mercy Corps’ responses are cash/voucher-based programming so it is recommended that any PM possess an understanding of cash and voucher-based programming.

Success Factors  

The successful Program Manager will skillfully represent programmatic priorities to stakeholders in the office targeting area while providing effective leadership to Mercy Corps’ Kyiv-based team. They will be capable of multitasking and rapid decision-making and demonstrate initiative, drive, mentorship, and emotional intelligence. They will understand the importance of setting and meeting ambitious deadlines that are commensurate with humanitarian response timelines. They will be committed to the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level, working with and supporting front-line local actors. Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.

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.

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 e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

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.