Program Assistant (Odesa) 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, 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 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 with a focus on Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA). The Consortium is a partnership between four international humanitarian aid agencies to model and deliver innovative, effective cash and other humanitarian assistance programs to support people affected by the Ukraine crisis within Ukraine.

General Position Summary 

The Program Assistant will provide day-to-day support to cash and voucher assistance (CVA), non-food item (NFI), and partnerships program activities. The Program Assistant will support program implementation, coordinate with local partners, vendors and contractors and other Mercy Corps teams members. S/he can work both independently and with a diverse team to achieve common objectives. The successful candidate will have an eye for detail, is able complete documentation and reports to a high standard, can monitor the work of others and has the communication skills to mentor others to improve.

Essential Job Responsibilities  

Program Implementation 

• Implement needs assessments as needed (including population movements, needs assessment, market price surveys, market assessments & vendor assessments, shelter needs rehabilitation); ensuring documentation is correctly completed and submitted in a timely fashion.
• Conduct local associations capacity assessments, local associations performance reviews and vendor capacity assessments and share results and recommendations promptly.
• Support the identification of modalities (in-kind, vouchers, cash) that are appropriate for different communities.
• Ensure that Mercy Corps humanitarian mission and principles are clearly communicated and understood by all stakeholders in the field and that fair and transparent program participant and vendor selection processes are established and shared widely.
• Implement trainings  for vendors, local partners and program participants.
• Communicate with local associations to ensure they are aware of pending deliveries of vouchers or commodities and that they develop distribution plans in a timely manner. Ensure that vendors are informed and prepared before voucher distributions commence.
• Support and monitor local associations’ communication with the community, their documentation, storage facilities and distributions, and payment requests.
• Support and monitor vendor performance to ensure that vendors adhere to their agreement with Mercy Corps (type of items, quantity, quality, prices, services and documentation).
• Participate in voucher counts and reconciliation and ensure that the vouchers are organized, packed in the agreed manner with all necessary supporting documentation.
• Directly participate in registration or other program information collection activities as needed.
• Ensure proper documentation of all activities.

Reporting 

Complete daily activity reports to a high standard with care to record successes, challenges and lessons learned on a schedule directed by the supervisor.

Flag any problems with vendors or associations immediately to the supervisor.

Assist supervisor with any requests for information or data regarding program expansion or development.

HR/Admin & Finance  

• Ensure that timesheet is filled-out out correctly and submitted to the supervisor no later than the 30th of each month.
• Maintain inventory records of materials and materials flow; oversee tracking of all assets.

Risk Management 

• Support program teams on risk management and mitigation;
• Adhere to MC safety policies and procedures and take responsibility for ensuring personal safety.

Other 

• Adhere to all MC policies and procedures as outlined in MC policies and procedures manuals;
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• When using MC property for take appropriate care of the inventory and ensure correct use complying with the MC policies.
• Other duties as assigned

Organizational Learning: As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountabilities: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging participant communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. Team members are accountable to Mercy Corps Procurement Policy and Procedures. Maintains accurate electronic and hardcopy files of procurement file and other relevant files.

Supervisory Responsibility: None

Reports Directly To: Senior Cash and NFI Officer

Works Directly With: Program Departments, PAQ, Finance & Compliance, Operations and Security Management

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• BA/BS or equivalent is desired.
• At least 1 years of previous related experience preferable.
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members in a cross-cultural environment is required.
• Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.
• Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.
• Ukrainian language (written and spoken) is required. Russian language is desirable. A fair command of English (spoken and written) preferable.
• Ability and willingness to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team and other groups of various cultural, social, religious and ethnic backgrounds in a sensitive environment.
• Demonstrated attention to detail.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills: Ability to interact effectively with other team members, as well as with project partners, vendors and community members.
• Ability to deal with people fairly and tactfully while not compromising Mercy Corp’s own standards and procedures.
• Ability to conduct oneself with sensitivity and respect toward others.
• Mentoring skills will be an asset.
• Honest, hardworking and committed to community work.
• Ability to work as part of a team and coordinate with project personnel.
• Computer skills – Word and Excel will be an asset.
• Willingness to travel and work.

Success Factors 

The Program Assistant will be able to work independently and self-manage themselves with partners and program participants while also staying within the guidelines and timeline of a larger team. S/he will have a sense of urgency to the program and humanitarian goals while also being able to keep clear records and data.

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. 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.

2022-12-14T16:22:50.000 2022-12-30T23:59:59.000 Full time / Повна зайнятість TELECOMMUTE Україна Mercy Corps