Responsibilities
- Translate the program’s theory of change into costed, statelevel workplans that link immediate income (e.g., CfW) to sustainable youth employment and entrepreneurship pathways.
- Lead Mercy Corps’ technical direction for Output 2 and ensure seamless referral/ linkages from Output 1 (public works/CfW) into training, jobs, and enterprise support.
- Integrate gender equality, disability inclusion, and protection mainstreaming across designs and delivery, ensuring safe access for atrisk youth, including reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities.
- Embed climate/environmental safeguards (e.g., NEAT+) and Decent Working Conditions (DWC) principles within marketdriven pathways and curricula.
- Drive synergies with the CAREled consortium and complementary DRC/MC programs to avoid duplication and expand opportunities for youth and MSMEs.
- Champion a learning agenda (including the ~5% learning time expectation) that uses monitoring and market intel to adapt strategy in a volatile context.
- Lead delivery of the entire program across Outputs 1 and 2; plan and sequence activities across states; ensure integration between public works/CfW, trainingtoemployment pathways, and enterprise/financial inclusion; and drive performance against targets, budgets, timelines, and quality/compliance standards in coordination with the DRCled CMU and consortium partners.
- Coordinate with DRC’s CoP, the Steering Committee, and CMU/technical working groups to harmonize approaches, tools, indicators, and learning products across the consortium.
- Manage national NGO partners/subgrantees endtoend—codesign costed state workplans and FSTP packages; align roles, targets, and referral pathways; lead due diligence and onboarding; provide handson capacity strengthening (program, MEAL, finance/safeguarding); monitor delivery and compliance (BvA, indicators, documentation); resolve bottlenecks (procurement, cash flow, TA/HAC access); and ensure timely reporting and closeout.
- Sequence Technical Agreement (TA) processes with government stakeholders and access negotiations to enable timely, safe startup and scaleup in each state.
- Run integrated delivery using costed workplans tied to procurement and HR plans; keep implementation on time, scope, and budget through routine progress reviews and adaptive course corrections.
- Lead monthly Budget vs. Actual and pipeline/burnrate reviews with Finance/ Subawards/Operations; approve corrective actions and quarterly reforecasts; keep procurement and staffing aligned to the costed workplan.
- Oversee cashflow/liquidity planning and timely, compliant disbursements to FSPs, vendors, and subgrantees/FSTP recipients; enforce EU documentation standards and ensure ontime donor financial reporting with auditready files.
- Ensure MEAL aligns to the EU logframe (employment, income, business survival, skills, protection outcomes), including regular learning reviews to inform adaptive management.
- Build, coach, and inspire highperforming, diverse teams across states; set clear roles and objectives, provide routine feedback, and lead formal performance reviews.
- Recruit, onboard, and mentor program and support staff; deploy surge/consultative support as needed to maintain delivery pace and quality.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and inclusion, ensuring staff have the tools, data, and decisionspace to execute and learn.
- Promote staff well‑being and professional development, enabling ~5% time for learning and skills growth relevant to program outcomes.
- Model and reinforce safeguarding, respectful conduct, and zero tolerance for harassment or exploitation in all workspaces and interactions.
- Apply PM@MC and complexprogram standards; align planning, procurement, and documentation to internal controls and donor rules.
- Operationalize EU requirements and restrictive measures across all modalities; ensure partner/beneficiary vetting, eligibility checks, and auditready records.
- Govern Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) endtoend, setting ceilings and tranching, verify deliverables, and manage evidence for training stipends (MEBinformed), group cash transfers (<€6,000), youth startup kits (≈≤€500), MSME seed grants (≤€5,000), cashtransfer fees, and subgrants.
- Lead subaward management with robust due diligence, capacity strengthening, and monitoring, including antifraud controls and timely closeout.
- Ensure compliance with VAT/exemptions, procurement thresholds, asset control, timesheets/LOE, and costeligibility; coordinate early with Finance/Procurement on complex buys.
- Deliver EU visibility in line with branding/waiver guidance; coordinate communications limited to projectachievement needs and participant safety.
- Ensure team compliance with country security procedures; maintain updated context/risk analyses and clear movement/incident protocols for all locations.
- Integrate EORE/CPP coordination and messages where relevant to reduce UXO/ERW risks for participants and staff engaged in public works or market activities.
- Activate contingency and remote-management measures during access disruptions; diversify transfer/payment channels and pre-position supplies where feasible.
- Engage in access negotiations and coordination platforms (HAC/SAHRO, clusters, UNDSS/INGO fora) to maintain safe, principled reach to target areas.
- 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.
Requirements
- MA/MS (preferred) in economics, business, international development, public policy, or related field; BA/BS required.
- 10+ years of progressive leadership managing complex, multiyear, multilocation consortia in fragile settings; prior EUfunded program experience required.
- Demonstrated expertise in youth employment, market systems, entrepreneurship/MSME development, cash & voucher assistance, and financial inclusion (VSLAs/MFIs).
- Proven endtoend financial stewardship of large, multimillioneuro/dollar awards: budgeting and reforecasting, cost allocations and shared costs, cash flow/liquidity and FX risk, BvA/pipeline, procurementbudget alignment, donor financial reporting, and FSTP/subaward compliance (EU).
- Strong track record in protection mainstreaming and coordination of specialized protection services within economic programming; experience with GBV/PSS integration strongly preferred.
- Excellence in partnership management/localization and in representing programs to donors, authorities, private sector, and clusters.
- Advanced financial management, risk, and compliance skillset; adept with PM@MC standards.
- English required; Arabic highly desirable.
- Willingness and ability to travel frequently to field locations, including insecure and austere environments.
Nice to Have
- Experience with GBV/PSS integration
Work Arrangement
On-site
Additional Information
- Duty travel may include remote or austere environments with limited services, movement restrictions, and elevated context risks.
- Mercy Corps may provide shared housing/guesthouse accommodation where applicable, and staff are expected to comply with all security protocols and movement procedures.
- R&R and other hardship benefits apply.
- 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.
