Assistant Programme Officer Africa (fixed term 12 months duration) – Edinburgh, UK

Description

Location: Edinburgh UK– flexible work environment

Position Status: Full time, fixed term 12 months duration

Salary: The starting salary range for this position in the UK is 31,120 GBP – salary is commensurate on professional experience

Closing date: Please submit application and cover letter by October 14th

Current unrestricted work authorization in the UK is required at the time of application for this position. 

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 Department

Mercy Corps Europe (MCE) has grown rapidly in terms of volume of activity and complexity. With offices in Edinburgh, London, Geneva and The Hague, we now attract over £90m in income. The breadth and impact of our programmes makes Mercy Corps a unique and truly rewarding place to work. Our teams are proud of what we achieve in the country programmes and we are always looking for talented individuals who share our passion and commitment. 

Mercy Corps’ programs in Africa are undergoing both momentous humanitarian crises and significant development challenges that offer the opportunity to empower people to survive through crisis, build better lives and transform their communities for good. Against this backdrop Mercy Corps’ focus in Africa has been in promoting good governance and conflict resolution, enhancing resilience, facilitating market systems, access to finance and economic opportunities, as well as youth employment and empowerment. It is imperative that Mercy Corps presents itself as a key and credible partner with donors, government authorities and civil society actors in order to contribute to the process of positive change across the continent. Mercy Corps looks to actively engage and partner with an ever growing and innovative African private sector to achieve greater and sustained impact. It is also critical that we are executing our current and future programs on scope, on budget and on time across the continent, while looking at new approaches and opportunities and leveraging innovations for the greatest impact and influence in the region.

The Position

The Assistant Program Officer (APO) provides administrative support to the Senior Programme Officer (SPO), Programme Officers (POs), Regional Director (RD), Deputy Regional Director (DRD), other regional leaders and country teams for the growth and implementation of high quality and impactful programming in the Africa region.

The APO plays a key role in managing information received from the country teams, ensuring quality control and facilitating its use across the organisation. The APO effectively supports the SPO and POs to provide the secondary check and support the country team (ultimate point of responsibility) in adhering to internal and external policies and regulations and is responsible for administrative duties for the region. The successful candidate will possess excellent planning, communication and organisational skills, have a keen eye for detail, be proactive and flexible in their work, and possess the ability to develop strong relationships with colleagues across the agency.

Essential Job Responsibilities

GRANT ADMINISTRATION AND PROGRAMME SUPPORT

• Support SPO/PO to maintain adequate records of all documentation and correspondence of grants, ensuring that grant information is entered into the Grant and Information Tracker (GAIT) database, the shared drive, the Digital Library and donor tracking systems as requested. Track reporting requirements and deadlines of program reports and help ensure that report deadlines are met. Responsible for implementing HQ file retention policy.
• Assist in monitoring and ensuring grant compliance with donor regulations and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
• Maintain up-to-date information about country programs on The Hub, Mercy Corps’ intranet.
• Track donor requirements for programmes by reviewing grant agreements, tracking reporting requirements and deadlines, and sending regular reminders to field teams about reporting deadlines.
• Work with SPO/POs to review, edit, assemble, and ensure timely submission of donor reports.
• Initiate, coordinate and send out New Award Initiation Summaries and project Close-out messages.
• Serve as the primary point for internal communications, facilitate use of Mercy Corps web-based information systems to draft and update program materials.
• Supports country teams with ad-hoc writing tasks such as drafting country and programme fact sheets/summaries, dollar handles, etc.

PROPOSAL COORDINATION

• Undertake donor research and identify appropriate funding opportunities from donors, also reviewing donor guidelines and carrying out eligibility checks for new funding opportunities identified.
• Provide administrative support for proposal development such as drafting Past Performance Reports/capacity statements/or other required documents, copy-editing, and final compilation for submission.
• For programmes requiring online submissions, lead on coordinating registration and submission via online portals.

EXTERNAL REPRESENTATION

• With guidance from the SPO/PO, represent regional interests and programmes with external stakeholders, in concert with the field teams.

OTHER

• Act as a focal point for backstopping for SPO/PO during field trips or short-term absences.
• Ad hoc administrative tasks for regional leadership as required.

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 and Transferable Skills

• BA/Sc in International Development or equivalent experience in related field.
• Two years of demonstrated experience in a professional environment or providing administrative/coordination support to large and diverse teams.
• Proven ability to communicate effectively with colleagues from various backgrounds and cultures.
• Ability to effectively use all MS Office software (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and other web-based platforms (e.g. Digital Library, GAIT, Google Docs, etc.).
• Prior NGO or international development experience preferred
• Preference given to candidates with prior work experience in Africa.
• Knowledge of relevant technical sectors (humanitarian, economic development, agriculture, peace-building, etc.) is an advantage
• Fluency or strong proficiency in French is preferred.

Success Factors

The Assistant Programme Officer must be a detail-oriented, multi-tasker who is able to communicate clearly and work under pressure. The APO must demonstrate patience and flexibility, and take initiative to solve problems. Vital skills include communication (both written and verbal), as well as building and maintaining effective internal and external relationships. They must demonstrate the ability to understand and follow agency procedures, meet deadlines, and work both independently and as part of a complex distanced-based, multi-cultural team. An exposure to, and interest in international development issues is important, and an understanding of the complex challenges faced by program teams operating in overseas environments is critical.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Edinburgh and it requires up to 25% travel to support country programs, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. 

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 eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

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