Emergency Program Officer – In-Kind Assistance

Position Description

Location: Ramallah

Position Status: Full-time, Temporary

Salary Level:

Contract Duration: 1 Year (renewable)

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 Program / Department / Team

Since 1986, Mercy Corps has helped Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza access critical services and become more economically self-sufficient focusing its interventions on WASH, community crisis resilience, economic opportunities, and cash programming. With funding from various donors, Mercy Corps has been able to work together with communities in the West Bank and Gaza to respond to these needs. The escalation of conflict that began on October 7, 2023, has sharply exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the region. Mercy Corps is actively working to respond to the crisis and restart our humanitarian programs in Gaza where team members there are committed to significantly ramping up much needed lifesaving aid as soon as it is safe to do so.

General Position Summary

The Emergency Program Officer – In-Kind Assistance is a key person within the Gaza Emergency Response team. The Program Officer supports the Program Manager to ensure that the in-kind component (food and non-food items) of the emergency programs is implemented, monitored, and reported according to Mercy Corps quality and donors’ standards in an efficient and effective manner. 

Essential Responsibilities

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Supervise a team of service contracted enumerators based out of the Ramallah office. Track enumerator timesheets and monthly payments.
• In coordination with the Program Manager, develop a weekly teamwork plan and allocate responsibilities within the team to ensure that the program runs to time in an efficient and effective manner.
• Ensure team is aware of Cluster, Mercy Corps, and other quality standards for humanitarian programming and ensure partner alignment with these standards

• Provide team members with information, tools, and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.  

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT 

• Support the Program Manager in updating and maintaining Standard Operating Procedures and other guidance notes and files.
• Review participant feedback from the CARM team and share with Program Manager for responses/action as needed.
• Support the Program Manager to identify, build, and manage collaborative partnerships with local distribution partners and other stakeholders.
• Support the Program Manager, and MEL and field teams, to design, facilitate and analyze rapid needs assessments, market assessments, protection and risk assessments as well as any other needs identified during the response.
• Ensure, in coordination with local partners, the planning of safe delivery and distribution of NFIs to beneficiaries, including advising on and adhering to standard operating procedures (SOP) for NFIs distribution, safety and security measures, and training program and partners staff on SOP and safety and security measures.
• Work with operations departments to ensure that all procurement and payment requests are submitted and processed on time.
• Ensure proper documentation program activities and proper archival of program files.
• Actively monitor the evolving humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank as well as trends in the multipurpose cash sector.
• Provide inputs for reports to the donor and/ or MC stakeholders at HQ or in the region.
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards; Mercy Corps’ Codes of Conduct and Ethics; Gender, Diversity and Inclusion guiding documents; Core Humanitarian Principles and Do No Harm.

Supervisory Responsibility

Manages: Service Contracted Enumerators (2 individuals)

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Emergency Response Program Manager

Working Directly with Emergency Response Director, CARM Officer and Assistants, MEL Manager and Officer, Finance and Procurement teams

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.

جميع الحقوق محفوظة لموقع جوبس.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• BA/BS degree in a relevant field.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in a CBO, corporate, or an INGO sector.  
• Sound knowledge of donor standards and procedures. 
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues in a diversified multi-cultural and multi-ethnic working environment. 
• Skills in managing, organizing, planning, and implementing assigned tasks under pressure of frequent and tight schedules. 
• Strong ability to apply good judgment and decision-making skills in difficult and complex working environments.
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills in handling management and coordination issues at country program level. 
• Effective verbal and written communication, organizational, prioritization and Microsoft Office applications.
• Excellent oral and written English skills required.
• Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.

Success Factors

The successful Emergency Response Program Officer – In Kind Assistance will be good at problem solving and have the ability to work out methods to deliver successful programs while demonstrating excellent stewardship of donor funds and compliance with Mercy Corps and donor regulations. They will maintain strong cooperative relationships with other departments and interact effectively with international and national personnel both in a managerial as well as training capacity, while demonstrating the ability to multitask, meet deadlines and process information in support of changing program activities. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.

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.

Interested candidates are encouraged to apply online HERE no later than 14:00 on Wednesday, 05 June 2024.  Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.