Location: Washington, DC or US Remote, London, Amman, or Nairobi

Valid unrestricted work authorization in the country in which you will be based is required at the time of application for this position.

Position Status: Full-time, Exempt, Regular
Salary Level: The salary range for this position is $76,000 - $84,000 USD, based on local benchmark for candidates in London, Amman, and Nairobi

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

The Program Performance and Quality Unit (PaQ) is an integrated Unit consisting of the Program Standards Team; the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Team; the Strategic Leadership Team; and the Infrastructure Teams. PaQ is a Unit within the Global Programs Department. The purpose of PaQ is to support effective, efficient, and equitable program performance through a culture of quality management, to achieve results for those that matter most - our program participants.

The Program Standards Team acts as a Program Management Office which fulfills the following broad functions:

• Centre of Excellence: We provide specialist program management leadership and support and have particular specialisms in CARM, Cash, Goods, GESI and Program Analytics
• Policy, Standards, Guidelines and Learning & Development: We define Program Management and cross cutting standards, create guidance, and provide professional development opportunities to Mercy Corps and Partner staff. We focus on continuous improvement and adaptive management throughout our work
• A Functional Home for the Program Manager and CARM specialists: Program Managers can access functional support, advice and guidance from the team.

The Position

The Program Management Senior Advisor – Learning and Development will ultimately define and deliver the Program Management L&D strategy and Program Management Learning Pathway. They will lead the process of embedding program management and integrated standards and business processes into learning products and on the creation of relevant, scalable, adaptable and high-quality program management learning products and options (including e-learning, face to face and social learning blended courses). They will work with country teams to ensure learning products and options meet their complex and varied needs and will seek and develop new partnerships to facilitate effective and efficient delivery against L&D objectives. This position will be required to innovate around program management learning and development and will nurture a learning culture for program management. They will curate the learning products of the Program Standards Team. This role will be required to engage with external fora and debates in the field of program and project management and learning and development.

Essential Responsibilities

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT LEARNING STRATEGY AND PATHWAY

• Define and implement the Program Management Learning and Development strategy;
• Develop and evolve Mercy Corps’ program management learning products and options in line with industry best practice and adult learning principles;
• Facilitate and support others to facilitate online self-paced, online social, and in-person program management training offerings, including where relevant ToTs;
• Lead on the improvement of onboarding resources, as well as onboarding support for program management positions;
• Provide outreach and support for team members utilizing Program Management products and options;
• Work with functional leads to ensure CARM, Distributions, GESI, Safeguarding, Analytics and other relevant functions are integrated into program management learning products, options and the program management learning pathway.
• Ensure equitable access to learning products, including Mercy Corps partner staff

CURRICULUM AND MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT

• Design and contribute to curricula using creative, innovative, and evidence-based approaches
• Work closely with subject matter experts throughout the program phases to ensure content accuracy and alignment with learning objectives
• Partner with internal teams to develop integrated e-Learning and blended programs, fostering a culture of embracing innovative digital learning solutions
• Curate the learning products owned by the program standards team covering Program Management, Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) and Community Accountability and Response Mechanisms (CARM).
• Working with subject matter specialist teams when modified learning products are needed

CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD)

• Contribute to the facilitation of communities of practice related to program management and standards, or to other communication and coordination mechanisms that bring together program managers to improve information-sharing and program management practices.
• Create connections with external project and program management bodies to expand and enhance CPD offerings

MONITORING AND METRICS

• Track and report on key learning and development performance indicators working alongside the Program Analytics Advisor
• Monitor the quality of learning and development products and initiate actions to strengthen/adapt where needed
• Contribute to Agency level monitoring of learning products

LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT PLATFORMS

• Research, recommend, and collaborate on the implementation of technology solutions for learning and development
• Develop dynamic, customized, experiential e-learning courses and multimedia using a variety of technology tools

PROCESS IMPROVEMENT & DIRECT SUPPORT TO COUNTRY PORTFOLIOS

• Work with the Program Management Senior Advisor – Process Improvement to integrate Mercy Corps’ Program Management Business Processes and process improvement methodology into learning products
• Reflect the Mercy Corps Program Management Change Model throughout learning products and options
• Identify and support high-priority countries or programs that need increased program management learning and development support

GLOBAL PROGRAM MANAGEMENT POLICY AND GUIDANCE ROLL OUT AND SUPPORT

• Support the adoption and institutionalization of the Program Management policy by embedding and building ownership across HQ, Regional and Country Teams
• Support country teams to develop action plans to improve adoption of the Program Management Policy through learning and development products.
• Contribute to a culture of learning and adaptive management
• Contribute to the roll out, familiarization, adoption and maintenance of an agency wide standards reporting mechanism
• Contribute to the revision process of the Program Management Policy
• Ensure that program managers and directors are oriented, trained and prepared to adopt the Program Management Policy, including support options and opportunities for learning and engagement.

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COORDINATION AND INFLUENCING

• Support cross departmental initiatives
• Engage members of additional HQ departments as needed to gain buy-in and technical insights
• Conduct external stakeholder engagement to strengthen Mercy Corps position as a thought leader in Program Management Learning and Development
• Incorporate peer learning into Mercy Corps PM@MC work.

Supervisory Responsibility

None

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Program Standards Senior Director, PaQ Unit
Works Directly With: Program Performance & Quality Team members, HQ, regional and field staff.

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 Qualification & Transferable Skills

• BA in relevant field required; MA/MS/MBA or equivalent encouraged;
• 5+ years of experience in international relief and development; demonstrated knowledge of grant-based funding models, emergency response and development strategies and operational challenges in the sector;
• 2+ years of experience managing projects or programs;
• 2+ years of experience in Learning and Development
• 2 years HQ experience desired
• Demonstrated experience managing enterprise-level projects and/or initiatives
• Proficiency with MS Office software required (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Experience of developing learning and development products for NGO program management
• Experience of providing professional development in program management through direct and remote support
• Knowledge and / or experience of establishing strong global networks and internal communications around program management learning and development
• Knowledge and / or experience of coordinating with multiple stakeholders, with different perspectives
• Experience of Project D Pro and the Curatr platform desirable
• French, Arabic, or Spanish language proficiency a plus

Success Factors

The individual would need to be a skilled communicator, able to develop and utilize strong relationships with team members and departments internally, as well as with external bodies. They will have a positive and dynamic working style that enables them to work independently in a remote team. They will harness the expertise, experience and ideas of diverse Mercy Corps team members and external partners to strengthen Program Management within Mercy Corps. The individual will be customer focused and able to provide contextualized products and services that meet the needs of the user. The individual will have strong commitment to program management improvement and drive to ensure high quality field program delivery. They will champion adult learning practices and drive the conversation around learning and development innovation. They will be able to both understand the global systems and procedures necessary to ensure quality programs, reduce agency risk and communicate processes to field teams in a manner they can implement.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This position can be based in Washington, DC or US Remote, London, Amman, or Nairobi. There is some travel expected (Up to 30%), and this can include areas with limited access to medical facilities and amenities. Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/ short-term assignment to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

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.
As a safeguarding measure, Mercy Corps screens all potential US-Based employees. This is done following the conclusion of recruitment and prior to assuming full employment.
Our screening process is designed to be transparent and completed in partnership with new Team Members. You will have the opportunity to disclose any prior convictions at the conclusion of the recruitment process before the check is initiated. We ask that you do not disclose any prior convictions in your application materials or during the recruitment process.

Covid-19 Vaccine Policy for US-Based Employees

Mercy Corps has determined that, in an effort to protect the health, safety, and well-being of all Mercy Corps employees working in the United States, all U.S.-based employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, regardless of prior COVID-19 infection status. This policy is necessary to ensure not only the safety of our workforce, but the ongoing functionality of the organization.

This policy will be revised as needed to comply with federal, state, and local requirements, and to respond to changing guidance from public health authorities.

For new employees this requirement goes into effect within 10 business days of employment. Team members that travel are expected to comply with host-country requirements, including vaccinations. Failure to comply may impact your employment. Proof of vaccination or exemption must be provided.