Strategic Response Manager, Strategic Leadership Team

Location Will consider candidates based in the US, the Netherlands, Kenya, and Senegal. Valid unrestricted work authorization in the country in which you will be based is required at the time of application for this position. Mercy Corps locations beyond those indicated may be considered depending on candidate’s work authorization.
Position Status Full-time, Exempt, Regular
Salary Level The salary range for this role is USD 90,000 to USD 114,000 for US-based candidates. The position will be benchmarked for candidates based in other locations.

Excellent oral and written English and French skills are required for this role.

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.

Program / Department Summary
The Strategic Leadership Team’s (SLT) experience, problem solving, and leadership skills support country teams, strategic programs, and organizational initiatives to achieve and maintain high performance. The Team is organized around two key priorities: 1) Support portfolio leadership to maximize program performance and quality and minimize adverse impacts of transitions on programs and teams; 2) Engage cross-organization teams and experiences to continuously improve quality implementation of strategic programs (including “Complex Programs”). The SLT works with the People Team to manage surge support talent at the program and portfolio level and provides additional process and management support to strategic programs.

General Position Summary
Often called upon for extended onsite support to global programs and portfolios, the Strategic Response Manager is an accomplished senior manager who is equally comfortable leading and managing country or regional teams and portfolios and managing individual programs or change management projects. They are a flexible facilitator and problem-solver with a clear commitment to operational and program excellence and healthy teams. They facilitate beneficial connections between program, country, regional, and global teams and partners to ensure quality programming is supported by effective and integrated systems and the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed. The Strategic Response Manager is a highly adaptable leader responsible for resourcefully managing and guiding teams through strategic change. They provide support to change scenarios, such as support for the start-up of new Complex Programs or coverage for leadership transitions. They engage remotely with country teams to rapidly assess circumstances and provide recommendations. Job responsibilities will vary depending on emerging organizational priorities, shifting strategies, and the context of specific assignments. The Strategic Response Manager will have variable supervisory responsibility within country teams when deployed on specific assignments. When not deployed, the Strategic Response Manager will provide remote support to country teams to manage challenges – internal and external – and will lead or contribute to initiatives that support portfolio leadership and Complex Programs.

Essential Job Responsibilities
PLANNING STRATEGY & VISION

• Contribute to the development and delivery of a clear Strategic Leadership Team vision and strategy.
• Support country teams to realize organizational, regional, and country visions and strategies. Contribute to the development or refinement of country strategies as needed during assignments.
• Engage in the development of strategies and plans to optimize leadership continuity, Complex Program performance, and other SLT-led processes.
• Prioritize resources during assignments and in projects to achieve objectives in variable scenarios including urgent change circumstances, crises, and emergencies.
• Facilitate program planning when on assignment to identify future resources and support needs.

LEADERSHIP & PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Foster an equitable and inclusive work environment where individual and team wellbeing is prioritized.
• Provide leadership and managerial support to programs and portfolios through effective coordination, supervision and performance monitoring designed to enable achievement of program objectives.
• Deploy to support urgent change scenarios such as country start-up/close down, staffing transitions, start-up of new strategic programs, and identify and implement solutions to management challenges.
• Facilitate the finding of coverage for urgent change scenarios when direct assignments by an SRM are not possible or not the preferred option.
• Lead and/or contribute to the definition and implementation of cross-departmental change management projects to improve the efficiency and accountability of country portfolios and Complex Programs.
• Contribute to shaping and fulfilling the strategy and purpose of the SLT, while fostering a supportive team culture.

PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

• Facilitate integrated planning in support of program and portfolio excellence.
• On in-country assignments, support full and proper implementation and adoption of policies, procedures, and systems for quality team management, compliance, procurement, hiring, HR, logistics, warehouse, fleet, asset, and administrative functions.
• Support adoption and accountability of all Mercy Corps policies, including the Program Management Policy.
• Work with agency counterparts to mitigate risk, including fraud, corruption, safeguarding, conflict of interest, security and safety, and legal ramifications of Mercy Corps activities.

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

• Maintain productive relationships with all stakeholders.
• Facilitate or strengthen beneficial connections between program, country, regional, and global teams.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Model Mercy Corps’ Core Behaviors in all aspects of the role.

Supervisory Responsibility
While on assignment, the incumbent will supervise the team members working on the program or portfolio to which they are assigned. When not on assignment, the incumbent will not have supervisory responsibilities but may coordinate matrixed project teams.

Accountability
Reports Directly To:
Senior Director – Strategic Leadership Team (note: the incumbent may have additional reporting lines when deployed; for example, to country or regional leadership)
Works Directly With:
Program, country, and regional leadership, Global Response Team, Global Procurement and Logistics, People Team, and other technical and cross operational 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 programs.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

Success Factors and Transferable skills: Any skills you have gained through education, volunteer, work, or life experience that are relevant for the position will be considered. Be sure to fully explain transferable skills and success factors and how they apply to this position in your cover letter.

• BA/BS degree in a relevant field.
• A minimum of 7 years experience in humanitarian or development programming, including in direct program management and senior leadership roles.
• Experience in insecure environments, including managing programs or teams in complex emergencies.
• Knowledge of Mercy Corps processes, systems, and procedures is desirable.
• Knowledge of rules and regulations governing the compliance/regulatory management of grants from US Government, FCDO, EC, and other donors is an advantage.
• Experience effectively mentoring and training others.
• Excellent oral and written English and French skills required. Proficiency in Arabic and/or Spanish is an asset but not required.

Success Factors
The Strategic Response Manager will skillfully manage transitions for Mercy Corps, representing priorities of the agency while providing effective management to the Mercy Corps team. They are attentive to detail, following procedures, meeting deadlines, and working and problem-solving independently and cooperatively. They proactively translate learning into strategies for improving quality and preventing crises. They have high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills, and proven experience with capacity building. The Strategic Response Manager possesses excellent negotiation and representation skills. They are committed to managing risk and maintaining highly effective and efficient operational processes and teams. The Strategic Response Manager brings positivity and a focus on solutions, along with a commitment to accountability, and a passion for navigating complex change processes. They thrive in evolving and challenging environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority. They work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment, comfortably handle highly ambiguous circumstances, and adapt to changing strategic and operational priorities.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The Strategic Response Manager may be based in any HQ office or a MC country office, commensurate with authorization to work in a non-expatriate capacity. Remote work options will be considered. The Strategic Response Manager role requires at least 50% of time on assignment, often for extended periods and sometimes in locations that may be insecure or where freedom of movement and/ or amenities are limited.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when visiting or on a short-term assignment to a country office posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps’ policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

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.