Serbia: Emergency Response Team Leader, Balkans

PROGRAM SUMMARY:

Hundreds of thousands of people, many of them Syrians fleeing war, have sought refuge in the EU this year. New figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) showed that nearly 474,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean to reach Europe this year. The influx is the greatest migratory flow in Europe since the end of World War II. The Balkan region is another corridor that refugees are seeking shelter after leaving Greece. Since 15 September, the Hungarian border is closed for refugees resulting in more than 3,700 refugees piling up at the aid centers in North Serbia where living conditions are substandard and tensions are growing. Macedonian officials have claimed that more than 83,000 have transited through the small Balkan nation in the last three months and 300,000 had passed through this year. The EU continues to struggle in finding sustainable solutions to meet the urgent needs of the refugee populations that are growing each day. Map showing the flow of refugees from Turkey into Europe

Mercy Corps is conducting an assessment in Macedonia and Serbia to assess the humanitarian needs of the refugee influx due to the war in Syria. Mercy Corps will use findings from the assessment to actively pursue funding to respond to the refugee crisis in Serbia and Macedonia.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The Emergency Team Leader will manage activities related to the implementation start-up for any newly funded emergency programs in Serbia and Macedonia while ensuring proper team management, administration, monitoring and reporting of activities. This position requires strong coordination on security planning, field visits and ensuring safety of staff. S/he will lead field monitoring and program performance by tracking progress toward specified objectives.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Representation and Influence

• Provide leadership and direction to all aspects of the program and participate in the design and management of future programs.
• Communicate program goals and objectives with all team members, local beneficiaries, local and central government and the international community.
• Convey information and ideas and effectively coordinate to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.
• Contribute to the agency-wide thought leadership efforts on the refugee crisis.
• Represent the agency with external stakeholders including donors, governments, media, UN and other INGO and LNGOs as necessary.

Program Management and Sub Grant Oversight

• Coordinate with program, finance and administrative staff to ensure systems are in compliance with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
• Ensure program implementation is on time, on target and on budget using effective M&E systems, PM@MC.
• Ensure community involvement in all phases of the project cycle and ensure gender integration principles are incorporated throughout.
• Ensure that agreed upon beneficiary selection criteria are strictly followed to avoid duplication.
• In close coordination with logistics and procurement, lead new humanitarian implementation working closely with program managers.
• Ensure a competitive and transparent bidding process in adherence with donor and organizational policies.
• Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
• Ensure full adherence to security plans and protocols.
• Develop collaborative relationships among Mercy Corps, communities, local partners and local government.
• Work with local partners to implement the response activities including capacity building, support on PM@MC minimum standards and compliance matter.
• Liaise with Mercy Corps Head Office to prepare sub grant agreements, ensuring necessary clauses are added, and sub grant documents are complete and reviewed.

Team Management

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• Supervise, hire and orient new team members as necessary.
• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem-solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
• Ensure team member and key local partners participate in agency onboarding systems.

Organizational Learning

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve - we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: Balkans Response team

ACCOUNTABILITY:

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: SRGE Director

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Operations and finance managers, program support team, as well as with Technical Support Units in Headquarters

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• BS/BA in International Development or related field. MS/MA preferred.
• 5 - 7 years of experience managing Emergency programs is required; with particular focus on managing projects with time sensitive deliverables in complex settings.
• Experience with in natural disasters and IDP/returnee programming is desired.
• Experience managing USAID/OFDA and DFID, ECHO projects is essential.
• Experience in highly volatile security situations and a commitment to team safety.
• Demonstrated ability to implement a complex program, manage a range of staff and with strong emphasis on developing their capacities.
• Demonstrated ability to work respectfully and constructively with local partners, including community committees and host governments.
• Commitment to the principles of participatory team management and participatory, community-oriented development.
• Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational skills.
• Prior experience living overseas and ability to work comfortably in a variety of cultural environment is required.

SUCCESS FACTORS:

The successful Team Leader will recognize that Mercy Corps' ability to function safely and successfully in the Balkans depends on the ability of staff to understand the context in which programs operate. The successful Team Leader will apply a strong combination of team leadership, program development and implementation skills and will be able to maintain a sense of humor in stressful conditions. S/he will have an excellent understanding of emergency and transitional issues and programmatic approaches and will be able to work across a wide range of stakeholders, working with local community members, governmental authorities, NGO partners, and donors. S/he will bring a positive approach to the job, embracing challenges as opportunities to innovate and will write well and communicate in a manner that is confident and clear, yet diplomatic, enabling him/her to forge positive working relationships with donors and other stakeholders. Finally, the successful Team Leader will work well under pressure in a fluid operating and security environment.

LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:

The position is based in Serbia with travel to Macedonia. The position it temporarily unaccompanied and will be re-evaluated at a later date. Housing will either be individual or group depending on what's available, with unlimited freedom of movement beyond the house/office. Staff will have widely available access to services, including medical, electricity, and water. This position requires 33% of time of travel by road to field offices in secure environments.

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of 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 Mercy Corps' policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Please follow this link to apply: http://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=bWJhcnRvbG9uaS43MDkyOS4zODMwQG1lcmN5Y29ycHMuYXBsaXRyYWsuY29t