Mercy Corps Ethiopia
Position1: Finance and Grants Specialist (Sub Awards)
About Mercy
Corps
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization
powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in
hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions
into action helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger
communities from within. Now, and for the future.
Mercy Corps has been present in Ethiopia since
2004 working to drive bold and transformative ideas, working closely with
government, the private sector and civil society actors to build a more
resilient country, ensuring that programs are responsive to and influenced by
participants and stakeholders. With the launch of Mercy Corps Global Strategy,
Pathway to Possibility, the country office is poised to operationalize its
three-year strategy with a vision to enhance the resilience of climate- and
conflict-affected communities through market systems development for improved
livelihoods, access to food, and safe and clean water to thrive in the face of
crises. In Ethiopia, our strategy focuses in the four outcome areas: 1)
Economically marginalized populations have improved and diversified
livelihoods, income, and assets; 2) Pastoralists, farmers, and households have
access to sustainably produced, safe, nutritious food; 3) Social cohesion and
inclusive governance processes are built in crisis-affected communities; and 4)
People have equitable, sustained access to clean water and sanitation for
domestic and productive use. Currently, we operate in six regional states –
Afar, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, Amhara and South Ethiopia. Working with a
diverse base of donors that includes United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), European Union, GAC, Hilton Foundation, United Nations
(UN), JOA, Sweden, EKN, and other foundations, Mercy Corps Ethiopia empowers
people to recover from crisis, build better lives and transform their
communities for good.
Position Title: Finance and Grants Specialist
(Sub Awards)
Duty Station: Addis Ababa
Open Position: 1
Safeguarding Risk Level: High
Program / Department Summary
The USAID-funded Highland Resilience Activity
(HRA) a five-year program that started during October 2023 and will contribute
to the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) 5’s “Big Push” initiative and has
the overarching goal of strengthening resilience among vulnerable households in
Ethiopia’s Highlands, resulting in 120,000 PSNP households reaching the
graduation threshold. HRA will support these households in moving above the graduation
threshold and to where they no longer require social safety net programming for
household food security and have the capabilities and assets to withstand
regular and predictable shocks. The Activity will achieve this goal by directly
supporting households in increasing their on-farm, off-farm, and employment
incomes while facilitating improvements in the market systems required to
increase demand for goods and services in PSNP communities.
General Position Summary
The Finance & Grants Specialist (Sub
Awards) is responsible for managing the financial and operational aspects of
sub-awards issued under the HRA programs across Mercy Corps Ethiopia. Working
with an increasingly wide and diverse set of local and international partners
at all levels of public, private and civil society, there is a need to
strengthen programmatic and financial support to partners to enable more robust
growth and development of sub-grantees; and compliance with the donor
regulations and Mercy Corps internal policies and procedures is a critical part
of the capacity building process and essential to enable sub-grantees to
develop strong systems that will help in the delivery of programmatic
interventions.
Essential Job Responsibilities
Sub Awards Management: 50%
- Work closely with consortium-level subrecipient
organizations to ensure they are issuing, managing and monitoring
subawards in accordance with the HRA subaward manual.
- Ensure that Partners are complying with the procedures
in approved HRA subawards manual, and that the annexes are being used as
applicable.
- Update the HRA subawards manual as needed with input
from MC HQ, assist COP/CM with requesting USAID approval of any updates.
- Participate in the design of Request for Applications
(RFA) or Application for Solicitation (APS), publication of RFAs/APS,
issuing of RFA/APS packages to prospective applicants, manage the
administrative process of receiving RFA/APS applicant and providing the
applicants to the RFA/APS Review Committee.
- Administer competitive RFA/APS processes in accordance
with the HRA subawards manual, for each RFA/APS, clearly defined and
communicated steps for selecting, negotiating and awarding subawards.
- Responsible for the review of RFA/APS applicants’
budgets and budget narratives for completeness, cost realism and
compliance with RFA/APS budget requirements.
- Responsible for pre-award financial review and other
due diligence of apparently successful applicants.
- Coordinate selection of subaward agreement type, draft
subaward and negotiate subaward agreements with selected subrecipients.
- Draft modifications to subawards, as needed.
- Develop and conduct subrecipient financial and
compliance training workshops;
- Review subrecipient financial reports for correctness
and completeness and ensure that reports are submitted on time.
- Develop subrecipient monitoring plans, conduct
financial monitoring of subrecipients and prepare financial monitoring
visit reports.
- Follow up on all subaward compliance issues and audits
and document resolutions.
- Create and update/maintain subaward cards and enter
subaward expenditure reports in Navigator.
- Maintain subaward files in accordance with the Field
Finance Manual.
- Process subrecipient payments and reconcile subaward
financial tracking to general ledger reports.
- Responsible for subaward financial close-outs,
including ensuring that all requirements of the subaward agreement have
been met and that subaward funds have been properly settled.
- Provide compliance guidance and consultations to
subrecipients on a demand-driven basis.
- Assist the program team with assessing subrecipient
organizational needs, so that the subaward process strengthens the ability
of local NGOs/CSOs to meet world class standards.
Finance & Compliance Management 50%
- Ensure that HRA is executed in alignment with the prime
award agreement and the applicable USAID regulations, staying abreast of
changes in regulatory environment related to donor/grant compliance;
update HRA procedures as necessary.
- Identify and communicate compliance risks associated
with program implementation.
- Work with program teams ensure that program activities
are designed to be compliant, while facilitating the achievement of the
program objectives.
- Review HRA procurement and program transactions,
contracts and other documents for compliance requirements and ensure these
requirements are met.
- Prepare prior approval, waiver and other compliance
requests to the donor. Assist subrecipients, as needed with subrecipient
compliance requests to Mercy Corps.
- Prepare and maintain internal and donor
compliance-related reports.
INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION 20%
- Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships
with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and
other stakeholders.
- Communicate effectively to ensure overall project
targets and donor obligations are met.
- Interface with the (donor) representatives to convey
information about programs as appropriate.
- Participate in sharing best practices with NGOs and
governmental agencies.
- Consistently demonstrate flexibility, resilience and
ability to maintain positive relationships and composure, even under
difficult circumstances.
- Maintain high ethical standards and treat people with
respect and dignity.
- Demonstrate an awareness of their own strengths and
development needs.
Supervisory Responsibility
None.
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Senior Finance Manager – HRA
Technical Line Report To: Senior Finance Manager – HRA
Works Directly With: Finance Department, (with authority for
technical financial matters); Operations Department, Program Managers, MCG/MCE
HQ Compliance, and others.
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.
About
You
Knowledge and Experience
- A BA/S or equivalent in accounting or finance required;
advanced degree preferred.
- At least 5 years of relevant field or management experience
of complex, multi-dimensional programming including administering small
subawards in an international environment.
- At least 4 years’ experience in grants management as
well as an understanding of USAID, regulations required.
- Demonstrated experience and skill with administrating
solicitations for subawards, assessing potential subrecipients and the
proven ability to oversee a team that is responsible for monitoring
subrecipients.
- Strong skills and experience working with donors to
obtain approvals and waivers as necessary for compliance with donor
regulations.
- Prior management experience and strong organizational
skills.
- Advanced computer skills in MS Office programs,
particularly Excel.
- Effective verbal and written communication,
multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.
- Excellent oral and written English skills required.
- Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse
team in a sensitive environment.
- Previous experience in insecure environments
Success Factors
Define the specific behavior and attitudes
critical to success in the position at time of hire and as it develops over
time in paragraph form (soft skills).
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.
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.
Required
Skills
- Accounting
How
to Apply
All qualified
individuals are invited to apply for the advertised position. All applications,
including a CV, three references, and all applicable official papers, must be
sent electronically.
Only candidates that are short-listed will be
acknowledged and called for interviews.
“Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer promoting
gender, equity and diversity. Qualified female and young candidates are
strongly encouraged to apply. We are committed to empower women and youth.”
DEADLINE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS: 25 August 2024/
4:00 PM
Position 2: Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism Officer
Position Title: Community Accountability
Reporting Mechanism Officer (Hotline-operator)|
Duty Station: Addis Ababa
Open Position: 1
Safeguarding Risk Level: High
Program / Department Summary
The Community Accountability Reporting
Mechanism (CARM) reflects Mercy Corps’ commitment to the affected population by
ensuring feedback from the community and other stakeholders, thereby enhancing
our program quality.
General Position Summary
The Community Accountability Reporting
Mechanism Officer (Hotline Operator) will be an integral part of the CARM team,
managing Mercy Corps’ call centre operations. This role primarily involves
receiving cases via the hotline (both voice calls and texts), recording them in
the CARM database system, and escalating them for resolution
Essential Job Responsibilities
Technical:
- Answer, record, respond to, escalate, and manage
incoming calls and text messages from beneficiaries and other stakeholders
through the short code keeping confidentiality.
- Clearly translate a complaint from the original or
local language into written English.
- Works closely with the CARM and Safeguarding team.
- Record the incoming complaints, enquiries and feedback
into CARM database.
- Categorize, analyse, screen, and consolidate
information about complaints and feedback to subsequent actions.
- Escalate all sensitive complainants like harassment,
fraud, SEA, abuse, exploitation under grade 5 and 6 cases to the integrity
hotline.
- Interact with relevant departments within Mercy Corps
Ethiopia to follow up on feedback in consultation with Community
Accountability and Reporting Mechanism team. Follow up with the response
of feedback and complaints and facilitate timely closure.
- Provide information to program participants in response
to enquiries regarding Mercy Corps programme and services.
- Provide regular updates, information summaries and
periodic reports to Community Accountability and Reporting Mechanism team.
- Contribute to the roll out of the hotline through
community sensitization initiatives.
Managing the phone calls through toll free
hotline
- Manages the phone calls and refer for the relevant
departments within 24 hours and keep each feedback confidentially.
- Manage feedback with respect to basic principles of
confidentiality, data protection, human rights as well as Mercy Corps data
protection, CARM and Safeguarding policies.
- Facilitate caller satisfaction surveys to gauge
effectiveness of the hotline.
Contributing to developing Mercy Corps program
qualities
- Continuously update the system by recording action
taken and facilitating close out of cases resolved once feedback is
provided to Program participants.
- Share feedback of the community which comes through the
phone for relevant department that will support program departments to act
accordingly.
- Ensure program qualities by providing well recorded
community feedback that will be input for future program development on
safe programming matrix as well as inputs for advocacy and
policy influencing.
- Adhere to the personal data privacy and protection
principles, especially upholding confidentiality in the CFM process from
beginning to end including related information.
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, commit
5% of her or his time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as
well as themselves.
Accountability
Reports Directly To: The Country Accountability and Safeguarding
Advisor
Technical Line Report To: The Country Accountability and Safeguarding
Advisor
Works Directly With: Works directly HRA Accountability and
Safeguarding Advisor and Accountability and Safeguarding team, PaQ team, CARM
team, safeguarding champions, program teams and other departments both at the
country and field offices
About
You
Knowledge and Experience
- Degree on communication; social sciences, development
studies or management.
- Experience in operator, radio operations as well a
certificate in Radio Communications and other social science related
positions preferably in a crisis context is an added advantage.
- Strong ability to communicate clearly and impactfully
with a range of program participants; stakeholders including Mercy Corps
staffs.
- At least three to four years of Programme officer
related experience. Community engagement experience is an added advantage.
- Currently Mercy Corps works in different regions of
Ethiopia namely, Afar Amhara, Gambela, Oromia, Sidama, Southern Ethiopia,
Tigray and Somali; we are looking for a candidate with Amharic and English
language proficiency and additional have writing, speaking, reading, and
editing skills of with a minimum of two regional languages Skills
is mandatory.
- Proven ability to keep confidentiality of reported
cases.
- Good knowledge of culture of the community that Mercy
Corps working in.
Success Factors
Being emphatic, maintaining confidentiality,
patience to the callers and survivors are very important. In addition, acting
according to the organization mission, vision and policy is vital for this
position.
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.
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 e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
Required
Skills
- Communication
How
to Apply
All qualified individuals are invited to apply
for the advertised position. All applications, including a CV, three
references, and all applicable official papers, must be sent electronically.
Only candidates that are short-listed will be
acknowledged and called for interviews.
“Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer
promoting gender, equity and diversity. Qualified female and
young candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We are committed to empower
women and youth.”
DEADLINE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS: 25 August 2024/
4:00 PM