Country Director

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.

Program / Department Summary

Working in Jordan since 2003, Mercy Corps implements a variety of programs focused on economic development, agriculture, water conservation, community strengthening, local governance, education and individual relief and development. Mercy Corps Jordan focuses on building a future in which all people feel secure, believe in the goodness of communities and institutions around them, and are on a sustainable path toward economic self-reliance. The country office operates with an experienced team of 175 staff working across a dozen grants and programs from a wide range of governmental, UN, private sector, individual and foundational donors. Programming is currently implemented in all 12 of the country’s governorates.

General Position Summary

The Country Director (CD) is the most senior management position for Mercy Corps in Jordan with supervisory and managerial responsibility over all in-country personnel, programs and policies. The CD is responsible for developing the overall strategic direction for programming in cooperation with Mercy Corps’ senior management team and local and international partners. They are also responsible for developing and implementing systems, policies and procedures for Mercy Corps’ operations in Jordan. The CD is responsible for financial oversight, strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, staff security, human resource management, and representation in the field. The Country Director is a skilled communicator, able to develop and utilize strong relationships with staff, partners and donors. They will coordinate with their supervisor and be skilled at building highly effective working relationships with HQ. They will harness the expertise, experience and ideas of Mercy Corps’ diverse program support teams, including members of the Technical Support Unit, People and Strategy, Research and Learning, and Social Ventures teams and channel them into impactful partnerships with country programs. They will work with the country team to ensure that we learn from experience, thoroughly research and analyze context and develop high impact strategies that address both the current crises as well longer-term solutions.

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY & VISION

● Formulate and plan, in consultation with key stakeholders, a clear vision of present and future program goals and strategies which can be clearly communicated to team members, local beneficiaries, international partners, governmental counterparts, and donors.

● Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions and resources to achieve program and agency objectives.

● Evaluate program priorities within the country and participate in regional prioritization.

● Explore, evaluate and present new country and project funding opportunities that leverage impact and integrate initiatives and activities; support and direct related fund-raising activities with both institutional and private donors.

● Use technical support teams collaboratively.

REPRESENTATION AND INFLUENCE

● Represent Mercy Corps programs with national and international media and participate in community activities as appropriate.

● Maintain productive relationships with internal and external constituents such as partners, national government counterparts, peer agencies, the UN, private sector, etc.

● Anticipate needs, understand the donor pool and contribute to shaping donor’s views on development.

● Explore, evaluate and present innovative funding opportunities that support the country objectives as a whole.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

● Develop and maintain an excellent human resource plan consistent with Mercy Corps policies and best practices in people management.

● Institute a disciplined culture of performance management and regular feedback between supervisors and their direct reports.

● Recruit, manage and motivate, and onboard an informed, skilled and efficient team with an emphasis on excellence and achievement; encourage a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation, incorporating staff development strategies and performance management systems into the team building process.

● Establish leadership and personal credibility with the Mercy Corps team, and implement and create an organizational culture of accountability, responsibility and quality of services.

PROGRAM IMPACT, MONITORING AND EVALUATION AND LEARNING

● Oversee program quality and impact by ensuring programs are based on sound design principles and utilize Mercy Corps and donor required M&E systems.

● Gather evidence of program impact through robust agency standard procedures for data gathering, reporting, and evaluating program outputs and outcomes

● Lead country team to strive for impact at country and regional level leading to sustained change based on solid systems and incorporation of learnings into programs.

● Fulfill Mercy Corps Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide;

● Establish mechanisms to link reporting, monitoring and advocacy for internal and external purposes supporting regional or agency wide thought leadership efforts

● Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP

● Demonstrate flexibility, resilience and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure.

● Maintain high ethical standards and treat people with respect and dignity.

● Demonstrate awareness of his/her own strengths and development needs.

PROGRAM OPERATIONS AND COMPLIANCE

● Coordinate overall country budget; manage budget within approved spending levels and establish an annual cash flow plan to ensure a steady and adequate supply of funds for program activities.

● Build and maintain operational structures that ensure proper segregation of duties between finance, administration and logistics and fully support field programs.

● Build and maintain an environment of collaboration among program, finance, operations and human resource team members resulting in optimal support for program activities.

● Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.

● 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.

SECURITY

● Manage security and safety of the entire country team and Mercy Corps assets according to best practices, MC operating standards and field realities.

● Liaise with the Global Security Advisor, Strategic Response and Global Emergencies Director and Regional Program Director on crucial events, high risk periods, incident reporting or security policy changes.

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 PARTNERS

● Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically

to our partners 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 8 direct reports and 175 team members overall

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Regional Program Director

Works Directly With: Regional team, Global Programs team, Finance and Technical Support Unit, Country Directors of Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Yemen and Syria

Knowledge and Experience

● MA/S or equivalent in social science, management, and international development preferred.

● 10 plus years of field experience in international relief and development programs with demonstrable success in managing complex programs spanning from humanitarian response into long-term development.

● Prior experience in setting country level strategy with annual implementation plans and resource managing towards the strategy.

● Great communication skills and prior experience in building, managing and leading a team of professionals.

● History of working effectively and respectfully with host country government, private sector, INGO and NGO partners in complex environments.

● Excellent writing skills and experience directing successful proposal development processes with prior experience with USAID, FCDO, EU and other bilateral funding agencies.

● Previous work experience in the Middle East and demonstrated ability to work comfortably, and sensitively, in the environment required.

● Proven skills in financial management.

● English proficiency required; Arabic language skills preferred.

Success Factors

The successful Jordan CD will skillfully represent programmatic priorities of the agency to donors and regional partners while providing effective leadership to the Mercy Corps program team. They will have high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building and will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level. Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority. The ability to facilitate dialogue among a diverse group of individuals with various skill sets and working styles is essential.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The Country Director Position is an accompanied post based in Amman, Jordan, a modern city with a lovely climate and access to excellent schools and diverse entertainment options. Jordan’s significant archaeological and natural beauty provides diverse excursion options for residents. This position requires 20% of travel by vehicle to field offices (typically via day trips) in generally 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/STA 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.

Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision. Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.

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. 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.