Job Description:

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Position Title: Resilience CLA & Capacity development specialist

Duty station: Baidoa (With Travels to Mogadishu)

Position Category: Full-time

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

Mercy Corps has been present in Somalia since 2005, responding to emergency needs

stemming from conflict and displacement, while continuing work to build more resilient,

peaceful, and productive communities in Puntland, Somaliland, Banadir, South West

State, Hirshabelle, Galmudug and Jubaland. Mercy Corps Somalia also collaborates with

Mercy Corps teams and partners in neighbouring countries to implement multi-country

and cross-border programs. Working with a diverse base of donors that includes the

USAID/OFDA, GIZ, UNHCR, ECHO, WFP, SSF, EAC, LDS and other foundations and

institutional donors, Mercy Corps empowers people to recover from crisis, build better

lives and transform their communities for good. We work closely with the private sector,

civil society and governance structures at local and national levels to facilitate change

and ensure that opportunities are inclusive of all Somalis.

The international community has awoken to the reality that the traditional aid

architecture is largely incapable of delivering solutions to today’s humanitarian crises

and that new ways of working are required. Yet the “how” of action that will drive

lasting results for peace and wellbeing in protracted crisis contexts like Somalia has

remained largely elusive. The Baidoa Resilience Partnership, launched in 2018 by USAID,

positioned USAID as thought leaders in this space, promoting resilience as a collective

imperative that transcends traditional funding, program, and sector siloes to advance

pragmatic solutions to the world’s most pernicious challenges.

Mercy Corps is seeking a Resilience CLA & Capacity Development Specialist for the

Somalia Resilience Learning Activity (RLA), a two-year opportunity funded by USAID.

As a largely autonomous component of a larger regional learning award lead by

ACDI/VOCA, the Somalia RLA is designed to leverage USAID’s previous investments in

the Baidoa Resilience Partnership to advance collaboration, learning, and adapting (CLA)

across actors and funding streams for sustained reductions in humanitarian need.

Through the Somalia RLA, Mercy Corps will work closely with USAID, implementing

partners, and other stakeholders to collectively analyze what they do and how they do it,

surfacing findings to enable the replication and amplification of promising practices

within and beyond Baidoa, enhancing USAID and other donor’s return on investment in

Somalia

General Position Summary

The candidate will lead the implementation of the RLA porgram CLA strategy,

ensuring all partners and their staff understand the strategy and its work plan. S/he

will be supporting capacity development of partners on CLA. S/he will be responsbile

in desining & cooridnating partners forum in Biadoa, facilitating and cooridnating the

resileicne learning agenda, co-designiing and leading a participatory analysis of the

complex crisis system in Bay/Bakool. S/he will also be responsible for conducting

regular field visits to partner sites to facilitate the identification and capture of

promising practices and follow-up on CLA/SLI commitment, designing & conducting

of targeted studies that will catalyze learning. Likewise, s/he will be documenting

“light-touch” interventions that link to member partner actions and help demonstrate

theory-to-practice for adaptive management, SLI, or other core principles of a

resilience approach

Essential Job Responsibilities

CLA strategy Implementation

Design/coordinate forums that can empower practitioners and other stakeholders

to design, implement, and adapt strategies and programs based on shared learning

and promising practices

Facilitate the co-creation of a shared vision and resilience-informed learning

agenda among member partners

Co-design and lead a participatory analysis of the complex crisis system in

Bay/Bakool, applying crisis analytics and risk/resilience assessment methods to

advance a common understanding of factors and interactions underlying persistent

humanitarian needs and the role of aid in this system, while building partner

capacity in systems thinking and providing a foundation for resilience-informed

CLA/SLI.

Lead the participatory development and management of the collective learning

agenda with member partners

Conduct regular field visits to partner sites to facilitate the identification and

capture of promising practices and follow-up on CLA/SLI commitments / provide

support to adhere to commitments.

Identify opportunity and coordinate the design and execution of targeted studies

that will catalyze learning but are outside the scope/budget of member partners.

Lead the identification, design, and execution of “light-touch” interventions that

link to member partner actions and help demonstrate theory-to-practice for

adaptive management, SLI, or other core principles of a resilience approach.

Lead capacity building of technical staff and partners in CLA strategies and

implementation

Facilitate capacity building assessments of USAID implementing partners and

stakeholders, and develop capacity development plans

Facilitate use of collaboration, adaptation, and learning tools by implementing

partners

PROGRAM SUPPORT OPERATIONS

Ensure close communication with operational support structures to ensure

efficient support for implementation of RLA CLA strategy.

Coordinate with program, finance, and administration staff for troubleshooting

and problem solving.

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 towards

accountability, specifically

to our partners and to international standards guiding international relief and

development work, while actively engaging participant communities as equal

partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Directly to the RLA Team leader/Manager and Indirectly to the

Programs Director

Works Directly With: RLA team leader, ACDI/VOCCA, Resilience partners

Knowledge and Experience

A bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a relevant academic area such as a social

science discipline.

Minimum 5 years’ experience in program design/implementation, including

significant experience in capacity building and facilitation, preferably in Somalia or

similar context.

Thorough understanding of resilience approaches, CLA, and SLI; demonstrated

“systems thinker” and hands-on experience in the application of above to relief and

development projects.

Solid background in data analytics and research methods; demonstrated

leadership, strategic thinking, management, communication, data and program

results presentation skills.

Demonstrated ability to facilitate and capture learning for adapting and

improving; proven ability to synthesize and communicate complex topics effectively

and inspire diverse groups towards consensus.

Demonstrated ability to transfer knowledge through training, mentoring;

experience in communications and advocacy.

Excellent communication skills in English and Somali.

Strong roots and networks in South West State and intimate understanding of the

political economy.

Success Factors

A successful Resilience CLA & Capacity Development Specialist will have the capacity to

coordinate participatory analysis of the complex crisis system, undertake multi-sectoral

research, build and manage relationships with different stakeholders, and lead

collaborative design processes. S/he takes initiative for coordinating and planning tasks

and work plans and is equally comfortable and capable of working independently and as

part of a team. The Resilience CLA & Capacity Development Specialist will have the

ability to easily forge and maintain professional relationships with team members,

communities and partners. S/he is deeply curious, with an appetite for learning and

takes responsibility for keeping him/herself up-to-date on research and promising

practices, and for engaging with key networks in the resilience field.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in (Baidoa )and it requires up to 5% travel to Mogadishu.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside 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.

Interested and qualified candidates are requested to submit online applications

Through:    https://www.mercycorps.org/careers/national

(https://www.mercycorps.org/careers/national)

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us