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.