Vacancy Announcement

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 working in Liberia since 2002.

Mercy Corps invites applications from all interested and potential Liberian candidates for the following position(s):

1. Lead Mobilizer – 01 position, based in Grand Bassa

Please find below the full position description for this position.

“Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision, and we encourage people from all backgrounds, especially women and members of disadvantaged groups to apply. Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer”.

How to apply?

Interested and qualified candidates are requested to submit their detailed CV with a cover letter along with other relevant certificates to the email address lr-jobs@mercycorps.org. You are requested to mention the title of the position on the subject line of the e-mail while applying.

Hard copies of the CV with cover letter along with all relevant certificates can be dropped at Mercy Corps’ Office located at “Tubman Boulevard Sophie Junction Opposite SOS Clinic, Monrovia”. Label the left corner of the envelop with the title of the position for which you are applying.

COVID-19 Vaccine

In compliance with Government’s regulation, Mercy Corps-Liberia request all its interested candidates to provide his/her COVID-19 vaccine certificate along with their applications. This is paramount to our application requirement.

Last date for the submission of CV’s is August 31 , 2022, by 04:00 pm. Mercy Corps reserves the right to accept or reject any or all CV(s) without assigning any reason. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Telephone enquiries will not be entertained.

“The recruitment processes will be ongoing while receiving applications”.

FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY

LEAD Mobilizer

Position Description

• Location: Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County (1 positions).

• Position Status Full-time, Regular

• Salary Level Grade 05

• Current Team Member: N/A

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 working in Liberia since 2002.

Program / Department Summary

Save the Children (Prime) and Mercy Corps (sub-grantee) are implementing the Liberia Empowerment through Attendance, Reading, and Nutrition (LEARN 2) program 2. This is a five- year program, funded by the United States Department for Agriculture’s (USDA) Food for Education (FFE) program. The goals of this program are to increase the literacy of school age children and increase the use of health and dietary practices. The LEARN program will be implemented by Save the Children in Grand Gedeh and River Gee counties while Mercy Corps will implement the program in Grand Bassa and River Cess counties.

General Position Summary

Mercy Corps is looking for a creative individual for the Liberia Empowerment through Attendance, Reading, and Nutrition 2 (LEARN II) Project who has the experience and competencies to work as Lead Mobilizer. Under the guidance of the Program coordinator the Lead Mobilizer is based in Buchanan and River Cess offices and covers all duty stations in programmatic clusters/districts to support ESHN mobilisers for community entry, engagement, and mobilization in school communities. The objective of the engagement with school administrators, PTAs, communities, and parents is to increase community awareness and commitment, and contribution of local resources to project activities implementation across project districts working with other ESHN Mobilizers.

The Lead Mobilizer is also responsible along with ESHN mobilisers for coordinating project implementation at local levels with DEOs, and other MOE local staff based and working in the district(s). The Lead Mobilizer will engage with the schools, the PTAs, FMCs, parents, and communities and ensure that all of the project engagement and activities have been properly implemented in the assigned schools. The post holder will work to facilitate the quality implementation of the food for education program according to projects’ design using a measurable results framework.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision

• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy development.

Program Management and coordination

• Conduct field level activity planning with supervision from Education Advisor/Program Coordinator and support timely project implementation in close collaboration ESHN Mobilizers, School Health and Nutrition Advisor, Agriculture Specialist and DCOP Program to ensure integrated and quality programming.
• Coordinate program planning, implementation, and monitoring in clusters/ districts with Commodity Officers and Project Officers.
• Input into the formulation of program annual, quarterly, monthly, and weekly work plans and submit in a quality and timely manner.
• Organize and participate in Team meetings organized by Head of office, Education Advisor, School Health and Nutrition Advisor, Agriculture Specialist and DCOP Program to review program implementation approach, identify gaps and solutions, conduct joint planning sessions, and share quality and timely feedbacks and field updates in close coordination with ESHN Mobilizers.
• Support the development of quality field level program narrative reports on a monthly, quarterly basis and LEARN Semi Annual Reports with clear analysis and information/data on planned activities, achievements, constraints and submit to Program coordinator,
• Under the supervision of other leads including Education Advisor, School Health and Nutrition Advisor, Agriculture Specialist and DCOP Program perform other tasks as required.
• Conduct county level engagement, coordination, and monitoring with District Education Officers (DEOs) through joint planning and school visitation.
• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.

COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION AND ENGAGEMENT

• Coordinate with head of office, Commodity Field Coordinator, Agriculture specialist and Commodity Team Lead, other staff and ESHN Mobilizers to facilitate community mobilization and engagement; stimulate active local participation, facilitate community response mechanism, local capacity building, school development planning through agreed processes for program implementation.
• Stimulate and support ESHN Mobilizers for community facilitation to organize elections of PTA Executive Committees and revitalize PTA structures and selection of Food Management Committees (FMCs), SHN Champions, Literacy Champions, and School Garden Focal Points.
• Organize and support ESHN Mobilizers to conduct training, coaching, mentoring for community resource persons and committees including Literacy Champions, Community Volunteers, Cooks, Storekeepers, SHN Champions, PTAs, FMCs, School Garden Focal Points with the support from SBC for Education, SHN Advisors and Agriculture Specialist.
• Facilitate community meetings to conduct assessment and develop action plans with PTAs, FMCs, and SHN Champions, Literacy Champions, and School Garden Focal Points.
• Supervise ESHN Mobilizers planning and engagement for PTA’s participation in PTAs meetings to ensure the strengthening of school base activities.
• Work with ESHN Mobilizers to engage PTAs, communities, and parents to develop and implement sustainability plans.
• Work with SBC for Education advisor to develop strategy for EOs, and community structures including PTAs and school administrators to conduct dialogue meetings, radio awareness and popular mobilization of school and out of school children to re-enroll in school.

TECHNICAL AREAS:

1. SCHOOL FEEDING

• Conduct community entry and mobilization to facilitate preparation to commence school feeding activities.
• Conduct assessment of school infrastructure and constantly engage and mobilize PTAs and FMCs to ensure regular improvement, maintenance and/rehabilitation of school infrastructures (Energy Saving Stoves, Kitchens, Latrines and Storerooms).
• Liaise with commodity officers for engagement of technical leads, PTAs, and FMCs for provision of cooking utensils, cups, plates, spoons, condiments, and fuel/ wood.
• Liaise with commodity officers to ensure that schools have the necessary cleaning supplies to maintain safe food preparation and storage.
• Support commodity officers to conduct training for PTAs, FMCs and Cooks in commodity preparation and accountability of the school feeding program.
• Support ESHN Mobilizers to conduct awareness, mobilization and participate in GTHRs/ THRs distribution.
• Ensure school meals are provided on time in keeping with safe food preparation guidelines, standards, and FMC action plans.

1. EDUCATION LITERACY BOOST

• Supervise the identification of literacy champions and community volunteers for the establishment and management of Community book banks.
• Provide training and follow up coaching for literacy champions in MC Literacy boost community action for the mobilization and identification of reading/ summer reading clubs ‘participants.
• Supervise the conduct of summer reading and regular reading activities.
• Support the establishment of book banks, community management of book banks and book borrowing activities for reading clubs beneficiaries.
• Coordinate with school administrators and DEOs to supply early grade teaching and learning materials.
• Work with EOs to plan and conduct training on early grade reading contents and methods for grade 1 and 2 teachers and principals.
• Jointly Eos/ DEOs conduct quarterly classroom observation and supportive supervision on implementation of early grade reading instruction and management of teaching and learning materials provide support to teachers and principals to ensure proper books borrowing system is in place.

Teachers Recognition

• Coordinate with ESHN Mobilizers to pilot testing of teacher recognition tools in selected communities to children, teachers, and parents.
• Coordinate with ESHN Mobilizers to rollout teacher recognition tools to PTAs and school administrators and teachers project schools.
• Supervise the identification, recognition and rewarding of teachers for best practices during school programs/events.

Safe School Modules

• Coordinate with ESHN Mobilizers to pilot test safe school modules in selected communities to children, teachers, and parents.
• Coordinate with ESHN Mobilizers to roll out safe school modules to students during school assembly or devotion, reading club and school health club activities, to teachers during planning and training activities, and to parents during regular PTA’s meetings.

PTAs Training

• Coordinate with ESHN Mobilizers to conduct the rollout of the PTA training manual to Executive Committees of PTA structures; adapting rural participatory methods to reinforce local understanding, acceptance, participation, and ownership of the implementation of the LEARN Project.
• Coordinate with ESHN Mobilizers to support the development of PTA action plan and support monthly, quarterly, and semiannual tracking of PTA/ community contributions and ensure school community level record keeping

School Health and Nutrition

• Supervise the implementation of infection prevention control measures at schools.
• Coordinate with ESHN Mobilizers to promote COVID-19 protocols and guidelines during THR, school health club and reading club activities and assembly or devotion;
• Support the identification of school health and nutrition focal persons and provide training and follow-up coaching sessions.
• Support ESHN Mobilizers to establish/ reactivate school health clubs and the development of action plans to ensure healthy hygiene practices.
• Support ESHN Mobilizers to provide coaching and mentoring sessions for SHN Champions in running school health club activities.
• Support community engagement for the administering MDA to school communities and collaborate with DHO to collect information on the numbers of children enrolled in LEARN II Project schools that received medication.

School Garden

• Liaise with Agriculture Specialists, to supervise the identification of school garden focal persons.
• Support ESHN Mobilizers for the identification of school garden site and initiate nursery, compost, transplant and measure acre of the garden site;
• Support tracking of the quantity of meals provided by the school garden.

1. MONITORING, EVALUATION, ACCOUNTABILITY AND LEARNING (MEAL)

• Provide supervision to ESHN Mobilizers using pre-prepared MEAL tools, observe, document and report conditions of school facilities: storerooms, kitchens, school buildings, water source, latrines and energy saving stoves.
• Provide supervision to ESHN Mobilizers collect data on community contributions to related school feeding and building/ rehabilitation of LEARN project school infrastructures.
• Provide supervision to ESHN Mobilizers to distribute and ensure PTAs and school administration receive ledgers for recording community contribution.
• Provide supervision to ESHN Mobilizers to ensure community contribution ledgers are stored and are properly formatted.
• Provide supervision to ESHN Mobilizers observe, document and report school level hygiene practices, hand washing, waste disposal and cleaning school’s campus.
• Provide supervision to ESHN Mobilizers support, monitor and report on School Health Clubs Activities (group establishment and functionality).
• Provide supervision to ESHN Mobilizers use pre-prepared MEAL tools, assist MEAL Officer and MEAL Assistants to observe, document and report on school garden activities. (Clearing, seeds and tools distribution, planting, productivity, and harvesting).
• Provide supervision to ESHN Mobilizers to distribute Attendance log to LEARN supported schools on a monthly basis
• Provide supervision to ESHN Mobilizers to monitor the work of school cooks and during lunchtime distributions to students and school staff to ensure that all actions adhere to MC policies and donor regulations and to minimize the risk of damage, loss, theft and/or misuse of commodity.
• Provide supervision to ESHN Mobilizers monitor LEARN Project supported classrooms, using pre-prepared classroom monitoring tool, to conduct regular headcount to compare daily attendance with Dispatch Authorization Memo (DAM).

1. COACHING AND MENTORING

• Plan with and support ESHN Mobilizers responsible to improve data quality at LEARN Project supported schools, develop coaching and mentoring plans for all schools.
• Plan with and support ESHN Mobilizers to conduct regular coaching and mentoring sessions with school administration, teachers, and PTAs at LEARN supported schools.
• Plan with and support ESHN Mobilizers produce post coaching and mentoring reports with progress on action plans to show improvement.
• Plan with and support ESHN Mobilizers to conduct supportive supervision for mentees as a way of continually supporting his/her mentees.
• Plan with and support ESHN Mobilizers to conduct experience sharing meetings with school record keepers to share their experience with other schools.
• Plan with and support ESHN Mobilizers to provide evidence to LEARN management showing improvement in data quality at LEARN supported schools.
• Integrate where possible all community engagement approaches, including gender sensitivity in beneficiary selection, and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.

CHILD SAFEGUARDING POLICIES AND PRACTICES

• Liaise and work with community groups and the schools to ensure accountability and best use of project resources.
• Comply with the requirements of Mercy Corps Protection Policy to ensure maximum protection for children,
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.
• Roll out Save the Children’s Child Safeguarding and Protection Policy and Procedures to stakeholders and beneficiaries during training and meetings.
• Comply with the requirements of Save the Children’s Child Safeguarding and Protection Policy and Procedures to ensure maximum safety and protection for children during program work and other related actions in communities.
• Report all incidents or breach of CSG policy and monthly updates.

Team Management

• Assist team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

Finance & Compliance Management

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to financial transactions and programming.
• Conduct Regular BVA reviews meeting and report to Program Coordinator the status of program expenditure covering LEARN II Activities in Grand Bassa
• Prepare and submit monthly cash flow Projections to ensure the availability of cash for program activities.

Influence & Representation

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, Program contractors, donors, local governments and other stakeholders of the LEARN Program.
• Communicate effectively to ensure overall program targets and donor obligations are met.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

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 toward 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.
• 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.

Supervisory Responsibility

ESHN Mobilisers in respective counties

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Program Coordinator

Works Directly With: Head of office, MEAL officer, MEL Assistants, CARM officer, PTAs, FMCs, Partner Staff (LEARN Education Advisor, SHN Advisors, Agriculture specialist and others), HR, operations, Ethics and others

Behaviors (Values and Practices)

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modeling Mercy Corps values;
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.
• Support the role and implementation of MC CARM policy and procedures in communities of intervention, while also highlighting the same at training and other functions where applicable.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same.
• Widely shares their personal vision for Mercy Corps, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters.
• Values diversity sees it as a source of competitive strength.
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions.
• Willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity.

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, Rural Development, International Development, Social Work or a related field. Social Work or a related field, with significant course components in either community development, social work.
• Minimum of 2-3 years’ experience in community mobilization activities preferably with an international organization.
• Knowledgeable in Word and Excel.
• Previous experience in planning and community facilitation skills.
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills.
• Understanding of Mercy Corps vision and mission and a commitment to its objectives and values.
• Written and verbal fluency in English.
• Should be capable of operating Yamaha AG100 motorcycle, sometimes in robust terrain and/or demonstrate the willingness to learn how to operate a motorcycle.
• Must have a valid driver’s license issued by the relevant Liberian authorities

Success Factors

The Lead Mobilizer should pay attention to details, have the ability to work in a diverse team, be approachable, supportive, willing to learn and apply new ideas, have time management skills, be able to multitask, set priorities, and be willing to travel to and work in remote areas.