Mercy Corps is an international, non-governmental humanitarian relief and development agency that exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities. Mercy Corps works in more than 40 countries, and 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 Cestos, Rivercess County with frequent travel to field sites.
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. Or apply through the system below. 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 “Sophie, Tubman Boulevard, Opposite SOS Medical Center, Monrovia”. Label the left corner of the envelop with the title of the position for which you are applying.
Last date for the submission of CV’s is November 4, 2019 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.
Vacancy Announcement
LEAD MOBILIZER
Position Description
Location: Cestos City, River Cess County. Staff will later be assigned to District if necessary
Position Status Full-time, Regular
Salary Level Grade 04
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) program. 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. 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 creative individuals for the Liberia Empowerment through Attendance, Reading, and Nutrition (LEARN) Program who have the experience and competencies to work as ESHN Mobilizer. The main purpose of this role is to engage with the schools, the Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), and the communities during implementation. ESHN mobilizers will ensure that all of the program engagement and activities are properly implemented in their assigned schools.
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
 Support Education and School Health and Nutrition (ESHN) mobilizers to facilitate the mobilization of responsible community structures to participate in LEARN Program activities and oversee the election of PTAs and Food Management committees (FMCs)
 Plan and oversee the training of community resource persons and committees with support from the LEARN Education Advisor and School Health and Nutrition Advisor
 Oversee, facilitate, and ensure the timely execution of community action plans with PTAs and FMCs
 Oversee the training of FMCs in the management, preparation, and accountability of the school feeding program
 Support the ESHN mobilizers to work with the FMCs and PTAs to ensure that schools have the necessary cleaning supplies to maintain safe food preparation and storage
 Support field staff in organizing community members to provide equipment or materials not provided by LEARN prior to the start of school feeding activities
 Liaise and work with community groups and the schools to ensure accountability and best use of project resources
 Support Food Monitors to document and report on the loading, off-loading, transporting, storing and distribution of commodities to ensure adherence to policies and donor regulations
 Provide supervision and leadership for the gathering of information that can be used to reconstruct timelines of damages to commodities that occurred while under transporter control.
 Lead Food Monitors to document and report on the cleanliness and maintenance condition of warehouses holding LEARN Program commodities. This includes conducting inspection to determine if the warehouses are being kept in functional order (no leaking roofs, damaged walls, windows and/or doors, etc.) and if all necessary equipment as per donor regulations are in place.
 Ensure all safety and security protocols are being followed. For example, that warehouse keys are kept properly and necessary equipment such scales, torches, pallets, cleaning materials and rodent control materials are in place.
 Supervise the routine checks on commodity stock in comparison with records (stock register) including a physical count of the warehouse.
 Using the prepared School Feeding Monitoring Form, observe and report on appropriate food preparation and distribution methodologies, in schools eligible, to legitimate recipients/beneficiaries according to the approved school feeding plan and as per agreed ration sizes approved by the donor.
 Ensure timely monitoring of school cooks and timely monitoring during lunchtime distributions to students and school staff in order to ensure that all actions adhere to policies and donor regulations and to minimize the risk of damage, loss, theft and/or misuse of commodity.
 Support field staff to monitor all schools in order to ensure the availability of equipment and materials such as cooking utensils, scales, tarpaulins, and pallets.
 Provide support and Administrative supervision to Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Assistants to perform their duties with high quality.
 Regular reporting on LEARN program progress
 Under the supervision of the Program Manager, perform other tasks as required
 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.
TEAM MANAGEMENT
 Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
 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.
INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION
 Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partner, 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 Mobilizers, Food Monitors
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Program Manager (Grand Bassa County)
Works Directly With: Program Coordinator, LEARN Partner Staff (Education Advisor, SHN Advisor, and others), Finance/Admin Officer, Logistics Officer.
Knowledge and Experience
• Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, Rural Development, International Development, Social Work or a related field.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in community mobilization activities with 1-2 years’ experience in supervising a team, preferably with an international organization.
• Proficiency in Word and Excel
• Previous experience in planning and community facilitation skills
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills
• Written and verbal fluency in English
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 multi-task, set priorities, and be willing to travel to and work in remote areas.