This Position is contingent

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is an international Humanitarian organization operating Water and Sanitation, Economic Development, Livelihoods, Capacity Building, Emergency Response, Health and Nutrition, and similar sectors in the regions of SNNPR, Somali, Oromia, Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa. Mercy Corps works with communities, public and private sectors to implement appropriate relief, recovery and development interventions. Mercy Corps Ethiopia invites motivated and qualified candidates to apply for the following vacant position.

Position Title:  Social Cohesion and Peacebuilding Advisor

Duty Station:  Gambela, Ethiopia

Post Position: One

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps works in places of transition, where conflict, disaster, political upheaval, or economic collapse present opportunities to build more secure, productive, and just communities. Providing emergency relief in times of crisis, we move quickly to help communities recover and build resilience to future shocks, and promote sustainable change by supporting community-led and market-driven initiatives.

Globally, and in Ethiopia, Mercy Corps is a leading practitioner of market systems development (MSD) approaches to poverty reduction, with particular expertise in implementing MSD programs in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. This program will apply our market systems expertise to refugee and host community contexts in the Gambella region, with the objective of finding durable solutions to the protracted refugee situation. The position is currently covered in the inception phase and will likely be extended. This program is part of a broader portfolio of markets and refugee programming for Mercy Corps in Ethiopia. 

General Position Summary

Mercy Corps seeks an experienced Social Cohesion and Peacebuilding Advisor with past experience of overseeing peacebuilding programs in refugee contexts.  S/he will be responsible for leading, designing and implementing peacebuilding and social cohesion activities of the project from assessment validation and activities selection and planning implementation of activities to scale up and roll out activities in the project sites in the next phase. The Advisor will be responsible for leading and supervising all technical aspects to ensure all aspects of the conflict are adequately assessed, all program activities are implemented through a conflict-sensitive approach, and that all team members are trained on peace and conflict management approaches. This will include working closely with assessment leaders and developing a detailed implementation plan to ensure success in the next phase of the program.

Essential Job Responsibilities

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

• Provide overall strategic direction on peacebuilding, conflict sensitivity and conflict management across all project sectors.
• Work with consultants and partners to manage peacebuilding and social cohesion assessment process which includes support to technical consultants during the inception phase.
• Design, adapt and lead peace and conflict assessment tools relevant for the project context; ensure peace and conflict analyses are built into assessments; ensure assessment findings are effectively translated into activity design.
• Support monitoring and analysis of peace and conflict dynamics to feed into activity design and facilitate analysis of peace and conflict data for program decision-making.
• Provide direct technical support for critical peace-building and conflict management activities.

CAPACITY BUILDING

• Design and lead technical training sessions on peacebuilding, conflict management, and conflict-sensitivity for Mercy Corps team and partners.
• Build the capacity of regional government staff, civil society and key influential figures to facilitate inter-community dialogues related to the program’s objectives.

·         Works closely with the program team and partners ensuring we adhere to humanitarian principles, Mercy Corps’ gender policies, Do No Harm principles and project participant accountability standards.

FINANCE AND COMPLIANCE

• Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.
• Adhere to Mercy Corps, donor and government policies and procedures.

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

• Represent Mercy Corps’ peacebuilding and conflict activities to external actors, advocate for the importance of a peace and conflict approach as part of current and future programs.

• Liaise with local and international actors working on peacebuilding initiatives, and ensure coordination and sharing of lessons across key actors in program sites and at the national level.

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.

• Design and pursue research initiatives designed to increase the evidence base around Mercy Corps’ conflict management programming, integrated peacebuilding, and other related areas.
• Liaise with local government officials, local NGOs and civil society organizations, local religious leaders and other notables to ensure support for and acceptance of Mercy Corps’ programs. 
• Maintain close working relationships with donors, other humanitarian and development organizations, and local partners, including representing Mercy Corps at local coordination meetings as assigned.

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.

Knowledge and Experience

·         Bachelor’s or Masters’ degree in social science/s, peacebuilding, conflict mitigation, international development, humanitarian response, dispute resolution, international relations or equivalent relevant field experience preferred.

·         Strong facilitation and consensus-building skills, particularly in peacebuilding and conflict management

·         Strong understanding of peacebuilding and conflict management mechanisms and processes as part of economic development activities

·         Two-three years’ experience designing, implementing and/or monitoring conflict management and reconciliation activities, including in connection with development activities

·         Formal training in, or ability to train in conflict sensitivity, negotiation approaches, and other conflict management/mitigation and/or social cohesion methodologies will be an added value

·         Must be able to work independently while being a strong team player.

·         Experience working in Gambella preferred, with strong contextual knowledge of relevant cultures and local communities.

·         Willingness and ability to travel frequently to Mercy Corps project sites and field locations, including traveling to insecure environments, is required.

·         Excellent computer skills, including all Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, Outlook & PowerPoint).

·         Excellent communicator in English with demonstrated excellent report writing and speaking skills, proficiency in Amharic and the local language(s) greatly advantageous.

·         Knowledge of Sphere standards and other training in humanitarian response preferred.

Success Factors

The successful candidate will possess excellent technical and leadership skills. He/she will undertake innovative approaches. The ideal candidate will have a strong curiosity for understanding and working effectively within the complex cultural, political, security and social environment of Ethiopia. S/he will be an excellent communicator, multitasker, and able to work in ambiguous situations. S/he will be a tolerant and flexible individual able to work in difficult and stressful environments and follow procedures. The successful candidate will be focused on capacity building of team-members, have strong skills in monitoring and evaluation of programs and maintain a sense of humor. S/he should have excellent communication, facilitation and networking skills with a wide range of private, partner and NGO-sector actors.