Job Description

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact. The Program Mercy Corps is embarking on the Preparedness, Resilience and Impact for those Most Excluded (PRIME) in the Caribbean Resilience Initiative (CRI). As part of the project, Mercy Corps is developing four Resilience Hubs (RHs), one each in Jamaica, US Virgin Islands, Saint Kitts, and Saint Lucia over the coming four years. RHs serve vulnerable and remote communities where basic health services are often limited. During a disaster, RHs function as shelters, resource distribution centers, and even command centers, empowering communities to sustain their well-being. Hub components will likely include solar energy, refrigeration, potable water, connectivity, and on-site food gardens to provide life-saving resources for people with chronic medical conditions, the elderly, and people with disabilities. These existing community centers already serve as key gathering points, aid distribution sites, and places for community events. With our support, they will be able to do even more to support families in need, providing access to basic services and building resilience. Along-side the infrastructure installation components of the program, Mercy Corps will work with our community partners and local emergency management authorities to strengthen response capacity territory-wide. This will include trainings and workshops co-designed with local partners, seasonal preparedness campaigns designed to improve readiness of the most vulnerable members of the community and connecting local partners with technical resources both within the Mercy Corps global organization, and beyond.

The Position The Community Resilience Officer provides programmatic and administrative support to the Caribbean Resilience Initiative for the growth and implementation of high-quality and impactful programming in US Virgin Islands/ St. Lucia. They will be the main focal point for our community partners and members of the community through this multi-year program, to identify ways in which the resources available through the PRIME program and the larger organization can provide technical assistance to the preparedness and response community in US Virgin Islands. This will include assessments, design of training content, coordination of workshops, supporting the collaborative design of emergency response plans at the community, island, and territory levels, and acting as primary focal point for emergency management authorities across the territory. They will play a key role in managing information and data regarding program progress and impact. They will support program implementation, including delivery of services and goods in coordination with community partners. Work on this project will be diverse, but will be heavily focused on engaging local stakeholders including local implementing partners, local government, utilities, as well as the community. It will also include quality assurance responsibilities related to the build/establishment of the resilience hub itself, under the direction of the Program Manager, and in collaboration with the Procurement and Operations team. Mercy Corps’ CRI team is decentralized and stretches across five countries/jurisdictions in the Caribbean. The role of the USVI-based Community Resilience Officer is crucial to ensure highly-localized approach and adaptations to the overall program design and implementation, to ensure the highest quality and impact for the community.

Essential Responsibilities PROGRAM DELIVERY AND REPORTING

• Act as primary coordinating team member for activities in St. Croix, including the development of a resilient infrastructure and community engagement project ongoing in Christiansted.
• Collaborate with local partners to ensure quality program delivery in communities throughout US Virgin Islands.
• Act as primary community focal point and community advocate for all Mercy Corps activities in US Virgin Islands. This may include answering questions from the community, creating opportunities for community input, and informing the implementation of the program, suggesting changes/adaptations based on community-level input.
• Support the planning, coordination and execution of program related workshops.
• Communicate regularly with local organizations, local government representatives, emergency response agencies/actors, relevant utilities.
• Support local purchasing and procurement activities, under the direction of the Procurement and Operations team.
• Lead training and/or manage third-party facilitated training conducted with local stakeholders, including government and emergency management authorities. This may include short training focused on the use and implementation of the hub components, and large territory-wide exercises to improve emergency response capacity.
• Facilitate discussion and development of an overall framework/plan to ensure equitable use and access to emergency services available through the resilience hub(s) established in USVI.
• Support information and social-behavioral change campaigns in advance of the annual storm season. DEPARTMENT STRATEGY AND REPRESENTATION
  • Support Program Manager in the development and organize activities to secure resources for programs and engage relevant local stakeholders to provide support.
  • Develop program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks when needed.
  • Adhere to all MC procurement, logistics and administrative regulations related to programming.
  • Fulfill Mercy Corps Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide
  • Guide.
  • Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards. PROJECT MONITORING & REPORTING
    • Lead local facilitation of assessment and data collection, in collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation team.
    • Provide monitoring systems, including gathering data for case studies. This will include both direct and remote monitoring where access is limited or restricted.
    • Provide support to Program Manager to ensure ensure reporting to donor is complete and submitted according to grant agreement and timeframes
    • Support the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer with project M&E and coordinate post-distribution monitoring activities.
    • Support mobile survey development, and facilitating M&E training for volunteers.
    • Support the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer with reporting responsibilities, including final reports to institutional donors and internal summaries of program activities. ADMINISTRATION SUPPORT
      • Proactively lead administrative support for the field team, including maintaining required documentation, organizing program files, and general knowledge management support.
      • Track Day to day activities of the project and record in project tracker using Project Management Software such as Microsoft project
      • Provision of weekly and monthly reports on Project activities
      • Liaise with the procurement team to ensure timely delivery of procurement objectives
      • Other tasks assigned by the Infrastructure Program Manager in alignment with the candidate’s experience and job function. SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES
        • Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work
        • Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members
        • Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options

          Supervisory Responsibility None

          Accountability Reports Directly To: Program Manager Works Directly With: CRI Resilience Team, PRIME Community Disaster Risk Reduction program team

          Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

          Minimum Qualifications & Transferable Skills

          • BA/S in International Development or related fields is highly preferred.

          • 2+ years of demonstrated experience in providing coordination and support for program management.

          • Ability to interact effectively with international and national personnel.

          • Proficiency with MS Office software required (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

          • Prior NGO or international development experience is preferred.

          • Knowledge of relevant technical sectors (emergency relief, Disaster Risk Reduction, emergency preparedness, economic development, agriculture, water) preferred.

          • A demonstrated ability to multi-task and process information into action so as to not delay program activities.

            Success Factors The successful Program Officer will engage multiple stakeholders active in preparedness and response, and advocate on behalf of the community. They will maintain strong cooperative relationships with other departments and interact effectively with international and national personnel both in a managerial and training capacity while demonstrating the ability to multi-task, meet deadlines and process information in support of changing program activities. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a solid commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations. Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions The position is remote and candidates must be based US Virgin Islands. St Croix is preferred. All MC employees are expected to work a five-day work week. This position requires 40% of travel by road, sea and air to field program locations. Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps’ policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

            Ongoing Learning In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

            Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today. Equal Employment Opportunity Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact. We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

            Safeguarding & Ethics Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. By applying for this role an applicant confirms that they have not previously violated an employer’s sexual misconduct, sexual exploitation and abuse, child safeguarding or trafficking policy. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis. As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline ([email protected]).

            Covid-19 Vaccine Policy for US-Based Employees Mercy Corps has determined that, in an effort to protect the health, safety, and well-being of all Mercy Corps employees working in the United States, all U.S.-based employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, regardless of prior COVID-19 infection status. This policy is necessary to ensure not only the safety of our workforce, but the ongoing functionality of the organization. This policy will be revised as needed to comply with federal, state, and local requirements, and to respond to changing guidance from public health authorities. For new employees this requirement goes into effect within 10 business days of employment. Team members that travel are expected to comply with host-country requirements, including vaccinations. Failure to comply may impact your employment. Proof of vaccination or exemption must be provided.

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