STA - Assistant Programme Officer Asia (fixed term 3 months duration) - London or Edinburgh in UK or The Hague, NL

About Mercy Corps

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 Department

Mercy Corps’ current operations in the Asia region focus on 10 countries (Afghanistan, Georgia, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Timor-Leste, Thailand, and Uzbekistan). These are a disparate collection of countries with many different challenges and opportunities. Mercy Corps’ past and present activities in the region include: humanitarian response, large- and small-scale conflict mitigation through market systems development, health awareness campaigns for TB eradication and mother and child health; education; nutrition; agribusiness and natural resource management; vocational training and job creation; renewable energy development; financial inclusion; technical assistance to governments and citizens for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR); and water and sanitation work targeting vulnerable populations.

The Position

The Assistant Program Officer (APO) provides administrative support to the Senior Programme Officer (SPO), Programme Officers (POs), Regional Director (RD), Deputy Regional Director (DRD), other regional leaders and country teams for the growth and implementation of high quality and impactful programming in the Asia region.

The APO plays a key role in managing information received from the country teams, ensuring quality control and facilitating its use across the organization. The APO effectively supports the SPO and POs to provide the secondary check and support the country team (ultimate point of responsibility) in adhering to internal and external policies and regulations and is responsible for administrative duties for the region.  The APO will support coordination of the development of selected proposals by monitoring the timeline, status of proposal, providing input into the design and communicating to the relevant parties as appropriate. The APO supports the review of final draft for coherence and donor requirements, and manages submission. The successful candidate will possess excellent planning, communication and organisational skills, have a keen eye for detail, be proactive and flexible in their work, and possess the ability to develop strong relationships with colleagues across the agency.

Essential Job Responsibilities

GRANT ADMINISTRATION AND PROGRAMME SUPPORT

●        Support the SPO/PO with administrative tasks such as maintaining required documentation for grants

●        Assist in monitoring and ensuring grant compliance with donor regulations and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.

●        Advise country teams on formats for donor reporting and define timelines to review.

●        Provide comprehensive reviews of donor reports and ensure that reports are submitted in accordance with the agency’s Reporting Standard Operating Procedures and in adherence to deadlines and requirements set out in the grant agreement/contract.

●        Supports the review process of donor agreements and contracts at HQ

●        Initiate, coordinate and send out New Award Initiation Summaries and project Close-out messages.

●        Serve as the primary point for internal communications, facilitate use of Mercy Corps web-based information systems to draft and update program materials

●        Supports country teams with ad-hoc writing tasks such as drafting country and programme fact sheets/summaries, dollar handles, etc.

PROPOSAL COORDINATION

●        Undertake donor research and identify appropriate funding opportunities from donors, also reviewing donor guidelines and carrying out eligibility checks for new funding opportunities identified. 

●        Provide administrative support for proposal development such as drafting Past Performance Reports/capacity statements/or other required documents, copy-editing, and final compilation for submission.

●        For programmes requiring online submissions, lead on coordinating registration and submission via online portals

EXTERNAL REPRESENTATION

●        With guidance from the SPO and PO, represent regional interests and programmes with external stakeholders, in concert with the field teams.

STRATEGY, PLANNING & LEARNING

●        Support country teams with strategy development and planning

●        Facilitate learning across country portfolios and the region, and share lessons learned

●        Ensure country teams have access to and utilise agency resources/tools/best practices/etc.

●        Coordinate with colleagues to organise and facilitate planning for regional meetings, as required

OTHER

●        Act as a focal point for backstopping for SPO or PO during field trips or short-term absences

●        Ad hoc administrative tasks for regional leadership as required

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.

Knowledge and Experience

●        BA/Sc in International Development or equivalent experience in related field.

●        Two years of demonstrated experience in a professional environment or providing administrative/coordination support.

●        Proven ability to communicate effectively with colleagues from various backgrounds and cultures.

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

●        Prior NGO or international development experience preferred

●        Prior work experience in countries within the Asia region, or regional understanding, is preferred but not essential.

●        Knowledge of relevant technical sectors (humanitarian, economic development, agriculture, peace-building, etc.) is an advantage

Success Factors

●        Excellent planning and organisational skills, able to multitask.

●        Proactive and able to work on own initiative.

●        A problem solver, adept in successfully dealing with issues of complexity.

●        A skilled communicator, able to develop and utilise strong relationships with staff, partners and donors at all levels.

●        Excellent attention to detail.

●        Strong research and analytical skills.

●        A skilled writer and synthesiser of diverse and complex information.

●        A robust sense of humour is greatly appreciated.

●        A demonstrable passion for, and a clear empathy with, the organisation's aims and values.

●        Willingness and ability to travel internationally as required.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a short-term assignment to the field. 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 locations.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in the UK or the Netherlands and might require travel for up to 10% of their time.

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. 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 elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.