VenEsperanza Cash Consortium Director – Colombia At Mercy Corps

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.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps is currently helping Venezuelans seeking refuge and opportunity in Colombia. In Colombia, we have worked in 17 departments since 2005, impacting more than 500,000 people, creating alliances and opportunities with the public, private and civil society with innovation, impact and influence. Led by Mercy Corps, the VenEsperanza Cash Consortium will deliver multi-purpose cash assistance to more than 310,000 vulnerable individuals over the course of three years.

General Position Summary

The VenEsperanza Consortium is a multi-agency partnership made up of four international humanitarian aid agencies test and deliver innovative and effective cash assistance programs to support People in Need (PIN): Venezuelan refugees and migrants (in transit and those who intend to stay in Colombia); pendular migrants who regularly cross between Venezuela and Colombia; Colombians returning from Venezuela; and host community members. Led by Mercy Corps, VenEsperanza also includes Save the Children (Save), World Vision International (WVI) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC). VenEsperanza requires strong leadership and coordination in order to operate effectively and deliver on its promise as the premier mechanism for cash assistance in response to the Venezuela complex crisis.

The VenEsperanza Director serves as a team leader for the consortium as a whole, represents the interests of the partnership, and ensures that it is working successfully across member agencies. As the humanitarian context is constantly changing, so does the work of the Consortium and with it the role of the Director. Hence the Director works closely with partner members to ensure the role is adapting to the needs and opportunities at hand.

They must be an effective communicator with exceptional team building and coordination skills. They are responsible for managing the relationship between the four international NGO partners implementing a common, cash-based response to the Venezuela humanitarian crisis. They are detail-oriented with excellent planning skills. The Director must also demonstrate proven experience in networking and donor representation.

The Director provides operational leadership to the consortium and will manage the contractual relationship between the different partners and the Consortium donors. The Director must also coordinate the delivery of high quality programming, ensure clear and concise reporting on the activities implemented based on donor regulation while also building/consolidating relationships among the Consortium, donors, UN coordination structures, and the Government of Colombia.

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND VISION

• Act as the main champion for the strategic vision and provide the operational leadership for the Consortium;
• Assist the Consortium as a whole in evolving as a trusted and effective cash and possibly multi-sector implementer for Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs (BHA) and other USG and non-USG funding (depending on opportunities);
• Recognize and lead opportunities for innovative action within the Consortium;
• Maintain implementation momentum by consolidating implementation strategies and plans;
• Develop and manage a clear system for tracking and reporting against deliverables;
• Ensure strong and transparent communication with consortium partners.

PROGRAM LEADERSHIP

• Coordinate closely with the Mercy Corps Country Director and other Senior Members of the Colombia Program within each agency to guarantee that our strategies are understood and guide decision-making throughout the response;
• Provide leadership to increase coordination, collaboration, communication and harmonization of VenEsperanza Consortium programming and operations inside Colombia and also with neighboring countries affected by the Venezuela Regional Crisis;
• Build consensus around a common vision of what shared success inside Colombia looks like, including development and tracking of appropriate indicators;
• Lead the Consortium in prioritizing activities that improve the delivery of assistance inside Colombia;
• Facilitate sharing and learning across member agencies;
• Engage the Steering Committee and Program Technical Working Group in ongoing contextual analysis that enables programs and teams to adapt to significant changes in the geopolitical/conflict environment;
• Provide rapid solutions and program adaptation measures in situations of crises (such as COVID-19, natural disasters, etc.)
• Create and maintain systems to ensure efficient and transparent capture of program data for management decision-making and timely and informative internal and external reporting;
• In coordination with the VenEsperanza Steering Committee and the Collaborative Cash Delivery network (CCD) in Colombia, engage in strong regional-level representation with donors, international and local NGOs and networks;
• Participate and support decision-making in the national Cash Working Group, currently led by Mercy Corps.
• Participate in shaping policy positions and advocacy messages pertaining to the overall humanitarian situation inside Colombia.

REPRESENTATION AND COORDINATION

• Participate in external representation of the consortium with various groups including donors and the GoC;
• Maintain a close relationship with the DART/BHA and provide regular implementation updates.
• Represent the Consortium with fraud management cases of interest to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) when necessary.
• Present consortium progress to BHA, the Cash Working Group, the Grupo Inter-agencial sobre Flujos Migratorios Mixtos (GIFMM), the GoC, and others as requested;
• Coordinate with the CCD members in Colombia and the sister consortia, CUA;
• Share Consortium learnings with the greater humanitarian community within the Venezuela response;
• Chair Steering Committee and Technical Working Group meetings as required.
• Active participation in the communication, nutrition, finance working group meetings in Colombia.
• Participate in regular Complex Board meetings led by MC HQ and provide regular updates.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Manage the contractual agreements with partners and Mercy Corps, and regularly monitor progress on key indicators.
• Oversee operational planning for ongoing program activities across the consortium.
• Ensure that program implementation is conducted with the respect to grant agreement(s) and timeframe.
• Ensure monitoring systems are in place, including gathering data for case studies.
• Conduct planning and progress review meetings.
• Adhere to all Mercy Corps procurement, logistics and administrative regulations related to programming.

FINANCE AND COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

• Ensure the consortium is in line with BHA and Mercy Corps compliance rules and regulations.
• Oversee the consortium overall budget and ensure partner expenditures are in line with agreed upon budgets.
• Monitor expenditures and forecasts.
• Work closely with the Consortium Finance and Compliance Manager, Mercy Corps finance and grant teams, and Mercy Corps headquarters to ensure timely financial reporting on behalf of the consortium.
• Ensure overall compliance with OIG requirements to report and manage sensitive complaints. Maintain the information flow with the donor when notifications are submitted.

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.
• Share relevant security information that could affect programming with all Consortium members as needed.

Supervisory Responsibility

M&E Manager, Program Development and Reporting Manager.

Accountability Reports Directly To: Country Director/ Steering Committee
Works Directly With: Consortium Partner Agencies, Mercy Corps Programs, Operations and Finance teams, Regional/HQ Technical Support Units, MC Complex Board.

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/BS or equivalent in international studies, economics or other relevant field; MA/S preferred.
• 5-7 years of international relief and development program management experience, in emergency and recovery program management.
• Previous experience in managing consortiums or managing/facilitating/influencing in network or partnership settings preferred.
• Previous experience working with BHA (OFDA/FFP) strongly preferred.
• Combination of direct and remote management experience preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with colleague agencies.
• Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.
• Experience working with local authorities, national and international NGOs.
• Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.
• Excellent oral and written English and Spanish skills required. Spanish fluency is required.

Success Factors

The successful VenEsperanza Consortium Director will combine exceptional team building, coordination, planning and communication skills and experience in maintaining donor and partner relationships. They will possess a high level of adaptability and be able to adjust to a constantly changing working environment. They will have previous experience in implementing programs in insecure and conflict contexts. Prioritizing, problem solving, ability to seize opportunities, attention to detail and strategic vision are essential. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong 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 Concerns

The position is based in Bogotá, the capital, which is a large and fairly modern city with good access to public services such as well as excellent medical care. Bogotá is considered an accompanied/family post. Housing is provided as individual accommodation with unlimited freedom of movement beyond the house/office. All MC Colombia employees are expected to work a 5-day work week with occasional need to work extended hours and on weekends/holidays. There are excellent International schools in Bogotá and professional health services available. This position requires up to 40% time for travel by air and land to project sites in sometimes insecure environments. Mercy Corps Colombia is a member of UNDSS and expects staff to follow security protocols to minimize security risk in the field.

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.