Program Manager – Economic Development

This is a short-term position of approximately 3-4 months; it is benefits-eligible.

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Mercy Corps/Mongolia has one overall strategic goal – to support rural communities to mobilize resources to meet their economic and social needs, and by extension, to provide a better quality of life for rural residents. In pursuit of this, Mercy Corps/Mongolia has three country objectives:

• Increased local availability of commercial services and increased economic production, productivity and income with maximum “institutionalization” of key program concepts and services within the local economy;
• Enhanced ability of rural communities to make informed economic and social decisions and to participate in public sector decision-making.
• Enhanced disaster risk reduction through improved use of, and access to, appropriate information and new technologies.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The Economic Development Program Manager will be responsible for coordination and execution of all rural economic development projects in Mongolia. This will include design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of agricultural, livestock and non-farm business development initiatives. The Economic Development Program Manager will directly manage program staff in Ulaanbaatar and indirectly manage program staff in the field. He/she will also play a significant role in developing national staff capacity and will build and nurture a cohesive and effective team both within economic development projects and other project teams.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Management, coordination, organization and strategic planning in the Economic Development Department;
• Contribute to integrated strategic planning and implementation for Mercy Corps Economic Development activities
• Coordinate planning and implementation with other departments to ensure strong cohesion across Mercy Corps programs;
• Financial approval of program and administrative expenses, including contracts with local and international consultants;
• Provide technical leadership to all Economic Development Department projects and, as a member of the senior leadership team, coordinate work plans and develop new initiatives in collaboration with other departments;
• Assess current and ongoing needs, opportunities and priorities in the rural economy, develop targeted interventions in response to them in consultation with management and local technical experts, and identify the resources necessary for undertaking such interventions;
• Identify program gaps and deficiencies and develop corrective actions to address them as required through monitoring visits and “lessons learned” evaluations;
• Establish and strengthen relations with national and local Government officials where they relate to the work and objectives of Mercy Corps Mongolia;
• Pro-actively maintain awareness of, and coordinate planning and relations with, programs and initiatives implemented by other organizations;
• Organize sector-specific, in-house and external “broad-based constituency” meetings to share lessons learned, coordinate plans and improve overall technical quality of programs;
• Ensure proper documentation of activities, results, lessons learned, best practices and follow-on activities;
• Ensure that all monitoring, evaluation and reporting adheres to donor and Mission Metrics requirements;
• Monitor and evaluate staff performance against clearly defined objectives; provide feedback to staff on performance on a regular basis;
• Take responsibility for staff development training initiatives and contribute to an atmosphere conducive to personal growth and development of project staff;
• Travel on a regular basis throughout the area of operations to maintain personal understanding of local issues and opportunities, to monitor activities and to interact with staff;
• Conduct him/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps;
• Other duties as assigned or requested.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING:

As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.

ACCOUNTABILITY TO BENEFICIARIES:

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards 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.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:
Project Managers / Technical Advisors (Economic Development)

ACCOUNTABILITY:

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Country Director

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Supervisors from other program and operations departments

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• MA/S or equivalent in agricultural, livestock and/or rural economic development or related field preferred;
• Knowledge of, and experience in: SME development, business planning, and marketing;
• Minimum of 3 years’ hands-on, relevant field experience in a project management role;
• Proven competence in long-term planning and development of strategies (inclusive of objectives, activities, and key performance indicators) for rural economic development programs;
• Strong financial and people management skills, including staff development experience;
• Proven project design, planning, documentation, monitoring, evaluation, and report-writing skills;
• Proven ability to develop, nurture, promote, and mentor project teams and teamwork;
• Demonstrated ability to successfully communicate, and initiate and maintain positive relationships, with different stakeholders including rural communities, government agencies, NGOs and donors;
• Strong organizational and communication skills with the ability to work effectively and creatively both independently and with a team;
• Computer literacy and excellent written and verbal communication, multi-tasking and interpersonal skills;
• Commitment to principles of participatory team management and community-oriented development;
• Prior experience living overseas with ability to live and work comfortably in Mongolia.

SUCCESS FACTORS:

The successful Economic Development Program Manager will have strong technical skills in the area of rural economic development and be able to develop, promote and nurture a strong team environment, while conducting him/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps. S/he will have strong technical, training, mentoring and team-building skills; an ability to thrive in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment; and the ability to work effectively in a team to design and develop strategic plans. S/he will interact effectively with international and national personnel, will demonstrate the ability to multi-task, meet deadlines, and process information in support of changing program activities. As with all Mercy Corps employees, the Economic Development Program Manager will be expected to maintain the respect of, and for, staff and colleagues.

The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, and make effective communication a priority in all situations.

LIVING /ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:

The position is based in Ulaanbaatar; this location is accompanied, suitable for spouse/partners and/or dependents.

Ulaanbaatar is a growing city with access to most modern amenities. The cost of living in Ulaanbaatar is around a third of average living costs in the USA. The city is well serviced with restaurants, pubs, supermarkets and shopping centers. Expatriate housing with modern furnishings is available to rent at different locations around the city. Travel to remote regions of Mongolia is estimated at up to 30% of the time. Mercy Corps Mongolia program areas are located in rural areas requiring long drive times of up to 3 days one-way. All staff must be in good physical condition to handle travel and working conditions outside of the capital city. In the winter, Ulaanbaatar’s air is heavily polluted so it is strongly advised that anyone with breathing difficulties or cardiovascular concerns take this into consideration.

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of 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.

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Mercy Corps is an AA/EOE.