Location: US, UK, NL, open to other Mercy Corps locations.

Position Status: Full-time, Regular, Exempt

Salary: Director level (US HQ7 and other country equivalent banding)

US Starting Salary for this role will be USD $90,000 to $114,000 commensurate on experience.
Based on local benchmark for candidates outside the United States.

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 a long-term impact.

About Programs at Mercy Corps

The Programs function at Mercy Corps supports its mission and works with program impact, innovation, and influence teams. The Program Function is composed of headquarters and regional departments which are guided by Mercy Corps global strategy, Pathway to Possibility. It works in close partnership with all other agency departments to deliver the highest quality programming and impactful results. Aligning closely with the Pathway to Possibility, the Program Team focuses on increasing accountability, alignment, and fair and transparent resource allocation, while prioritizing its Core Behaviors of collaboration, curiosity, inclusion, and integrity. The Programs function is a key steward of Mercy Corps’ strategic commitments, integrating these commitments into programming to be Climate Smart, Locally Led, Evidence Driven, Innovative and Creative, and Safe, Diverse and Inclusive.

Our comprehensive Technical Resources and Quality (TRaQ) Unit is an integral part of the Program Department. It supports country-led work to deliver measurable impact, leads agency thinking in key technical and program management areas, and ensures quality programing while maintaining agency visibility with key audiences. The TRaQ unit’s goal is to equip our global programs with the most effective technical solutions and quality program management tools to tackle the world’s toughest challenges, while simultaneously building our global reputation and resources

The TRaQ unit comprises nine technical and cross-cutting thematic teams, Food Security, Climate and Water Security, Economic Opportunity, Peace and Governance, Global Resilience, Social Inclusion, Cash, Infrastructure, Training and Program Standards. This position will be part of the Food Security team. Each team has established goals and strategies that will guide the Director’s work

The Position

As a member of the TRaQ Unit Leadership Team, the Director Food Systems, Technical Resources & Quality (TRAQ) owns the vision, application, and development of their technical team in support of Mercy Corps’ program teams and 10 year strategy, Pathway to Possibility. The Director supervises a team of technical experts, providing feedback and guiding growth, and coordinating team movement and activities. The Director sets each team’s priorities, cultivates innovation and expertise in both thought leadership and action towards program support, and seeks collaborative partnerships with donors, industry leaders, and other Mercy Corps teams. The Director integrates their team’s technical approach in support of Mercy Corps’ strategies, outcomes, and commitments and raises the organization’s capacity to respond to technical programmatic challenges and influence the industry.

The Director Food Systems, Technical Resources & Quality (TRaQ) is Mercy Corps’ global technical leader for Food Systems programming, with a clear vision and strategy to guide implementation across the agency. The Director has extensive experience improving, restoring, and transitioning livelihoods across food systems, a deep understanding of the inequalities within food systems, how to design programs that drive transformation and advance inclusive food systems, and the role of investing in food systems to advance resilient food security outcomes. The Director guides and facilitates the work of the team. They will partner with country and program leadership to ensure technical consistency across existing programs and grow the portfolio guided by strong vision. The Director will have experience working with and managing global teams in a matrixed environment. The Director is a strong influencer both inside and outside the Agency with the ability to communicate Mercy Corps’ technical strengths and overall vision. The Director will have extensive experience building and maintaining partnerships with private sector, NGOs, and key stakeholders in the countries where Mercy Corps work to ensure a country driven approach to delivering food system solutions. They will be a member of the TRaQ Leadership team composed of other Directors and Senior Directors and work closely with other TRaQ teams on complex, multi-disciplinary programs.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGIC VISION AND LEADERSHIP

Set, communicate, and apply a clear strategic vision for Food Systems that aligns with the outcomes and commitments of Pathway to Possibility, specifically the Food Security Outcome. Ensure the strategy is continually updated to reflect ongoing learning, and emerging capacities, and align team’s approaches with other technical teams, program teams, and partner agencies.
Work with country and regional teams to develop and deliver food security and food system strategies and priorities.
Lead the agency in identifying and testing bold solutions that leverage technology advancements and innovations across food systems, nutrition and agriculture to advance the food security outcome.
Contribute to agency work by using a systems-based learning approach. Incorporate key scientific and development research, build strong networks of partners, and field-test programs through an iterative design process. Champion the Food Security Evidence & Learning Agenda (ELA) and ensure integration with regional and country activities.
Identify strategic funding partners and develop relationships in partnership with relevant program area teams.
Manage balance of strategy development, program design and implementation, knowledge management and technical influence.

PROGRAM DESIGN AND PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT

Write and review grant proposals and concept notes for donors - including foundations, corporations, and government agencies - with a focus on meeting food security needs through food systems transformation. Ensuring designs are both innovative and attainable.

Delegate lead proposal writing and proposal support duties across the team
Lead-write select strategic proposals, working closely with country and other technical teams.

Collaborate with program, country, regional, and TRaQ teams on prepositioning and strategy development, and designing multi-sectoral programs that embody agency goals.
Facilitate the design, development and implementation of strategic assessments and data analysis to determine integrated program design needs and priorities built on specific contextual knowledge and community needs.
Facilitate multi-team/multi-country shared learning to standardize best practices, develop advantages for new program development, and advance strategic partnerships.
Explore and maximize new lines of revenue, especially relating to "big ideas". Emphasis will be on growth of the Food Security & Food Systems portfolio among strategic donors such as USAID; private corporations; and US and European institutional donors.

PROGRAM QUALITY

Responsible for technical leadership and support, coordinating team to support country and regional teams in improving programming, building capacities, and troubleshooting complex issues.

Provide direct technical support on high-stakes investments, particularly in the design and start-up phase.
Lead the development of approach documents, training material, workshop design, and other mechanisms that support technical excellence.
Serve as Complex Board Focal Point as requested.

Develop and refine theories of change and related indicators. Work with program teams to test theories and measure results.
Help improve and maintain standards of program delivery that comply with best practices, relevant regulations and requirements.
Strengthen capacity of Mercy Corps team members to use evidence-based approaches in design and implementation of programs.
Oversea/provide in-country and remote training for Mercy Corps staff, partners, and programs on Food Security & Food Systems related assessments, implementation, research, and evaluations.
Guide teams to facilitate multi-team/multi country shared learning to standardize best practice, develop comparative advantages for new program development and advance strategic partnerships.
Identify opportunities to increase the adoption of data analysis and modeling to maximize program quality and impact efficiency
Collaborate with country and MEL teams to ensure that we appropriately capture impact and support the building of evidence and learning across the portfolio.
Work with Program and Quality team to ensure indicators continue to be relevant and accessible to programs, tools are created to effectively measure indicators and staff capacity is built.
Lead and support activities to understand and document the impact of our technical interventions, including analysis of outcome and impact data to inform technical briefs, corporate capacity statements, future program development, and advancement of the Food Security Evidence & Learning Strategy.

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

Position Mercy Corps as a thought leader in Food Systems that encompasses resilience and market driven approaches.
Develop and implement a targeted policy and advocacy agenda in collaboration with Mercy Corps teams.
Develop strategic technical and program partnerships with academic partners, think tanks, local networks, private sector partners, or other entities. Nurture relationships with key donors.
Speak at key events, highlighting Mercy Corps’ evidence base. Coordinate team to represent Mercy Corps in relevant practitioner and learning networks and increase Mercy Corps’ reputation in relevant technical fields.
Participate in developing TRaQ knowledge management practices.
Actively engage in internal relationship building, providing project and unit updates with other departments.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

Embrace Mercy Corps’ culture and values and actively work to achieve its Diversity and Inclusion goals. Foster a spirit of inclusion and respect amongst team members.
As a member of Leadership team, engage with other Directors on team plans, working collectively to increase unit’s coherence. Ensure timely communications with team members.

Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
Supervise, hire, and orient new team members as necessary.
Use best practices for Human Resources, including up-to-date Job Descriptions, IOPs, and detailed review processes at pre-determined intervals.
Provide team members with information, tools, and other resources to improve performance and reach their objectives. Empower team members to be leaders in their fields and encourage/support professional growth.

Ensure team members' accountability for delivering on individual workplans and adhering to TRaQ processes, maintaining, and using key databases, tracking, and knowledge management tools.

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP

Demonstrate exceptional leadership by consistently delivering expectations and maintaining composure, even in challenging situations.
Embrace a growth mindset, actively seek diverse perspectives, and welcome feedback to drive continuous improvement.
Maintain the highest ethical standards, treating all individuals with respect and dignity.
Demonstrate professionalism in all aspects of life, ensuring that your conduct reflects positively on Mercy Corps and does not compromise its mission or work.

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

Manages technical teams of Senior Advisors, Advisors, interns, and volunteers.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Senior Director, Food Security

Works Directly With: TRaQ Teams, Mercy Corps program teams.

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 Qualification & Transferable Skills

Bachelor’s degree and 6+ years of experience required in international development, Food Security, Food Systems and/or relevant technical sector that includes:

3+ years of program experience required, direct management experience implementing field-based projects.
Grant writing, research, and proposal development.
Leading all aspects of large and complex proposals and managing integrated grant writing teams.
Proven donor cultivation experience, including active donor networking.
Demonstrated success in building working relationships with diverse public, private, and civil sector actors.
Producing and publishing influential articles and blogs.

Practical experience in a relevant technical field is preferred.
Combining strong theoretical and applied knowledge of technical expertise using integrated approaches and applying systems thinking.
2+ years of management and supervisory experience required.
Ability to work effectively on matrixed teams and in non-hierarchical settings.
Exceptionally strong verbal and written communication and organizational skills are required.
Delivering capacity building curriculum or other processes for program teams.
Willingness and ability to travel frequently to Mercy Corps project sites and program locations, including traveling to insecure environments, is required.
Familiarity with major donors such as USAID, DFID, the EC, foundations, and corporations.
Fluency in English required; fluency in other languages strongly preferred.

Success Factors

The Director Food Systems, Technical Resources & Quality (TRaQ) has the vision and drive to lead initiatives in the agency beyond program development, demonstrating a vision for the big picture while accounting for the details. The Director must be a superb team player who has the technical and functional skills to lead the TRaQ team as a best-in-class technical unit. The Director must be a self-starter who demonstrates leadership in communications, partnership development, and team management. The proven abilities to multi-task, manage competing priorities, follow procedures, and meet deadlines are required. The Director must have strong interpersonal skills that build critical partnerships, nurture and engage team members’ professional development, and coordinate solutions in the field. The Director is flexible and creative in planning and problem solving, and has a proven ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and show accountability. The Director must have high proficiency for working in varied cultural, political, and religious environments, and must be able to travel and work successfully in austere environments and maintain poise in stressful situations.

At Mercy Corps, we value team members who embrace curiosity, act with integrity, and foster an environment of inclusion and collaboration. Our successful team members work effectively in evolving and dynamic environments, prioritize clear communication, and build collaborative relationships across departments. They interact with all global team members with an inclusive approach and excel at multitasking, meeting deadlines, and processing information to support our changing program activities.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position offers the flexibility of remote work and can be based in the United States, United Kingdom or any Mercy Corps' office locations. It requires up to 25% travel per year to support country programs. Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed on f field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves professionally and respect local laws, customs, and Mercy Corps' policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

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 MC's 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 (integrityhotline@mercycorps.org).

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.