Асистент відділу гуманітарних програм / Humanitarian Program Assistant

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 Program / Department Summary

 Mercy Corps has been responding in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war in February 2022. The attacks set off a wave of displacement internally and into the countries along Ukraine’s western borders. 

In Ukraine, the humanitarian team ensures people who are displaced or sheltering in place can meet their basic survival needs. The humanitarian portfolio addresses the needs of conflict-affected people in the Eastern and Southern regions of Ukraine through multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA), in-kind food and non-food assistance, and other key sectors, particularly livelihoods, protection, and psychosocial support. We also fund local organizations that know their community best and are working quickly to address their most urgent needs.

Building on the successes and lessons learned of Locally led, Inclusive and Versatile Emergency Support to Conflict Affected Populations in Ukraine and Poland program (LIVES) and LIVES 2.0, as well as Private Funding supporting a Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), Mercy Corps Ukraine will continue to work with CSO partners to deliver a comprehensive package of emergency assistance to the most vulnerable conflict-affected individuals and communities in Ukraine.

General provisions

• The Humanitarian Program Assistant is appointed to the position and dismissed from it by order of the Head of the Representative Office on the proposal of the manager of the department.
• In its activities, the Humanitarian Program Assistant is guided by the Constitution of Ukraine, laws of Ukraine, resolutions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, decrees and orders of the President of Ukraine, resolutions and orders of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the charter of the representative office, regulations of the Department, internal labor regulations and other regulations, as well as this Description.

The Position

The Humanitarian Program Assistant will provide day-to-day support to program Officers/Coordinators within the Humanitarian program team including in support of and partnerships program activities such as NFI, Food, WASH, Cash, add shelter basic assistance, including the rapid response mechanism. The Humanitarian Program Assistant will support in the identification of suitable local partners for the LIVES 3.0 project and will work closely with the selected implementation partners to ensure smooth, efficient, and effective implementation of the program.

They will ensure appropriate systems and support mechanisms are in place to track, and analyze and report on results. They are a strong team player and are effective communicators, able to work with internal and external stakeholders to achieve common objectives. The successful candidate will have an eye for detail and is able to complete documentation and reports to a high standard.

Essential Responsibilities

Program Implementation

• Support the development of and adhere to detailed implementation plans and intervention budgets and communicate any challenges or issues to management.
• Support in the development of a weekly work plan to ensure that the program runs to time in an efficient and effective manner.
• Conduct rapid needs assessments, market assessments, protection and risk assessments as well as any other needs identified during the response.
• Conduct registrations for both cash and in-kind assistance and help organize registration sites ensuring that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria, registration sites are organized in an accessible and safe way and that feedback mechanisms are in place.
• Support the program officer to identify, build, and manage collaborative partnerships with local partners, local governments, and other stakeholders.
• Ensure that Mercy Corps’ humanitarian mission and principles are clearly communicated and understood by all stakeholders and that fair and transparent program participant selection processes are established and shared widely.
• Work closely with local partners to develop work plans, including registration and distribution plans, as well as other program tools that guide project implementation.
• Review narrative reports and supporting documents of local partners to ensure implementation is on track and collaborate closely with subaward and MEL teams to track alignment of partners’ activities with expenditures.
• Conduct regular field monitoring of program activities and complete activity reports to record lessons learned and provide recommendations to improve programming.
• Deliver effective implementation of training and capacity building initiatives for local partners.
• Provide inputs for internal / external reports to the donor and/or MC stakeholders.
• Ensure, in coordination with local partners, the safe delivery and distribution of NFIs to beneficiaries, including advising on and adhering to standard operating procedures (SOP) for NFIs distribution, safety and security measures, and training program and partners staff on SOP and safety and security measures.
• Integrate the use of community approaches in the design, implementation, and maintenance of projects.

Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards; Mercy Corps’ Codes of Conduct and Ethics; Gender, Diversity and Inclusion guiding documents; Core Humanitarian Principles and Do No Harm.

HR/Admin & Finance

• Ensure that the timesheet is filled-out out correctly and submitted to the supervisor no later than the 30th of each month.
• Maintain inventory records of materials and materials flow; oversee tracking of all assets.

Risk Management

• Support program teams on risk management and mitigation;
• Adhere to Mercy Corps safety policies and procedures and take responsibility for ensuring personal safety.

Other

• Adhere to all Mercy Corps policies and procedures as outlined in Mercy Corps policies and procedures manuals.
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• When using Mercy Corps property for take appropriate care of the inventory and ensure correct use complying with the Mercy Corps policies.
• Other duties as assigned.

Obligation

Humanitarian Program Assistant is responsible for the quality and timely execution of the assigned tasks of the manager of the team; fulfillment of the rules of internal labor regulations, tasks and duties assigned by this Instruction.

Supervisory Responsibility 

Daily laborers and enumerators 

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Humanitarian Program Coordinator (if in Odesa); Humanitarian Senior Program Officer (if in Dnipro)

Works Directly With: Other program departments, Crisis Analytics team, Operations, Security Management, PAQ and MEL 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

• BA/BS or equivalent in relevant field
• At least one year of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members in cross-cultural environments.
• Ukrainian language (written and spoken is required, a strong command of English (written and spoken) is also necessary.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to interact effectively with project partners, local authorities, and vulnerable populations.
• Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.
• Demonstrable ability to deliver high performance in stressful and insecure contexts.
• Proficiency with MS Office software required (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Willingness to travel to remote and insecure field locations (please note that teams must be ready to deploy on short notice and for long periods of time to response locations).

Success Factors

The successful Humanitarian Program Assistant is someone who excels in a fast-paced and dynamic work environment. Humanitarian mechanisms are designed to provide immediate assistance during a fast uptick in humanitarian needs or displacement. As such, the work pace can be intense and demanding, requiring team members to act quickly and efficiently to address the needs of affected populations.

They will be an effective collaborator who can work with and communicate effectively to colleagues, other humanitarian actors, government agencies, local partners and crisis-affected communities. The ability to communicate clearly, work as part of a team and navigate cultural sensitivities are crucial skills for employees in this role.

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. 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.   

Only pre-selected candidates will be contacted for an interview. 

People with disabilities and veteran status are welcome to apply.