The Resilience CLA & capacity development specialist will lead the implementation of the RLA program capacity development strategy, ensuring all partners and their staff understand the strategy and its work plan. S/he will be supporting capacity development of partners on CLA. S/he will be responsible in designing & coordinating partners forum in Baidoa, facilitating and coordinating the resilience learning agenda, co-designing, and leading a participatory analysis of the complex crisis system in all RLA locations. S/he will also be responsible for conducting regular field visits to partner sites to facilitate the identification and capture of promising practices and follow-up on CLA/SLI commitment, designing & conducting of targeted studies that will catalyze learning. Likewise, s/he will be documenting “light-touch” interventions that link to member partner actions and help demonstrate theory-to-practice for adaptive management, SLI, or other core principles of a resilience approach.

Essential Job Responsibilities

CLA STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION

•  Design/coordinate forums that can empower practitioners and other stakeholders to design, implement, and adapt strategies and programs based on shared learning and promising practices
•  Facilitate the co-creation of a shared vision and resilience-informed learning agenda among member partners
•  Co-design and lead a participatory analysis of the complex crisis system in Bay/Bakool, applying crisis analytics and risk/resilience assessment methods to advance a common understanding of factors and interactions underlying persistent humanitarian needs and the role of aid in this system, while building partner capacity in systems thinking and providing a foundation for resilience informed CLA/SLI.
•  Lead the participatory development and management of the collective learning agenda with member partners
•  Conduct regular field visits to partner sites to facilitate the identification and capture of promising practices and follow-up on CLA/SLI commitments / provide support to adhere to
•  Identify opportunities and coordinate the design and execution of targeted studies that will catalyze learning but are outside the scope/budget of member
•  Lead the identification, design, and execution of “light-touch” interventions that link to member partner actions and help demonstrate theory-to-practice for adaptive management, SLI, or other core principles of a resilience
•  Lead capacity building of technical staff and partners in CLA strategies and implementation
•  Facilitate capacity-building assessments of USAID implementing partners and stakeholders, and develop capacity development plans
•  Facilitate use of collaboration, adaptation, and learning tools by implementing partners

PROGRAM SUPPORT OPERATIONS

•  Ensure close communication with operational support structures to ensure efficient support for the implementation of RLA CLA
•  Coordinate with program, finance, and administration staff for troubleshooting and problem-solving.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING

•  As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as

ACCOUNTABILITY TO PARTNERS

•  Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our partners and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging participant communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field

Supervisory Responsibility

None

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Directly to the RLA Team leader/Manager and Indirectly to the Programs Director

Works Directly With RLA team leader, ACDI/VOCCA, Somalia Resilience partners

Knowledge and Experience

•  A bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a relevant academic area such as a social science
•  Minimum 5 years’ experience in program design/implementation, including significant experience in capacity building and facilitation, preferably in Somalia or a similar
•  Thorough understanding of resilience approaches, CLA, and SLI; demonstrated “systems thinker” and hands-on experience in the application of the above to relief and development
•  Solid background in data analytics and research methods; demonstrated leadership, strategic thinking, management, communication, data and program results presentation
•  Demonstrated ability to facilitate and capture learning for adapting and improving; proven ability to synthesize and communicate complex topics effectively and inspire diverse groups towards
•  Demonstrated ability to transfer knowledge through training, mentoring, and experience in communications and
•  Excellent training facilitation skills with good ability to prepare different contexts deliver to the staff of high caliber.
•  Excellent communication skills in English and
•  Strong roots and networks in regional state dynamics (Southwest, Hirshabelle, and Banadir) and intimate understanding of the political

Success Factors

A successful Resilience CLA & Capacity Development Specialist will have the capacity to coordinate participatory analysis of the complex crisis system, undertake multi-sectoral research, build and manage relationships with different stakeholders, and lead collaborative design processes. S/he takes initiative for coordinating and planning tasks and work plans and is equally comfortable and capable of working independently and as part of a team. The Resilience CLA & Capacity Development Specialist will have the ability to easily forge and maintain professional relationships with team members, communities, and partners. S/he is deeply curious, with an appetite for learning and takes responsibility for keeping him/herself up to date on research and promising practices, and for engaging with key networks in the resilience field.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in (Baidoa ) and it requires up to 10% travel to Mogadishu and Hirshabelle. Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/STA 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 always and in all in-country venues. Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision. Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.

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 e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.