Disaster Risk Reduction Lead, Increasing Resilience of Island Economies in Jamaica

**Contingent upon Donor Funding**

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.
Now, and for the future.

Program / Department Summary

Climate change severely and disproportionately impacts small islands in the Caribbean. Worsening environmental risks like rising and warming seas, volatile dry and wet seasons, and catastrophic storms mean that islands and small island developing states (SIDS) bear the brunt of the impacts of climate change, even though their carbon footprint is small relative to the world’s largest carbon producers, and their capacity to cope is constrained by their narrow resource base.

Caribbean islands need flexible tools to make them more resilient through the climate crisis. Tools developed should protect and improve lives, livelihoods and the natural resources these communities depend on. Mercy Corps partners with community service organizations across the Caribbean to strengthen the networks around vulnerable communities, provide resources to build out adaptive programming, and respond collaboratively to climate threats as they arise.

Mercy Corps began this work following the historic 2016 hurricane season. Since then, with the help of our donors, more than $34 million has been put toward preparedness, response and climate resilience programming in the Caribbean. Mercy Corps has learned that empowering people and their communities with flexible assets and knowledge is the best way to measurably protect lives and livelihoods.

General Position Summary

Mercy Corps is seeking a Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Lead to support the implementation of an anticipated five-year USAID Increasing Resilience of Island Economies in Jamaica (IRIE Jamaica). The purpose of IRIE Jamaica is to strengthen communities, key economic sectors, and Jamaica’s enabling environment to prepare for climate change and disasters.

The DRR Lead will oversee the technical direction and implementation of activities related to community level climate adaptation and disaster planning working closely with counterparts in the Government of Jamaica and local organizations.

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY, PLANNING, AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Works closely with COP to develop the strategy for community-level adaptation and disaster planning.
• Leads the implementation of the technical strategy for community adaptation and disaster planning, ensuring it is appropriate to meet Activity objectives, quality standards, and adapts with learning and contextual changes.
• Integrate cross-cutting approaches including locally driven, shock-responsive, climate adaptive, social and gender inclusive, youth empowerment, and nutrition sensitive approaches.
• With the support of MEL team, implement a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of community-level adaptation and DRR initiatives to inform future planning; conduct periodic assessments of disaster risks and update strategy based on changing environmental conditions.
• Identify opportunities to integrate technology, such as mobile applications for alerts or the utilization of GIS mapping for vulnerability assessments.
• Ensure interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, program participant accountability standards, and program management minimum standards.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Recruitment, onboarding, and supervising the Activity’s technical staff under the community-level adaptation and disaster planning component.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect that embraces all voices into shared strategies and foster an inclusive culture of curiosity, collaboration, learning, and adaptation
• Provide team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance, enhance technical and partnership management skills, and reach objectives.
• Promote staff accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one-on-one meetings and performance reviews.

REPRESENTATION

• Foster partnerships and collaborative engagement between government, NGOs, civil society, and private sectors for a coordinated approach to disaster risk reduction, planning, and management.
• Actively contribute to and collaborate with country, regional, and global counterparts to drive collective impact, share learning, and contribute to program visibility.

FINANCE and COMPLIANCE

• Monitor partner activities to ensure adherence to grant agreements, Mercy Corps’ policies and procedures, and other relevant regulations, including those of USAID and the Government of Jamaica.
• Support systems to ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with program, donor, and Mercy Corps’ needs.

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.

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 themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward 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

To be determined at a later stage.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Chief of Party

Works Directly With: The Activity team, regional team, finance and operations teams, and the global technical support team.

Knowledge and Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience, including proven experience managing disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, or resilience activities.
• Advanced degree in social science, management, international development or other relevant field.
• Demonstrated experience collaborating with local CSOs and working with government ministries/entities.
• Experience with and commitment to adaptive management and collaborative, learn, adapt (CLA) processes.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, and a proven ability to network and maintain effective working relationships with diverse actors.
• Previous experience in the Caribbean or similar context preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.

Success Factors

The ideal candidate will have a strong curiosity for understanding and working effectively within the complex cultural, political, security and social environment of Jamaica. S/he will be an excellent communicator, multi-tasker, and able to work in ambiguous situations. S/he will be a tolerant and flexible individual able to work in difficult and stressful environments and follow procedures. The successful candidate will be focused on team building and capacity-building of national staff; be a strategic thinker, have strong skills in design, monitoring and evaluation of development programs and maintain a sense of humor.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The DRR Lead is based in Kingston, Jamaica. All Mercy Corps employees are expected to work a five-day work week. This position requires 40% of travel by road to field program locations.

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 Mercy Corp’s policies, procedures, and values at all times 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.