Program Officer - Mercy Corps in Timor-Leste

 

 VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

PROGRAM OFFICER 

 

 

Location: Manatuto 

Position Status: Fixed term 

Grade Level: 5  

Salary: US$ 590.00 

 

Our growing NGO is seeking to hire a PROGRAM OFFICER who will be Mercy Corps’ front-line representative in the community. The primary role of the officers is to work with Community Development Agents (CDAs) to develop their capacity to provide relevant, appropriate agriculture, nutrition and financial services and goods to communities. CDAs are small scale entrepreneurs that work to provide services and goods on a fee or price basis to communities, increasing their access to sustainable services and goods. The Program Officer trains the CDAs on key activities such as Village Savings and Lending Association (VSLA) methodology, climate smart agriculture (CSA) nutrition discussions, etc. Program Officers (PO) then conduct monitoring and field mentorship to CDAs to ensure continued quality of implementation. The officers will work closely with relevant stakeholders namely Municipal Agriculture Extension Workers, the private sector, /and local authorities to ensure that activities are implemented in a well-coordinated manner. Activities will be implemented according to the workplan to achieve HATUTAN health, nutrition, and agriculture objectives. 

Based in Manatuto. Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Economics, Business Management, or related field. To succeed in this role, you will need excellent communication and problem-solving skills, as well as the ability to deliver high-impact activities to get important work done. Previous experience in community development project is a plus. 

PROGRAM OFFICER Responsibilities: 

• Support with scoping assessments to determine CDA and VSLA coverage in HATUTAN operation areas and assure new VSLAs formed are linked to HATUTAN supported schools. 
• Provide trainings to CDAs on their roles, responsibilities and entrepreneurship and support with trainings to VSLA members and school staff on various agriculture, nutrition, gender, and financial inclusion topics. 
• Provide supervision and mentor CDAs to ensure standardized high-quality trainings focused on best practices to achieve program objectives.  
• Support and build capacity of CDAs to become sustainable business people who can deliver products and services such as VSLA trainings, WASH products and serve as aggregators.  
• Support with School Garden creation and maintenance and assure schools use gardens as learning laboratories for students. 
• Work closely with Agriculture Extension Workers to assure quality of trainings regarding Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture and school garden creation. Verify work of extensionists and assure monthly reporting and stipends are submitted in a timely manner. 
• Support network of farmers to aggregate produce and link farmers to schools for sales of nutritious food for school feeding.  
• Generate and implement weekly and monthly workplans related to Hatutan activities with clear targets. 
• Work closely with Mercy Corps’ program support team and CARE field staff to ensure program activities are implemented in a coordinated manner according to the workplan. 
• Ensure that gender equality, child protection and Code of Conduct requirements are adopted and implemented in all relevant activities.  

 

PROGRAM OFFICER Requirements: 

• Degree in Agriculture, Economics, Business Management, or related field 
• Minimum 2 years’ experience with community-based or a community development project 
• Experience working with community, government officials, extension workers and stakeholders 
• Strong writing, reporting, organization, and communication skills 
• Good written and verbal Tetum with English skills preferred 
• Willingness to travel frequently to remote areas 
• Motorbike licenses, willingness to ride motorbike required.  
• Covid-19 fully vaccinated is required. 

 

Who is 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. 

Mercy Corps works in places of transition, where conflict, disaster, political upheaval, or economic collapse present opportunities to build more secure, productive, and just communities. Providing emergency relief in times of crisis, we move quickly to help communities recover and build resilience to future shocks and promote sustainable change by supporting community-led and market-driven initiatives.  

Diversity is powerful. To achieve transformational change, we seek out team members with different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking. Diversity helps us unlock complexity. WOMEN ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY. 

To view the full Position Description for this vacancy, click Here:   FULL PD    

Interested applicants should send their CV and cover letter to: timorleste-hr@mercycorps.org  or by hand to HR Department in Palm Business & Trade Centre Surik Mas, Fatumeta, Bairro Pite, Dom Aleixo, Dili Timor Leste. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. 

Mercy Corps is committed to the community members we work with and the beneficiaries we serve. As part of this commitment, Mercy Corps has zero tolerance for violations of our Code of Conduct (Sexual Abuse of Beneficiaries and Community Members (PSEA), Anti-Trafficking Policy, Child Safeguarding Policy, Mercy Corps Ethics Complaint and Whistleblower Policy, Sexual Misconduct in the Workplace Policy, Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying Policy, and Anti-Fraud and Corruption).  Applicants are required to sign the HIRING COMPLAINCE FORM and submit it together with a CV and application letter to Mercy Corps.  

CLOSING DATE; 13 April 2022