USA, UK, Switzerland: Director, Peace and Conflict - Technical Support Unit

Feb 20, 2022 | Mercy Corps
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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  

Mercy Corps’ Technical Support Unit (TSU) is a key part of the Program Department. TSU members help set agency strategy and work closely alongside program teams worldwide in areas such as assessment and design, and project implementation and results measurement. TSU team members provide critical technical leadership and support, facilitate information-sharing across country and program teams, share guidance on emerging trends and best practices, foster organizational learning, contribute to research, represent Mercy Corps to external audiences, and develop robust partnerships. The TSU is also integral to global business development and revenue.


General Position Summary 

Recognizing that violent conflict is the leading cause of suffering and extreme poverty, Mercy Corps distinguishes itself among leading international aid and development agencies by working to address the root causes of conflict in the world’s most difficult places. With Mercy Corps’ focus on reducing fragility and building community resilience and well-being, the Peace and Conflict team is a leading agency voice that both amplifies the peace and conflict work of our global peacebuilding leaders and contributes to program excellence and the lasting impact of our work. Since the late 1990s, Mercy Corps has implemented more than 100 conflict management programs in more than 40 African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Balkan, and Latin American countries. 

Mercy Corps’ Peace and Conflict Director is an experienced practitioner and technical voice in the sector who leads an influential, agile global team that, in partnership with global peace and conflict program leaders, advances technical excellence and challenges conventional peacebuilding wisdom through innovation and rigorous learning and evaluation. The Peace and Conflict Director of the TSU will also guide the Peace and Conflict team and other teams across the organization to cement the Peace and Conflict Approach and best practices as a key program intervention.  Working in partnership across teams and sectors, the Director is able to successfully navigate a matrix structure, design and implement integrated approaches, simplify complex strategies to gain buy-in, identify new funding and partnership opportunities, and meet strategic team and agency objectives. The Peace and Conflict Director sits on the TSU Leadership Team, and works across the agency to identify regional and global trends and keep innovative, adaptive, and field-tested practices flowing across the agency. The Director should bring deep familiarity with implementing and providing technical support and leadership to a variety of peacebuilding programs, with deep sub-sector expertise, as well as experience partnering with diverse teams to advance shared goals. 


Essential Job Responsibilities 

Strategy & Vision

  • Advance and periodically refresh the strategic vision for the Peace and Conflict sector, closely integrated with other agency approaches and departments. 
  • Lead internal communications around sector strategy, and build agency-wide buy-in to support integration through regular work sessions and meetings across the agency and with partners.
  • Lead directly, or through oversight, programming excellence and strategy under the following initiatives (and others): 
    • Advancing peace in complex crises
    • Addressing the weaponization of social media
    • Addressing climate-related drivers of conflict
    • Reducing youth participation in violence, including violent extremism
    • Integrating psychosocial support into peace and reconciliation programming
    • Building social cohesion
    • Addressing the governance-related causes of conflict
    • Conflict sensitivity and Do No Harm

Program Development and Support

  • Produce or support the production of strong, influential analysis and derive new insights from program results, field assessments and industry learning.
  • Build agency capacity to incorporate those results, best practices into new program designs and on-going implementation.
  • Provide technical leadership and support, coordinating the team to support/mentor field and regional teams in improving the quality of existing programming and priority programs, as it relates to peace and conflict.
  • Delegate lead proposal writing and proposal support duties across the Peace and Conflict team.
  • Lead-write select, strategic proposals, working closely with country teams.
  • Build strong networks of partners, and a long-range vision, to field-test new ideas and programming through an iterative design process closely aligned with field stakeholders.
  • Identify strategic funding partners and develop relationships with relevant program area teams. 

Team Management 

  • Develop the growing capacity of the team, and deepen relationships with agency colleagues. 
  • Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance and reach short, medium and long-term professional objectives.
  • Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews. 
  • Create and sustain a work environment of respect where team members strive for excellence.
  • Work with the team to maintain a strong roster of consulting or flexible resources to fill technical needs that are not available in house.
  • Ensure the upkeep and use of key Peace and Conflict database, tracking, and knowledge management tools, including the Peace and Conflict program portfolio, proposal pipeline, external events tracker, consultant roster, workplan, and more

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Impact Measurement

  • Work with field teams in order to test theories and measure results and ensure indicators are relevant. 
  • Supervise team members and consultants as needed to update and refine relevant program indicators.
  • Lead and support activities to assess and document the impact of our technical interventions, including those integrated with other key sectors.
  • Cooperate closely with the Research and Learning and MEL teams to support learning objectives and produce rigorous evaluations of our Peace and Conflict work.
  • Work with field teams on adaptive programming that harnesses and scales successes for impact, increases regional/national influence and identifies emerging sector innovations. 

Influence and Partnership Development 

  • Elevate the representation and voice of global team members to share Mercy Corps experiences and insights in external fora.
  • Direct and input on technical team approaches, program results and research contributing to overall agency technical leadership and influence. 
  • Develop and maintain strategic program partnerships with implementing partners, academic partners, think tanks, local networks, private sector partners, or other entities to enhance impact.
  • Maintain strong communication and nurture relationships with donors, agencies and influencers.
  • Lead and coordinate the technical team to represent Mercy Corps in relevant practitioner and learning networks, and build our reputation through external engagement.
  • Participate directly in external engagement fora in key donors hubs, such as Washington, DC, London, and other nodes of international development.  


Supervisory Responsibility 

Peace and Conflict Advisors and Senior Advisors, as well as relevant consultants 

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 Qualifications and Transferable Skills 

  • M.A./M.S./M.Sc. or equivalent or above in a relevant technical field is required.
  • 7 - 9 years of experience in international development and peace and conflict sector including fragility and stability contexts. 
  • 3 - 5 years of field experience direct management experience implementing field-based projects.
  • Proven proposal development and donor cultivation experience, including active donor networking experience.
  • Demonstrated success in building working relationships with a diverse public, private and civil sector actors. 
  • 2 to 3 years of management and supervisory experience required. 
  • Ability to work effectively on matrixed teams and in non-hierarchical settings.  
  • Exceptionally strong verbal and written communications skills and organizational skills are required.
  • Familiarity with major donors such as USAID, DFID, the EC and foundations and corporations.
  • Knowledge of Mercy Corps’ systems, staff and structures is a plus.
  • Fluency in English is required; fluency in French is strongly preferred. 

Success Factors 

The successful Director must be a self-starter who demonstrates leadership in communications, partnership development, and team management. Multi-tasking with proven ability to manage competing priorities, follow procedures, and meet deadlines is required. The Director manages their team to have an impact on program quality, overall strategy, thought leadership, and program expansion. The Director leads and nurtures individual team member development and works effectively with different work styles. Additionally, the Director is a proactive collaborator who engages other technical teams and field program management.  The position must communicate and work with a variety of external groups including private sector partners, peer agencies, government officials, academic institutions, and donors. The Director is flexible and creative in planning and problem solving, and has a proven ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and be accountable for results. The Director has the vision and drive to lead initiatives in the agency that are more than program development, that demonstrate understanding for the larger picture while remaining focused on and able to handle the details. Working with other members of his/her team, the Director shapes and articulates the agency’s Peace and Conflict approach and advocates for its application at all levels of the organization. The individual 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.