Programmes and Partnerships Coordinator – UK or NL – Netherlands

Location: Edinburgh, London, UK or NL

Valid unrestricted work authorization in the country in which you will be based is required at the time of application for this position.

Position Status: Full-time

Salary: Starting salary for this role will be £31,120 per annum for UK and €36,720 per annum for NL commensurate on experience.

Closing date: Applications to be submited before February 1st

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 Department

The Strategic Institutional Partnerships (SIP) team works in close collaboration with the European Regional Programmes Team (RPT), RDs/CDs, New Initiatives, Technical Support Unit, the Europe-based Policy and Advocacy team to strengthen Mercy Corps’ relationships with key institutional donors and grow funding. The team manages the HQ-based relationships between specific donors/ funding mechanisms and Mercy Corps, to increase global agency knowledge of key European donors, funding streams and requirements to increase the quality of proposals, better position ourselves for unsolicited funding opportunities and implement high quality programmes. The SIP team builds strong relationships with donor representatives at all levels through proactive representation and engagement in relevant donor and partner networks.

The Position

In this role as the Programmes and Partnerships Coordinator, you will be situated across the SIP and Programmes team, providing structured planning, coordination and administrative support to the wider team, and to the Senior Director of Programmes, Funding and Operations. The Programmes and Partnerships Coordinator will play a key role in acting as the focal point for the team to ensure representation and communication of agency and inter departmental initiatives, as well as lead on departmental tasks, processes and requirements. You will also proactively identify opportunities to continually improve processes and ways of working in order to facilitate the efficient operation of the SP and Programmes teams, with the ultimate goal of enabling the Senior Director of Programmes, Funding and Operations to deliver Mercy Corps’ strategic aims and objectives – this will include tasks related to new business development, grant management and strategic HQ-led initiatives.

In this role, you will act as the point person between the Senior Director and the wider team, independently troubleshooting and pre-solving issues or concerns. You will need excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to remain calm under pressure, quickly adapting to changing needs and circumstances. You will use your strategic thinking skills to help manage projects and provide support to the Senior Director. In this role, you will manage information and communications between the Director and wider team to enable this role to be as effective as possible.

Essential Responsibilities

COORDINATION AND COMMUINCATION

• Lead efforts to coordinate across the European Programmes function inclusive of the Strategic Institutional Partnerships (SIP) Team and the Regional Programme Team (RPT).
• Disseminate internal communications on behalf of the Strategic Institutional Partnerships (SIP) Team, including internal social media sites, regular newsletters and publications.
• Ensure SIP and RPT team members regularly update internal tracking tools (business development, external engagement trackers).
• Liaise with the Global Program Manager to ensure effective and timely communications.
• As needed, provide a range of support throughout the upcoming phases of programme redesign and restructure,

SUPPORT TO THE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS (SIP) TEAM

• Support SIP team members with the following: specific pieces of donor or funding research, background information, capacity statements and proposal support.
• Responsible for maintaining and updating the internal European Donor Wikimedia site.
• Point of contact for sharing information and donor guidance on a range of smaller European donors including the Start Network, Jerseys Overseas Aid, the Scottish Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF), and others as required, with the RPT and wider agency.
• Represent SIP team members as needed in meetings or events.
• Prepare for regular SIP team calls, assisting with agenda setting and scheduling regular internal guest speakers.
• Support the SIP team in scheduling and hosting regular webinars to provide current donor trends and information.

SUPPORT TO THE REGIONAL PROGRAMMES TEAM (RPT)

• Focal point and input to strategic assignments which require input and coordination from the programmes and partnerships team with other departments – e.g. co-financing, restricted balances, exemption tracker and EC eligibility tracker.
• Participate in cross-team initiatives (for example CFT/RPT or P&A/SIP working group) and provide updates on cross-team initiatives to RPT as needed.
• Lead on initiatives that do not sit with a specific regional or donor team and provide benefit to the team as a whole.
• Coordinate regular team meetings ensuring the chair and note-taker schedule is updated.
• Infrequently, and on occasions of significant need, provide Programme Officer (PO) surge support to the Regional Programmes Team (RPT), stepping in at short notice to cover portfolios.

GRANT/CONTRACT MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

• Support the management of European HQ-managed grants – reporting, AARCs, consultants, NAIS, close out emails, capacity building of HQ based teams (as needed) in collaboration with global structures.
• Provide comprehensive reviews of donor reports and ensure that reports are submitted in accordance with the agency’s Reporting Standard Operating Procedures and in adherence to deadlines set out in the grant agreement/contract.
• Coordinate with MCG HQ managed grants team to ensure learning and information is shared.
• Update departmental and input to agency grant management tools and resources as and when required – including the Grant Administration Document (GAD).

NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

• Support European HQ business development including the development and submission of high-quality tenders and proposals, such as coordinating documents required for submission, copy editing draft proposals from HQ teams, and lead on final submission.
• Coordinate the internal selection process for global funding opportunities, requesting Expressions of Interest (EoIs) and liaising with TSU and SIP colleagues.

CAPACITY DEVELOPENT, INDUCTION AND TRAINING

• Coordinate with relevant teams to ensure that appropriate Programme-related training and knowledge is shared amongst European team members – e.g TSU, PaQ, etc.
• Act as the focal point for the Programmes and Partnerships induction for new team members in Europe and ensure that the content delivered is updated regularly.
• Support the Senior Director in the induction of new members to the SIP team.

GENERAL SUPPORT TO THE SENIOR DIRECTOR

• Provide a range of administrative support to the Senior Director inclusive of scheduling, travel and other support as required.
• Lead on compiling and drafting of departmental reports for the European Strategic Plan, ESLT or Board as required, as well as utilising available data to track KPIs.
• Provide support in recruitment of team members or consultants.
• Support on the logistical arrangements of team retreats.

Supervisory Responsibility

None.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Senior Director of Programmes, Funding and Operations

Works Directly With: RPT and members of the SIP team

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 & Transferable Skills

• Undergraduate degree in International Development or equivalent experience in related field
• 2 years’ experience in providing administrative/coordination support to multiple teams and/or Senior Team members and managing multiple workstreams.
• Proven ability to communicate effectively with colleagues from various backgrounds and cultures.
• Experience in crafting communications inclusive of informative emails, reports,
• Previous experience working in NGO sector.
• Previous experience working with humanitarian/development donors in Europe.
• Proficiency with MS Office software (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Excellent spoken and written English.
• Excellent spoken and written French would be advantageous.

Success Factors

• Excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Systematic, with a strong eye for detail.
• Can work quickly, accurately and to deadlines.
• Able to build and maintain effective internal and external relationships.
• Strong team worker and communicator.
• Able to cope with changing priorities, often at short notice, and work well under pressure.
• Proactive and solutions-based attitude.
• High levels of motivation, professionalism and resilience.
• An exposure to and interest in international development issues is important, along with an empathy for Mercy Corps’ mission.

We are looking for someone with exceptional organisational and communication skills, with the ability to excel in a diverse and busy team. You must have demonstrable experience of supporting a team to be able to efficiently prioritise and manage your time, whilst adapting to needs and circumstances. This is an opportunity to learn from senior programmes team members and gain a solid understanding of programme and project management across the board. You will be someone with a positive, can-do approach, who enjoys the pressure of working together as a team in adherence to tight deadlines. Strong communication skills are vital, as you will be operating in a truly international environment and engaging with a range of stakeholders.

You will not only have the right experience on paper but also the right personal ‘fit’ – you will live and breathe our culture and values, with a visible passion for the work we do and a desire to be part of our story.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Edinburgh or London, UK, or Netherlands and may involve occasional national and international travel.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a short-term assignment or trip to country offices. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps’ policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all Mercy Corps locations.

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.

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.

As a safeguarding measure, Mercy Corps screens all potential US-Based employees. This is done following the conclusion of recruitment and prior to assuming full employment.

Our screening process is designed to be transparent and completed in partnership with new Team Members. You will have the opportunity to disclose any prior convictions at the conclusion of the recruitment process before the check is initiated. We ask that you do not disclose any prior convictions in your application materials or during the recruitment process.