Afghanistan: Director of Programmes - Youth Vocational Skills, Afghanistan

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Mercy Corps has been working in Afghanistan continuously since 1986. Presently, Mercy Corps is working in seven provinces in Afghanistan with a portfolio of programmes aimed at promoting improved prosperity for Afghan citizens through agri-business, natural resources management, youth vocational skills and deployment of renewable energy. These four pillars support livelihoods, increasing food security, micro-finance and strengthening private sector, civil society and government institutions. Donors include the United States State Department, the Asia Development Bank, the German Government and the Department for International Development of the British Government (DFID).

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

This position is designed to manage the youth vocational training pillar of Mercy Corps’ work in Afghanistan and to develop new opportunities within this portfolio and build upon existing foundational efforts to introduce financially and operationally sustainable delivery of these services. Building off and securing, Mercy Corps experience to date in this field, the Director of Programmes – YVS will ensure that Mercy Corps becomes a key ‘go-to’ implementer for donors, private sector and government departments interested in improving the nation-wide pool of skilled youth. This position is responsible for developing and capitalising on new funding opportunities and expansion of the portfolio, to new geographical locations and new economic sectors. Approximately 50 per cent of time dedicated to nurturing relationships with key stakeholder decision makers, seeking out and identifying unsolicited funding opportunities. This largely entails developing strong strategic private-sector relationships with large sectors in the economy that have the greatest potential for growth and expansion of job-opportunities over the medium to long-term and with government departments for understanding their strategic staffing plans. Further, selection of donors who appreciate the strategic importance of aligning funded implementation with the key sources of job opportunities. The other key focus areas are to oversee and provide strategic guidance to the Mercy Corps programme implementation team as well as responding to proposal opportunities solicited by donors. This entails, of the team, to develop certification-ready curricula modules for the programmes in the Youth Vocational Training program. These modules will be grounded in carefully discerned specific skills needs based on actual and anticipated labour demands as identified and agreed with government departments and private sector partners. The post holder is expected to take the programmatic lead to oversee the national staff team. Additionally this role should endeavour to explore opportunities to develop and strengthen Mercy Corps’ thought leadership in the area of employment, skills and youth programming.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Leadership and guidance of the programme team in implementing market-oriented vocational skills programming,


• Oversight and financial management of grants and liaison with donors including US Department of State, EC, US Institute for Peace and British Council, namely PRM funded INVEST in Kandahar Programme, EC funded cross-border ‘Economic Opportunities for Afghan Uprooted People’ programme, USIP research project, British Council Locally Engaged Staff programme.


• Take the lead for developing solicited proposals to secure continuation or expansion programmes in the Youth Vocational Skills portfolio.


• Cultivate relationships and navigate the external context to identify and nurture unsolicited opportunities, this includes advocating for new concepts not currently included in government and donor strategies.


• Regular travel to intervention areas and other field offices to support the YVS team and ensure that any modules or plans developed prioritise sustainability through a market-driven approach and reflect the needs of the team and the student body, as well as the capacity,


• Identifying areas for improvement and growth of the current approach, through research and working with the team to develop content for vocational skills programmes including leadership, communications and conflict mitigation and other ‘life skills’ for youth.


• Develop curricula modules for Mercy Corps partners in Government and the private sector to build capacity and add value in soft skills and communications.


• Actively leading business development of the portfolio and liaising with other non-governmental, government and private sector partners.


• Develop youth empowerment and engagement mechanisms programmatically with support from Mercy Corps HQ, Improve MCA understanding of the profile of Afghan youth to inform programming targeted to meet their needs


• Facilitate research to improve youth programming and help build Mercy Corps’ position as a thought leader


• Support the Mercy Corps Afghanistan HR department and external stakeholders, for gender mainstreaming and equity methodology for Mercy Corps Afghanistan with reference to the UN convention, MC policies, Ministry of Women Affairs, and other relevant domestic and international organisations.


• Assist the Mercy Corps teams with internal and external communications (press releases, case studies etc.), reporting to the donor as well as liaison with the donor.


• Support the Mercy Corps HR department to roll-out PM@MC across country programme and actively seek professional development opportunities for line managed and team staff.

Team Management

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.


• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.


• Supervise, hire and orient new team members as necessary.


• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.


• Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem-solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.

Representation

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.


• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards 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.

Organizational Learning

As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: The Youth Vocational Skills Programme team

ACCOUNTABILITY

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Country Director

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Deputy Country Director, Directors of Programmes, Operations, Finance and MEL Adviser

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• Relevant development qualifications, ideally to Masters level are preferred, but more importantly experience relevant experience in vocational training services strategic development based on market or economic principles.


• Demonstrated ability to build staff capacity as well as excellent team and interpersonal relationship skills, especially in a cross-cultural setting, required.


• Ability to communicate programme objectives and represent Mercy Corps to international donors, government officials, local groups and community members is critical.


• Demonstrated attention to detail, while also being able to see the ‘bigger picture’ of a large and complex portfolio, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members is required


• Proven experience in building relationships with industry, including industry representative bodies and individual private sector organisations


• Proven knowledge in building training institute capacity including trainers and the supporting learning infrastructure and resources.


• Evidential experience in a fragile state country context to develop & strengthen institutional capacity and sustainability and to mentor and build capacity of key individuals responsible to technical and strategic outputs


• Previous experience working in Afghanistan, South Asia or Middle East and/or knowledge of the region is preferred and, a desire to be based in Afghanistan is fundamental.


• Experience working in an insecure environment and security knowledge is a strongly preferred but again, an interest in this type of environment is the key aspect.


• Experience coordinating with other international agencies and government bodies required.

SUCCESS FACTORS:

The post holder will have strong organizational skills and the ability to interact effectively with international and national personnel. He/she will have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and a demonstrated ability to multi-task and process information into action. He/she will aim to narrow the traditional gap between donor driven versus private sector driven labour force development, striving to maximise pareto optimal outcomes from how collective vocational training resources are managed . Through developing strategic relationships at the Kabul level and provinces with both leading private sector entities, Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Marytrs (MoLSAMD) and other relevant government departments, The Director of Programmes YVS, will promote solutions oriented services to entities that are constrainted by limited access to skilled workers. Discerning the best approach for phasing in fee-for service models based on the context of implementation and packing the right narrative to explain the iomplementation approach will be required. The successful candidate will have proven experience working with a cross-cultural team and possess capacity building and strong mentoring skills. S/he will demonstrate an understanding of cultural, political and religious considerations in the region.

Afghanistan is a very challenging yet equally rewarding place to work and Mercy Corps recognises that it requires a unique set of skills and interests in the successful candidate. Academic background and previous experience are very valuable but are not the only driving criteria for selection. A personality that enjoys working in difficult locations, can accommodate the insecurity that defines Afghanistan and can cope with periods of intense activity as well as periods of isolation and potentially loneliness is imperative.

LIVING /ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:

The position will be based in Kabul, with regular travel to field offices throughout Afghanistan. The security situation is volatile and may spike into acute periods of insecurity. S/he is expected to follow all security protocols including limited movement when necessary. A certain international standard of medical care is available in Kabul, however for serious cases, evacuation is required, and therefore staff must be able to be 24 hours away from medical care. All offices have internet connectivity and communication is reliable. Accommodation is shared housing, equipped with generators and heating, with cooks and cleaners provided by MC.

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of 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 MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues. It will be important for the successful candidate to show an ability to work in an austere environment where personal liberties may be restricted from time to time, based on ambiguous information. A cordial demeanour is required so as to not impose on the peace of mind of colleagues.
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