Location Washington, D.C

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

Position Status Full-time, Regular, Exempt
Salary Level The salary range for this position is $119,000 - 139,000 USD commensurate on experience

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 Program

This is an exciting time to be at Mercy Corps. The organization is in the early stages of a 10-year strategy with a relatively new Executive team and Board of Directors. While continuing to provide strong service and support to their participants, the team is also facilitating a series of changes and evolutions to position Mercy Corps as a leader in the space for years to come.

The Position

The Chief of Staff to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is a senior position at Mercy Corps that requires managing a demanding set of responsibilities. Confidentiality and professionalism are highly important to the role. This role requires adaptability, loyalty, a strong sense of urgency, commitment, and the ability to manage highly sensitive situations and information. This is a management job with both direct reports and the requirement to manage others informally across the organization. This is a high-profile position requiring an individual with superior project management skills, strong organization skills, advanced writing, communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work quickly on deadlines. Their role plays a pivotal role in coordinating across the organization, championing initiatives being led by the CEO and ensuring communications and coordination of the Board are professionally managed and effective. This individual must also possess a keen sense of accountability mixed with a healthy amount of patience and humor.

Essential Responsibilities

OVERSEE THE OFFICE OF THE CEO

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  Serve as a thought partner and strategic advisor to CEO, standing in on meetings, challenging ideas and offering a different perspective, and following up on action items with the team accordingly.

• Manage key relationships and act as an extension of the CEO and information funnel, filter, and facilitator with internal and external stakeholders.

• Track high priority initiatives for the CEO to identify any/potential obstacles.

• Assess all inquiries directed to the CEO, determine priority and the proper course of action.

• Act as the point of contact for the CEO’s direct reports.

• Manage the budget of the Office of the CEO

• Promote team integration, cross-functional communication, collaboration, continuous improvement, and excellence.

• Maintain a pulse on organizational needs and advise on internal messaging in response.

• Partner with the communications team to ensure that the CEO message and communications are aligned, effective and timely.

• Build a culture of accountability within Mercy Corps by ensuring leaders are managing against objectives and reporting regularly on them through the leadership team meeting structure.

PARTNER WITH SENIOR LEADERSHIP

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  Facilitate the effective functioning of the Executive Leadership Team and the Leadership Team including agenda setting, tracking follow-ups, and calling attention to things that are in danger of becoming off-track.

• Ensure Leadership Team priorities and meetings align with the cycle of board meeting and priorities of the Board.

• Partner with the senior leadership team to anticipate challenges, take advantage of opportunities, learn more about critical gaps, and identify solutions to day-to-day programmatic and management issues.

• Facilitate annual planning activities, including direct-report performance evaluations, leadership retreats, and works closely with the Leadership Team to ensure the strategy, budget, and operating plans align to maximize the organization’s impact year-to-year.

• Collaborate with the executive leadership team to establish long term objectives and long-range goals.

MANAGE SPECIAL PROJECTS

• Operate at a strategic, and operational level, handling the oversight of projects that do not neatly fit within the organizational chart or that fall between departments or leadership areas of responsibility.

• In partnership with the COO and Strategy Realization Unit, facilitate the use of key performance indicators, metrics, and institution-wide analysis tools to inform decision making.

• Oversee the organization's progress toward its strategy, ensuring that each department lead is meeting key milestones and supporting the team to resolve challenges as needed.

• Advise and monitor a dashboard to track progress on strategy and goals.

• Lead monthly operational reviews and quarterly strategic reviews with the executive leadership team to discuss progress and learnings.

• Support institution-wide change management initiatives, converting strategy into effective execution.

OVERSEE BOARD AFFAIRS

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  Oversee board affairs, directly with CEO, Executive Leadership Team, Leadership Team, Board Chair, and Board Directors on board related matters for the Joint Board

• Directly supervise the board support team.

• Set objectives and plan content for the board of directors, including Joint Board meetings and Joint Board Executive Committee meetings.

• Manage a process to track deliverables/outputs on Board objectives.

• Maintain open lines of communication with directors and manage the coordination of onboarding new directors.

Supervisory Responsibility
EA to the CEO, Director of Board Strategy and Engagement, Board Admin officer

Accountability

Reports directly with: CEO
Works directly with: Executive Leadership Team, Leadership Team, Board Chair, Board of Directors, other Operational, and Regional, Country teams as required.

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

• Bachelor's degree, MA preferred in international development, public policy, business, or related field - or equivalent years of professional experience. Quantitative experience a plus.

• Extensive experience supporting high-level executives or senior officials.

• Minimum of 8+ years of experience with proven experience managing an effective team.

• Strong leadership and management skills with the ability to develop and inspire others.

• Understanding of complex social situations with ability to manage sensitive or confidential information.

• Deep knowledge of both the external debates in the humanitarian and development sector and the internal Mercy Corps field work.

• Leadership and stature within the organization, including excellent relationships across country and departmental teams.

• Excellent project management and interpersonal skills

• Ability to problem solve in stressful or emergency situations.

• Superior writing and editing skills.

• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Success Factors

A successful candidate will demonstrate confidentiality and professionalism at a very high level. This role requires adaptability, a strong sense of urgency, commitment, and the ability to manage highly sensitive situations and information. This person should possess excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and will place a high level of priority on attention to detail and organization. They will be extremely flexible and possess the ability to multitask.

Our Chief of Staff will be able to work both independently and cooperatively, and will effectively and accurately represent Mercy Corps at all times. They must demonstrate flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving, will have proven ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and be accountable for results in a fast-paced, fluid and work environment.

Living / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Washington DC and may require limited travel to other offices or internationally where living conditions may be exceptionally rugged or in volatile environments where security protocols will need to be followed.

Mercy Corps Team members represent the organization 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.

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 based on 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 Inter organization 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.

Covid-19 Vaccine Policy for US-Based Employees

Mercy Corps has determined that, in an effort to protect the health, safety, and well-being of all Mercy Corps employees working in the United States, all U.S.-based employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, regardless of prior COVID-19 infection status. This policy is necessary to ensure not only the safety of our workforce, but the ongoing functionality of the organization.

This policy will be revised as needed to comply with federal, state, and local requirements, and to respond to changing guidance from public health authorities.

For new employees this requirement goes into effect within 10 business days of employment. Team members that travel are expected to comply with host-country requirements, including vaccinations. Failure to comply may impact your employment. Proof of vaccination or exemption must be provided.