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MCC Program Support Officer

All MCC workers are expected to exhibit a commitment to: a personal Christian faith and discipleship; active church membership; and nonviolent peacemaking.

MCC is an equal opportunity employer, committed to employment equity. MCC values diversity and invites all qualified candidates to apply.

MCC Program Support Officer in Juba, South Sudan

Term: 
3 years
Date Opened: 
December 27, 2011
Date Required: 
April 16, 2012

 

Synopsis: 
The Program Support Officer will work with MCC Partners to increase their capacity to manage development work, helping them to develop skills in program planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting. The Program Support Officer will be based in Juba, South Sudan, with frequent travel to other areas within South Sudan and the Republic of Sudan (the North) to work with partners in the areas where programming is being implemented.

This position complements the work of another Program Support Officer; this position will support projects across several sectors. Primary focus sectors are food security and sustainable livelihoods and emergency relief. Secondary areas in which the program support officer may be involved include HIV/AIDS and education.

 

Qualifications: 

  • Committed to the mission of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)
  • Committed to working ecumenically with church partners in South Sudan
  • BA degree or equivalent experience in development or a related field, with experience in program planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
  • Understanding of results-based management for development work, and experience with participatory approaches for monitoring and evaluation
  • Demonstrated skill in relating across cultures and ability to coach MCC partner staff in the areas of program design and reporting skills
  • Knowledge of conservation agriculture (beneficial)
  • Experience with sustainable livelihoods practices including but not limited to microfinance, adult education, and vocational training (beneficial)

 

Assignment Description: 
The Program Support Officer serves as a member of the MCC administrative program planning team, with responsibility to relate to designated partners in the areas of food security and emergency response sectors. He or she is the point of contact for partner organizations receiving food security and sustainable livelihoods grants. He or she will regularly engage with partner staff as they develop project plans, and carry out site visits to assist with monitoring of projects, and respond to partner reports.

The Program Support Officer will work with individual partners or partner staff members in a coaching capacity, and may also periodically lead workshops or sponsor trainings for groups of partner representatives to enhance their capacity and document and share best practices that will enhance the quality of partner programming. He or she may also assist partners in connecting with other funding sources, including helping them develop capacity for grant writing and reporting.

The Program Support Officer is based in the MCC office in Juba, where he or she works in collaboration with a colleague Program Support Officer, under the direction of the MCC Representative. He or she will assist in identifying and developing potential future MCC involvements, adapting to the needs of South Sudan.

 

Duties: 

  • Lead in the writing of proposals and preparation of budgets for projects in designated sectors
  • Actively participate in and lead field assessment teams to review and compile vital information
  • Assist in the compilation of relevant project reports and make recommendations
  • Participate in and lead training programs and workshops that can develop the capacity of Partner staff
  • Identify and pursue back donor funding as appropriate and assist partners in meeting back donor requirements
  • Network with the broader South Sudan NGO community through participation in various fora and working groups
  • Engage with partners to develop strategies that will allow their projects to move toward being self-sustaining or become eligible for funding levels beyond MCC’s capacity

 

Location Description: 
The MCC office is in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. Since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed in 2005, Juba has grown rapidly, sometimes putting a strain on services and resources. The city is adapting to its role as the largest city and current capital of South Sudan and quality of life improvements continue to emerge. Juba is hot much of the year and humid during the rainy season.

Juba is the home base for over 150 international NGOs. The emerging government of South Sudan attracts funding from the international community, so building projects are plentiful. Basic services such as health care, education, sanitation, etc. are quite basic, but are developing. City electricity is not reliable; generators or solar power systems are often called on to provide needed electricity. Cell phone service is available. Internet service at the MCC office is reliable and of high quality. Mobile internet is also available for smart phones and cellular modems; the quality varies widely throughout the city. Facilities for health and fitness are available as are recreational activities including organized and pick-up games of sports such as volleyball, ultimate Frisbee, basketball, and soccer.

MCC staff in Juba are enrolled at a medical clinic that provides international standard urgent care; primary care and specialist services are available through high quality medical facilities in Nairobi. The quality and variety of food is improving, but it is still expensive. Workers are encouraged to stock up on non-perishable and specialty food stuffs when they travel outside of South Sudan.

 

Challenges: 

  • Climate in South Sudan is generally either hot and dusty or hot and humid.
  • A large and vibrant expatriate community makes developing relationships with North Americans, Europeans, and East Africans fairly easy. Developing relationships with the Sudanese community is much more challenging and requires intentionality on the part of the worker.
  • Processes in South Sudan often move slowly – the worker will need to be patient and content with small successes.
  • Access to imported foods and consumer goods is limited and expensive. Availability of food will be sufficient but variety is limited in Juba and outlying areas.
  • Outside of Juba travel is difficult - roads are rough and in some cases nonexistent, and travel may occasionally be restricted due to insecurity.
  • A lack of basic sanitation facilities in large portions of the city, the wide range of pathogens endemic to South Sudan (including a high incidence of malaria, typhoid, and various intestinal parasites), heat, a highly concentrated and rapidly growing population, minimal basic health infrastructure and poor air quality all combine to make South Sudan – and Juba particularly - a physically challenging place.
  • South Sudan is a post conflict environment where suspicion and the impacts of trauma are evident.
  • Crime is on the rise in Juba and expatriates are commonly targeted as they are identified with wealth and are frequently carrying money and valuables.
  • Both internal and external conflicts make the new state of South Sudan unstable at this point in time. Systems are in place to ensure the rapid evacuation of staff in the event of a national emergency.
  • Juba is a very work-centric environment, and workers must make an effort to ensure that their lives remains balanced between work and other priorities.
  • Because of the physical, mental, and spiritual challenges associated with life and work in South Sudan, workers are given a short leave to visit Nairobi or other regional cities on a quarterly basis for medical care, personal renewal, and to stock up on food and medicines that are unavailable or expensive in South Sudan.