Urban development advisor

Programme summary:

Mercy Corps Indonesia implements a series of integrated programs in urban Jakarta, Java, throughout Sumatra including Aceh, and Maluku, in the sectors of nutrition and health, livelihoods/food security, access to financial services, water and sanitation, community development, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. capacity building and conflict mitigation. Cross-cutting themes emphasize community mobilization and participation, and working in partnership with and leveraging the resources of local government, local NGOs, and private sector partners. Mercy Corps Indonesia’s goal is to address the root causes of poverty, thereby improving the quality of life for disaster and conflict affected, urban, and coastal communities.

Mercy Corps Indonesia is committed to address the multiple dimensions of urban poverty through an integrated urban development program that seeks to improve quality of life in urban poor settlements by building just, productive, and secure urban communities. To achieve this goal, Mercy Corps Indonesia Urban Program concentrates on the following two objectives: increase access to adequate and affordable urban services in urban poor settlements, and increase economic opportunities within the formal and informal sectors. Guided by these two objectives, Mercy Corps Indonesia manages a diverse urban development portfolio in Jakarta, combining programmatic and action-research activities around urban governance, urban services, public health, environment, economic development, and community empowerment. Mercy Corps Indonesia Urban Program is working in close partnership with and leveraging the resources of local government, local NGOs, communities, and private sector partners. The Urban Program is seeking to develop innovative models for urban development and poverty reduction that can be replicated on a large scale to be able to impact the wide-ranging poverty issues faced by millions of very poor and disenfranchised urban residents in Indonesia.

General position summary:

The Urban Development Advisor (UDA) will have primary responsibility for ensuring the integration of all urban projects within a coherent, territorially integrated, and dynamic urban poverty reduction strategy. The UDA coordinates closely with the leadership of all other Mercy Corps Indonesia Programs to ensure inter-program learning and overall Country Program quality. The UDA works with the Urban Program Director to advise the development of new projects within the urban program, fund raising and external representation efforts for Mercy Corps Urban Program. S/he provides advice and mentorship to the entire Urban Program team and is responsible for staff development in aspects of urban development methodologies, skills, and areas of practice as well as ensuring quality control through the Urban Program.

Essential job functions:

Vision, Strategy and Innovation and Fundraising:

With the Urban Program Director, Director of Programs and the Country Director, assists the Urban Program team in the development of a vision for the Urban Program and a strategy to achieve this vision. The vision must be ambitious and the strategy will show a keen understanding of the urban context across Indonesia and what must be addressed in order to sustain lasting positive change for the urban poor.

Team Management:

Works closely with the Urban Director to ensure coordination between all urban program staff in implementing program activities. Ensures overall integrity of urban poverty reduction strategy across projects so that programming is consistent with a territorial approach to urban development issues. Creates opportunities for strategic discussion from the field teams to management and vice versa on urban development project implementation issues. Monitors and promotes all aspects of integrated programming in a way that increases overall impact and quality of the Urban Program at the community, district, and national level.

Oversee Design, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting:

The integrated Urban Program must be rigorous and evidence-based. The UDA is responsible for advising the development of all new projects so that they are designed to the highest possible standards with rigorous M&E plans integrated from the outset. Ensure that the M&E systems of individual projects are of high quality, providing regular impact and process data and that all programs have baselines and evaluations. Monitoring and evaluation data from the multiple Urban Program projects must all be able to inter-relate and influence each other. Sharing of results, findings, lessons learned between different program elements will be central to success of an integrated strategy. Advising internal quality control processes and structures for the Urban Advisory Committee and coordinating with M&E Manager to ensure effectiveness.

Capacity Building:

Lead the development of the technical capacity of a motivated dynamic, informed, skilled and efficient urban program team. Incorporate staff development strategies within capacity building plans for the urban team; work with Urban Director and Director of Programs to ensure effective and equitable staff capacity building in urban programming practices, knowledge, and experiences. Mentor and contribute to an atmosphere conducive to professional growth and development for Urban Program staff in accordance with Mercy Corps’ commitment to excellence and achievement; encourage a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation. Work with the Urban Director to ensure that all urban program staff fulfill this requirement and bring the learning back into the program in a constructive manner.

Networking & Partnership Building:

Build relationships among partners in the academic, NGO, community, government, and other stakeholder groups working in urban development issues. This requires identifying and integrating partners who will participate directly (contractually or in an interest-based relationship) in the project’s research and technical activities, as well as involving “secondary” research partners who can be involved in formal and informal knowledge exchanges, lessons learned. Works closely with the Urban Director to ensure effective and quality participation of the urban program staff at national and international events to promote Mercy Corps Urban Development program. Works with the Communications Coordinator and urban program staff to ensure the quality and continuity of the urban program publications.

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 our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve - we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Reports directly to: Urban Director
Works directly with: Urban Director, Urban Resource Team, Urban Project Staff
Supervisory responsibility: None

Knowledge and experience:

- MA or higher in urban development or related field preferred.
- Demonstrated networking capacity in the academic, professional, government, and activist communities.
- 5+ years of participation in academic and applied urban development forums with demonstrated capacity to participate on an international level with urban development peers, experience working internationally preferred.
- 3+ years of working with multi-disciplinary teams.
- Demonstrated expertise in program development, project documentation, proposal development, and donor relations.
- History of successful inter-organizational relationship building and maintenance among varied stakeholders.
- Fluent written and spoken English. Bahasa Indonesia language skills are a plus.

Success factors:

Strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, and the principles of participatory community-oriented development.

Outstanding ability to develop, and assist in the implementation and management of innovative urban development programming. Ability to build staff capacity in cross-cultural setting as well as excellent team-building and interpersonal skills. Excellent negotiation and communication skills to promote the development of the urban program through donor and partner relationships. Demonstrated success in documenting and disseminating innovative practices.

Living conditions:

Expected to travel in the greater Jakarta area approximately 20-30% of time, working competently and comfortable with very poor communities, as well as with donor, government, academic, and civil society partners. 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. Staff 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.