Programs Director - OCHA

Location: Maiduguri, Nigeria

Position Status: Full-time

Risk Level: ☐ Level 3 ☐Level 2 ☐Level 1

(Level 3: Frequent contact with participants, direct contact with children, access to sensitive data, and/or high level of accountability.

Level 2: Some contact with participants; unplanned non-direct contact with children.

Level 1: Likely to have no contact with participants or sensitive data)

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.

In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions

into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.

Now, and for the future.

The Program Summary

Mercy Corps Nigeria implements a diverse portfolio of humanitarian and resilience programs addressing the needs of vulnerable populations affected by conflict, displacement, food insecurity and climate-related shocks. Mercy Corps’ work spans multiple sectors including food security, water security, livelihoods, governance, and peacebuilding.

The humanitarian portfolio focuses on delivering timely and effective emergency response and early recovery programming while building pathways toward resilience and sustainable recovery for crisis-affected communities.

The Position:

The Programs Director - OCHA provides strategic leadership and oversight of Mercy Corps Nigeria’s humanitarian programming portfolio. The role is responsible for driving the expansion and quality of humanitarian interventions across the country, ensuring timely, effective, and principled response to crises affecting vulnerable populations.

Working closely with the Country Director and senior leadership team, the Programs Director will guide strategic positioning for humanitarian funding opportunities, strengthen donor engagement with key humanitarian donors, and ensure Mercy Corps maintains a strong reputation for delivering high-impact humanitarian programs.

The position will also lead efforts to capture and showcase Mercy Corps’ learning, innovation and impact in humanitarian programming, strengthening evidence generation and thought leadership within the humanitarian sector.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND PLANNING

• Provide strategic leadership for Mercy Corps Nigeria’s humanitarian programming portfolio across emergency response, early recovery and resilience programming.
• Identify emerging humanitarian needs, crisis trends and funding opportunities to expand Mercy Corps’ humanitarian footprint in Nigeria.
• Lead the development of humanitarian response strategies, operational plans and program priorities in alignment with Mercy Corps’ global and country strategies.
• Work closely with the Country Director and senior leadership team to ensure strong integration between humanitarian response and long-term development programming.
• Promote adaptive management and evidence-based decision making to ensure humanitarian programs remain responsive to changing contexts.

HUMANITARIAN DONOR ENGAGEMENT & RESOURCE MOBILIZATION

• Lead strategic engagement with key humanitarian donors, including OCHA, ECHO, UN agencies, Foundations, and bilateral donors.
• Strengthen Mercy Corps Nigeria’s positioning for humanitarian funding opportunities through proactive donor engagement and relationship building.
• Provide strategic leadership in the development of high-quality humanitarian proposals, concept notes and program design initiatives.
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with national and international NGOs, UN agencies, government actors and private sector partners to expand Mercy Corps’ humanitarian programming.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT & QUALITY

• Provide overall leadership to ensure humanitarian programs are implemented effectively, on time and on budget while meeting Mercy Corps program quality standards.
• Ensure programs adhere to humanitarian principles and standards including Sphere Standards, Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS), and Mercy Corps program quality frameworks.
• Oversee program performance monitoring, learning and adaptive management processes to ensure programs achieve intended impact.
• Strengthening coordination and integration across humanitarian programs implemented in multiple sectors and geographic areas.

Finance & Compliance Management

• Ensure effective and transparent management of humanitarian program resources in full compliance with Mercy Corps policies, donor regulations, and applicable government requirements.
• Work closely with Finance and Operations teams to ensure strong budget planning, forecasting, and financial oversight across the humanitarian portfolio.
• Monitor program spending and financial performance to ensure efficient use of resources and alignment with approved budgets.
• Ensure compliance with donor requirements and reporting standards for humanitarian funding streams (e.g., OCHA, DoS, ECHO, UN agencies, and foundations).
• Support program teams to understand and adhere to donor compliance requirements, including procurement, sub-award management, and financial reporting.
• Ensure timely and accurate financial and narrative reporting in collaboration with finance, grants, and program teams.
• Promote strong coordination between program, finance, and operations teams to ensure effective program implementation and compliance with Mercy Corps standards.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

• Lead the systematic capture, documentation and dissemination of lessons learned and best practices from Mercy Corps humanitarian programming.
• Promote evidence generation and learning to strengthen Mercy Corps’ thought leadership in humanitarian response and resilience programming.
• Work closely with the communications and program quality teams to develop learning briefs, case studies, impact stories and knowledge products showcasing Mercy Corps’ humanitarian work.

REPRESENTATION & COORDINATION

• Represent Mercy Corps in key humanitarian coordination platforms including clusters, inter-agency working groups and donor coordination forums.
• Build strong relationships with humanitarian actors, government stakeholders and development partners to strengthen collaboration and coordination.
• Promote Mercy Corps’ leadership and visibility within the humanitarian community in Nigeria.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Provide leadership, mentorship and technical support to senior program staff and field teams implementing humanitarian programs.
• Strengthen the capacity of national staff and partners to design and deliver high-quality humanitarian programming.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, learning and professional development across the humanitarian program team.

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES

• Actively learns safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
• Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.

Supervisory Responsibility

Senior Program Manager, Emergency Response start-up manager, PaQ Director, WASH Technical Advisor.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Country Director

Works Directly With: Senior Management Team, Human Resources Department, Operations, Finance, Regional Technical Advisors, Global Humanitarian Teams, and External Partners.

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 Qualification & Transferable Skills

• Master’s degree in international development, humanitarian studies, or related field.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in humanitarian programming, including senior leadership roles in complex and insecure environments.
• Demonstrated experience managing large-scale humanitarian programs funded by donors such as DoS, ECHO, OCHA, or UN agencies.
• Proven track record in humanitarian proposal development and donor engagement.
• Strong understanding of humanitarian coordination systems and standards (Sphere, CHS, humanitarian clusters).
• Excellent leadership, strategic planning, and team management skills.

Success Factors

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong strategic leadership in complex humanitarian environments and the ability to anticipate emerging crises and position Mercy Corps for effective response. The role requires a collaborative and solutions-oriented leader who can build strong partnerships with donors, government, and humanitarian actors while supporting high-performing teams. Strong communication, diplomacy, and decision-making skills are essential for success.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This is an unaccompanied position based in Maiduguri, Borno State. The position holder will reside in shared staff housing in accordance with Mercy Corps policies. Living conditions are basic but functional, with access to essential amenities, health services (including medical evacuation options), internet, and mobile connectivity.

Maiduguri is a high-risk operational environment. Travel to operational areas is required and is conducted primarily via UNHAS scheduled flights in line with security protocols. All movements are closely coordinated and monitored by the country security team, and strict adherence to security procedures is mandatory.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours and are expected to conduct themselves professionally, respecting local laws, customs, and Mercy Corps policies always. Mercy Corps is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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.

Team Engagement and Effectiveness

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.

We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law.

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 an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline ([email protected]).