Adolescent Girls Program (AGP) Officer

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In times of disaster and hardship, and in more than 40 countries worldwide, we partner to implement bold solutions, helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within, both now and for the future. Mercy Corps has been present in Ethiopia since 2004, working closely with the government, private sector, and civil society actors to drive transformative ideas and build a more resilient country. Our programs are designed to be responsive to and influenced by participants and stakeholders. With the launch of Mercy Corps Global Strategy, Pathway to Possibility, the country office is poised to operationalize its three-year strategy. Our vision is to enhance the resilience of climate- and conflict-affected communities through market systems development, ensuring improved livelihoods, access to food, and safe and clean water.

In Ethiopia, our strategy focuses on four outcome areas:

1. Economically marginalized populations have improved and diversified livelihoods, income, and assets.
2. Pastoralists, farmers, and households have access to sustainably produced, safe, nutritious food.
3. Social cohesion and inclusive governance processes are built in crisis-affected communities.
4. People have equitable, sustained access to clean water and sanitation for domestic and productive use.

We currently operate in six regional states – Afar, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, Amhara, and South Ethiopia. Working with a diverse base of donors, including USAID, European Union, GAC, Hilton Foundation, United Nations, JOA, Sweden, EKN, and other foundations, Mercy Corps Ethiopia empowers people to recover from crises, build better lives, and transform their communities for good.

Program Summary

Mercy Corps Ethiopia currently secured USAID/BHA funded multisectoral response program entitled ‘Humanitarian Assistance for Conflict-Affected Populations (HACAP)” in Oromia, Afar and Somali regions. The goal of the proposed program is to increase access to Life-saving Services for Conflict-affected IDPs, Returnees, and Vulnerable Populations through provision of integrated Multi-Sectoral Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Promotion (WASH), Health, Nutrition, Agriculture, Protection, and Multipurpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) support in seven Woredas of the three regions.

General Position Summary

The Adolescent Girls Program (AGP) Officer is responsible in providing targeted interventions for adolescent girls in HACAP program, which is under operation in Adadle, Berano, and Abakorow Woredas of the Somali Region, and in Gumi Eldalo and Liben Woredas of the Oromia Region. The position holder will ensure the technical quality and integration of these activities across humanitarian programs and address related concerns through direct service and referral. The Adolescent Girls Program Officer will provide curriculum-based life skills sessions for adolescent girls, capacity-building training, lead organizational and staff transformation on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), and represent Mercy Corps in relevant coordination forums and platforms.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision

• Collaborate closely with all Mercy Corps team members to ensure effective integration of gender, protection, social inclusion, and GBV concerns across all humanitarian programs.
• Work with relevant government and non-governmental actors to effectively address gender, protection, GBV, and social norm issues, informing project designs and activities.

 Program Management

• Engage in assessments and contribute to intervention strategies based on feedback from adolescent girls in the program.
• Strictly adhere to GBV guiding principles when interacting with adolescent girls and their parents or caregivers.
• Provide formal and informal supervision and training to mentors to ensure the delivery of high-quality life skills sessions.
• Collaborate with implementing partners and community leaders to develop selection criteria for engaging adolescent girls in life skills curriculum sessions.
• Adapt the Adolescent Girls Curriculum to the local community context.
• Conduct capacity-building trainings related to Adolescent Girls Programming for mentors, community leaders, implementing partners, and parents or caregivers.
• Directly engage with adolescent girls and parents as needed and work with mentors to ensure program quality.
• Coordinate with Women Social Affairs to provide case management services for adolescent girls when necessary.
• Develop monthly and weekly activity plans for mentors.
• Monitor supply and logistical needs of the Adolescent Girls’ safe space and life skills sessions.
• Enhance relationships with relevant GBV program stakeholders, community leaders, and parents or caregivers to promote communication and collaboration.
• Strengthen coordination by working closely with local actors, including schools, WSA, health, and legal entities.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation activities, including assessments and surveys.

 Team Management

• Provide technical guidance for adolescent girl program mentors, including on-the-job training.
• Support and liaise with all project teams and provide capacity building, including training and coaching on gender mainstreaming, protection, GBV, and social inclusion.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback both formally and informally.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

 Influence & Representation

• Coordinate with government, development, and humanitarian actors to promote gender equality, protection, social inclusion, and prevention of GBV.
• Represent Mercy Corps in various platforms, networks, and coordination forums focused on gender, GBV, and protection.
• Uphold the image and values of Mercy Corps.

 Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Social Inclusion (GESI)

• Support the recruitment of diverse teams and promote an inclusive and safe work environment.
• Lead by example to promote a gender-equal and inclusive workplace culture in day-to-day interactions with team members, partners, and program participants.

 Program and Proposal Development

• Provide humanitarian teams with technical support, coaching, and capacity building to ensure high-quality gender integration in programs.
• Conduct assessments to determine community needs.
• Document community meeting minutes and data for use in new initiatives.

 Supervisory Responsibility

• Provide technical support to all project teams, especially social workers, and community volunteers, to effectively deliver GBV services such as psychosocial support, gender, protection, child protection, and social inclusion.
• Provide capacity-building training.

 Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

 Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, and other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in designing, monitoring, and evaluating our field projects.

 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 are 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 a 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 encounter 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 the 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 professionally, respect local laws and customs, and always adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.