Operations Intern at Mercy Corps

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Position Status: Full-time, Internship

Program / Department Summary

• Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on humanitarian assistance, economic development, and conflict mitigation.
• With the ongoing insurgency in Northeast Nigeria causing the displacement of millions of individuals, Mercy Corps started its humanitarian response in 2014 to address the rising humanitarian needs.
• As the crisis has persisted, Mercy Corps’ strategy has also expanded to address the root causes of the conflict and seek to build the long term resilience of communities with integrated programs focusing on governance, the recovery of markets and livelihoods, social cohesion and social protection, youth empowerment, and local conflict management.

General Position Summary

• The Operations Department is committed to implementing and maintaining the highest standards of efficiency and integrity in the smooth run of the day-to-day activities of the organization.
• The overriding objective for all Mercy Corps Operations activity is the prompt and effective provision of materials and services to Mercy Corps’ participant populations in compliance with donor specifications.
• Reports Directly to: Operations Lead - NE

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Learn all MC Admin policies and the Field procurement policies and procedure FP3.
• She/ he will learn and develop in all aspects of operations sections namely admin, logistics and procurement.
• Scan and archive all completed transactions on regular basis.
• Assists the Admin, Logistics, and Operations units in preparing payment documents.
• Support the entire Operations department by printing, scanning and archiving documents.
• Ensure fair competition and strictly adhere to MC procurement rules regarding vendor relations as described below:
• Assist the procurement team in tender opening session by arranging bids, ensuring committee members sign bid documents accordingly.
• Administer registers for PR submission and collection of procurement dossiers by the originators.
• Interact with vendors, in coordination with your supervisor; coordinating with the Finance department to ensure payments are facilitated in a timely manner.
• Ensure goods are received in accordance with Mercy Corps standards.
• Prepare the required documentation of supplies and transactions are completed to MC standard.
• Preparing payments for all assigned procurements where applicable.
• Follow up with finance, and programs teams for documents submitted for review & approvals.
• The Operations intern will conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• The Operations Intern is required to have good knowledge of conflict of interest and should be applied in practice
• Other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

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
• Work closely with Mercy Corps Nigeria country team’s security focal point to develop and maintain systems that ensure the safety and security of the team in all aspects of its implementation process.

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.

Accountability to Beneficiaries:

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our participants and to international standards guiding international relief and development work.
• Accountable for following Mercy Corps Admin manual, Logistics and Field Procurement Manual, the MC Code of conduct regarding procurement activities and MC Conflict of Interest policy.

Knowledge and Experience

• Candidates should possess a Bachelor’s degree or Higher National Diploma
• Conscientious with an excellent sense of judgment.
• Ability to work simultaneously on multiple tasks.
• Willingness and ability to work effectively with a wide variety of people.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work as part of a team and coordinate with project personnel.
• Good spoken and written English is a requirement, fluency in Hausa & Kanuri languages is desirable.
• Computer literate and strong organizational skills.

Success Factors

• The ability to interact effectively with international and national personnel is required. A demonstrated ability to multi-task, meet deadlines and process information in support of changing program activities is necessary.
• The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.
• Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours.
• Team members 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.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions:

• The position is based in Maiduguri and the Intern is not required to travel to the field or the Deep field offices in the Northeast - Nigeria

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 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 on the basis of race, colour, 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 the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary-General and IASC.
• 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 adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times