Humanitarian Program Director - Nigeria

About the role

Mercy Corps Nigeria implements a portfolio of humanitarian and resilience programs for vulnerable populations affected by conflict, displacement, food insecurity and climate shocks, covering food security, water security, livelihoods, governance and peacebuilding. The Humanitarian Program Director provides strategic leadership and oversight of the humanitarian programming portfolio, working closely with the Country Director and senior leadership to expand and improve humanitarian interventions across Nigeria. The position is based in Maiduguri, Borno, Nigeria, full-time, and depends on donor funding.

Key responsibilities

• Lead strategy and planning for emergency response, early recovery and resilience programming, identify emerging needs and funding opportunities, and align response strategies with Mercy Corps' global and country strategies.
• Engage humanitarian donors, build partnerships with NGOs, UN agencies, government actors and private sector partners, and lead the development of proposals, concept notes and program designs.
• Ensure programs are delivered on time and on budget, adhering to Sphere Standards, the Core Humanitarian Standard and Mercy Corps quality frameworks, and oversee monitoring, learning and adaptive management.
• Manage program finances and compliance with donor regulations (e.g. US DoS, ECHO, UN agencies, foundations), including budget planning, procurement, sub-award management and reporting.
• Capture lessons learned, produce learning briefs, case studies and impact stories, and represent Mercy Corps in cluster, inter-agency and donor coordination platforms.
• Lead, mentor and support senior program staff and field teams, and strengthen the capacity of national staff and partners.
• Integrate safeguarding into work and encourage reporting of concerns through integrity mechanisms.

The role reports directly to the Country Director and works with senior management, HR, operations, finance, regional technical advisors and global humanitarian teams.