Leave Cover-Temporary Senior Researcher- Western Hemisphere, MC locations

Location: Flexible Western Hemisphere, MC locations: North, South, Central America or the Caribbean. 

Position Status: Full-time, Temporary

Fixed Duration:  October 15, 2026 – April 2027

Salary: US and Puerto-Rico: hiring range $76,800 - $91,200   - other countries pending local scale benchmark

Closing date: Please submit application by September 9

Risk Level: ☐ Level 3       ☐Level 2 X 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 30 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 / Department / Team

The Programs function at Mercy Corps supports its mission and works with program impact, innovation, and influence teams. The Program Function is composed of headquarters and regional departments which are guided by Mercy Corps global strategy: Pathway to Prosperity (P2P) and works in close partnership with all other departments to deliver the highest quality programming and impactful results.

The TEQ Unit sits within Programs and supports program impact at scale through three areas of work: 1) Program Support, including support for proposals, program design and implementation, and learning and capacity building; 2) Program Strategy, by stewarding the technical and sectoral approaches utilized by the organization and managing programmatic enterprise systems; and, 3) Influence, through technical analysis, evidence, and engagement with internal and external stakeholders.

The Evidence Use Team, within the TEQ unit, builds and strengthens the capabilities, systems, and tools that make evidence accessible, sharable, and usable across the organization.

Position Summary

Sitting within the Evidence Use Team, the Senior Researcher provides research leadership and support to the research components of programs, as well as to standalone research proposals and awards. This Maternity Cover for the Senior Researcher provides research support with primary responsibility for managing the Remittances for Resilience HQMA, covering all aspects of award delivery, while the incumbent Senior Researcher is on leave.

In consultation with the Senior Director of the EUT, the cover Senior Researcher will also prioritize a limited set of broader requests, based on fit with skills and expertise and alignment with team and organizational priorities.

Essential Responsibilities

RESEARCH HQMA MANAGEMENT (80%)

• Lead delivery of the Remittances for Resilience: Mobilising Household Transfers for Climate Adaptation HQMA, ensuring the program stays on time, on scope, on budget, and on quality.
• Support the continuation of the research and study design for the pilots in Guatemala and Colombia.
• Support work on baseline data collection and analysis, ensuring that the data collected can be used for a longitudinal study.
• Manage donor relationships associated with the award, maintaining organizational credibility.
• Stakeholder and risk management, financial management, and reporting.
• Manage and coordinate staff, external researchers, co-authors, data analysts, and consultants supporting the award.
• Coordinate with the Award Management Team (AMT) on award administration.

SUPPORT FOR THE PROGRAMATIC RESEARCH (up to 15%)

• As capacity allows, provide design and methodological support to programs with research components (e.g., study design, methodology, data analysis, research partner selection), in consultation with the Senior Director.

ADDITIONAL DUTIES (at least 5%)

• Contribute to Evidence Use Team strategy and work planning through participation in recurring team meetings (approximately monthly).
• Collaborate proactively with colleagues across the organization in support of a culture of curiosity and learning.
• Other duties as assigned.

BUDGET MANAGEMENT RESPONSABILITIES

Supervises the budget of the headquarters-managed award (HQMA) Remittances for Resilience: Mobilising Household Transfers for Climate Adaptation for the duration of the cover period. May supervise the budgets of other HQMAs or research projects as needed.

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES

●        Actively learns about 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

None

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Senior Director Evidence Use

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

The ideal candidate will possess many, though perhaps not all, of the following (preferred qualifications noted in parentheses):

• Advanced degree in international development, economics, geography, political science, environmental science, sociology, or a related field.
• At least 2 years of relevant experience conducting independent research, analysis, and publishing on themes linked to climate adaptation, migration, and natural resource governance (particularly in fragile contexts).
• Experience with quantitative and qualitative research methodologies in a development or humanitarian context. Experience working on study design (sample selection, randomization) is preferred.
• Experience working with Mercy Corps or similar INGOs is highly preferred.
• Working proficiency in Spanish required.
• Demonstrated ability to work diplomatically and effectively across diverse cultural settings.
• Familiarity working on donor-funded projects with a research component that entail budget and workplan management, rigorous sample design, and other administrative and research management tasks.

Success Factors

At Mercy Corps, we value team members who embrace curiosity, act with integrity, and foster an environment of inclusion and collaboration. Our successful team members work effectively in evolving and dynamic environments, prioritize clear communication, and build collaborative relationships across departments. They interact with all global team members with an inclusive approach and excel at multitasking, meeting deadlines, and processing information to support our changing program activities.

The successful candidate will be a self-starter, demonstrating leadership in leading organizational initiatives. They will show passion for the role that INGOs can play in using evidence to influence policy and practice. They will demonstrate flexibility and an outstanding ability to communicate effectively with team members of varied work styles, follow procedures, and meet deadlines. They will have experience in influencing different stakeholders and building solid working relationships with other teams, departments and at all levels of an organization. They are a multi-tasker with the proven ability to organize and prioritize competing priorities and demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving. They have the proven ability to learn quickly, take initiative, be accountable for results and understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in a flexible office or home-based location within the Western Hemisphere and it requires up to 40% travel to support country programs, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited.  Housing for this role is in individual housing and staff will have access to good medical services and the living situation is of a high standard.

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]).