Compliance Helpdesk Advisor - United Kingdom - Mercy Corps

Description

Edinburgh, London, UK, or NL - Flexible working environement

Position Status:
Full time

We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we c an be stronger and have long term impact.

With offices in Edinburgh, London and The Hague, we now attract over £120m in income annually, and employ more than 120 domestic and internationally located team me mbers.

Mercy Corps Europe (MCE), Mercy Corps Netherlands (MCNL) and Mercy Corps Global (MCG) operate as one global organization, sharing the same mission, vision, core values and charitable objectives, as well as operational resources for the support and implementation of programm e activities.

We are looking for a technically skilled Compliance Advisor to join our European team supporting with donor compliance.

The role will sit within the European Compliance, Governance and Risk team, working alongside the US based Compliance and Legal teams to ensure that the agency fulfils its responsibility to donors, the NGO community, implementing partners and other stakeholders, and is in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

Each Compliance Advisor provides technical advice, support and training to their assigned countries/regions and in addition has responsibility for assigned compliance foc us areas and related projects.

The Compliance Advisor plays a vital role in the organisation by:

• Supporting programmes and finance teams in managing organisational and donor compliance of programmes through our European headquarters;
• Providing complianc e advice and guidance to stakeholders based in over 40 countries worldwide to be compliant with donor rules and requirements and relevant Mercy Corps policies and procedures;
• Providing training support to teams in relation to donors and subaward complianc e;
• This is a fantastic opportunity for an ambitious legal or compliance professional who is interested in a career in the humanitarian and development sector. You will be joining the growing European entity of a leading global agency, helping people in some of the world's toughest places turn the crises of natural disaster, p overty and conflict into opportunities for progress.

DONOR COMPLIANCE (for an assigned portfolio to be confirmed)

• Lead role on UN and World Bank Awards transition - part of cross organisation working group to support with UN and World Bank Awards, including developing guidance, tools, templates and training materials as need be
• Headquarters Managed Awards - compliance focal point for awards which are managed out of Headquarters (variety of potential donors)
• Provide relevant compliance and subaward support to assigned portfolio (to be determined)
• Review donor agreements, including highlighting main compliance issues and advis ing on points to negotiate with donor representatives.
• Provide compliance advice to ensure adherence to donor grant rules and regulations, including acting as the primary compliance 'help desk' function for European headquarters for assigned portfolio of countri es, supporting programmes, finance, technical and colleagues in the countries and regions where we implement programmes as required . Contribute to t racking and documentation of recurring donor compliance risks and issues.
• Support the Global Ethics team with donor notifications and reporting of fraud and corruption incidents as per internal protocols.
• Participate in Complex Boards and provide enhanced compliance training and support for complex programmes, as may be required.

SUBAWARD COMPLIANCE (for assigned portfolio)

• Advise the Programme, Finance and Country teams on the usage and implications of partnering mechanisms (including Subawards) in support of programme implementation. Ensure the completion of Mercy Corps' due diligence and pre-award compliance checks for subawards in accordance with established policies and procedures.
• In coordination with country and headquarters team m embers, draft and negotiate subaward agreements and amendments based on policies and procedures. TRAINING AND KNOWLEDGE RESOURCES
• Create, maintain and refresh a suite of donor compliance guid ance and internal tools and templates to continue to support Mercy Corps ' compliance, for example researching and developing donor requirements and issu ing reference guides . Develop and manage compliance resources, including comprehensive best practice guidance and training materials on UN don ors and other donors may be required.
• Lead the delivery of compliance training or other start-up activities for European-funded programmes in assigned portfolio.
• Attend trainin g, conferences and/or programs as assigned, including donors' rules and regulations training, periodic webinars, and regional conferences.
• As required, assist with the development and maintenance of policies and procedures related to compliance and risk.
• Reports Directly To: Europe Senior Director of Compliance, Governance and Risk

Works Directly With:
Compliance team, Programmes, Finance, Country and Regional colleagues, Mercy Corps Global Grants and Contracts Support Unit

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeh olders, 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 programmes.
Educated to Bachelors level, ideally in Law, International Relations or Business or a related subject, or equivalent experience.

• E xperience in a legal, compliance and/or grants management role (or similar).
• Experience of identifying compliance issues and providing guidance and or developing tools to improve compliance.
• Experience designing and/or delivering training is a plus
• Some experience in drafting legal agreements would be beneficial.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• French or Spanish language skills are considered a strong advantage

An exposure to and clear interest in international development issues is important, as is an appreciation of the complex challenges faced by teams operating in overseas enviro nments.

The position is based in one of our European headquarters locations and may require up to 20% national or international travel (although typically less than that), sometimes on short notice to areas wit h limited access to medical facilities and amenities.

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

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolv ing to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of 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 .

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all indivi duals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity.

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, respec t local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times.