Location: Bogotá, Colombia

Position Status: Full-time, on-going

Salary: pending benchmark on local scale - range commensurate on professional experience

Closing date: Please submit applications by end of Wednesday September 9

Risk Level: X Level 3 ☐ Level 2 ☐ Level 1

Level 3: Frequent contact with participants, direct contact with children, access to sensitive data, and/or high level of accountability.

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading general 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.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps has worked in Colombia for over 20 years, supporting communities affected by conflict, displacement, and migration. Mercy Corps Colombia has a staff of 300+ and an FY27 budget of $50+ million. We partner with smallholder farmers, youth, women, LGBTI+ individuals, and Venezuelan migrants to advance peacebuilding, land formalization, economic opportunity, and humanitarian assistance.

Our Land and Rural Development portfolio includes flagship programs funded by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation (HGBF) supporting illicit crop substitution, land titling, local associations, and tertiary road improvements in Catatumbo and Cauca. We also work on water security and climate resilience for coffee-growing families in Cauca with support from the Starbucks Foundation.

Our humanitarian portfolio spans four programs. ResiRed, financed by Twilio, supports anticipatory action for communities in San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina. Securing Land, Reclaiming Futures,



funded by the HGBF and implemented with partner Humanicemos DH, focuses on humanitarian demining and community landmine education. ConEsperanza, our OCHA-funded humanitarian assistance consortium, delivers protection, health, and other lifesaving support across Colombia. JovenPro, supported by the Hilton Foundation, equips Colombian and Venezuelan youth with the skills needed to access dignified employment. We also work closely with government entities including the National Land Agency, the Victims Unit, and municipal offices.

The Position

The Mercy Corps Colombia Country Director (CD) leads a large, complex country program and is accountable for both the quality of its programming and the strength of the operations that support it. This is a leadership role for someone who can move fluidly between strategy and execution: setting a compelling programmatic vision while also ensuring the systems, controls, and teams that deliver it are efficient, compliant, and cost-effective.

The CD has held senior roles managing operations and/or programming in fluid, complex environments and has a track record of sound financial stewardship, including disciplined budget management with minimal errors. The CD is responsible for the smooth functioning of the country program in compliance with local law, Mercy Corps policy,



and donor rules and regulations, and for ensuring that all Colombia programs meet PM@MC standards and are delivered on time, on budget, and on scope.

The CD builds sustainable, multi-sector programming and holds the team accountable to participants and donors alike, while placing a premium on innovative solutions and strong partnerships. Critically, the CD ensures that program teams receive the operational support they need to succeed in challenging environments, treating operations as an enabler of program quality rather than a separate function. Extensive experience in emergency response and rapid scale-up of both programs and support functions is strongly preferred.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Planning

- Formulate and communicate a clear vision for program goals and strategy, translating it into concrete plans for team members and stakeholders.
- Lead country planning processes and provide strategic updates aligned with Mercy Corps' Pathway to Prosperity.
- Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions and resources to meet program and agency objectives.
- Draw on technical support teams collaboratively.
- Identify, evaluate, and pursue new country and project funding opportunities that extend impact and integrate initiatives; support and direct fundraising with institutional and private donors.

Team Management

- Build the team's capacity, deepen understanding of individual roles, and provide mentorship and career development support.
- Lead the Senior Management Team and Extended Senior Management Team.
- Equip team members with the information, tools, and resources needed to perform and reach objectives.
- Promote accou

📌 Country Director, Colombia (Bogotá, D.C.)
🏢 Mercy Corps
📍 Bogotá, D.C.