Company: Mercy Corps | Location: Katsina State, Nigeria | Job Type: Full-time | Category: Programming | Experience: 8–10 years
Mercy Corps is recruiting suitably qualified candidates to fill the position of Technical Project Manager. The successful candidate will provide technical leadership, project management, coordination, quality assurance, compliance oversight, and stakeholder engagement to ensure the successful implementation of climate resilience interventions in Katsina State.
About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disasters, in hardship, and in more than 40 countries around the world, Mercy Corps partners to put bold solutions into action, helping people overcome adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Mercy Corps Nigeria implements a variety of programmes aimed at building productive, secure, and just communities. Its work spans economic development, livelihoods and food security, adolescent girls’ and boys’ empowerment, financial resilience, conflict management, and humanitarian response. Cross-cutting themes include community engagement, inclusive development, gender, and partnerships with local government, the private sector, and civil society.
Department Summary
The Technical Project Manager will be part of Mercy Corps Nigeria’s Resilience and Climate Adaptation portfolio and will lead implementation of the Protecting Food Security Against Flood & Drought Cycles project in Katsina State.
The project aims to strengthen community resilience to climate-induced flood and drought cycles through integrated investments in climate-resilient infrastructure, ecosystem restoration, sustainable land management, and community capacity strengthening. Activities include flood mitigation structures, solar-powered water systems, food and fodder storage facilities, and climate-smart agricultural and rangeland management interventions.
The Technical Project Manager will provide overall technical leadership, project management, coordination, quality assurance, compliance oversight, and stakeholder engagement to ensure successful delivery of project outputs, achievement of outcomes, and adherence to Mercy Corps’ technical standards and donor requirements.
Job Summary
The Technical Project Manager is responsible for the overall planning, technical implementation, coordination, quality assurance, monitoring, and successful delivery of all project components.
The position provides leadership across engineering, agriculture, natural resource management, procurement, operations, finance, MEAL, and community engagement functions to ensure integrated implementation of climate resilience interventions.
The Technical Project Manager will supervise technical teams and coordinate with government agencies, contractors, consultants, community structures, private-sector partners, and implementing partners to deliver sustainable, high-quality projects.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership and Project Management
- Provide overall technical leadership for the implementation of climate adaptation and resilience interventions.
- Lead project planning, implementation scheduling, budgeting, monitoring, and adaptive management.
- Ensure all project activities are implemented according to approved work plans, budgets, and donor requirements.
- Coordinate implementation of the project’s three technical components.
- Ensure integration of engineering, agricultural, environmental, and community-based approaches throughout implementation.
- Oversee technical assessments, feasibility studies, site selection, and engineering.
- Review and approve Bills of Quantities (BoQs), technical specifications, engineering drawings, and construction methodologies.
- Ensure all infrastructure complies with Mercy Corps Infrastructure Minimum Standards, Nigerian regulations, and international engineering standards.
- Ensure construction quality through regular inspections, testing, certification, and contractor supervision.
- Develop quality assurance and quality control systems across all project activities.
- Ensure project implementation remains on schedule, within scope, and within budget.
- Lead project risk management and mitigation.
- Ensure environmental and social safeguards are fully integrated into project implementation.
Infrastructure and Climate Resilience Oversight
- Provide technical oversight for the implementation of all infrastructure and climate-resilient activities.
- Ensure infrastructure investments are climate-resilient, environmentally sustainable, and community-owned.
Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management
- Lead technical implementation of climate-smart agriculture.
- Guide sustainable rangeland management.
- Oversee farmer and pastoralist capacity-building.
- Ensure adoption of climate-resilient agricultural practices.
- Promote integrated landscape restoration.
- Ensure interventions strengthen food security while reducing environmental degradation.
Contractor and Procurement Management
- Support procurement planning for infrastructure.
- Develop technical specifications for procurement.
- Participate in contractor prequalification and selection.
- Review contractor work plans and technical submissions.
- Monitor contractor performance against contractual obligations.
- Certify completed works for payment.
- Ensure value for money across all infrastructure investments.
Stakeholder Coordination
- Develop and maintain strong working relationships with all relevant stakeholders.
- Represent Mercy Corps in technical coordination meetings and sector working groups.
Team Leadership
- Provide leadership and supervision to project staff.
- Build staff capacity in infrastructure management, climate resilience, and project management.
- Conduct regular performance reviews.
- Foster collaboration across programme, operations, finance, and MEAL teams.
- Promote accountability, inclusion, and continuous learning.
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
- Develop technical performance indicators.
- Monitor construction quality.
- Track project milestones.
- Validate infrastructure outputs.
- Support outcome monitoring.
- Document lessons learned and best practices.
- Produce high-quality technical reports.
- Support achievement of project targets.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, Natural Resource Management, Project Management, or a related technical discipline.
- Master’s degree in Engineering, Climate Change, Environmental Management, Project Management, or a related field is preferred.
- Minimum of 8–10 years of progressively responsible experience managing large-scale resilience, infrastructure, or climate adaptation programmes.
- Demonstrated experience managing donor-funded development programmes.
- Strong technical knowledge of climate adaptation, nature-based solutions, water infrastructure, rural infrastructure, sustainable agriculture, watershed management, and construction supervision.
- Experience managing multidisciplinary teams.
- Strong contract and construction management experience.
- Experience working with government institutions and community stakeholders.
- Excellent planning, budgeting, coordination, and reporting skills.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Professional Project Management certification (PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent) is highly desirable.
Supervisory Responsibility
Directly supervises:
- Senior Project Officer
- Senior Natural Resource Management Officer
- Senior MEL Officer
Accountability
Reports Directly To:
- Director of Programs
Works Directly With:
- Operations and Procurement staff
- Finance staff
- MEAL staff
- Security team
- Technical Advisors
- Government counterparts
- Community institutions
- Contractors and consultants
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability to programme participants, community partners, government institutions, and donors while ensuring meaningful participation throughout project design, implementation, monitoring, and learning.
Success Factors
A successful Technical Project Manager will combine exceptional technical expertise with strong leadership, project management, and stakeholder engagement skills. The individual will demonstrate the ability to coordinate multidisciplinary teams, manage complex infrastructure and resilience interventions, solve technical challenges, maintain high-quality standards, and deliver measurable impact in climate-vulnerable communities.
Success requires sound judgment, innovation, accountability, excellent communication, and the ability to build strong partnerships while ensuring timely and cost-effective project delivery.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position will be based in Katsina State with frequent travel to rural project communities. Field travel will involve movement to remote locations with varying levels of infrastructure and seasonal accessibility. The position requires strict adherence to Mercy Corps safety and security procedures.
Ongoing Learning
In support of Mercy Corps’ commitment to continuous learning, team members are encouraged to dedicate 5% of their working time to professional development, technical learning, and knowledge sharing.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should apply via the Mercy Corps Careers Page:
Application Closing Date: Not Specified