Cash Assistant

General Position Summary

This role focuses on supporting the implementation of cash-based intervention for flood affected communities in Kandahar by managing daily operational and administrative activities. The position works closely with the Cash Officer and other stakeholders to ensure smooth program delivery, including assisting in procurement processes, maintaining organized and confidential filing systems, and coordinating logistics, finance, and human resources in line with organizational policies. The role also involves contributing to field activities such as identifying beneficiaries and vendors, supporting distributions, and ensuring efficient use of project resources to meet program objectives.

Additionally, the role plays a key part in data management, monitoring, and reporting. Responsibilities include collecting, compiling, and updating participant data; supporting assessments, surveys, and post-distribution monitoring; and contributing to training and capacity-building activities. The position supports timely and quality program implementation by strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems, assisting in reporting and documentation, and ensuring compliance with organizational standards, including gender, protection, and accountability principles, while maintaining strong coordination with communities and stakeholders.

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S/he will be based in Kandahar, reporting to the Project Officer

Essential Job Responsibilities

 

• Responsible for implementing the day-to-day cash activities.
• Work closely with all Cash projects stakeholders.
• Support the Cash Officer in daily implementation and administrative tasks.
• Contribute to all field work, including identifying program participants and vendors, participating in distributions, monitoring and supporting beneficiaries during the distribution periods, and other field-based tasks as assigned.
• Assist the Cash team in all tasks that facilitate the achievement of program deliverables, ensure that all activities are implemented smoothly and effectively, and make the best use of project resources for program participants.
• Initiate and track procurement processes for purchase requests, purchase orders, and payment requests for Cash projects in coordination with the Procurement Department.
• Work with the program assistant to manage the program filing system for all activities and ensure that information is organized according to the reporting and auditing needs of the program. Ensure required levels of confidentiality.
• Coordinate closely with the Cash officer, relevant to administrative and finance to ensure proper logistics, administration, and human resources of the program are conducted within MC policy and with the maximum benefit to the program.
• Perform participants’ data compilation, storing, and updating on a regular basis. And share the data with the supervisor to be incorporated into reports and assessments as required.
• Contribute with team to provide all the training related to cash activities.
• Contribute with team to collect all information for the program participants by using tools such as (assessment, PDM, counselling survey, pre-post test, and other survey)
• Conduct monitoring and data collection as directed by the cash Officer, assisting with specific surveys or assessments as needed.
• Work with the Cash Officer to ensure program implementation is on time, target, and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
• Contribute to effective program reporting, monitoring and evaluation systems for both internal and external use in coordination with the program staff. This includes interviewing beneficiaries for communications materials and case studies.
• Contribute to program documentation by updating program files and following Mercy Corps responsible data usage policy.
• Contribute to providing the Cash Officer with up-to-date information on the affected and targeted community, and coordinates with different stakeholders.
• Fulfil Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards. In addition to ensuring protection mainstreaming in implementation of Cash program activities

Other duties as assigned.

 

Project Coordination and Management

• Ensure timely and accurate reporting and documentation in coordination with the cash officer, and other team members.

Representation

• Represent Mercy Corps in community meetings and stakeholder engagements within the project areas.

 

 

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

 

Organizational Learning 

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically
  to our program participants and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s in social science, or related degree.
• 1-2 years of relevant experience in implementing emergency cash activities.
• Familiar with Afghanistan cash standards and international cash SPHERE standards.
• Extensive knowledge and work experience in Afghanistan, and preferably in the Southern and Western Provinces including Kandahar and Herat.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to achieve cooperation and agreement amongst diverse groups with competing priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and tasks efficiently and with a calm attitude.
• Ability to engage with local communities and government authorities.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Honest and committed to compliance with all policies and procedures in all aspects of work.
• Good strategic thinking and planning skills with eagerness for innovation.
• Good knowledge of spoken and written English and Dari are required, Pashto is desired.

Good computer skills in basic, office programs.