Program Manager - 3amaly (Applications will only be accepted if submitted through the URL link provided below)

Requires a Cover Letter?: 
no
Application Submissions Guideline: 

Applications will only be accepted if submitted through the URL link provided.

Contact Person Email: 
Description: 

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 40 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.

Mercy Corps has been present in the Middle East since the 1980s and currently works in Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq. Working in Lebanon since 1993, Mercy Corps is committed to generating positive opportunities for women, men, girls, and boys from Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian communities, with a strong focus on engaging youth. Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping build secure, productive and just communities. Our programs focus on four sectors:  Economic Opportunities, Governance and Social Stability, Youth, and Humanitarian interventions. The Mercy Corps Lebanon team consists of over 150 staff working across four offices throughout Mount Lebanon, South Lebanon, Tripoli, and the Bekaa.

The 3amaly Program

The “3amaly” project is a $10 million CAD integrated four-year (November 2018 – September 2022) project funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC). The project is designed to improve livelihood opportunities for women and youth (aged 15-34) from vulnerable populations; it targets youth between the ages of 15-24, as well as young adults between the ages of 25-34 from Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian backgrounds, with a specific focus on women of all ages. The ultimate outcome is an increase in how women and youth are valued for their active economic role within their households and communities in Mt. Lebanon, Saida, Nabatieh, and Tripoli.

The primary outcomes of the project are:

  1. Increased employment secured by women and female and male youth in relevant sectors.
  2. Increased creation of suitable employment and self-employment opportunities for women and youth by strengthened NMSMEs, organizations, and start-ups.
  3. Enhanced enabling environment for women and youth to pursue employment and self-employment opportunities.

Essential Job Responsibilities

The Program Manager is responsible for the implementation of the project through structured oversight and coordination with MC team members, technical leads, and private and public sector stakeholders. They will be overall responsible for constant analysis and adaptation to an ever-changing political, economic, and social context to ensure that the project both meets its targets to the quality, scope and timeframe required, and is able to create lasting, positive, gender-transformative impact for the youth and women it serves and the communities in which they live.

The Program Manager will play a key role in setting the strategic direction and thought leadership for the project, and in particular with regards to its vision to develop and deliver rights-based, holistic, gender-transformative and gender-equality focused programming in line with best practice. They will provide technical guidance to the delivery of all project components, ensuring the implementation of high-quality programming based on intersectional gender and power analysis.

The Program Manager will be the primary project representative to relevant government entities, private sector actors, local and international partners, and external stakeholders. The Program Manager will be responsible for both responsive and proactive donor coordination and communication as well as contributing to broader strategic vision to expand and scale Mercy Corps’ Youth, Protection and Livelihood portfolios in Lebanon. Donor communications will be supported by the Lebanon Senior Management Team and Mercy Corps’ GAC Liaison based in Ottawa.

Program Management

  • Manage implementation of the 3amaly project to achieve key outcomes, outputs, and targets;
  • Conduct regular monitoring of project activities and project impact, per Mercy Corps Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) and in accordance with existing related guidelines and donor regulations;
  • Regularly review project outcomes and desired impact against the ever-changing country context, making crucial recommendations for quick adaptations as needed, based on real gender-disaggregated data and analysis;
  • Manage project budget and complete financial forecasting, reconciliation, and reporting in collaboration with the Finance Department,  to inform cost-efficient, on-budget programming;
  • Ensure high-quality, timely, accurate and professional donor and organizational reports and work planning to highlight project successes, challenges, adaptations, and situational context;
  • Ensure coordination with other Mercy Corps programs, and assist other programs in mainstreaming gender equality and social inclusion and protection into their activities as appropriate;
  • Ensure the project has appropriate visibility for the donor and for Mercy Corps, and contribute to the development of communications materials that highlight Mercy Corps’ programming;
  • Ensure the project follows Program Management Minimum Standards and GAC Results-Based Management requirements, and has appropriate documentation of activities;
  • Guide the 3amaly team to ensure that all project components are technically sound and grounded in gender and power analysis, and that implementation approaches are consistent with national and global strategies and acknowledged good practice;
  • Guide the project’s MEL team in carrying out gender and power analysis; to develop innovative program quality and monitoring tools; and to conduct quality monitoring through participatory methodologies that promote gender equality and social  inclusion.
  • Put in place tools for the promotion of environmental sustainability within the project’s delivery mechanisms with local private sector service providers and civil society partners.

Team Management and Capacity Building

  • Supervise teams to develop, maintain and adhere to weekly, monthly, and annual work plans focused on key outputs and outcomes;
  • Ensure team completes tasks as assigned in a timely, professional way;
  • Foster a strong team spirit and ensure effective communications both between team members and with public, private and civil society stakeholders;
  • Develop and implement a comprehensive staff training plan to build team capacity;
  • Ensure staff receive appropriate capacity building to enable them to complete their tasks effectively, while also contributing to their growth within the project and within the organization.

Partner Management and Capacity Building

As 3amaly works almost exclusively through local private sector service providers, the Program Manager will:

  • Facilitate design and selection of tenders and contracts to establish clear and productive relationships with local service providers that support project implementation, provide the best possible services to our participants,  and facilitate greater private sector engagement in the public good that is sustainable, equitable, inclusive, profitable, and impactful;
  • Develop capacity-building plans with local service providers that make them both more efficient and effective key market players, and upgrade their awareness and good practices around gender equality, inclusivity, safeguarding, protection, and environmental sustainability;
  • Ensure support is provided to improve the organizational and technical capacity of local service providers, and foster partnerships with women and youth-led community-based groups, networks, public and civil society stakeholders, particularly around their ability to contribute to sustainable, positive, inclusive gender-transformative shifts;
  • Collaborate and guide local partners and service providers to inform planning and implementation of assessments and reports, as well as to meet key deliverables.

Thought Leadership

  • Lead and contribute to related project design, including concept notes and proposal writing to secure future funding, in coordination with senior management;
  • Contribute to agency’s understanding of best practices in gender equality and social inclusion and livelihoods programming, and as appropriate, develop research and evaluations to increase our understanding of successful implementation strategies; distill learnings and evidence generated into program guidance and thought leadership for internal and external consumption;
  • Participate in the planning and implementation of Mercy Corps Lebanon Protection and Youth and Economic Opportunities Strategies.
  • Support and guide the implementation of the 3amaly project’s Gender Equality strategy and action plans;
  • Support the project to implement Mercy Corps’ global Gender Equality, Diversity, and Social Inclusion Strategy.

Coordination and Representation

  • Represent Mercy Corps at relevant coordination meetings in Beirut and in field locations to foster greater coordination and information sharing;
  • Serve as primary contact for the project with national and municipal-level officials to explain the objectives and parameters of the project, as well as local NGOs/CBOs and partners/service providers including women and youth-led structures, local religious leaders, and other community members to promote support for and acceptance of Mercy Corps and the inclusion of local perspectives in the project’s approach, highlighting the importance of advancing gender equality;
  • Develop and maintain working relationships and coordinate with relevant international and local agencies active in emergency response, community development and gender equality and social inclusion, including donors, other humanitarian organizations, local authorities, and local public and private sector actors.

Other

  • Commitment to implementation of Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards (PM@MC) to ensure all project planning and documentation is completed in timely manner, including the Gender Minimum Standards;
  • Ensure interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Equity Policy, Code of Conduct, and Do No Harm strategies;
  • Conduct themselves both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and not jeopardize its humanitarian mission, including its commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equality;
  • Participate in internal office coordination and planning meetings and workshops;
  • Other assigned tasks, as necessary.

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.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

Program Coordinators, project-level SMT, Technical Advisors, project MEL team (a team of 18 members in total)

ACCOUNTABILITY

Reports directly to:  Director of Programs

Works directly with:  Program Senior Team, Technical Advisors, MEL Manager, PAQ Team, Finance, HR, Operations, and Senior Management; Senior Representative (Canada)

Accountability to Beneficiaries

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries 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.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

  • BS or MA in international development, economic development, gender equality and social inclusion, or other relevant field;
  • Demonstrated expertise in participatory, inclusive community-based programs, with at least 5-7 years of relevant and/or field-based experience, including program management experience; experience in feminist implementation approaches highly appreciated;
  • Extensive experience in designing and implementing gender-transformative livelihoods development programming in Lebanon, with an understanding of the displacement context, economic challenges, social stability, gender and power dynamics, and resilience mechanisms relevant to internal conflict preferred; preference also given to candidates with protection and social and behaviour change expertise;
  • Proven track record in staff and stakeholder training, mentoring, and capacity building;
  • Experience of livelihoods programming for youth, particularly gender transformation-focused programming;
  • Experience using a conflict sensitivity and Do No Harm approach;
  • Solid knowledge and application of established inter-agency standards and guidelines relevant to protection and the prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse;
  • Excellent analytical skills with ability to identify problems and opportunities within a rapidly changing context, and propose and implement sound, forward looking solutions; experience using adaptive management strategies including but not limited to GAC’s Results-Based Management Approach preferred;
  • Strong communication, networking, advocacy, negotiation, and diplomacy skills;
  • Working understanding of procurement, administrative and finance systems;
  • Knowledge of Canada Feminist International Assistance Policy and Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) approach;
  • Fluency in English is essential; fluency in Arabic preferred.

SUCCESS FACTORS

A successful candidate will have the ability to work closely with a diverse team of individuals in a highly fluid work and security environment with a capacity to spark innovative and transformative approaches to programming and inspire groups to collaborate closely to implement high-quality programming. They will have proven experience working effectively and respectfully with local and national-level government officials and other authorities, as well as L/INGO and CBO representatives, in particular women and youth-led local organizations. They will have a record of accomplishment that demonstrates an emphasis on equality and inclusion, attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, and successfully meeting programmatic deadlines, as well as anticipating program needs in a dramatically and ever-changing social, political, and economic context. Sensitivity to multicultural international development work and a commitment to working with women, men, girls, and boys to create safe, inclusive, empowering platforms and opportunities  for women and youth that foster greater acceptance, voice and agency in the community and in accessing productive livelihoods opportunities. The ability to solve problems creatively, juggle multiple priorities under tight deadlines, and diplomatically manage unexpected and sudden events affecting project operations is essential.  

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

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

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. 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.

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. 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.

Expired

NOTE:

Daleel Madani, the civil society network, serves as a platform for organisations to post their professional opportunities, but is not involved in the recruitment process. The hiring organisation is solely responsible for the job and candidate selection.

Last modified: 
14 Apr, 2021
Intervention Sector(s):
Development
Application Deadline:
Wednesday, 28 April 2021
Contract Type:
Full Time
Period of Employment:
-
Salary
N/A
Salary Range:
> 3000 (USD)
Education Degree:
Bachelor Degree
Education Degree Details:
Experience Requirements:
5 to 10 years
Arabic Language:
Fluent
English Language:
Fluent
French Language:
None
Country/City: 
  • Lebanon
  • Beirut
randomness