Project Manager -(Governance & Community Action Plan)

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY: The Project Manager will be responsible for all aspects of implementing Mercy Corps’ local municipality and social cohesion work, including managing the two Coordinators and Assistant Programme Officer. S/he will be responsible for the overall project planning and management. It will involve fulfilling specific deliverables outlined in the project plan, as well as strategically positioning the organization to expand the initiative. This will namely include building key relationships with local leaders, mobilizing Lebanese and Syrian communities, coordinating between the municipality and local leaders, providing coaching and mentoring to community leaders, supporting NGO partners in the training of community leaders, coordinating between the municipality and the Union of Municipalities, providing coaching and mentoring to municipal mayors, assessing the financial and operational capacity of municipalities, and organizing workshops for municipalities and Unions of Municipalities. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS Program Implementation: Work with the Coordinators and partner organisations to map target municipalities to understand relationships, power structures, etc… and select municipalities to work in; Manage the Coordinators and guide partner organizations to build relationships with municipalities to introduce the project and facilitate access to information about their municipal service provision structures and capacities; Manage the Coordinators and guide partner organizations to build relationships with the local Lebanese and Syrian communities to identify respected local leaders, including non-traditional leaders, who have an informal role in managing conflict in the community; Oversee the formal and informal dialogues and discussions of Lebanese and Syrian leaders amongst each other and their communities in the identification of common tensions and potential solutions to mitigate said tensions; Oversee the selection and implementation of projects that will mitigate tensions, working with the Coordinator and engineers to monitor the work of contractors; Oversee the assessment of municipality financial and operational capacity gaps and utilize external and internal resources alike to provide municipalities with solutions to identified gaps; Oversee the organization of workshops for municipalities and Unions of Municipalities; Oversee internal Mercy Corps procurement processes to secure materials, transport to target area, provide, install, etc. based on requirements; Work with the Program Manager and M&E Coordinator in the implementation of the M&E systems, including with partner organizations; Trouble shoot any administrative problems and report any challenges or bottlenecks to Program Manager; Be responsible for all aspects of the project, including fulfilling Mercy Corps Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide; Ensure activities promote gender equity, conflict sensitivity, and environmental awareness; Conduct Do No Harm analysis to inform future activities related to the implementation of the project; Mentor local municipal actors to apply strategies to promote greater crisis response; Write monthly reports and other ad hoc reports to meet donor and internal requirements; Liaise with national government officials and donors to discuss the project and its findings to leverage new ideas and link to new initiatives; Participate in internal office coordination and planning meetings and workshops; Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit toMercy Corpsand to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission. Other assigned tasks, as necessary   SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:Communities Coordinator; Municipalities Coordinator; Assistant Program Officer ACCOUNTABILITY: REPORTS DIRECTLY TO:  Program Manager WORKS DIRECTLY WITH:  Directory of Programs, Program, Operations, Finance, and M&E Teams KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:  BA/S or equivalent in social and political sciences, history, human rights or other relevant field required; MA/S preferred; Two of the following: i) 5 years’ experience working on peacebuilding with local communities; ii) 5 years’ experience implementing infrastructure projects; iii) 5 years’ experience working with local government; Experience managing a team; Strong understanding of government and governance issues in Lebanon; Excellent knowledge of North Lebanon; Positive, respectful attitude and collaborative approach to problem solving; Demonstrated attention to detail; ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently as well as cooperatively with team members;  SUCCESS FACTORS: The successful Project Manager will be bright, energetic, hard-working and eager to learn. S/he will take a deep personal interest in promoting municipal-level leadership in Lebanon and in learning about the work of Mercy Corps and the humanitarian/development community, in general. S/he will be attentive to detail and able to carry out assigned tasks in a timely manner and according to a very high standard of quality. S/he will be creative and flexible, but at the same time will not have any difficulty in adhering to systems and procedures. S/he will strictly follow all protocols related to safety and security