Assistant Project Manager Gbv

PROGRAM BACKGROUND: Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities. The agency pursues its mission through emergency relief services, sustainable community development, civil society and economic development initiatives. Mercy Corps has been present in the Middle East since the 1980s and currently has offices in Yemen, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Libya. Working in Lebanon since 1993, Mercy Corps promotes economic development and increased opportunity for marginalized communities while responding to emergencies as they have emerged. Until recently Mercy Corps’ focus has focused on bolstering civil society and give voice to under-represented groups through the empowerment of young leaders. Recently, the country office portfolio expanded in response to the massive refugee influx from Syria, to address key needs like non-food items/winterization, water and sanitation, child protection, and capacity building. The conflict that began more than four years ago in Syria has resulted in a steady increase in Syrian refugees to Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a critical issue in Lebanon exacerbated by dwindling resources, lack of educational and livelihoods opportunities and an increasingly restrictive protection environment. At least 78% of Syrians registered as refugees with UNHCR are women and children. While incidents of GBV–including sexual exploitation and sexual violence–are widely underreported, a quarter of incidents reported through existing protection mechanisms relate to rape or sexual assault. Other types of GBV including child/early marriage, sexual assaults and domestic violence are alarmingly prevalent. Across Lebanon, access to appropriate care and services for refugees generally, and for GBV survivors in particular (disproportionately affecting adolescent girls and women) continues to present daunting challenges. More concentrated efforts are urgently required to strategically remove barriers to referral pathways for GBV services–including sustainably linking key community gateways to formal referral mechanisms–and balanced by local capacity strengthening and community mobilization efforts to prevent and mitigate GBV risks while improving access to service delivery. In addition, to reduce vulnerability and prevent further harm, it is essential to integrate gender and protection standards across WASH, Education and Livelihoods sectors to ensure that all refugees and vulnerable host community members are safe from GBV risks which can be inadvertently triggered by humanitarian interventions.    PROGRAM INTRODUCTION Mercy Corps Lebanon currently operates the Strengthening Referral Pathways in Lebanon (SRPL) programs with PRM funding – the SRPL is currently ending its first one year phase and entering a four months extension period. Mercy Corps and Heartland Alliance International (HAI) propose to extend the Strengthening Referral Pathways in Lebanon (SRPL) program by an additional four months. The goal of the program is: refugees and vulnerable host community members at extreme risk, including survivors of GBV in South Lebanon, are free from harm and benefit from an improved quality of life. The program will develop and strengthen GBV and related mental health referral pathways in South Lebanon to improve access for survivors to critical lifesaving services, and build the capacity of three local agencies working on GBV issues. The program is located in the seven cazas of South Lebanon: Saida, Sour, Bent Jbeil, Marjayoun, Nabatiyeh, Jezzine, and Hasbaya. The program has made consistent progress towards its goals. The program has worked with three local organizations to improve referral mechanisms for GBV and mental health services and increase local knowledge on GBV and mental health, conducted, in close collaboration with ABAAD, awareness sessions on available referral services and have reached over 5,000 beneficiaries with targeted messages on the GBV and mental health-related services available to them. With this four months extension period Mercy Corps is aiming at consolidating gains from strengthening GBV referral pathways and building on partnerships from the current program, Mercy Corps will expand to additional locations and strategically focus on key gateways – public schools serving Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian students and community-based centers – with the aim of improving knowledge of, and access to, gender appropriate services. Whilst continuing to improve GBV survivors’ access to critical knowledge and lifesaving services, Mercy Corps seeks to strategically engage influential community-based actors to educate and mobilize communities to prevent and mitigate GBV risks and violations, with a particular focus on engaging men and boys to speak out against and address various forms of GBV. In addition to these main pillars (outreach activities and strengthening organizational capacity), Mercy Corps proposes to promote throughout its programming the integration of Gender and Protection across WASH interventions at the design, implementation and monitoring phases to ensure safe and secure access to WASH facilities, further developing the staff capacity and skills to identify, assess, and refer GBV incidents. Gender and protection will be integrated across Mercy Corps’ ongoing BPRM-funded Restoration of sustainable WASH services for Syrian refugees and Lebanese host communities.  GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY: The Assistant Project Manager is responsible for the qualitative, quantitative and timely implementation of all program’s activities under the supervision of the Program Manager. He / She is responsible for monitoring and reporting on various components of the program. He/she will closely work with partners HAI, ABAAD and the Lebanese Association for NGO Development (LAND), NGOs, local communities, local authorities and other civic or community groups to ensure that Mercy Corps and the program have widespread acceptance and facilitate achieving the program’s objectives.   ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: The Assistant Project Manager will be working under the supervision of the Program Manager, to participate in the overall coordination of the program: Overviewing partners work to ensure coherent plan of actions, division of labor and  effective coordination and communication; Maintaining positive relationships with governmental entities, local communities leaders, international (HAI) and national field partners (ABAAD and LAND) NGOs, local authorities and other civic or community groups; Liaising with key stakeholders to consolidate Mercy Corps’ acceptance within local communities to facilitate program implementation, including informing the wider community actors about Mercy Corps’ programming, as well as with relevant Mercy Corps sectors to ensure programmatic synergies; Conducting and facilitating trainings with MC staff members (WASH, CYP, Protection monitoring and other sectors) in order to develop staff capacity and skills to identify, assess, and refer GBV incidents; Collating and reporting on the programs progress including program documents, monitoring notes and photos; Ensure accurate data collection, reporting and analysis from program activities; Supervise administration, accounting, procurement issues relating to the program; Ensuring with the GBV Prevention and Response Coordinator efficient collaboration and coordination with partners and field agencies for the conduction of outreach activities to vulnerable host community members and refugees through community awareness events in each caza on protection risk issues and mitigation strategies; To supervise and overview the field staff members (Mercy Corps and partners) working on the program and to monitor the work of the by constantly visiting the areas of intervention; To follow, monitor and report to the program manager on all activities implementation during the program extension period; To participate in the preparation of weekly and monthly planning and reporting documents in collaboration with the Program Coordinator; To participate in the liaison with local authorities, NGOs and INGOs in the district and other stakeholders under delegation from the Program Manager; Carry-out any other duties and/or responsibilities assigned by the Program Manager. While supporting the Coordinator, the Assistant Project Manager will contribute to the improvement and consolidation of the current activities: more specifically she/he will: Supervise and assist LAND and facilitate whenever necessary the provision of organizational management development trainings and capacity building in the areas of GBV and mental health services to targeted local protection key actors Supervise and assist ABAAD for the roll-out of the awareness sessions on protection and GBV related issues in all districts of South Lebanon; Facilitate and strengthen the Caza-Level Committees (CLC) in targeted districts of the South. The Assistant Project Manager will also: Attend SGBV and Child Protection Working groups (WG) meetings in Tyr as well othet relevant protection meetings such as Protection, Health, etc and liaise with field agencies to ensure efficient coordination; Carry out field assessments (whenever relevant), identify and analyze trends, protection concerns, etc and report findings;; etc.s-cutting information, etc.nstform Commitee Conduct regular monitoring field activities and generate monitoring report on qualitative and quantitative progress of program by applying monitoring tools; Assist in raising local program visibility and promotion of achievements through effective media;  Participate in monitoring and implementation for all aspects of the program; Contribute to monthly and quarterly reporting; Ensure that all required documentation from field work is prepared professionally, collated and promptly shared; Establish and maintain a comprehensive filing system for the outreach and training activities including program documents, monitoring notes and photos; Provide written and verbal translation of documents, program papers, at meetings, etc. as requested; Implement Mercy Corps’ Gender Equity policy and applies Do No Harm approaches; Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission; Other assigned tasks, as necessary.  SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: N/A ACCOUNTABILITY:   REPORTS DIRECTLY TO:  GBV Program Manager   WORKS DIRECTLY WITH:  Program, Operations, Finance, and M&E Teams COLLABORATES DIRECTLY WITH: Child Protection, WASH, Protection Monitoring and other sectors KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:  Protection-related programs experience essential and a further 2 years of experience working with a National or an International NGO in a Managerial role Gender-based Violence (GBV) programs experience preferred: previous experience working in the field of violence against children and violence against women Previous experience in managing teams, with diplomatic and an effective communication at all levels; Good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues and ability to work with refugee and host community populations; Fluency in English (verbal and written); 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; Strong experience in budget planning, budget monitoring, following-up with procurement procedures; Experience in capacity building: conducting trainings and workshops; Willingness to travel to remote areas; Willingness to work long hours to achieve the objectives of the programme; Ability to work in an international or multicultural environment with significant knowledge and understanding of the current political, economic, cultural and historical context of South Lebanon preferred; Good IT skills (Windows, Office package and internet).   SUCCESS FACTORS: The successful Assistant Project Manager will have experience in protection and GBV programming. S/he will have an outstanding ability to communicate verbally and in written and create positive working relationships based on trust and transparency with target communities, and other stakeholders. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and working independently are essential. Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving is essential in a complex security and political environment like Lebanon. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.