Livelihood Coordinator - South (Applications will only be accepted if submitted through the link provided)

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

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 works in Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq.

Working in Lebanon since 1993, Mercy Corps has implemented community development programs focused on promoting economic development and increased opportunity for disadvantaged communities, while responding to emergencies as they emerged in the country. In 2012, the program portfolio shifted in response to the massive refugee influx from Syria and Mercy Corps in Lebanon has solidified its emergency response programming while integrating longer-term development programming by focusing on key sectors: Protection, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Governance and Conflict, and Livelihoods.

Mercy Corps is implementing the “Holistic Humanitarian Assistance to Syrian Refugees and Host Communities in Lebanon Program” (HHAP). The HHAP program aims to provide multi-sector humanitarian assistance to improve the wellbeing of conflict affected Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities in Lebanon through integrated WASH services and facilities, livelihood opportunities and Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) prevention and response services. The project is being implemented in the Governorates of Bekaa, Hermel-Baalbek, South Lebanon, and Nabatieh, funded by the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (BPRM). The program takes a multi-faceted approach to achieve this goal by: (1) improving access to water and sanitation facilities and promoting improved hygiene practices; (2) creating short-term livelihood opportunities through Labor Intensive Projects (LIP); and (3) reducing SGBV through increased awareness and improved access to quality services. This will be accomplished through carefully sequencing and integrating activities, with WASH and livelihood activities integrating SGBV risk mitigation in their design and implementation.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The Livelihood Coordinator is responsible for the overall planning and implementation of the livelihood sub components of the BPRM program in Nabatieh and South governorates. S/he will be responsible of targeting basic needs of vulnerable HHs with immediate income generation opportunities through LIPs, focusing on infrastructure rehabilitation and improved delivery of services while helping to mitigate negative coping mechanisms to sustain livelihood.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

The Livelihood Coordinator will be responsible of the targeting of cadasters, and lead on selection of labor based on vulnerability criteria and skills matching. S/He is also expected to lead and facilitate the skills training for labors, and with the Livelihood Assistant and Project Engineer, to manage design of the infrastructure rehabilitation projects and their day-to-day monitoring. S/he needs to:

• Conduct stakeholder outreach and identify infrastructure community project opportunities using a participatory needs assessment; the Livelihood Coordinator is the keeper of Mercy Corps communication with local authorities and relevant institutions.
• Train municipalities and refugee committees to build their capacity on how to conduct participatory needs assessments as means to identifying potential LIPs and on how to provide financial planning and budgeting, work planning, and scheduling to ensure proper maintenance of rehabilitated infrastructure.
• Conduct a comprehensive revision of selection criteria and vulnerability scoring of cadasters projects and laborers.
• Coordinate all LIP activities related to the livelihood component, including area selection, Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) preparation and signatures, laborers’ identification with key stakeholders and predetermined criteria, community mobilization and prioritization activities, and coordination;
• Manage the design, implementation and monitoring of the municipal and community infrastructure LIPs.
• Organize and deliver trainings through various methods, and keep on tracking and monitoring impact over the lifetime of the project.
• Review labor and time-line requirements for LIP activities, determining staffing requirements.
• Coordinate payment procedures, including documentation, approval and actual payment.
• Develop implementation work plans and monitor activities and their contribution to achieving program deliverables.
• Ensure the needed coordination with the SGBV team to plan for the provision of the SGBV awareness session to project laborers and participants, and ensure referring SGBV and protection cases to related parties;
• Launch and follow-up on the procurement of all materials for LIP projects in coordination with the Project Manager
• Report and follow up on any problems encountered in the field such as project participant complaints, local authority interference, security threats, etc…;
• Liaise with WASH and GBV teams for joint planning and holistic service provision.
• Ensure effective local stakeholders’ participation, including local government, refugees and host communities, at all levels of the activities identification, design and implementation.
• Take account of gender and protection concerns in livelihood activities design and implementation.
• Carry out activities in a way that reflects the needs of specific groups and individuals’ e.g. elderly people, children, and people with disabilities.
• Maintain all documentation relating directly to LIP activities required to ensure accountability to the donor, particularly where labor is concerned.
• Timely respond to requests by the sector after receiving review from line manager, and ensure proper activity info and other-sector related reporting in collaboration with the MEL team.
• Participate in recruitment for the livelihood field based staff.
• Supervise the field based project staff and ensure proper field level management of day-to-day logistics, administration, and personnel in accordance with national law and organizational guidelines.
• Ensure that subordinate staff understand and act in line with Mercy Corps’ conduct.
• Closely coordinate and work with BPRM GBV and WaSH teams at Mercy Corps South office to ensure program integration;
• Closely coordinate and work with BPRM MEL Officers to ensure transparent sites and beneficiaries selection, and complete MEL cycle through the component phases;
• Coordinate and work with field government officials, beneficiaries and other stakeholders throughout the implementation of the program;
• Represent Mercy Corps at field Livelihood related coordination meetings in the South to foster greater coordination and information sharing and ensure optimal service coverage for Mercy Corps respective areas of implementation;
• Liaise with field local officials to explain the objectives and parameters of the Livelihood program, as well as program partners, local religious leaders and other community members to ensure support for and acceptance of the BPRM Livelihood activities;
• Develop and maintain working relationships and coordinate with relevant international and local agencies;
• Other duties as assigned by the line manager.

Other

• Apply Do No Harm standards in the monitoring process to ensure activities do not have detrimental effects on vulnerable communities;
• 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;
• Ensure all activities are gender sensitive and follow Mercy Corps’ Gender Equity Policy.

• Contribute to monthly reports and other ad hoc reports to meet donor and internal requirements.

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 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, M&E of our field projects.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY & ACCOUNTABILITY:

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: BPRM - Livelihoods Component Lead;

SUPERVISES: Livelihood Assistant;

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: BPRM Project Engineer, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Officer, GBV Coordinator, Program Support Officer and support teams at Mercy Corps.

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KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• Four (4) years’ of Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) humanitarian field within Livelihoods, Cash for Work, and Households targeting.
• A university bachelor degree with preference of Civil Engineering, Architecture, Agriculture Economics, or Agriculture.
• Experience identifying and developing local partnerships.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and communicate effectively with team members of varied work styles.
• Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.
• Proven ability to learn quickly, lead a program to achieve stated results and objectives.
• Ability to effectively represent Mercy Corps and its interests to key stakeholders.
• Oral and written Arabic and English are required;
• Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.
• Willingness to travel throughout the country.

SUCCESS FACTORS:

The successful Livelihood Coordinator will have proven experience working effectively and respectfully with government and other authorities, NGO, and CBO representatives, and will have effective verbal and written communication as well as multi-tasking, organizational, and prioritization skills. S/he will have demonstrated attention to detail while keeping a strategic view, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines, and work independently and cooperatively with team members, and will have an interest and ability to travel and work in insecure environments.

Sensitivity to multi-cultural international development work and ability to train and facilitate dialogue among a diverse group of individuals with various skill sets and working styles are all critical, as is a commitment to working with community members to make concrete improvements to their livelihoods and living conditions. An ability to creatively problem-solve, to juggle multiple priorities under tight deadlines, and to calmly and diplomatically deal with unexpected and sudden events impacting program operations are also essential, as is patience, tenacity, and a good sense of humor.