Digital Sector Expert (Applications will only be accepted if submitted through the URL link provided below)

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long-term impact.

The Program / Department / Team

The “Fostering Resilience by Strengthening Abilities” FORSA II program is a 6.5 million Euros three-and-a-half-year (December 2019 - May 2023) program focusing on the nexus between education and employment. The program targets youth between the ages of 16-34 from Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian families, with a specific focus on women and girls in the target areas. The overall objective is that women and youth are supported to access education and employment in targeted areas in the Bekaa and South. 

The primary objectives of the program are that:

1. Youth from all targeted communities have improved market-driven skills as a result of better-quality training systems;
2. Job placement systems provide equitable and sustainable access to jobs for targeted populations.
3. Male and female youth have improved pathways to self-employment.

The Position

The digital sector expert is responsible for the technical oversight and coordination of the Freelance Academy component within the FORSA II program. The Freelance Academy component is a training and coaching program designed for young professionals with a digital skills background and aims to equip the participants with the necessary tools to become successful freelancers and obtain gig work in their sector. This includes how to create a winning profile on job platforms, negotiate with potential clients and develop their freelance career. The coordinator will manage the component team and ensure that activities are implemented to high quality, on time, and within budget. S/he will ensure to build on and further develop the Freelance Academy strategy and vision, and contribute to achieving key milestones and deliverables, including improved access to jobs of women and youth within the Freelance ecosystem and gig economy. As requested by the Program Manager, the successful candidate will attend sector-specific meetings with peer organizations, as well as supporting and building partnerships with CBO’s, Private Sector, and Government.

Essential Responsibilities

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

• Support the Program Manager and program team in planning and implementing project activities to meet project deliverables based on timeline and scope agreed with the donor;
• Provide day-to-day oversight and coordination, including administrative, financial and logistical support; Troubleshoot any administrative problems and report any challenges or bottlenecks to Program Manager;
• Participate in team planning and coordination meetings and trainings;  
• Ensure effective communication and coordination with other program outcomes in particular the training and access to job components;
• Support monitoring and evaluation efforts to document project outputs, outcomes, and impact to inform donor and other internal reporting;
• Contribute to the analysis of data collected to facilitate assessment results and lessons learned;
• Responsible for the filing and record keeping of project activities related to the Freelance component;
• Contribute to quarterly reports and other ad hoc reports to meet donor and internal requirements;
• Directly manage the activity budget and complete financial planning to inform programming;
• Monitor adherence to grant agreement, Mercy Corps policies and procedures, and relevant external rules and regulations.

PROJECT COORDINATION FOR THE FREELANCE ACADEMY DEVELOPMENT

• Lead the Freelance Academy component processes design and implementation;
• Lead and contribute to the development of strategies to meet the targets and vision of the program and to scale up further the activities through market-oriented solutions;
• Lead and participate in the development of the academy curricula, by designing adapted content modules aiming to prepare trainees to successfully obtain remote gig work in their sector;
• Collaborate with other Mercy Corps programs, the Communication Coordinator and local partners to increase the visibility of the Freelance academy, strengthen the outreach of potential applicants, and scale up their participation in the program;
• Build the brand of the Freelance Academy and its scope by strengthening the graduates' engagement in the program; and organizing events, workshops, bootcamps...;  
• Map and identify collaboration opportunities with partners that leverage all aspects of remote work; including job platforms, training institutes, Universities, employers/business owners, Lebanese diaspora and others;
• Contribute to the evaluation of the Freelance academy ideas to understand the gig work and remote work opportunities, market viability, expected growth/scale, investment readiness and effort required;
• Coordinate financial and operational feasibility studies of the Freelance academy development plans; while ensuring the sustainability of the action;
• Ensure that all interventions are in compliance with international norms and standards, national laws and policies, technical standards and organizational policies;
• Assist with monitoring and evaluation (M&E), accountability and learning systems for optimal job platforms development and support;
• Design formats for critical pieces of operations guides (checklists, SOPs, best practices, etc);
• Manage relationships and performance of third-party technical and creative partners;
• Research and analytics work on an ad-hoc basis to assess and document job placement achieved, innovations developed and learnings from each engagement; 
• Contribute to the design of an inclusive program that responds to barriers to women and youths engagement in the workforce

COORDINATION AND REPRESENTATION

• Liaise with key stakeholders including local partners, Universities, private sector representatives, syndicates, local NGOs and INGOs, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure successful deliverables;
• Contribute in building relationships with external stakeholders to introduce the project and facilitate access to information related to project activities and scope. Arrange for meetings as requested;
• Develop and maintain working relationships and coordinate with relevant international and local agencies active in the livelihoods and economic development sector;
• Represent Mercy Corps at local coordination meetings, where relevant.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Provide oversight and technical support to the Freelance academy team;
• Develop and implement a comprehensive plan for staff capacity building

OTHER

• Ensure all activities are gender-sensitive and follow Mercy Corps’ Gender Equity Policy;
• Apply Do No Harm standards 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 in Lebanon;
• Participate in internal office coordination and planning meetings and workshops;
• Other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibility

Project officer, Project assistant

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Programme Manager

Works Directly With: FORSA II Programme team, MC Support Departments (MEL, HR, Finance, Operations), other employment programming within Mercy Corps Lebanon

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• BA/S or equivalent in social science, management, economics, or other relevant field;
• At least five years of progressive experience and proven high level of competence in working in economic and market development; private sector experience is an asset;
• Experience working within the freelance and remote work ecosystem; 
• Excellent understanding of the digital gig economy and its dynamics in Lebanon and globally;
• Proven ability to successfully implement economic development programming, including the digitally delivered work; 
• Experience creating and managing detailed action/project plans and assessing impact to timelines and budget for change in scope or pivot in direction;
• Experience drafting detailed requirements for use by technical, and creative teams to execute against;
• Creative thinkers who take initiative and are capable of building, launching and managing projects/programs that drive results;
• Proven ability to access to a network of private sector, government officials, and NGOs, and potential implementing partners;
• Problem solvers with the ability to analyze and prioritize to meet the objectives;
• Deep knowledge of Lebanon, in particular its economic challenges;
• Strong leadership and team management skills; 
• Great communication skills and sense of humor;
• Proficiency in English is essential.

Success Factors

A successful candidate will have a passion for supporting and facilitating the success of freelancers and believes in the potential of remote working. S/he will have a proven ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and be accountable for results. A strong asset would be her/his ability to test and propose new creative ideas, with a forward-driven mentality that is solution-oriented and optimistic. Ability to work independently and as part of a team, with curiosity about and sensitivity to new cultures, a desire and ability to learn and grow, both personally and professionally, and a great sense of humor.

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. 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.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Beirut, Lebanon it requires up to 60% of local field movements to various regions in the country, with the possibility to support other country offices and which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. Housing for this role is in individual housing and staff will have access to good medical services and the living situation is of a high standard.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

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 e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.