Senior Grants Coordinator - On Rolling basis (Applications will only be accepted if submitted through the URL link provided below)

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.

The Program / Department / Team (Program / Department Summary)

Working in Lebanon since 1993, Mercy Corps is committed to generating positive opportunities for women, men, boys and girls 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 outcome areas across the humanitarian-development nexus: economic opportunities, access to food, water security and peace and good governance. The Mercy Corps Lebanon team consists of over 50 staff working throughout Mount Lebanon, South Lebanon, North Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. 

The program department collaborates with program teams, supporting departments and partners to use evidence to design and deliver relevant and impactful programs that improve the lives of program participants. The program unit supports team development and assists teams to manage grants and reporting, as well as to design and implement robust monitoring, evaluation, and accountability systems that prove impact, inform areas for improvement, and ensure accountability to the principles of good program management, as well as to end participants and other stakeholders. The program unit also lead all development of new programs.

The Position (General Position Summary)

The Mercy Corps team in Lebanon is looking to hire a Senior Grants Coordinator to support the Program team. The primary function of this role is to lead on grant management and grant acquisition, while also refining and strengthening the grants processes currently in place. Working closely with the Country Manager, they will be responsible for 1) supporting teams in making sure that all programs comply with program minimum quality standards; 2) building on current systems and identifying gaps and developing new tools and processes accordingly; 3) ensuring program information is systematically and safely stored; 4) coordinating report revisions and information gathering for external coordination mechanisms and 5) coordinating and leading proposal development activities as needed.

Essential Responsibilities

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

• Support the overall strategy design and coordination for new program development, in close collaboration with the Country Manager. This includes identifying funding opportunities, coordinating with key internal and external stakeholders, setting timelines, and ensuring quality submissions aligned with Mercy Corps' strategic priorities.
• Oversee the end-to-end proposal development process, including the formation of proposal development teams, assignment of roles, establishment of clear work plans, and facilitation of proposal review meetings. Ensure alignment with Mercy Corps’ technical standards and donor expectations.
• Lead the drafting and quality assurance of high-impact concept notes and proposals, ensuring they are evidence-based, contextually grounded, and technically sound. This includes synthesizing inputs from program teams, MEAL, technical advisors, consultants, and finance/procurement departments.
• Support the Country Manager in donor engagement and fundraising efforts, proactively identifying and cultivating relationships with new and existing donors. Develop and regularly update a donor mapping and engagement strategy tailored to the evolving humanitarian and development landscape in Lebanon.
• Maintain and regularly update the ProDev tracker, and lead weekly ProDev check-ins to monitor progress, identify bottlenecks, and adjust strategies accordingly.
• Ensure timely and high-quality revisions of proposals and concept notes based on donor feedback, maintaining a strong feedback loop with HQ, regional teams, and local partners. Provide donor-specific advice to the programme staff, while also linking with procurement and finance departments during concept note and proposal development
• Support cross-departmental learning and integration of lessons learned into future program design, drawing from program evaluations, after-action reviews, and sectoral best practices.
• Facilitate capacity strengthening for Mercy Corps Lebanon staff and local partners in program design, donor compliance, and proposal writing through mentoring, training sessions, and development of guidance tools.
• Contribute to strategic planning and positioning efforts, ensuring Mercy Corps’ program development is adaptive to contextual shifts, aligned with sectoral trends, and responsive to community needs.

GRANTS MANAGEMENT

• Update and maintain Mercy Corps Lebanon’ grants management systems and ensure program information for existing and new grants is systematically and safely stored
• Work with program teams and HQ colleagues to compile required donor documents in a compliant and systematic manner
• Lead the joint completion of the document retention tracker check on a quarterly basis and manage the review process with program and support departments
• Support the organization of program initiation meetings, program close out meetings and monthly Budget vs Actuals (BVA) meetings and ensure documentation is done accordingly
• Support the program team to ensure that all program teams comply with Mercy Corps Program Quality minimum standards and lead the development and maintenance of a program health tracker for each program
• Support teams during the close out phase to ensure all documentation (electronic and hardcopy) is in place and is filed appropriately
• Maintain and manage access for the centralized program filing system for Mercy Corps Lebanon, and ensure all new programs adapt the suggested folder structure to respond to their needs, in compliance with Mercy Corps’ global systems and minimum standards

REPORTING

• Compile and maintain the reporting tracker for all active and recently closed grants, and coordinate with program teams on timelines and requirements for reporting
• Coordinate report revisions and support program teams, the Country Manager, and HQ colleagues to review program reports promptly and accurately and make necessary revisions based on feedback to ensure timely and quality submissions
• Coordinate information gathering and lead on ensuring regular and thorough reporting for external coordination is completed in a timely and accurate manner (e.g. inter-agency coordination, ActivityInfo indicators, LCRP, LHIF, sectoral working groups)

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Actively learn about safeguarding and integrate it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
• Practice the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
• Encourage openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.

Supervisory Responsibility

None

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Country Manager

Works Directly With: Regional MERL Advisor, Regional new initiatives advisor, Award Management team, Program Managers and program team members

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 in international development or other relevant social science (MA preferred).
• 5+ years of experience working in international relief and development programs, preferably in both humanitarian and development programs
• 3+ years of experience with grants management and reporting for an NGO
• Good understanding of program design process, including capacity to prepare coherent and consistent documents (including log frames, workplans and budgets)
• Knowledge of key donors and their requirements, including the AFD, GAC, ECHO, BHA, BPRM, UN agencies and OFDA/USAID, is a great asset
• Demonstrated experience writing and reviewing quality English products under tight deadlines
• Ability to analyze and summarize information, evaluate options and to think and plan strategically
• Experience with coordinating between different teams both at the national level and HQ level
• Experience with NGO proposal development processes
• Excellent organizational skills, great coordination capacities and ability to work autonomously
• Ability to work calmly under pressure in a rapidly changing, multi-cultural context, whilst adhering to strict deadlines
• Good interpersonal, communication and presentation skills
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently to Mercy Corps program sites and field locations, including traveling to insecure environments, is required.
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic required

Success Factors

The successful Senior Grants Coordinator will be bright, energetic, hard-working and eager to learn.  They will take a deep personal interest in humanitarian and development assistance. They 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.  They will be creative and flexible, contributing to developing and encouraging new and innovative solutions, but at the same time will not have any difficulty in adhering to systems and procedures.  They will strictly follow all protocols related to safety and security, and holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modeling Mercy Corps’ values

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Lebanon, and it requires up to 40% travel to support country programs, 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

Team Efficiency and Effectiveness 

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.

We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out different 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 and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. 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.

As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline (integrityhotline@mercycorps.org).