Governance & Social Stability Program Manager (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.

Program / Department Summary

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 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 in Lebanon focus on three pillars:  Economic Growth, Governance and Social Cohesion, and Humanitarian Response. The Mercy Corps Lebanon team consists of over 120 staff working across four offices throughout Mount Lebanon, South Lebanon, Tripoli and the Bekaa Valley.

With funding from the European Regional Development and Protection Programme (RDPP) - a multi- donor European initiative supporting Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq - Mercy Corps is implementing its IJMAA+ from March 2022 to December 2022 in the Bekaa. The IJMAA+ program builds on learnings from years of program implementation (INTAJ and IJMAA) and aims to contribute to a reduction in drivers of tension amongst and between Lebanese host communities, refugees and municipal authorities in the Bekaa through fostering dialogue and peacebuilding mechanisms, and providing rapid stabilisation support.

General Position Summary

Working under the direction of the Director of Programs (DoP), the Program Manager is responsible for coordinating and implementing the delivery of the IJMAA+ program including daily management of programme activities and staff, and ensuring appropriate systems and support mechanisms are in place to track, analyze and report on results. The Program Manager is a strong team leader, able to develop and mentor team members in Beirut and the Bekaa  and is an effective communicator, able to work with internal and external stakeholders to achieve common objectives. S/he is responsible for managing relationships with local partners, beneficiaries and RDPP representatives, contributing to achievement of country goals through innovation and programme development and displaying expertise in the social stability sector as well as regional experience to the team on the ground.

The Program Manager will work closely with the  finance, logistics and operations departments within Mercy Corps to ensure smooth implementation of stability interventions . S/he will provide technical guidance on governance programming to team members to ensure interventions are well planned and implemented. S/he will also work in close coordination with other partnering agencies as the Mercy Corps representative.

The Program Manager will ensure the timely and compliant implementation of the program. The manager should also be able to lead training and workshops to develop and mentor field team members on topics including BvAs, budgets, as well as Finance and Operations topics.

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY & VISION

• Works closely with the DoP and Country Director to identify new strategic opportunities and position Mercy Corps for high-impact governance and stability programming.
• Sets program direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources, in collaboration with other governance team members to achieve objectives and contribute to country and regional-wide strategy development.
• Under the supervision of the DoP, leads programmatic expansion based on needs as the situation evolves.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Oversees the implementation and ongoing program management and administration of the teams
• Supports program teams in the daily activities support may include: reviewing plans, sharing/reviewing SOPs, and providing trainings to the program teams. Support will include work with other key sectors, such as Economic Opportunity or Humanitarian.
• Help to develop program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks when needed, as well as beneficiary targeting.
• Ensures that program implementation is responsive to communities’ needs and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.
• Ensures that program implementation is conducted with the respect to the security protocols, responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.
• Collaborates with the Program Performance and Quality (PAQ) Manager to monitor desired impacts of governance programming.

• Ensures Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards are adhered to based on the organization-wide guidelines as well as donor regulations.
• Adheres to all MC procurement, logistics and administrative regulations related to programming;
• Ensures all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, Safeguarding, and beneficiary accountability standards.
• Ensures proper implementation of referral mechanisms in Mercy Corps in collaboration with program and Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism (CARM) teams

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Works to develop the capacity of the field teams to deepen their understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
• Assists team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Promotes accountability, communicates expectations and provides constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
• Creates and sustains a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Supervises, hires and orients new team members as necessary.
• Identifies any gaps or capacity needs within the team and ensures training and capacity building is incorporated into program planning.

TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP & COORDINATION

• Keeps abreast of all development in the Governance & Social Stability sector in Lebanon, including identification of key actors, main challenges, approaches used by other major actors. Participates in proposal writing, report writing, strategy development, and other processes that may lead to additional funding opportunities.
• Leads the development of strategies, processes and tools related to governance programming, including strategy workshops, SOPs, internal training.
• Represents Mercy Corps in the Social Stability working group and any other coordination forums related to governance.
• Identifies, builds, and manages collaborative partnerships with donors, local authorities, and other stakeholders.

FINANCE & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

• Manages financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy

Corps policies and procedures.

• Oversees the program budgets, project cash flow and expenditures;
• Ensures BVA meetings with finance are conducted on a monthly basis with reviews of projections based on accurate commitments tracking, procurement plans/cost, work or activity plans.

SECURITY

• Ensures compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensures that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

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 toward 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, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Supervisory Responsibility

Field Coordinators and MEL Manager.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Director of Programs

Works Directly With: PAQ Manager, MEL Team, Logistics Procurement, and Finance teams, Human Resources, HQ-based Program Operations and Technical Support teams (secondary).

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/BS or equivalent in social science, management, international development or other relevant field; MA/S preferred.
• 5-7 years of progressive experience and proven high level of competence in working in social stability or development-related programs, ideally in post-conflict settings  .
• Demonstrated ability to manage and communicate effectively with diverse team members of varied work styles.
• Excellent organizational and program management skills, able to keep an eye on the ‘bigger picture’, with great attention to details;
• Thorough understanding of the governance, conflict, and sociopolitical context of Lebanon
• Previous experience in social stability or peace building programming is preferred
• Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.
• Proven ability to learn quickly, lead a program to achieve stated results and objectives.
• Experience with the development, implementation & compliance of FCDO, RDPP and AFD funded programs.

• Ability to effectively represent Mercy Corps and its interests to key stakeholders.
• Experience working with local authorities, national and international NGOs.
• Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.
• Internationally recognized qualification in project or program management or a commitment to obtain the qualification in the early months of work.

• Knowledge of Sphere standards and other training in humanitarian response preferred.

Success Factors

The successful Program Manager will combine exceptional management skills and experience in maintaining donor and partner relationships. S/he will have previous experience in working in emergency programs and will have an outstanding ability to design and provide technical oversight of innovative programs within the current and future program structure of Mercy Corps in the area. S/he will have a keen interest in and an understanding of the complex socio-political and economic context of Lebanon, able to spot emerging trends and opportunities that may positively or negatively impact the program. S/he will also have proven experience with cross-cultural team and capacity building, individual staff development and strong mentoring skills. The successful candidate will have strong program support skills, good information management skills and be able to maintain a sense of humor.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This position is based in Beirut, Lebanon. Travel within Lebanon is required to support Mercy Corps Lebanon’s offices.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours. 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.