Humanitarian 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 80 staff working across three offices throughout Beirut, Tripoli and the Bekaa Valley. Mercy Corps Lebanon’s humanitarian portfolio centers on cash assistance, building on its global expertise.

General Position Summary

The Humanitarian Program Manager will primarily oversee Mercy Corps’ Multipurpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) programme across the country, as well as lead in coordination, program design, and program development for Mercy Corps. As required, the Program Manager will also lead other distribution activities (e.g. Food and Non-Food distributions, etc.) in the event that Mercy Corps is in a position to respond to an emergency event. The Program Manager will work closely with finance, logistics and operations departments within Mercy Corps to ensure smooth implementation of cash-based interventions. S/he will provide technical guidance on cash programming to team members to ensure interventions are well planned and implemented. S/he will also work in close coordination with other partnering agencies through the Basic Assistance Working Group and Cash Working Group as the Mercy Corps representative.

The Program Manager will ensure the timely and compliant delivery of our multi-donor funded cash-based activities. The manager should also be able to lead trainings and workshops to develop and mentor field team members on topics including BvAs, budgets, and cash implementation SOPs

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY & VISION

• Works closely with the Director of Programs (DoP) and Country Director to identify new strategic opportunities and position Mercy Corps for high-impact humanitarian cash response. Participates in proposal writing, report writing, strategy development, and other processes that may lead to additional funding opportunities.
• Sets program direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources, in collaboration with Cash Project Managers to achieve objectives and contribute to country and regional-wide strategy development.
• Lead programmatic expansion based on needs as the humanitarian situation evolves.
• Broadens influence by role-modeling and leveraging humanitarian networks and sets a clear vision in case of emergency response.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Oversees all MPCA program start-up, implementation and ongoing program management and administration of the teams across the various field locations.
• Supports program teams in starting-up various cash and non-cash based humanitarian activities; support may include: reviewing plans, sharing/reviewing SOPs, and providing training to the program teams. Support will include work with other key sectors, such as Livelihoods, to integrate best practice cash transfer programming into our other workstreams.
• Lead all on humanitarian distributions if there is an emergency event in the country.
• Help to develop program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks when needed, beneficiary targeting, distribution processes with a special focus on Cash Transfer Programs.
• 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 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 PAQ Manager to monitor desired impacts across the cash portfolio.

• 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, including internal and external referrals to and from MPCA programming.

TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP

• Keeps abreast of all development in the Cash sector in Lebanon, including identification of key actors, main challenges, TCTR, transfer values and modalities used by other major actors, deduplication systems or the lack thereof.
• Understands Sphere standards and ensures they are met.
• Conducts rapid needs assessments, in line with Mercy Corps’ approach and industry’s best practice.
• Acts as the technical focal point for Cash for MCL, including development of guidelines, SOPs and other programmatic documents.
• Provides technical guidance on cash programming to team members to ensure interventions are well planned and implemented.
• Co-leads workshops and training on Cash and provides input on concept notes, proposal and strategy development documents.
• Works in close coordination with other partnering agencies through the Basic Assistance Working Group and Cash Working Group as the Mercy Corps representative.
• Liaises as needed with the TSU for support to Cash programming in Lebanon.
• Ensures that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Works to develop the capacity of the cash 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.
• Nurtures innovation across the team and drives impact by building high performing teams
• 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.

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 off of accurate commitments tracking, procurement plans/costed work or activity plans.

REPRESENTATION & COORDINATION

• Represents Mercy Corps in BAWG and CWG and any other coordination forums for cash-based programming.
• Identifies, builds and manages collaborative partnerships with donors, local authorities, the CWG and other stakeholders.
• Liaises with selected financial service provider(s) on operational planning to ensure that program participants receive assistance as smoothly as possible.

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

Senior Field Coordinator and MEL Coordinator

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Director of Programs

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

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/BS or equivalent in international studies, economics or other relevant field; MA/S preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of international relief and development experience.
• Previous demonstrated experience in cash or voucher programming, market analysis and coordinating implementation with service providers.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and communicate effectively with ethnically 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.
• 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 USAID, UN/OCHA, and ECHO 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 Humanitarian 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 Zahle, Lebanon. The person will be required to spend at least 40% of their time in the relevant field offices in support of cash and humanitarian activities. The current cash program is in Bekaa, with possibility of expansion to other areas.

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.