Livelihoods Project Manager

PROGRAM SUMMARY: Mercy Corps is launching the “Protect and Provide Livelihoods in Lebanon” (PPLL) project.  The overall objective of the project is to mitigate the medium to long term impact of the Syrian refugee crisis on Lebanese host communities.  The project will be implemented in the Beqaa and it is funded by the European Commission (EC) for a period of 24 months.  It will focus on collaborating with market actors within value chains—inputs providers, producers, agro-businesses, and end-buyers—in the agriculture sector to protect the incomes of small and medium producers. In addition, the project will strengthen coping mechanisms of both Lebanese and Syrian households through increased household resource management skills.  Lastly, PPLL will help increase the household cash flow of vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian households through cash-for-work activities and also strengthen the agriculture infrastructure in the targeted areas. GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY: The Project Manager will provide overall leadership and management to the implementation of PPLL, managing staff and resources to ensure that the project meets its targets and deliverables on-time and within budget.  The Project Manager will supervise the work of the partner organizations and service contracts and ensure accountability to Mercy Corps’ policies and donor rules and regulations. He/she will be the primary project representative to relevant government entities, private sector actors, local and international partners, and external stakeholders.  ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:  Project Management Plan and implement key programmatic components to meet project deliverables and targets based on the donor requirements; Conduct market analysis in selected agricultural market chains at several levels including inputs, producers, agro-businesses (especially for value-added processing), and end-buyers in the in the Beqaa to analyze how markets are currently functioning and where Mercy Corps could intervene to strengthen livelihoods of small-scale actors; Identify market opportunities for small and medium producers, facilitate access to information, and link producers with input providers and buyers at favourable terms for producers; Organize financial management and related training for vulnerable households to build capacity; Design and implement cash-for-work programming to provide temporary income support while increasing accessibility of key infrastructure to facilitate farmer support; Understand and follow Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards; Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Equity Policy and Do No Harm;  Team Management Supervise field teams members to develop work plans to complete project deliverables; Ensure field teams complete tasks as assigned in a timely, professional way while providing necessary support to trouble-shoot problems to find solutions; Oversee consultant and partner-led work to ensure deliverables are completed in timely and quality manner;  Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) and Reporting: Work with Regional Economic Opportunities Advisor and Director of M&E to conduct baseline/endline surveys of the project activities; Conduct regular monitoring of project activities and update implementation plan as required; Lead drafting and finalization of reports on all aspects of the project; Work with Regional Economic Opportunities Advisor and other technical staff to ensure that reporting generates practical information that can be used for ongoing project decision-making while also capturing results at the impact level; Ensure the achievement of planned results with a focus on lessons learned to be used for the design of a follow-on PPLL project;   Representation & Coordination Maintain regular communication with other INGOs, local NGOs, and donors working on cash-based responses, market-driven emergency programming, and economic coping activities in Lebanon; Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with private sector actors, local government representatives, and other key stakeholders; Attend Beqaa and Beirut-based coordination working group and other ad hoc meetings; Liaise with key stakeholders to disseminate findings and identify additional support to communities and individuals as well as with relevant Mercy Corps staff to ensure programmatic synergies;  New Initiatives: In coordination with the Country Director, Director of Programs, regional advisors, and other relevant personnel and counterparts, play an active role in identifying new initiatives and drafting proposal to expand Mercy Corps work in Lebanon; Work with the Regional Program teams in identifying additional opportunities for medium-term and longer-term market-driven programming; Other tasks as needed. KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE: At least 5 years’ experience with emergency market chain analysis mapping, market chain analysis, and other relevant market assessment tools. Strongly prefer candidates with experience in Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) or Emergency Market Mapping and Analysis (EMMA) experience; Experience in private sector agricultural development programming required with contract farming and producer association strengthening experience strongly preferred; Three to five years of experience in a management position. Experience with cash programming, including cash-for-work and cash distributions; Experience identifying and developing local partnerships, including with the private sector; 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 skills required Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment; Internationally recognized qualification in project or program management or a commitment to obtain the qualification in the early months of work.