Micromentor Project Manager

DISCLAIMERIt is mandatory to mention "MicroMentor PM" in the subject of your application email.Applicants who do not use the proposed title above for will be disregarded. DISCLAIMERIt is mandatory to mention "MicroMentor PM" in the subject of your application email.Applicants who do not use the proposed title above for will be disregarded. GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:  The MicroMentor Project Manager is responsible for the oversight of project implementation.  S/he is responsible for ensuring effective planning and monitoring of project activities, to meet project objectives.  S/he is responsible for supervising the field team based in Tripoli and Saida, and providing them with ongoing coaching to ensure they are able to implement the project effectively.  S/he will lead on all communication with partner organizations, as well as coordination with the global MicroMentor team.  S/he will ensure the quality of all program deliverables, and be responsible for ensuring strong project management (including budget management).    PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY: Working in Lebanon since 1993, Mercy Corps has been running community development programs focused on promoting economic development and increased opportunity for disadvantaged communities, while responding to emergencies as they have emerged. The program portfolio has expanded in response to the massive refugee influx from Syria.  To date, more than one and a half million refugees have fled to Lebanon. As numbers have continued to increase, humanitarian conditions are deteriorating.  The burden on host communities and the financial and emotional stress on refugees and their hosts is tremendous. Mercy Corps is responding to these needs by addressing urgent basic needs, child protection as well as the psychosocial impact of the conflict and displacement.  At the same time, Mercy Corps’ programmatic focus is on mitigating social tensions between hosts and refugees, particularly over economic resources, by addressing both livelihood opportunities, conflict mitigation capacity and local government capacity.    The Mercy Corps Lebanon team consists of over 180 staff working across five offices throughout Mount Lebanon, South Lebanon, Tripoli and the Bekaa Valley.    MicroMentor, a Mercy Corps internal venture, is a mentoring program with an online platform that connects entrepreneurs and experienced professionals in one-to-one mentoring relationships.  MicroMentor currently makes 10,000 connections a year connecting business professionals with entrepreneurs across 140 countries. These connections are the foundation upon which mentoring relationships are built to help entrepreneurs realize their dreams of small business and give volunteer mentors the satisfaction of giving back and sharing their business knowledge. In addition to being a large and growing open community for entrepreneurs and mentors to access from around the world, MicroMentor supports corporations, state and local government agencies, and non-profit organizations looking to bolster their mentoring and volunteering ecosystem. We offer an innovative approach to providing mentoring with both online and live components — dramatically increasing access to the critical business management knowledge and industry-specific expertise needed to start and grow successful enterprises.    Our objective in Lebanon is to create a mentorship model that is locally relevant and scalable, while increasing awareness of mentoring among young entrepreneurs from diverse regions in Lebanon.   Funded by UNICEF, the MicroMentor program in Lebanon aims to:   (a)    Pilot online-based business mentorship platform for 20 youth under the age of 24, as well as with businesses engaged in our INTAJ and FORSA programs as appropriate; (b)   Implement a 3-month business coaching and mentorship programme for 600 youth graduating from vocational training and receiving start-up kits;  (c)    Provide technical guidance and capacity building to 25 representatives of local partners in the area of business mentorship (10-14 partner organisations);   ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:   Team Management -          Provide overall supervision for MC team members and ensure day to day management support; -          Directly supervise activities which will happen in the Tripoli area, and work closely with the field coordinator in Nabatiyeh to ensure the successful implementation of activities in the Saida area -          Directly supervise the coaches in the Tripoli area -          Ensure work-planning is carried out by all team members and updated on a regular basis, focusing on achieving project objectives, as well as ensuring meeting deliverables; -          Mentor team to identify solutions and build capacity to independently take on work responsibilities; -          Ensure proper division of roles and responsibilities among the project team members; -          Identify training needs for team members for program quality and accountability; identify professional resources; and encourage peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing and other forms of staff capacity-building Project Management -          Ensure there are effective reporting, monitoring and evaluation systems in place for both internal and external use; -          Write narrative reports to meet donor and internal requirements; and ensure financial reports are accurate -          Ensure Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards are maintained while coaching staff to learn and apply these standards; -          Identify, plan, coordinate, implement or supervise the implementation of the project activities to meet key deliverables based on timeline and scope agreed with the donor; -          Manage all consultancies related to the program activities and ensure logistical support is provided, as well as ensuring that consultancies meet the deliverables as set in their Scope of Work -          Ensure monitoring of all program activities to enable MC to assess both progress against activities and achievement of program objectives -          Provide overall oversight and management of the MicroMentor program, including budget management; -          Participate in BVA meetings, and provide updated budget projections on a monthly basis -          Trouble shoot any problems encountered at the field level or with other staff members and report directly to the YFT program manager; -          Prepare documentation of key steps in the program management cycle throughout implementation; -          Highlight opportunities for resource mobilization and support in drafting concept notes.   Communication: -          Ensure a communication plan is developed for the program, and work closely with the communication and media coordinator to develop appropriate communication materials -          Ensure donor and Mercy Corps visibility manifested in all circumstances; -          Highlight opportunities for gathering success stories from the field;   Partnerships and Coordination: -          Lead coordination and communication with the global MicroMentor team -          Work closely with UNICEF Innovation Lab partners from the North who will be trained on leading a mentoring program, and ensure follow up is provided to partners after the training of trainer sessions, to provide support and feedback on the partner-led mentoring events, and support the field coordinator to do the same in South Lebanon -          Work closely with UNICEF vocational training partners from the North to ensure the efficient sourcing of vocational training graduates having received start-up kits into the MicroMentor coaching and mentoring program, and support the field coordinator to do the same in South Lebanon -          Work closely with the GAC-funded ‘Youth for Tomorrow’ program and their partners in Tripoli (Akkourouna) to organize training, mentoring and coaching activities through the Bussma centers, and support the field coordinator to do the same in South Lebanon -          Build strong relationships with local authorities, partners and community stakeholders to build the program’s acceptance to facilitate implementation of activities;   Representation -          Represent Mercy Corps at local coordination meetings, as needed; -          Identify opportunities for coordination and maintain regular engagement with stakeholders.   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 -          Participate in internal office coordination and planning meetings and workshops -          Carry out other tasks as deemed necessary by the YFT program manager and director or programs     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. 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.   SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:  This position directly supervises the Field Coordinator based in Saida, Coaches based in Tripoli, M and E Officer based in Tripoli and the M and E officer based in Saida   ACCOUNTABILITY REPORTS DIRECTLY TO:  Youth for Tomorrow Program Manager WORKS DIRECTLY WITH:   Youth for Tomorrow program team, Youth for Tomorrow M and E team, UNICEF Innovation Lab and vocational training partners, Performance and Quality Team, MC Area Managers, MC Operations, Finance and HR departments   KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE: -          BA/S or equivalent in development studies, social work, social sciences, political sciences, human rights, or other relevant field required, MA preferred; -          At least 5 years of experience working in development or humanitarian programming; -          Excellent knowledge of the context in North and South Lebanon; -          Strong experiences in program management skills; -          Strong understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues and ability/experiences working with refugee and host communities in the current Lebanon context; Significant knowledge and understanding of the current political, economic, cultural and historical context of Lebanon.   SUCCESS FACTORS: -          Very strong written and oral communication skills in both English and Arabic, including report development, writing, and editing; -          Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office applications including Excel and Word; -          Good organizational skills and ability to handle many responsibilities simultaneously; -          Ability to multi-task while meeting several pressing deadlines; -          Ability to work under pressure, independently, and with limited supervision, as well as part of a team; -          Deep commitment and interest in development and humanitarian principles and values; -          Capable to carry out assigned tasks in a timely manner and according to a very high standard of quality; -          Diplomatic, creative, flexible, and energetic, hard-working, and eager to learn; -          Attentive to detail and is meticulous, thorough, and results-oriented, -          Mature, responsible, positive, respectful, and diplomatic in their interactions with others; -          Creative and demonstrated collaborative approach to problem-solving; -          Willingness to learn new skills and methodologies; -          Ability and willingness to travel regularly to the field.