Program Manager - Youth For Tomorrow

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities. The agency pursues its mission through emergency relief services, sustainable community development, civil society and economic development initiatives. Mercy Corps has been present in the Middle East since the 1980s and currently has offices in Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, and Iraq. Working in Lebanon since 1993, Mercy Corps has implemented community development programs focused on promoting economic development and increased opportunity for disadvantaged communities, while responding to emergencies as they emerged in the country.  In 2012, the program portfolio shifted in response to the massive refugee influx from Syria and Mercy Corps in Lebanon has solidified its emergency response programming while integrating longer-term development programming by focusing on key sectors: Protection, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH), Governance and Conflict, and Livelihoods.  The conflict that began more than five years ago in Syria has resulted in a steady increase in Syrian refugees to Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey.  To date, more than one million refugees have fled to Lebanon, and the numbers continue to mount. All refugees who have entered Lebanon are staying with host families or in rented accommodation.  As numbers rapidly 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.   With the support of the Government of Canada, Mercy Corps is launching the Youth for Tomorrow program, which will be implemented in Saida, Mt. Lebanon, and Tripoli.   This three-year program is part of a regional initiative by Mercy Corps, funded by the Government of Canada, in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria to build improved, evidence-based provision of psychosocial support and market-driven skills to vulnerable youth in the region.  The program will benefit from regional synergies to increase impact and will contribute to improving the evidence base for interventions of this type.   The program will engage Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese adolescent boys and girls, between the ages of 12 – 18 who are not currently enrolled in school or are at high risk of dropping out. The program will also engage young adults between the ages of 19 – 35 from among refugee and host communities to act as mentors and facilitators within the project.  Youth for Tomorrow will provide adolescents on-going psychosocial support and market-driven skill-building opportunities while building an enabling environment for young people through community engagement and provision of enhanced adolescent and youth services.    GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY The Program Manager is responsible for the planning and implementation of the program through structured oversight and coordination with MC staff and partners to achieve program targets.  S/he will be overall responsible for budget management, and ensuring that the program meets targets, ensures quality, on deadline and within scope.     S/he will be the primary program representative to relevant government entities, private sector actors, local and international partners, and external stakeholders. The Program Manager will be responsible for donor coordination throughout the grant as well as contributing to broader strategic vision to expand and scale Mercy Corps’ Youth, Protection and Livelihood portfolios in Lebanon.  ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES Program Management Manage implementation of the Youth for Tomorrow program to achieve key deliverables and targets, including designing and managing overall community mobilization strategies, committee selection processes, capacity building, and identification of priorities; Conduct regular monitoring of program activities and program impact, per Mercy Corps Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) and in accordance with existing related guidelines and donor regulations; Overview program budget and complete financial planning to inform programming including monthly projections and budget reviews; Write regular donor and organizational reports to highlight program successes and challenges. Ensure coordination with other Mercy Corps programs, and assist other programs to mainstream protection into their activities as appropriate Ensure the program has appropriate visibility for the donor and for Mercy Corps, and contribute to the development of communications materials that highlight Mercy Corps’ programming.  Team Management and Capacity Building Supervise teams to develop work plans focused on key outputs and outcomes; Ensure team to complete tasks as assigned in a timely, professional way; Foster a strong team spirit and ensure effective communications both between team members and with partners Develop and implement a comprehensive staff training plan to build team capacity Ensure staff receive appropriate capacity building to enable them to complete their tasks effectively Partner Management and Capacity Building Facilitate establishment of partner sub-grants to establish clear and productive partnerships with local organization that support grant implementation and empower local organizations; Coordinate with partnership advisor and sub-grant management team (SGMT), as well as with the YFT  partner capacity building officer, and the deputy program manager , to carry out participatory assessments of local partners using the pre-award assessment and organizational capacity index Develop capacity building plans with local partners, based on the results of the pre-award assessment and organisational capacity index assessments Work with the YFT grants and compliance officer  and the technical advisor to organize local organizational training sessions and support to improve the organizational and technical capacity of local partners to provide adolescent life-skills and psychosocial services; Collaborate and guide local partners to inform planning and implementation of assessments and reports, as well as to meet key deliverables; Thought Leadership Lead and contribute to related program design, including concept note and proposal writing to secure future funding, in coordination with senior management Contribute to agency’s understanding of best practices in protection and livelihoods programming, and as appropriate, develop research and evaluations to increase our understanding of successful implementation strategies Participate in the planning and implementation of Mercy Corps Lebanon Protection and Youth Strategies   Coordination and Representation Represent Mercy Corps at relevant coordination meetings in Beirut and in field locations to foster greater coordination and information sharing; Serve as primary contact for the program with national and municipal-level officials to explain the objectives and parameters of the programs, as well as local NGOs and program partners, local religious leaders and other community members to ensure support for and acceptance of Mercy Corps; Develop and maintain working relationships and coordinate with relevant international and local agencies active emergency response and community development, including donors, other humanitarian organizations, local authorities and local partners; Other Commitment to implementation of Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards (PM@MC) to ensure all project planning and documentation is completed in timely manner; Ensure interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Equity Policy and Do No Harm strategies Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and not jeopardize its humanitarian mission; Participate in internal office coordination and planning meetings and workshops; Other assigned tasks, as necessary. 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 towards 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: Deputy Program Manager, M and E Coordinator, YFT Program Coordinator for Tripoli and Project Officers for Saida and Mount Lebanon ACCOUNTABILITY: Reports directly to:  Director of Programs Works directly with:  Operations, Finance, Program Performance, Program Managers, and M&E Focal Points   KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE Bsc or MA in international development, social work, social sciences, psychology or other relevant field; Demonstrated expertise in participatory community-based programs, with at least 5-7 years of relevant and/or field-based experience including management experience; Extensive experience in designing and implementing protection or livelihood development programming in Lebanon, with an understanding of the displacement context, economic challenges, social stability and resilience mechanisms relevant to internal conflict preferred; preference also given to candidates with background in the Middle East region; Proven track record in staff and stakeholder training, mentoring and capacity building; Experience establishing and supporting community-based protection mechanisms and strengthening local systems preferred. Experience of livelihood programming for youth, gender focused programming Experience using a conflict sensitivity and do no harm approach Solid knowledge and application of established inter-agency standards and guidelines relevant to protection Excellent analytical skills with ability to identify problems and propose solutions. Strong communication, networking, advocacy, negotiation and diplomacy skills. Working understanding of procurement, administrative and finance systems.  Fluency in English is essential; fluency in Arabic preferred.   SUCCESS FACTORS A successful candidate will have the ability to work closely with a diverse team of individuals in a highly fluid work and security environment with a capacity to spark innovative approaches to programming and inspire groups to collaborate closely to implement high-quality programs. S/he will have proven experience working effectively and respectfully with host country government and other authorities as well as NGO and CBO representatives. S/he will have a record of accomplishment that demonstrates attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, and successfully meeting programmatic deadlines, as well as anticipating program needs. Familiarity with Child Protection Systems strengthening approaches, Sphere Project’s Humanitarian Charter and Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Pyramid are essential. Sensitivity to multi-cultural international development work and a commitment to working with community members to create safe, nurturing places for youth that foster greater inclusion in the community and productive livelihoods. The ability to solve problems creatively, juggle multiple priorities under tight deadlines, and diplomatically manage unexpected and sudden events affecting program operations is essential.