Project Manager – Municipalities And Civil Societies-Beirut

Disclaimer It is mandatory to mention the job title in the subject of your application email Applicants who do not mention the position they are applying for will be disregarded   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, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt.   Working in Lebanon since 1993, Mercy Corps promotes economic development and increased opportunity for marginalized communities while responding to emergencies as they have emerged. Until recently Mercy Corps has focused on bolstering civil society and give voices to under-represented groups through the empowerment of young leaders. 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 Social Stability, and Livelihoods.    The conflict that began more than three 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. Most 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. In this perspective, the overall objective of the Governance and Social Stability Sector is to empower vulnerable communities and municipalities to de-escalate conflict and mitigate tensions caused by the Syrian crisis.  GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY The Project Manager is responsible for the planning, monitoring, coordinating, and supervising the implementation of the project. S/he provides structured oversight of field-based staff to achieve project targets.  Moreover, s/he is at the forefront of the engagement with municipalities, Union of Municipalities, Qaimaqam, stakeholders, and other government actors. S/he is responsible for coordinating with partners, international and national NGOs at the local/regional level. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS Team Management -          Supervise field teams to guide work planning focused on achieving project outcomes, as well as ensuring meeting deliverables; -          Provide overall supervision for team members  and ensure day to day management support at the office level; -          Ensure programming is implemented according to grant management minimum standards and indicators are being met in order to meet project 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 -          Support sector manager to maintain effective reporting, monitoring and evaluation systems for both internal and external use; -          Contribute to monthly and quarterly reports and other ad hoc reports to meet donor and internal requirements; -          Ensure Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards are maintained while coaching staff to learn and apply these standards; -          Support the Sector Manager in identifying, planning, coordinating, implementing, monitoring, and supervising the implementation of the project activities to meet key deliverables based on timeline and scope agreed with the donor; -          Provide overall oversight and management of Beqaa-based programming including budget management; -          Build strong relationships with local authorities and community stakeholders to build the program’s acceptance to facilitate implementation of activities; -          Be the forefront of the engagement with municipalities, Union of Municipalities, Qaimaqam, stakeholders, and other government actors; -          Work closely with local government to assess its financial and operational capacities, identify gaps and formulate activities to address those gaps; -          Ensure the proper induction of workshops for municipalities and Unions of Municipalities taking into consideration all aspects of planning and organization; -          Provide day-to-day coordination with service contractors and suppliers, including providing administrative, financial and logistical support; -          Trouble shoot any problems encountered at the field level or with other staff members and report directly to Sector Manager; -          Guide the municipality’s selection of projects to implement which will mitigate tensions; -          Highlight opportunities for gathering success stories from the field; -          Ensure donor visibility manifested in all circumstances; -          Ensure well organized projects openings and launching; -          Prepare documentation of key steps in the program management cycle throughout implementation; Highlight opportunities for resource mobilization and support in drafting concept notes.  Representation -          Represent Mercy Corps at local coordination meetings, as needed; -          Serve as primary liaison with Beqaa-based stakeholders including local government, humanitarian and development partners, United Nations agencies, international and local NGOs working in the same geographical location, to collaborate and strategically position the program activities to achieve its objectives; -          Identify opportunities for coordination and maintain regular engagement with stakeholders.  Other -          Ensure all activities are gender sensitive and follow Mercy Corps’ Gender Equity Policy; -          Ensure all activities Apply Do No Harm standards to ensure they do not have detrimental effects on vulnerable communities; -          Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and not jeopardize its humanitarian mission; -          Carry out other tasks as deemed necessary by the Sector Manager.  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.  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: Field-based team. ACCOUNTABILITY: REPORTS DIRECTLY TO:  Sector Manager   WORKS DIRECTLY WITH:  Program Coordinator, Capacity Building Coordinator, Field, Operations, Finance, and M&E Teams.   REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE -          BA/S or equivalent in conflict resolution studies, development studies, social work, social sciences, political sciences, human rights, or other relevant field required, MA preferred; -          At least 5 years of experience working with municipalities; Experiences with Unions of Municipalities preferred; -          Excellent knowledge of the Bekaa context; Understanding of community dynamics preferred, but not required; -          Strong experiences in program management skills; -          Experience in identifying and implementing development projects is required; experience in Cash-for-work modality is preferred; -          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 Besides the required knowledge and experience, the success of Project Manager will include the below: -          Very strong written and oral communication skills in both English and Arabic (Arabic is strongly required), including report development, writing, and editing; -          Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office applications including Excel and Word; -          Strong skills in data collection and database management; -          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.