Project Officer

PROGRAM 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, Egypt and Libya. 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’ focus has focused on bolstering civil society and give voice to under-represented groups through the empowerment of young leaders. Recently, the country office portfolio expanded in response to the massive refugee influx from Syria, to address key needs like non-food items/winterization, water and sanitation, child protection, and capacity building. 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 Officer will provide support to the Livelihood Project Manager in all aspects of implementing the PPLL project to ensure that the project meets its targets and deliverables on-time and within budget.  He/she will closely work with the local partner organization and ensure accountability to Mercy Corps’ policies and donor rules and regulations. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: Project Implementation: Support the Livelihood Project Manager and MC technical team  in planning and implementing project activities to meet project deliverables based on timeline and scope agreed with the donor; Provide day-to-day support and coordination with private sector partners and service contractors, including administrative, financial and logistical support. Trouble shoot any administrative problems and report any challenges or bottlenecks to Livelihood Project Manager; Support Livelihood Project Manager in implementing activities, organizing meetings and trainings, monitoring of project progress, developing income monitoring and household resource measuring tools and selecting value chains for intervention; Build relationships with small producers, agribusinesses, unions and local municipalities to introduce the project and facilitate access to information related to project activities and scope. Arrange for meetings with local entities and authorities, as requested; Participate in team planning and coordination meetings and trainings; Work closely with the local private sector partners and service contracts to schedule trainings and coordinate with the staff of Mercy Corps in the Beqaa to ensure that all logistical, administrative and financial matters are fulfilled appropriately; Support Livelihood Project Manager in conducting periodic risk assessments to update implementation plan accordingly; Support monitoring and evaluation efforts to document project outputs, outcomes, and impact to inform donor and other internal reporting; Assist in filing and record keeping of project activities; Assist in analysis of data collected to facilitate assessment results and lessons learnt;  Monitor adherence to grant agreement, Mercy Corps policies and procedures and relevant external rules and regulations. Facilitate internal Mercy Corps procurement processes; Prepare weekly reports to be submitted to the Livelihood Project Manager. Contribute to quarterly reports and other ad hoc reports to meet donor and internal requirements; Implement Mercy Corps’ Gender Equity policy and applies Do No Harm approaches; Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission; Other assigned tasks, as necessary.  Organizational Learning As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.  KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:  BA/S or equivalent in social science, management, international development or other relevant field. Project management experience preferred Strong management and communication skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues. Strong written and oral communication skills in English, including report development, writing and editing. Positive, respectful attitude and collaborative approach to problem solving. Demonstrated attention to detail; ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently as well as cooperatively with team members. Understanding of EC compliance issues preferred. Experience in implementing and managing livelihoods, early recovery, and market-based programs, strongly preferred. Significant knowledge and understanding of the current political, economic, cultural and historical context of the Beqaa, including prior experience. SUCCESS FACTORS: The successful Project Officer will combine project management skills and experience in livelihood. S/he will have an outstanding ability to implement innovative programs within the current and future program structure of Mercy Corps in the country. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and working independently are essential. Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving is essential in a complex security and political environment like Lebanon. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.