Youth For Tomorrow Project Officer

  DISCLAIMER It is mandatory to mention the job title in the subjet 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, 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 Project Officer will be responsible for oversight of the Youth for Tomorrow activities in the Saida area, and will be responsible for making sure the program meets its key deliverables on time, within budget, and with the required quality.  He/she will closely work with local partner organizations, as well as other local actors including municipalities and service providers.  S/he will ensure accountability to Mercy Corps’ policies and donor rules and regulations.  The Project Officer will report directly to the Program Manager but will work closely with Youth for Tomorrow Technical Team. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:   Team Management, Capacity Building and Coordination Coordinate with the Technical Coordinators to ensure proper implementation as assigned in a timely, professional way Ensure effective communications between Beirut office, field offices and with partners Support capacity development trainings and opportunities for partners to enable them to complete their tasks effectively Ensuring that partners are implementing activities as in their work plan, on time and within budget, with the quality required Contribute to fostering a strong team spirit between Mercy Corps staff and with partners Promote synergies between Mercy Corps’ child protection, adolescent, protection and other sector programming to generate and implement integrated solutions; Program Implementation: Provide day-to-day support and coordination with local partners in the Mt Lebanon area, including administrative, financial and logistical support Support the partner in establishing the advocacy platform for partners and the youth council Trouble shoot any administrative problems and report any challenges or bottlenecks to the Program Manager; Ensure proper implementation of all the field standard operating procedures for the Youth and Adolescent Friendly Space Represent the YFT program in any relevant local level meetings, such as participation in any relevant local level Sector Meetings, and coordinate with local municipalities and other relevant authorities to ensure the YFT program can be implemented as planned Conduct filing and ensure all documentation is recorded, saved, and filed based on MC minimum standards; and as needed translate documents. Support partners, as required, to draft contracts for coaches and staff, terms of reference for consultants and service providers etc. and ensure they are updated and on-file for the relevant Hub operation; Dealing with Incident reports that are reported from the Hub Assist the Program Manager, Technical Coordinators and Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator in all operations related to the project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting; Coordinate with partner CBOs to ensure that they are collecting data related to all program activities, and ensure that data analysis feeds back into program activity design and adaptation; Oversee and provide guidance to CBO staff, mentors and facilitators on an as needed basis to ensure they are able to effectively implement program activities and achieve the desired impact on program beneficiaries Work closely with the M and E coordinator to ensure that all relevant monitoring and evaluation is carried out in the Saida area, focus group discussions, ensuring pre and post tests are carried out, assisting with the analysis of data for the Saida area in order to identify areas where the program needs to be strengthened or activities changed in order to have the intended impact Ensure effective implementation of the complaints process and mechanisms; Support on the livelihood component of the program in the situational assessment, labor market assessments, employability skills and other related activities for partners and youth Prepare weekly updates and monthly progress reports, including challenges and recommendations; 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; Participate in internal office coordination and planning meetings and workshops; Other assigned tasks, as necessary   KNOWLEDGE AND WORK EXPERIENCE:  BA/S or equivalent in social work, social sciences, human rights, or other relevant field required; Minimum of 5 years of experience performing required tasks in a complex emergency or relief context Experience working in youth projects with a protection or educational background; Protection and Liveihoods related program experience preferred; Strong understanding of refugee issues in the current Lebanon context; Strong management skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues and ability to work with refugee and host community populations; Good writing skills, including reports, best practices, cases studies, etc; Ability to work independently and as a part of a team; Very strong written and oral communication skills in both English and Arabic, 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; Significant knowledge and understanding of the current political, economic, cultural and historical context of North Lebanon preferred;   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: None   ACCOUNTABILITY: Reports directly to:  ‘Youth for Tomorrow’ Program Manager  Works directly with:  Operations, Finance, Program, and M&E Teams, Partners, YFT team.   SUCCESS FACTORS: Deep commitment to humanitarian principles and values  Willingness to learn new skills and methodologies Ability to work under pressure, independently and with limited supervision Demonstrated organizational skills Demonstrated creative problem-solving skills Security, political and cultural aware Ability to multi-task while meeting several pressing deadlines Pays attention to detail and is meticulous, thorough, and results-oriented