Municipalities Coordinator Gcap

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY: 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. 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 humanitarian and longer-term development needs alike. A growing programmatic focus is on mitigating the emerging tensions between hosts and refugees, particularly over economic resources, by addressing both livelihood opportunities and conflict mitigation capacity. Mercy Corps will be working with communities in areas with significant tensions between Lebanese and Syrians. Mercy Corps will work with municipalities to select respected local leaders and provide them the skills to identify sources of common tensions and create plans to implement projects that will mitigate sources of tensions. Mercy Corps will then work with municipalities to select and implement projects. Furthermore, Mercy Corps will be helping municipalities and the Union of Municipalities to identify capacity gaps and working with them to address these gaps and thereby increase their ability to manage the refugee crisis, and increase coordination and cooperation at the Union of Municipalities level.   GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY: The Municipalities Coordinator will be at the forefront of the engagement with the municipalities, Union of Municipalities, Qaimaqam, and other government actors, and will work with the Program Manager and NGO partners in all aspects of implementation. It will involve fulfilling specific deliverables outlined in the program plan, as well as strategically positioning the organization to expand the initiative. This will namely include building relationships with a range of local government actors, coordinating between the municipality and communities, coordinating between the municipality and the Union of Municipalities, providing coaching and mentoring to municipal mayors, assessing the financial and operational capacity of municipalities, and organizing workshops for municipalities and Unions of Municipalities.   ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: Program Implementation: Support the Program Manager and NGO partners in planning and implementing activities to meet key deliverables based on timeline and scope agreed with the donor; Liaise with partner NGOs and ensure program implementation plans are on-schedule and on-budget; Work with NGO partners in liaising with local government to build the program’s acceptance to facilitate program implementation; Work with NGO partners in building relations with local government, assessing the financial and operational capacity of municipalities and Unions of Municipalities, and identifying activities to address capacity gaps; Work with NGO partners in coaching and mentoring municipal mayors; Work with NGO partners to organize workshops for municipalities and Unions of Municipalities; Attend Program Management courses depending on availability, and create short training for municipalities on project management, cash-for-work project implementation, and other topics; Provide day-to-day coordination with service contractors, including providing administrative, financial and logistical support; Trouble shoot any administrative problems and report any challenges or bottlenecks to Program Manager; Guide the municipality’s selection of projects to implement which will mitigate tensions; Participate in monitoring and evaluation system design and implementation for Mercy Corps and partner NGOs for all aspects of the program, including monitoring  program progress by developing and applying monitoring tools to inform reports to donors and key stakeholders; Prepare weekly reports to be submitted to the Program Manager. Contribute to quarterly reports and other ad hoc reports to meet donor and internal requirements; Prepare documentation of key steps in the program management cycle throughout implementation; Support the Program Manager to coordinate with humanitarian and development partners including United Nations, international and local NGOs, municipalities and other stakeholders; Assist in filing and record keeping of program activities; 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.    SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: Assistant Program Officer ACCOUNTABILITY: REPORTS DIRECTLY TO:  Program Manager   WORKS DIRECTLY WITH:  Program, Operations, Finance, and M&E Teams   KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:  BA/S in social and political sciences, history, human rights or other relevant field required; MA/S in social and political sciences, history, human rights or other relevant field preferred; 3-5 years’ experience working in governance with municipalities; Experience working with Unions of Municipalities preferred; Excellent knowledge of local context in the North; Excellent oral communication skills; Strong management skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues and ability to work with refugee and host community populations; 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;  Area of selection/Eligibility: Open to applicants residing and with the legal right to work in Lebanon and who meet all of the qualifications and whose applications are received by the closing date. Mercy Corps is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from diverse sections of the community. Candidates will be considered on merit regardless of ethnic origin, religious belief, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability or any other irrelevant factor.  SUCCESS FACTORS: The successful Municipalities Coordinator will combine program management skills with both experience and a technical understanding of governance. 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.