Lebanon: Director of Programs - Beirut, Lebanon

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions
into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Now, and for the future.

Program/ Department Summary

Working in Lebanon since 1993, Mercy Corps is committed to generating positive opportunities for women, men, boys and girls from Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian communities, with a strong focus on engaging youth.

Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping build secure, productive and just communities. We do this through: 1) Addressing the humanitarian and protection needs resulting from crisis situations for the most vulnerable communities, 2) Enabling local communities, civil society and government to better prevent and respond to conflict, address needs and deliver sustainable development solutions 3) Promoting economic growth and catalyzing economic opportunities for vulnerable, under-employed groups in Lebanon

The Mercy Corps Lebanon team consists of over 180 staff working across six offices throughout Mount Lebanon, South Lebanon, North Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. Current funders of Mercy Corps in Lebanon include DFID, the Dutch government, RDPP, Global Affairs Canada, UNICEF, US Government and the Gates Foundation.

General Position Summary

The Director of Programs (DOP) will work closely with the Country Director (CD) and the program teams to lead new program development and strategy, and ensure effective program coordination and technical support, monitoring and evaluation, quality assurance and accountability in close collaboration with the operations, finance and internal control teams. S/he will help represent the Mercy Corps program to donors, major stakeholders, relevant government authorities and other program partners such as other NGOs.

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND VISION

• Maintain a central role in developing/implementing Lebanon's country strategy, ensuring that existing programs contribute to strategic goals, objectives and targets;
• Serve as an active member of the Senior Leadership team and contribute to setting program and operations strategy and priorities;
• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions and resources to achieve program and agency objectives;
• Lead the identification of new initiatives and opportunities that respond to identified needs and contribute to the objectives of the country strategy;
• Conduct analyses to determine humanitarian/development gaps and how Mercy Corps should position itself to best serve the needs of beneficiaries;
• Lead/oversee the development of solicited and unsolicited proposals and concept notes.

COORDINATION AND REPRESENTATION

• Establish close and productive relationships with donors, national government authorities, private sector actors, and other NGOs in close coordination with the Country Director, Program Managers and Technical Coordinators;
• Represent Mercy Corps at all relevant coordination meetings;
• Coordinate with other NGOs to consolidate Mercy Corps' strategic niche and comparative advantages, while identifying strategic partnerships;
• Ensure Mercy Corps' participation in a variety of external forums/workshops/conference/sector coordination meetings to share best practices and findings with the government and development community;
• Represent Mercy Corps in Country Director's absence on relevant issues.

PROGRAM COORDINATION AND MANAGEMENT

• Provide leadership in all aspects of program coordination to ensure consistent quality, including the incorporation of cross-cutting themes, lessons learned and best practices;
• Facilitate the coordination between different programs and ensure that program managers and technical coordinators for cross-cutting themes are able to work together effectively according to program work plans;
• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners, and aligned with Mercy Corps principles, values and strategic roadmap and country strategy;
• Work with Program Managers to ensure adherence to grant agreements, Mercy Corps' policies and procedures and relevant external rules and regulations;
• Support Program Managers to oversee performance of partners, sub-grantees and technical contractors;
• Conduct frequent field visits to all project sites for monitoring, quality control and program staff mentoring and coaching.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence;
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews;
• Supervise, hire and orient new team members as necessary;
• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance, and reach objectives;
• Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem solving options, and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.

PROGRAM LEARNING, RESEARCH AND COMMUNICATIONS

• Ensure that robust monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) and program quality systems are in place, adhered to and used as a decision-making tool, encouraging consistency and best practice across programs;
• Ensure that program managers have adequate understanding of MEL, program quality, communications and research;
• Provide ongoing training and guidance to staff on best practices;
• Oversee the Program Performance and Quality team;
• With the Country Director, help staff identify and take advantage of professional development opportunities;
• Contribute to the country team building efforts.

PROGRAM MINIMUM STANDARDS AND REPORTING

• Ensure that program documentation and program minimum standards are consistently adhered to;
• Ensure that a comprehensive reporting schedule and quarterly planning process are maintained and adhered to according to requirements;
• Ensure that donor reports produced by the Programs team effectively demonstrate the impact of Mercy Corps' program interventions;
• Review all reports to ensure a high-quality product

PROGRAM SUPPORT OPERATIONS

• Assist the Country Director with adequate financial and staff forecasting, and ensure that available funding is in alignment with staffing plans;
• Work closely with the Operations Officer and Finance Manager to ensure that operational and financial management systems are responsive to program needs and that program staff are adhering to both donor and Mercy Corps procedures and regulations;
• Work closely with the Finance Manager and the Program Managers to identify, manage and track co-financing
• Work closely with HR Manager to ensure all staff contracts and Human Resources procedures and requirements are in place and up to date;
• Ensure adequate performance reviews are done on time, and that staff are given constant feedback on work performance and key priorities.

SECURITY

• Ensure that programs are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security management priorities.

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: Program Managers/Sector Managers, Program Performance and Quality Manager

Accountability:

Reports Directly To: Country Director

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Programs, Operations, Finance, and HR teams

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in relevant field required; MA/S preferred.
• 7-10 years of field experience in international relief and development programs, including demonstrable success in managing large, transitional development programs.
• At least 2-3 years of senior-level leadership and field management experience, including building, managing and leading a team of professionals.
• Experience managing humanitarian response and development programs.
• Demonstrated success working effectively and respectfully with host country government. private sector, INGO, NGO partners and other stakeholders in complex environments.
• Excellent writing skills and experience with proposal development processes with prior experience with USAID, UN, EU and other bilateral funding agencies.
• Proven skills in financial and grants management; prior experience with UN, USG and European grant management.
• Successful and proven negotiation, communication and organization skills.
• Excellent oral and written English skills required; proficiency in Arabic is a plus.
• Experience managing national and international staff.
• Previous work experience in the Middle East preferred.

Success Factors

The successful candidate will have deep commitment to humanitarian principles and values and the willingness to learn new skills and methodologies. S/he will have the ability to work under pressure, independently and with limited supervision and demonstrate creative problem-solving skills. The candidate will have highly developed interpersonal communication skills and demonstrate decision-making and leadership skills and excellent time management capacities.

Living Conditions/Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Beirut, Lebanon and is an accompanied position. Beirut is a modern city with a nice climate, access to excellent schools and diverse entertainment options. The security environment is calm, and good medical services are available.

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting, or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps' policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

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