Peace & Conflict Program Senior Officer.

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

Mercy Corps’ Peace & Conflict portfolio in Northwest Syria (NWS) aims to contribute to the foundation for long-term peace in Syria through sustainable grassroots action that promotes human rights, fundamental freedoms, and social cohesion. For this, we mobilize local capacities for social reconciliation and civic participation, enhance the effectiveness of grievance mechanisms and improve access to justice. The program’s approach is rooted in the empowerment of communities through a set of systematic participatory and inclusive processes that are cost effective, replicable, and scalable.

General Position Summary

The NWS Peace & Conflict Senior Program Officer supports the NWS Peace & Conflict Program Manager (PM- in the management of a sub-grant to a local partner organization providing social cohesion assistance to conflict-affected communities in Syria. The position holder will work closely and remotely with the implementing partners to ensure smooth, efficient, and effective implementation of the program, as well as with various Mercy Corps’ internal teams and departments (Subaward team, Finance team, PaQ team, etc.). The position holder will be responsible for maintaining day-to-day contact with the project partner on project implementation. She/he will ensure project implementation aligns with the project work plan and approved technical approaches and standards. In addition, she/he will escalate concerns and challenges to the project manager as necessary.

Besides, the NWS Peace & Conflict Senior Program Officer will support the NWS Peace & Conflict PM with any tasks aimed at 1) enhancing Mercy Corps NWS’ Peace & Conflict portfolio, and 2) ensure that Mercy Corps’ interventions in NWS are conflict sensitive.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Leadership& Representation

• Act as a focal point of Mercy Corps toward the partner organization.
• Always represents the organization in a professional manner, acting with the highest levels of integrity and personal accountability.

Program Support – Partnership

• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan, and that the program targets are met according to the implementation work plan and that sub-grant and grant records are kept up to date.
• Ensure that the partner project targets are met accordingly to the implementation work-plan. This includes being responsible for the quality of periodical reports/updates and grants tracking system by ensuring that subgrant records are kept up to date.
• Support the PM to coordinate internally with PaQ, Finance/ Sub awards, Compliance, Security, and other teams, ensuring a consistent approach to project design, implementation and close out.

Program Support – Program Management

• Support the PM to maintain well-organized and consistent filing system and tracking system for all project documentation and information.
• Support the PM in the implementation of different projects under the Peace and Conflict Program, including through monitoring activities to assess the quality and effectiveness of projects, including Taqaddam project that is being directly implemented in Idlib governorate.
• Support the PM in organizing and participating in the facilitation of meetings/workshops/trainings to help increase the capacity of local staff and implementing partners in planning and implementation of Peace & Conflict programs.
• Support the PM in ensuring that Mercy Corps’ programming in NWS is conflict sensitive.
• Assist in any other task or duty assigned by the PM as relevant to the program’s needs.

Finance & Compliance Management

• Support the PM to ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to humanitarian programming.
• Support the Program Manager in reviewing the activities budgets during the subgrating process, modification, and breakdowns for the activities.
• Support in reviewing the supporting documents and facilitation of the payment process.

Operations & Procurement

• Support on raising the needed PRs and follow up on them with the procurement department, to ensure timely and quality delivery.
• Support in coordination as needed with the Operations department to ensure smooth implementation of the project’s activities.

Administration, Compliance and Reporting

• Assist the PM in the completion of monthly projections and other requested documents.
• Contribute to drafting and reviewing accurate reports (monthly, quarterly, and final).

Capacity Development

• Under the supervision of the Peace and Conflict PM, help to organize the facilitation of meetings/workshops/training to increase the capacity of local staff and implementing partners.
• Provide specific coaching to local partners as needed, maintaining a consistent approach with other team members.

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 toward 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.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Peace & Conflict Program Manager (PM)

Works Directly With: Partner organization, Program teams, Sub-award team, Finance & compliance department team, etc.

Supervisory Responsibility

None.

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, social sciences, human rights, project management or any other related field.
• Minimum of 3 years work experience in project implementation, preferably partnership and subawards management, with minimum of 1 year work experience in social cohesion, peacebuilding, and community mobilization/community-based approaches and/or for the NWS context.
• Minimum of 1 year experience working with subaward partners, including knowledge of the contracting process, the modification process for amendments, partner’s budget review.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
• Willingness to learn complex subaward and compliance regulations, particularly around supporting documentation, the payment process, and adherence to special award conditions.
• Commitment to local capacity building and understanding of social cohesion.
• Strong coordination and communication skills.
• Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.
• Experience of donor reporting.

• Fluency in Arabic and English, both written and spoken is required.

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures and values always and venues, in such a manner as to bring positive recognition to Mercy Corps and to not endanger Mercy Corps’ humanitarian mission.

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 MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

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