Turkey: Director of Programs - North Syria

PROGRAM/ DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

As Mercy Corps seeks to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression around the world we recognize that instances of sudden change within a country or region, are rare moments of opportunity. Mercy Corps is interested in strengthening presence for early as well as longer term programming for Syrians, including those who have been displaced, and will be present initially in the north, with expansion of programming to other regions over time. It is imperative that Mercy Corps present itself as a key and reliable partner with various donors, INGOs, government authorities and civil society actors, to be part of the process of positive change. Mercy Corps, with its global experience in working in countries undergoing major transitions, will be a key contributor in the process, bringing knowledge, expertise and strong management skills to position the agency as a partner of choice for progressive change in Syria, as well as in response to refugee and vulnerable populations in Turkey. Syria is currently in the midst a major humanitarian crisis impacting the entire country as well as a number of the neighboring countries. The main thrust of the work of Mercy Corps along with its national and international partners for the foreseeable future will be primarily focused on meeting urgent war-related humanitarian needs across the country. The heightened insecurity and continuous acts of violence and war make the humanitarian response not only more challenging, but increasingly complicated.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The Director of Programs is a member of the Senior Management Team for the Mercy team, with supervisory and managerial responsibility over all aspects of program design, development and implementation. S/he is an innovative and visionary leader responsible for resourcefully directing, strategizing and planning all programming, resulting in lasting improvement in the lives of millions of Syrians in Mercy Corps area of operations. The position will support the strategic positioning of Mercy Corps North Syria and ensures that the Mercy Corps Program is planned and executed with quality, accountability and measurable impact.

S/he has held senior roles in formulating strategic direction within an international context. The Director of Programs has supervisory responsibility for the team under his/her management and manages a diverse portfolio of approximately USD 80 million with a number of international and national staff working at multiple locations. The Director leads the development and implementation of sustainable, multi-sector programming and is accountable to beneficiaries, and donors, placing a high value on innovative solutions to development issues and creative partnerships in tough environments.

ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategy and Vision

• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment of empowerment, inclusion and participation to facilitate response
• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions and resources to achieve objectives and contribute to country-wide strategy development
• Bring innovation into program implementation, ensuring diversity of modalities and promoting market- based approaches and use of technology, wherever local and security conditions permit
• Support Mercy Corps in developing the strategic direction of the overall humanitarian response to the Syrian crisis with a focus on North Syria and a view to Whole of Syria
• Oversee proposal design and compilation
• Integrate conflict sensitivity and protection programming into the response
• Work with the Country Director to consolidate and expand Mercy Corps presence in Syria

Program Management

• Oversee grant management, donor reporting, and liaison to ensure program implementation and monitoring and evaluation meet expectations and regulations
• Ensure ongoing program management by program Managers and ensure program-geared M&E systems
• Support program implementation to respond to beneficiaries, communities and partners consistently with Mercy Corps program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan
• Provide oversight and support to managers and other team members on a day-to-day basis
• Support the development of program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks beneficiary targeting, distribution processes and capacity building of partners as needed
• Direct needs assessments, surveys and other data gathering tools to ensure that Mercy Corps has updated information and is able to address emerging needs in timely manner
• Support the integration community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into activities as appropriate
• Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources and timely, accurate and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures
• Fulfill Mercy Corps Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide

Team Management

• Lead the program team in implementation of programs in North Syria
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect in which team members strive to achieve excellence
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews
• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives
• Foster a collaborative work culture
• Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem solving options
• Ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes
• Deputize for the North Syria Director if requested

Advocacy, Funding, and Representation

• Identify, build and manage collaborative relationships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders
• Engage in the drafting of communications, documents, and assessments that reflect needs on ad hoc and regular basis
• Represent Mercy Corps in the media as needed
• Support strong communication to ensure Mercy Corps presence and engagement is relevant and consistent
• Develop and maintain relationships with key contacts including donor representatives, relevant UN agencies, NGO Forum, cluster leads and co-leads, INGO and national NGO representatives and relevant Turkish officials
• Provide crucial input into regional and country level advocacy requests and platforms
• Represent beneficiaries and Mercy Corps North Syria to internal and external stakeholders

Finance and Compliance Management

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to programming
• Support the building or maintenance of operational systems that ensure proper administrative support for programs
• Draft and/or review scopes of work to hire and manage technical consultants, including review for technical capacities and contract budget
• Oversee the management of program budgets

Safety, Access and Security

• Provide insight as needed
• Support compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership
• Ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies
• Ensure that program safety is integrated into design

Pe**rsonal Leadership**

• Demonstrate flexibility, resilience and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure, even under difficult circumstances
• Maintain high ethical standards and treat people with respect and dignity
• Model good leadership to a multicultural and diverse team
• Demonstrate an awareness of his/her own strengths and development needs

Accountability:** 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.

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.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: Managers and Advisors for North Syria Program.

ACCO**UNTA**B**ILITY:**

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: North Syria Director

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Heads of Departments, Syria Office, Regional Office, TSU team members, and others.

KNO**WLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:**

• MA or equivalent in relevant field preferred
• 7-10 years of field experience in international relief and/or development programs, including demonstrable success in managing humanitarian programs in transitional environments; previous working experience in MENA region highly desirable
• 5 years of senior-level leadership, capacity building and field management experience
• Substantial experience of responding in conflict and emergency environments
• Demonstrated success working effectively and respectfully with host country governments, private sector, INGO, NGO partners and other stakeholders in complex environments
• Proven skills in finance and grants management; prior experience with emergency response grant management for both private and institutional donors desired
• Knowledge of SPHERE and other humanitarian programming standards
• Successful and proven negotiation, communication and organization skills
• Excellent oral and written English skills, knowledge of Turkish and/or Arabic advantageous
• Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.

SUCCESS FACTORS:

The successful candidate will skillfully represent programmatic priorities of the agency to donors and regional partners while providing effective leadership to the Mercy Corps humanitarian program team. S/he will be capable of multi- tasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building. S/he will be committed to delivering results, long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level. Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.

LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:

This unaccompanied position will be based in Gaziantep with travel to other locations. This location is eligible for R&R. Personnel in this location are expected to follow all security protocols at all times. Good medical services are available. City electricity is available in Gaziantep and running water is reliable also. Internet connectivity and communication is reliable in most locations. In general, road conditions in Turkey are good.

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. Staff 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.

Apply at: www.mercycorps.org/careers
Click on "European and International Careers"