Mercy Corps-Syria Response Office Hiring for Performance and Quality (PaQ) Program Manager. at Amman, Jordan Full Time

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

A 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.

 

Mercy Corps has been meeting the needs of conflict-affected communities inside Syria since 2012. Mercy Corps Syria currently operates from three locations in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria with an experienced team of staff and partners who are supported and led by a Country Team based in Amman that ensures consistent, technical and quality driven programming. Mercy Corps implements peace and conflict activities either as an integrated part of interventions or as the lead sector in an intervention. This sector is also aimed at particularly supporting Syrian youth and other marginalized groups. The country program is guided by its strategy that aims at enabling Syrian communities to move beyond survival to productivity and self-reliance.

Globally, Mercy Corps has made a high-level commitment to achieving greater impact through evidence and learning, adaptive management, using data driven evidence to demonstrate results and contribute toward solving complex global challenges.

 

General Position Summary

The PaQ Manager oversees the Performance and Quality (PaQ) Unit for Northwest Syria. The role of the Unit is to provide support to ensure the development of efficient and effective systems. This primarily includes strong support for the development of effective monitoring, learning and evaluation processes, providing support to programs during key project development and implementation moments, checking in on program quality and impact through a variety of different techniques as well as accountability to beneficiaries.

 

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY

• Lead on developing processes to support teams to take forward the MC Syria Strategy, integrate cross-learning and ensure that lessons are used to inform required adaptation of activities and future program design.
• Aligning departmental goals, processes and resource allocation with the organizational strategy.
• Draw on available contextual knowledge through Humanitarian Access Team and understanding of needs from program and IM team to build out lessons learnt and for planning.
• Provide input on proposal on PaQ and MEL related activities and inputs including budgeting for PaQ activities and staffing needs.

 

TECHNICAL QUALITY

• Ensure that the PAQ unit provides strong Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) support to program teams and partners, develops efficient and effective MEAL systems, and supports a community for M&E staff to provide them with technical advice and a support network. This includes:
  • Provide leadership and training in the development of MEL plans, IPTTs, Analysis Plans, SOPs, quantitative and qualitative tools (surveys, MSC, focus groups), routine monitoring tools and analysis and data visualization to enable programs to assess outcomes and impact.
  • As needed collaborate with external evaluators on the design and roll out of the program baseline and evaluations, while setting up effective systems for learning.
  • Ensure programs use the necessary MEAL systems and tools, to inform and improve each individual program, as well as feed into the broader country-level MEL system and country strategy.
  • Conducts internal DQAs to ensure data is collected with attention to accuracy and consistency.
  • Support the CARM system for the Syria program.
  • Supports in the development of appropriate beneficiary accountability mechanisms, as required.
  • Managing or conducting research and analyses of programme effectiveness, relevance, and sufficiency in addition participants and stakeholders feedback.
• Work with program teams and the Technical Advisors to ensure the adoption of efficient and effective partnership processes, identify strategies and build or strengthen systems to facilitate greater efficiency in program management processes especially those related to MEAL.

 

PROGRAMS AND PARTNER SUPPORT

• Provide support to program teams at key programmatic moments, such as starting up new sectors, modalities, locations or partnership modalities.
• Establish mechanisms and tools to facilitate greater efficiency in between partners, program, monitoring and evaluation, and information management.

 

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Provide supervision to the team members, ensure their work is aligned and contributing effectively towards the Syria strategy, that they have access to training and support and that effective workflows and coordination are set up between the different unit members.
• Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Maintenance of an adequate PaQ team structure aligned to requirements for programming and adjusting for scale and scope as needed.
• Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.

 

SECURITY

Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.

Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

 

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 PARTICIPANTS

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our participants 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

A team of staff that include M&E Coordinators, Field Coordinators, CARM Officers and the teams below these staff.

 

Accountability

Reports Directly To: PaQ Director

Works Directly With: DCD, DoPs, Program Managers, Information Management Unit, Technical Advisors, Regional TSU

 

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/S or equivalent in social science, management, international development, or other relevant field; MA/S in similar relevant fields preferred.
• 7-10 years of progressive experience and proven high level of competence in working in international settings, ideally in conflict-affected countries.
• 5 years’ direct experience in implementing M&E Systems particularly remote monitoring, mobile data collection platforms and managing evaluations
• Demonstrated success with program development and design, including conceptualizing and articulating programming ideas in concept notes and proposals.
• Previous experience in the Middle East
• Strong knowledge of and experience with humanitarian and development programming.
• Strong leadership, communication, and project management skills.
• Ability and interest to work with a multi-ethnic team in a culturally appropriate manner.
• Willingness to work in a face-paced, fluid environment on multiple tasks.
• Ability to proficiently write in English is essential
• Ability to speak, write, and read in Arabic is advantageous

 

Success Factors

A successful candidate will have the ability to live and work closely with a diverse team of individuals in a highly intense and fluid work and security environment with a capacity to spark innovative approaches to programming and inspire groups to collaborate closely to implement high-quality programs. S/he will have proven ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and be accountable for result. An ability to work independently and as part of a team, with curiosity about and sensitivity to new cultures, a desire and ability to learn and grow, both personally and professionally.

 

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

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 team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. 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.