Program Manager (pending funding)

[Ramadi,Iraq ]

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.
Mercy Corps has worked across Iraq’s 18 governorates since 2003, implementing relief and development
programming, more than a third of which has focused on the specific needs of refugees and displaced
persons. Mercy Corps Iraq current goal is to work with new and existing civil society, public and private
sector partners to meet immediate and long-term needs by strengthening communities’ ability to rebuild
amidst increasing crisis. Mercy Corps Iraq focuses on (1) a relief-to-resilience pathway to meet the needs of
conflict-affected communities leveraging agency expertise in conflict management and civil society
development (2) a humanitarian response that empowers conflict-affected populations to meet their own
needs (3) partnering with conflict-affected adolescents to address their diverse needs, promoting leadership
and linkages with civil society.
Program / Department Summary
Mercy Corps through Hiwar that will bring together community members and government actors to jointly
address priority community challenges that in turn will contribute to improved livelihoods.
And leveraging its strong relationship with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Directorate of Education
(DoE) in Anbar as well as the Community Committees established under Hiwar, Mercy Corps will conduct
peace for education activities for children and youth in targeted schools in Fallujah, Heet, and Ramadi.
Mercy Corps will also draw from its extensive experience working with local civil society organizations
(CSOs) to provide them peace education capacity building in targeted districts to implement programming in
social facilities (youth and community centres). In general, Mercy Corps will support programming in areas
that have mixed populations where safe and sustainable return and reintegration is hindered by intercommunal
tensions and lack of governance structures, in order to maximize program impact.
General Position Summary
The Project Manager (PM) will provide overall leadership, management, and strategic vision to the
implementation of the program, working with staff to ensure that the program meets its targets and
deliverables on time and within the budget.
mercycorps.org
The PM works closely with the Senior Program Manager for Conflict management and social cohesion
portfolio, head of Office and the program team to design, plan, and help field program staff to implement
program activities. The PM will also help develop and coordinate the program’s efforts to measure impact
through performance management/monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and provide timely information to
the donor and HQ, such as formal reports, informal updates, and human-interest stories.
Essential Job Responsibilities
STRATEGY AND VISION
Recognize opportunities to evolve the future social cohesion/conflict management program into a
more effective program addressing the changing needs of conflict affected populations.
Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions and resources to achieve objectives and
contribute to country and regional-wide strategy development.
PLANNING
Conduct and lead strategic planning sessions with the MC teams.
Supervise the creation and implementation of quarterly work plans in accordance with donor’s
overall objectives and specific targets and goals.
Develop strategic methodologies for conflict management programming and develop appropriate
training materials and
schedules to address the capacity-building needs. Mentor national staff to improve their
understanding of conflict management community-driven projects.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Provide technical assistance on the Communities Peacebuilding, Social Cohesion & Civic
Engagement management consultative process, including community mobilization, project
identification/prioritization (through participatory processes); project proposal and budget writing,
revision, and implementation.
Working with the team to incorporate gender requirements in program design and implementation.
REPRESENTATION AND COORDINATION
Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships, local authorities and other stakeholders.
Communicate effectively with Mercy Corps Iraq departments to ensure overall project targets and
donor obligations are met.
Represent the organization in social cohesion and peace building working group, clusters, and forum
at governorate level.
Represent the organization in official meetings and/or events with donors
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
Oversee program startup and ongoing program management and administration of teams across
various field locations.
Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with
Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.
Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.
Develop partners’ MoUs and contracts & oversee a training program for program partners.
Develop program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks, beneficiary targeting
and distribution process as well as psychosocial and capacity building of partners.
Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as
appropriate.
Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to
reach desired impacts.
Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for
timely 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.
Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and
beneficiary accountability standards.
TEAM MANAGEMENT
Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career
development.
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.
Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.
FINANCE & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT
Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.
Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review
for technical efficacy and contract budget.
INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION
Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees,
donors, local governments and other stakeholders.
Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.
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 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.
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.
Supervisory Responsibility
2-Sr. Program Officers, 1-Program and Admin Officer and 1-Reporting and Program Officer
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Senior Program Manager / Conflict Management and Social Cohesion
Works Directly With: Other Program Managers, Finance Department, Operations Department, Heads
of Offices, Security, and M&E Officer.
The applicant for this position is mandatory to be based in Ramadi city

Knowledge and Experience
Proficiency in written and spoken Arabic and English is required.
University degree, preferably in social science, management, international development.
Minimum 4 years work experience in project implementation and supervision with consultative or
conflict management and social cohesion programs based programs in Iraq
Proven management and training skills with development programs
Team-building, mentoring and conflict resolution skills
Knowledge of international NGO policies and procedures
Direct experience with community projects processing including required documentation, systems,
approvals and technical oversight
Previous demonstrated experience in creating and maintaining work relationships with local
government authorities
Previous experience working with local partners
Knowledge of interest-based negotiation methodology preferred
Previous experience working with social cohesion /peace building or conflict management portfolio
Advanced knowledge of MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint Creative and “out-of-the-box” thinking.
Analytical and report writing skills are necessary.
Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.
Success Factors
A passion for humanitarian work and helping displaced people to live independently in the KR.
Demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members of varied work styles,
follow procedures, and meet deadlines.
Promotes a culture of accountability in handling cash and all paperwork according to high standards
of accuracy and compliance to ensure smooth processing of payments.
Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to implement a complex program according to
procedures and high standards of compliance.
Demonstrated understanding of the compliance and security needs of a cash distribution project.
Ability to understand the components of the project, design work plans for staff members, and
promote accountability to deadlines in light of time-sensitive nature of this project.
Sensitive to the protection and gender concerns of beneficiaries; demonstrating a strong sense of
empathy and dignity for Syrian refugees, Iraqi Arab and Kurd displaced people, and host community
members.
Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.
Proven ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and be accountable for results.
Conscientious, with an excellent sense of judgment.
The most successful Mercy Corps staff member has a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability,
and makes effective communication a priority in all situations. Flexibility about work assignments and
processes is necessary in a dynamic and fast-paced work environment, coupled with the ability to respond
to many new and unpredictable challenges in a demanding program.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCES:

Successful candidates should meet the education and experience requirements in the position descriptions
for the vacant positions and should have a strong and demonstrated knowledge of safety and security
management, good written and spoken English, computer Skills and local languages.
S/he must be self- motivated, creative, tolerant, and able to work in difficult, stressful environments and
follow procedures. S/he must respect diversity and gender equality at the workplace.
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability and transparency to
its beneficiaries and to international standards guiding relief and development work.
Interested candidates should submit their CVs, references, and application letter to the email address:
[email protected] Any Resume will be sent without mentioning the job applied for in the
subject line will not be considered. Submission should include a copy of Iraqi national ID card and
education certificates.
For full position description for the noted posts please visit websites NCCI website.
ALL APPLICATIONS/ CVs SHOULD BE RECEIVED BY December 7th , 2021 at 16:00.
Mercy Corps will review CV’s and applications on a rolling basis (i.e., as applications are submitted).
Potential Candidates for the post will be contacted for an interview and processed according to Mercy Corps
Human Resources policies and procedures. As soon as qualified candidates are identified the positions will
be closed automatically.
Please note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for potential interview. Any documents
submitted will remain with Mercy Corps and will not be returned to candidates.
Female Candidates are encouraged to apply for the position of Program Manager position. Mercy
Corps is an equal opportunity employer. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so
that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global Impact.
Mercy Corps Iraq offers a variety of arrangements that enable women to excel in their careers. Mercy
Corps Iraq ensures a safe and inclusive working environment for women and men through field security
training and measures to provide secure working arrangements on-site and in the office.