Director of Programs – Consultant

Director of Programs – Consultant

Mercy Corps

Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic (Syria)

Consultant Objectives:

STRATEGY AND PLANNING

• Work with the Country Director, the Senior Management Team and other team members to translate MCS’s strategy into relevant fundable and impactful projects;
• Recognize opportunities for innovative action while bringing and promoting creative ideas;
• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy development.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Manage and oversee all program activities in cooperation with senior program staff and key project stakeholders, including local non-governmental organizations, local government officials, community-based organizations, other international agencies, and key donors;
• Ensure program implementation is on time, scope and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts;
• Collaborate with the Program Quality, Evidence and Learning (QEL) team and the Country Director to promote learning and an evidence-based culture while driving a compelling esearch agenda for MCS in line with the regional Evidence and Learning Agenda;
• 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;
• Implement and model Mercy Corps’ philosophy of social entrepreneurship and leverage Mercy Corps’ best practices;
• Build national staff capacity by designing and leading technical training sessions for Mercy Corps staff and local partners and providing ongoing coaching and mentoring;
• Promote learning and knowledge management through documentation and knowledge sharing around best practices and lessons learned.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

• Drive a resource development strategy to ensure the portfolio remains funded and aligned with strategy with a strong focus on nexus approaches while prioritizing longer-term recovery and development vision and program designs;
• Pro-actively identify new business opportunities and translate these into concepts by leveraging in-country and regional/global technical resources when needed;
• Lead/write new proposal development to ensure a fully funded portfolio.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Participate in recruitment and selection, orientation and training of key personnel;
• 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 performance reviews;
• 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;
• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance & reach objectives;
• Supervise and regularly coordinate with project staff and support departments to ensure smooth planning, preparation, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of program activities;
• Provide coaching and mentoring to team members with an eye to building national staff leadership.

FINANCE & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

• Collaborate with program, finance and administrative staff to ensure systems are in compliance with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures;
• 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;
• Maintain good working relationships with donors, the host country government and local leaders, partner agencies, and other key stakeholders;
• Document and disseminate lessons learned and best practices to internal and external stakeholders, including at international conferences and similar forums;
• Represent MCS’s programmatic vision and strategy in internal meetings such as All Staff and Senior Management Team meetings;
• Lead the implementation of MCS’s policy agenda, together with the Country Director.

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.

Timeframe/Schedule: Twelve (12) months.

The Consultant will report to: Mathieu Rouquette, Syria Country Director.

The Consultant will work closely with: Syria SMT, AMT, Deputy Regional Director, Regional Policy & Advocacy, Regional Comms.

Supervisory Responsibility: None but oversees and works very closely with Program Managers, Grants Manager, QEL Manager, Partnerships Manager.

Knowledge and Experience

• Masters degree in international development, economics, agriculture, conflict mitigation, social sciences or other relevant fields;
• Minimum 8 years’ relevant professional experience implementing conflict management and/or governance programs, market development projects preferably in transitional environments. Interest in developing linkages between ‘development’ and ‘humanitarian’ is a plus;
• Practical knowledge and experience in successfully leading and managing a thematically diverse portfolio of projects, as well as national and international staff;
• Knowledge of key Mercy Corps sectors (e.g., market development, food security, water security, resilience, basic needs support) is preferred;
• Excellent experience bringing in new business and working with market actors (e.g., private sector, foundations, etc.); including innovative design and leading the proposal development process;
• Strong written and verbal cross-cultural communication skills, presentation and representation;
• Experience in working in conflict-affected/fragile contexts;
• Fluency in Arabic preferred;
• Good knowledge of regional dynamics and contexts and deep awareness of the sensitivities of working in Syria.

Apply Now