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Program / Department SummaryThe war in Syria continues; more than 11 million people have been displaced from their homes and the number relying on humanitarian assistance remains extremely high. With a complex portfolio of work across the country, Mercy Corps has established itself as an analytical, strategic and flexible responder, adapting continually to shifting front lines and operational realities to respond effectively and efficiently through multiple modalities with teams inside Northeast and Northwest Syria. Mercy Corps continues its humanitarian assistance while pursuing more early recovery and resilience programs, along with social cohesion and climate programming.
General Position SummaryThe Country Director (CD) is the top management position for Mercy Corps in Syria with supervisory and managerial responsibility over all personnel, programs and policies. The CD is responsible for developing the overall strategic direction for programming in cooperation with Mercy Corpsโ senior management team and local and international partners. S/he will ensure we learn from experience, thorough research and contextual analysis to develop high impact strategies that address both the current crises as well as longer-term solutions. S/He is also responsible for developing and implementing systems, policies and procedures for Mercy Corpsโ operations in Syria. The CD is responsible for financial oversight, staff security, human resource management and representation. S/he is a skilled communicator, able to develop and utilize strong relationships with team members, partners and donors. S/he will coordinate with his/her supervisor and be skilled at building highly effective working relationships with HQ. S/he will harness the expertise, experience and ideas of Mercy Corpsโ diverse program support teams to channel them into impactful partnerships with country programs. S/he will work with the senior management team prioritizing their professional development and growth. S/he will place a high value on innovative solutions to humanitarian and development issues; creative partnerships in tough environments; and accountable programming to participants and donors. The successful candidate will be an inspirational manager, committed to advancing the organizationโs strategy and building a healthy team culture that promotes a positive spirit and growth.
Essential Job ResponsibilitiesSAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES
Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g. Integrity Hotline and other optionsStrategy & Vision
Formulate and plan, in consultation with key stakeholders, a clear vision of present and future program goals and strategies which can be clearly communicated to team members, beneficiaries, international partners, governmental counterparts, and donors.Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions and resources to achieve country goal and objectives.Explore, evaluate and present new project funding opportunities that leverage impact and integrate initiatives and activities, support and direct related fund-raising activities with both institutional and private donors.Evaluate program priorities within the country and participate in regional prioritization.Team Management
Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.Recruit, manage, motivate, and onboard an informed, skilled and efficient team with an emphasis on excellence and achievement; encourage a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation, incorporating staff development strategies and performance management systems into the team building process.Establish leadership and personal credibility with the Mercy Corps team, and implement by example an organizational culture of accountability, responsibility and quality of services.Ensure excellent human resource plans are available and consistent with Mercy Corps policies, including position descriptions, personnel orientation and professional development plans, personnel evaluation system, field personnel policy manual, and personnel grievance procedure system.Institute a disciplined culture of performance management and regular feedback between supervisors and their direct reports.Program Impact, Monitoring and Evaluation and Learning
Oversee program quality and impact by ensuring programs are based on sound design principles and utilize Mercy Corps and donor required M&E systems.Gather evidence of program impact through robust agency standard procedures for data gathering, reporting, and evaluating program outputs and outcomesLead country team to strive for impact at country and regional level leading to sustained change based on strong systems and incorporation of learnings into programs.Fulfill Mercy Corps Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corpsโ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.Personal Leadership
Demonstrate flexibility, resilience and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure.Maintain high ethical standards and treat people with respect and dignity.Demonstrate awareness of his/her own strengths and development needs.Influence & Representation
Maintain productive relationships with internal and external constituents such as private partners, local governments, foundations, the private sector, etc.Maintain productive relationships with the international community inclusive of the United Nations, International NGOs, Think Tanks, Research Institutes and Foreign Governments.Anticipate needs, understand donor pool and contribute to shaping donorโs views on humanitarian and development strategies.Represent Mercy Corps programs with national and international media.Program Operations and Compliance
Coordinate overall country budget; manage budget within approved spending levels and establish an annual cash flow plan to ensure a steady and adequate supply of funds for program activities.Build and maintain operational structures that ensure proper segregation of duties between finance, administration and logistics and fully support field programs.Build and maintain an environment of collaboration among program, finance, operations and human resource team members resulting in optimal support for program activities.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.Security
Manage security and safety of the entire country team and Mercy Corps assets according to best practices, Mercy Corps operating standards and field realities.Liaise with the Regional Director, Global Security Advisor, Strategic Response and Global Emergencies Director on crucial events, high risk periods, incident reporting or security policy changes.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, specificallyto 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.