Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have a long-term impact.
Background & Overview of SIRF
Syria was already in the midst of a major humanitarian crisis impacting the entire country as well as a number of neighboring countries, with more than 11 million people displaced from their homes and the number relying on humanitarian assistance increasing in 2024. On top of the already catastrophic situation, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southeastern Turkey / northern Syria in February 2023 deepening the humanitarian situation for millions of affected persons. Early 2024 and with the regional context changing, Syria's humanitarian situation has worsened.
In light of the regional nature of the Syrian Crisis, and the humanitarian and political effects on neighboring countries, the Syrian INGO Regional Forum (SIRF) was formed in April 2013 to give voice to INGOs conducting humanitarian responses. Since then, SIRF has established itself as a key INGO Representation platform of the Syria Crisis with over 70 INGO members and observers, overseen by a board of 6 INGO Country Directors. SIRF is the only regional International NGO body dedicated to the Syria crisis, encompassing Syria and neighbouring Syrian refugee-hosting countries, working closely with the different NGO Coordination platforms of the region including, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Iraq and the hub level forums for Syria operations.
SIRF is a key permanent member of the most senior technical and strategic decision-making bodies of the Regional Refugee & Resilience Plan (3RP) and the โWhole-of-Syriaโ Responses. Supported by its Policy & Advocacy Working Group (PAWG) and, in line with its agreed strategy, SIRF focuses on advocacy opportunities in order to influence international bodies, UN and donors for principled and effective humanitarian assistance in the region. SIRFโs four main work streams are:
- Promoting humanitarian diplomacy by engaging with: regional bodies, the donor & diplomatic community, UN agencies, humanitarian leadership and ad hoc coordination mechanisms within the humanitarian and development ecosystem
- Leading and representing INGOs within regional strategic and technical coordination mechanisms and external events.
- Informing members of advocacy and policy influencing opportunities and developing advocacy and policy products.
- Facilitating the exchange and coordination of information on humanitarian assistance in Syria and neighboring countries.
General Position Summary
The SIRF Deputy Representative position was created mid-2023 in order to support INGO coordination across the โWhole of Syriaโ response and regional Syria crisis with a particular focus on supporting humanitarian advocacy and policy influencing at country, regional and global levels. The Deputy Representative will have specific responsibility for coordinating the advocacy, communications and policy work of SIRF in coordination with the PAWG. This will include working closely with the PAWG co-chairs and members, as well as NGO Forums in the Syria response hubs and neighbouring countries in the region to lead advocacy efforts on priority issues for the responses. The Deputy Representative will proactively identify opportunities, and lead initiatives to use the collective voice of NGOs to improve effectiveness, efficiency, accountability and transparency of humanitarian operations across the region.
The role will work closely with the SIRF Representative who will lead overall SIRF strategy and external representation with a particular focus on operational and strategic coordination across the Whole of Syria architecture and 3RP. The Deputy Representative will also deputise for the SIRF representative when required and may be required to provide surge support to NGO Forums in the Syria hubs as well as travel between Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
Responsibilities:
The primary responsibilities of the role include, in addition to other tasks that may be required:
Policy & advocacy strategy & coordination:
- Act as the primary day to day focal point for advocacy and policy work within SIRF, working closely with the Policy & Advocacy Working Group (PAWG) co-chairs and supporting members in coordinated advocacy work for the Syria crisis.
- Work with the SIRF Representative and PAWG co-chairs to develop and maintain a SIRF policy & advocacy strategy, priorities and work-plan, and provide regular updates to the SIRF board and members on implementation.
- Support the PAWG co-chairs in the running and administration of the PAWG, including agenda setting, managing meetings and providing secretariat functions.
- Oversee and, where required, develop tools in support of coordinated policy and advocacy work that may include stakeholder maps, dissemination plans, impact monitoring and advocacy calendars.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with advocacy, policy and other stakeholders within regional and global NGO Forums (including ICVA, InterAction, and NGO Forums in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Yemen and Libya) and within NGO member agencies.
- Work with ICVA and InterAction as the SIRF advocacy and policy focal point to support global joint-NGO advocacy initiatives.
Advocacy products and events
- Act as the primary advocacy focal point for supporting key Syria crisis related advocacy events, including the Syria Brussels Conference, Senior Officials Meeting (SOM), European Humanitarian Forum (EHF) and other regional or global events.
- Lead the development and sign-off process for advocacy and communication briefing letters, reports, talking points and products.
- Actively identify opportunities for strengthening advocacy on the Syria crisis and regional/global initiatives through coordinated SIRF advocacy.
- Work closely with the OCHA Regional Office for the Syria Crisis (ROSC) and other UN entities to strengthen joint UN-NGO advocacy and policy work across the humanitarian system.
Communications coordination
- Manage communications with SIRF members, developing effective ways of efficient information flow, which may include regular emails, newsletters, online document repositories, skype groups etc
- Support coordination of communications initiatives, including through support to the Communications Working Group where relevant.
- Manage contact, membership and distribution lists across SIRF members and external stakeholders, including running an annual member registration process.
Representation, administration and other tasks
- When required, act as the Representative for SIRF in key coordination groups and external meetings with members, donors, the UN system or other stakeholders, including deputising for the SIRF Representative as required.
- Proactively build relationships in support of SIRFโs work including with member NGOs, media professionals and journalists and other international organisations.
- Support members in addressing questions or queries in relation to SIRF and the regional Syria Crisis coordination.
Surge support & emergency coordination
- When required, such as in emergency situations, provide surge support to NGO Forums for the Syria hubs (Northeast Syria, Northwest Syria and/or Government of Syria controlled areas) to support effective NGO coordination.
Accountability
Reports Directly To: SIRF Representative
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills
- An undergraduate degree in a relevant field, or equivalent experience
- 4 years of progressive experience working with NGOs, the UN system or other relevant organisations in the humanitarian or development sectors.
- Experience living and working in complex humanitarian or fragile contexts with good understanding of humanitarian principles, operations, and coordination mechanisms.
- Experience managing humanitarian or development advocacy and policy work and a demonstrable understanding of current humanitarian policy trends and issues.
- Experience representing organisations in humanitarian coordination platforms (NGO Forums, clusters, working groups, or equivalent).
- Strong written and spoken English, with experience leading the development of high-quality written reports, publications, briefing notes and/or policy papers.
- Proven network and relationship building skills.
- A demonstrable ability to manage a diverse workload and priorities tasks in a complex and fluid environment.
Desirable requirements
- Previous experience working for an NGO Forum or coordination body.
- Previous humanitarian experience in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq or Turkey.
- An understanding of the โWhole of Syriaโ coordination model.
- Existing relationships with relevant advocacy, policy, media and/or coordination stakeholders in the humanitarian system.
- A post-graduate degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience.
- Working knowledge of Arabic a plus.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position is based in Amman, Jordan with individual accommodation and unlimited freedom of movement beyond the house/office. Team Members will have access to medical, electricity and water services.
Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit to a field posting. Team members 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.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development
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 worldโs 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
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
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 is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
- When required, such as in emergency situations, provide surge support to NGO Forums for the Syria hubs (Northeast Syria, Northwest Syria and/or Government of Syria controlled areas) to support effective NGO coordination.