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 long term impact. Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war over ten years ago, Mercy Corps has worked to address the urgent needs of nearly 5 million people while at the same time pave the way for peacebuilding, early recovery and development of people inside Syria. Within this context, Mercy Corps is hosting the early recovery working group in northeast Syria (NES).
The Program / Department Summary Over 10 years into the conflict in Syria, lifesaving relief remains an important priority. In Northeast Syria affected populations have started looking for ways to move beyond survival and rebuild their lives. Developing and adapting programs that enhance community initiatives to rebuild their lives is vital in reducing the risk of further setbacks for the affected population and paving the way towards sustainable long-term recovery. This requires all actors to not only focus on saving lives but also on stemming further loss of livelihoods and security that are fundamental to the survival of the affected population, even during humanitarian operations. From the outset it is also vital to support, sustain, and begin to rebuild social fabric and the essential local governance capacities, where possible, that are necessary to manage the situation in the longer term. Early Recovery (ER) is the application of development principles to humanitarian situations. It is intended to move affected populations from survival to self-reliance and to stabilize local and national capacities from further deterioration so that they can provide the foundation for full recovery and stimulate spontaneous recovery activities amongst the affected population. If such national capacities are used and strengthened, they are likely to reduce the overall burden of humanitarian support more rapidly. This can be achieved through distinctive early recovery activities to stabilize the situation, while identifying opportunities for longer term recovery and eventually development. Early Recovery aims to bring development principles into relief and seize opportunities to go beyond saving lives and contribute to the restoration of national capacity, livelihoods and human security. Early recovery and humanitarian efforts occur in parallel and use the same mechanisms, but their objectives and expertise are different. The early recovery working group in NES aims to achieve nexus between Humanitarian, Peace building and Development through: ยง Establishing joint planning with early recovery actors in NES to address immediate and underlying drivers and causes of conflict and build foundations for long-term peace and stability. ยง Enhancing the on-going emergency assistance operations through measures that foster the self- reliance of the affected population and meet the most critical needs to rebuild livelihoods. ยง Supporting recovery initiatives that mitigate the risk on affected populations and in the long run increase their resilience in front of shocks and stresses (Establishing the foundations for longer-term recovery). ยง Support the NES Forum Inter Sector Working Group in mainstreaming Early Recovery in the NGO response
NES Early Recovery Working Group Coordinator is part of NES humanitarian architecture and will be working to enable early recovery actors in NES to be more effective in achieving their early recovery goals. The Early Recovery Working Group Coordinator is a member of the NES NGO Forum Inter Sector Working Group. As part of the humanitarian architecture in NES, the Early Recovery Working Group also falls under Whole of Syria Architecture and is hence working with the WOS Early Recovery Sector. The Early Recovery Working Group Coordinator is accountable to its members (NES NGOs), the NES NGO Forum/Inter Sector Working Group Coordinator and the UNDP whole of Syria Early Recovery Coordinator. The early recovery coordinator provides accountable leadership, early recovery direction and works on behalf of the working group, facilitating all working group activities and maintaining a strategic vision. S/he also ensures coordination regarding the areas covered, particularly leading membersโ planning from relief to social cohesion, stabilization and development. e.g. governance, infrastructure and livelihoods, with other sectors and working groups in NES and where possible the whole of Syria. The Early Recovery Working Group Coordinator is based in the Mercy Corps field office in Hasekeh and reports to the Mercy Corps Director of Programs in close coordination with the UNDP whole of Syria Early Recovery Coordinator and NES Forum Inter Sector Working Group Coordinator. The Early Recovery working group Coordinator will be responsible for developing the early recovery agenda and strategy for the NES NGOs response, leading the implementation of the early recovery action plans, and coordinating/monitoring the actorsโ implementation.
Essential Responsibilities
Technical Support and Strategy Development: ยง Facilitate the early recovery-related needs assessments and analysis and participate in joint needs assessment exercises as appropriate. This includes assessment and analysis on livelihood, conflict, displacement and any other needs assessment.ยง Work with early recovery actors to identify the agenda and the strategic direction of early recovery in NES.ยง Lead the actorsโ analysis of sector-specific gaps and priorities and facilitate the development of strategies and tools to address them. Ensure that early recovery needs and strategies are adequately reflected in NES Forum needs/gaps overviews and strategies and the whole of Syria HNO and HRP.ยง Facilitate the formulation of multi-sectoral early recovery NES initiatives and coordinate implementation. ยง Provide technical support to actors working on social cohesion, peacebuilding, governance and livelihood issues.ยง Ensure proper reporting of ER activities to NES Forum 4Ws and work closely with the NES Forum Senior IMO in the absence of a dedicated ERWG IMO.ยง Support the Forum ISWG Coordinator in strengthening humanitarian โ stabilization developmentยง Identify training needs of members and communicate them back to the members, the NES Forum and to the whole of Syria early recovery cluster. Support resource mobilization efforts aimed at strengthening the capacity of the civil society and other local humanitarian partners.
Networking & Coordination & Advocacy:
- Identify core advocacy concerns for the sector and contribute