Iraq: Access to Finance Project Manager

Dec 20, 2018 | Mercy Corps
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Mercy Corps is a global humanitarian organization empowering people to recover from crisis, build better lives and transform their communities for good. 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's goal is to work with civil society, public and private sector partners to meet immediate needs and reduce longer-term vulnerabilities of communities within Iraq. Mercy Corps Iraq focuses on (1) providing humanitarian assistance to conflict affected populations to meet basic needs, maintain human dignity and facilitate self-empowerment; (2) supporting income-generating opportunities that transition individuals and households from financial dependency towards financial independence while facilitating market-system approaches; (3) working with young females and young males to address their diverse needs, promoting leadership and linkages with civil society, as well as access to education, psychosocial support, and economic opportunities; and (4) promoting reconciliation and foster trust across community divisions by strengthening conflict management and prevention mechanisms and enhancing social cohesion.

Pending funding, Mercy Corps Iraq will implement an agriculture program that aims to improve the business environment, and improve access to financial services as well as reactivate the agriculture value chains in the area of Hamdanyia in Ninewa governorate. Mercy Corps is seeking a Project Manager for a new 3 year program seeking to contribute to the agricultural and rural economy recovery in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq. The agricultural sector in Nineveh has been largely disorganized by the conflict: structuring public infrastructures such as irrigated perimeters, slaughterhouses, markets etc. have been either damaged and/or plundered, as were private equipment and assets (orchards, poultry houses, feed production units…). Although rehabilitation and recovery costs may be modest, access to financial resources is a challenge both for the government, due to a comparatively low priority on agriculture in reconstruction efforts, and for farmers, whose capital has been depleted. The same can be said for all micro and small enterprises that are part of the economic fabric of rural areas and therefore contribute to the overall rural development of the governorate.

Efforts toward agricultural and rural economy recovery must therefore target the rehabilitation of both the public and the private (at micro and small enterprise levels) infrastructure through an integrated approach, while also taking into account the social and cultural complexity of Nineveh. In response, three main objectives have been identified in support of rehabilitating, reconstructing and supporting the overall economic recovery of Nineveh district:

  • Facilitate access to finance for agricultural and other MSMEs in rural areas and smaller urban areas of Nineveh Governorate (Mosul city excluded), so that they can re-start their activities.
  • Contribute to the rehabilitation, on demined areas, of irrigated perimeters and other collective public infrastructures that have a structuring impact on the agricultural value chains.
  • Strengthen social cohesion, through the increase of intra and intercommunity economic interactions and, if relevant, through dedicated activities.

General Position Summary

We are seeking a Project Manager who would manage all activities involved in the facilitation of access to finance for select agricultural sectors and MSMEs in rural and smaller urban areas to support the reactivation of economic activities in Nineveh district. Specifically we anticipate the Project Manager will manage a small team and consultants to help to achieve the following specific objectives:

  • Increase the number of MSMEs and those involved in the Ag sector ability to avail and manage business finances and credit services sustainably
  • Support Ag Bank's ability to lend to market actors in select value chains through establishment of loan guarantee fund and diversified products and services
  • Establish alternative financing mechanisms at community level to meet rural communities financing needs (ie Revolving loan fund, savings groups and SACCOs)

ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy & Vision

  • Identify opportunities for the design and development of concept notes and proposals for further programming and portfolio expansion.
  • Provide technical support to the Ministry of Agriculture of Ninewa in developing its future strategy and policies for the financial service sector in the governorate linked to agriculture.
  • Contribute to the technical and operational advocacy strategies of the mission, region, and HQ.

Coordination & Representation

  • Coordinate and supervise effectively the activities implementation of the access to finance sector.
  • Develop and maintain effective working relationships with all stakeholders – including consortium partners, NGOs, government officials, clusters, UN agencies, and community based organizations – to enhance cooperation and coordination.

Program Management

  • Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners; consistent with Mercy Corps' relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic objectives; and complies with donor regulations and policies.
  • Oversee program startup and ongoing program management and administration of teams across various field locations.
  • Facilitate planning meetings and support project teams to develop work plans, budget forecasts, and monitoring tools to document inputs, activities, outputs, achievements and lessons learned.

Design & Planning

  • Oversee the design, planning, implementation and documentation of access to finance programming to help beneficiaries strengthen capacities to mitigate vulnerabilities and build resilience to shocks and stressors in their communities.
  • Provide technical oversight to the field teams and mentor staff in the design and implementation of access to finance activities.

 

Team Management

  • Hire, supervise and build the capacity of team members in relevant technical and management competencies, deepening understanding of their roles and assisting 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.

Finance & Compliance Management

  • Ensure compliance with donor regulations and Mercy Corps policies.
  • Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.
  • Manage the program budget to ensure that spending is donor-compliant and program-effective.

Security

  • Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership and agency's global standards.
  • 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, 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.