Iraq: Program Manager - ACTIVATE (Advocacy Creates Transformational Influence Validating Action for the Environment)

Sep 19, 2021 | Mercy Corps
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Program / Department Summary

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, and 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 fostering trust across community divisions by strengthening conflict management and prevention mechanisms and enhancing social cohesion.

General Position Summary

The Program Manager position will provide overall leadership, technical oversight, management and strategic vision for Mercy Corps’ new two-year ACTIVATE (Advocacy Creates Transformational Influence Validating Action for the Environment) program in Iraq, funded by the US Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law (DRL). The program will be implemented in three governorates in Iraq - Anbar, Baghdad and Basra. The program recognizes that the effects of climate change combined with other influencing factors have the potential to lead to escalating socioeconomic grievances and increased risk of conflict. To better enable communities and government decision makers to collaboratively strengthen governance around environmental issues and reduce community tensions over natural resources, the ACTIVATE program will bring together communities, activists, and government decision-makers to work towards 1) reversing the cumulative impacts of decades of neglect of monitoring, planning, and governance of Iraq’s natural resources; 2) ameliorating the erosion of Iraqi ecosystems; and 3) address climate change. The Program Manager will be responsible in ensuring the program team in each governorate is implementing their respective activities on-scope, on-time and on-budget, in line with the program’s objectives. The Program Manager will supervise key program staff and ensure high program performance and quality. The Program Manager will be responsible for ensuring strict adherence to internal Mercy Corps policies, procedures as well as donor rules and regulations. The Program Manager will also have representation duties to donors, relevant government entities, partners, other implementers and external stakeholders.

Essential Job Responsibilities

PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION 

  • Oversee program start-up and ongoing program management and administration of teams across various field locations, ensuring mechanisms for effective adaptive management are in place and utilized regularly.
  • Lead the development of detailed implementation plans, flowing from annual strategic work plans, and ensure the delivery of the same. 
  • Structure team to ensure that all program aspects are implemented to the highest standard (adhering to industry norms/regulations). 
  • Ensure program objectives and deadlines are tracked and met. 
  • Ensure grant agreements are monitored and comply with Mercy Corps policies and procedures and donor/government/external rules and regulations. 
  • Oversee all aspects of design, monitoring, evaluation and learning, and ensure that all program aspects are documented and archived according to internal/donor requirements, in close coordination with the Program Performance and Quality Departments.
  • Oversee all aspects of gender, equity and social inclusion are mainstreamed into the project.
  • Ensure all program management minimum standards are met (including risk management, issues management and change management), including those for complex programs.
  • Develop transition strategy and detailed capacity building plans for national team members.

TEAM MANAGEMENT 

  • Recruit and maintain a program team and ensure that program staff receive necessary inductions / training (including program management certification where required). 
  • Create and sustain a work environment conducive to professional growth and of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
  • Set a team culture valuing learning and adaptive management in support of an ongoing resilience approach in programming.
  • Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews with direct supervisees, and ensure that supervisory staff do the same. 
  • Implement, and ensure all staff members are effectively using the performance planning and management system, establishing performance expectations and regularly providing constructive feedback. 
  • Supervise and manage all program staff to ensure day-to-day activities are implemented in a coordinated fashion according to schedule, budget and quality. 
  • Manage and help with professional development and ongoing training of staff to ensure they are of the quality and technical capacity necessary to ensure the successful implementation of activities.

ACCOUNTABILITY/REPORTING 

  • Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to 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. 
  • Ensure all internal control procedures are adhered to and that necessary measures are put in place to ensure high standards of accountability and compliance. 
  • Ensure findings from endline surveys, evaluations, and internal and external audits are used to improve programs.
  • Ensure all internal/ donor /external reports are produced at a high level of quality, as required.

PROGRAM SUPPORT 

  • Coordinate with program, finance and administration staff to ensure operational systems are in place to support field activities (including logistics, procurement, security, administration and human resources). 
  • Work closely with country-level security focal points to develop and maintain systems that ensure the safety and security of the team in all aspects of its work. 
  • Ensure that programs are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security management priorities. 
  • Maintain productive and strong working relationships with all program support functions.

FINANCE AND COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

  • In collaboration with the country program’s operations and finance departments, ensure proper financial management, procurement, administration, human resources and logistics (including transport, warehousing and asset management) needs of the program are conducted within Mercy Corps’ policy and with the maximum benefit to the program. 
  • Monitor adherence to grant agreement, Mercy Corps’ policies and procedures and relevant external rules and regulations.

COORDINATION AND REPRESENTATION 

  • Liaise with and represent the program to the donor(s), government actors, partners and other key stakeholders. 
  • Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other relevant events in the field, in close coordination with the Deputy/Country Director and WASH Program Director. 
  • Ensure close coordination and information sharing with partners, sub-grantees, local government, other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs. 
  • Establish and maintain relationships with communities and local government.

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.

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, specifically to 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.

Supervisory Responsibility

Deputy Program Manager

Accountability

Reports Directly To: WASH Program Director

Works Directly With: Deputy Country Director, program support counterparts (program performance and quality, finance, operations and human resources teams), program specific staff, headquarters operations and technical support unit team members.

Knowledge and Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, international relations, governance, or related field.
  • 5 years+ of management experience in comparable positions – preferably as program manager for a comparable project or a lower-level position on a complex project. 
  • Knowledge and experience in subject matter relevant to ACTIVATE including but not limited to: environmental/natural resources governance/management/science, civil society and community governance, institutional capacity building, local development and environmental organizing and advocacy.
  • Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with host governments, donors, other donor funded projects and stakeholders, local organizations, and partners. 
  • Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with DRL policies, procedures and approaches with regards to design, implementation, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation.
  • Technical experience leading system strengthening and institutionalization activities with government ministries, county-level organizations and officials and local institutions.
  • Strong problem-solving skills and effective listening, negotiation and representation skills and the ability to work comfortably with an ethnically diverse staff in a sensitive environment.
  • Understanding of and demonstrated commitment to the importance of gender and youth issues in system strengthening and institutionalization programming.
  • Strong staff management experience of similar size teams required, and record of strategic visioning, leadership, and good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues.
  • PRINCE 2 or other program management certification is strongly preferred. 
  • Fluency in oral/written English is required; Arabic is highly preferred. 
  • Previous experience in Iraq or the region is strongly preferred. 
  • Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.

Success Factors

The successful Program Manager will combine exceptional management skills and experience in maintaining donor, government and partner relationships. S/he will have an outstanding ability to develop, implement and manage programs. S/he will also have proven experience with cross-cultural team and capacity building, individual staff development and strong mentoring skills. The Program Manager must have demonstrated experience managing governance programs. S/he will have demonstrated skills in managing programs in challenging, insecure, constantly changing environments. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem-solving and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision are essential. S/he will have the vision to transition a humanitarian portfolio to a recovery and development context, with the ability to fundraise to grow the portfolio. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Baghdad, Iraq with frequent travel to Anbar and Basra. Personnel in this location are expected to follow all security protocols. This unaccompanied position will be required to reside in group housing environment and is eligible for RnR and hardship. 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 world’s 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. 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 elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.