Peace and Good Governance Lead - Iraq

Description

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.
We bring a comprehensive approach to every challenge, addressing problems from multiple angles. And we go beyond emergency aid, partnering with local governments, forward-thinking corporations, social entrepreneurs, and people living in fragile communities to develop bold solutions that make lasting change possible.

Project/ Department Summary

Mercy Corps has worked across Iraq’s 18 governorates since 2003, implementing relief and development projects. Mercy Corps Iraq's (MCIQ) current goal is to work with new and existing civil society, public and private sector partners to meet immediate and long-term needs by strengthening communities’ resilience. Mercy Corps launched a Global Strategy - Pathway to Possibility (P2P) - that guides MCIQ’s exciting three-year country strategy. This country strategy vision is to enhance the resilience of Iraqi communities to address the drivers of conflict, thrive in the face of climate change, and facilitate long term peace and prosperity through prioritization of locally led initiatives, focusing on strengthening and expanding existing CSO networks’ organizational and technical capacity, and support for their collective advocacy. The resulting situation brings together a diversity of staff, technical expertise and program learning, along with a critical opportunity to influence policy makers and donor priorities moving forward.

Mercy Corps is a leader in peacebuilding and good governance programming. Our cross-sector work actively incorporates principles and strategies to build and sustain stability, in addition to our initiatives to prevent and reduce violent conflict and enhance bottom-up and top-down governance processes. We have pioneered a systems approach to understanding conflict, analyzing political, economic, socio-cultural, and ecological systems to identify dynamics driving conflict and poor governance. Our evidence-based programming is rooted in rigorous research and innovative evaluations, promoting continuous learning and program evolution internally while reinforcing Mercy Corps' role as a thought leader for the broader peacebuilding and good governance communities.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The Peace and Good Governance Lead (P&GG Lead) will be the Head of P&GG and provides strategic leadership and is responsible for developing on overall strategy for the P&GG portfolio in consultation with relevant actors; pre-positioning and proposal development for P&GG opportunities; and grant implementation. The position engages strategically across the organization and externally to develop and drive programming that is responsive to the community needs, major policy debates and knowledge gaps around program theories and practice.

The P&GG Lead will liaise with INGO, CSOs, other humanitarian and development actors, and government authorities in their respective areas, and will lead in strategic planning and positioning for expansion of peace and good governance initiatives. The P&GG Lead dedicates time to raising the profile of Mercy Corps’ programming and evidence by giving high profile talks, participating in panels and research networks, and attending key external forums. He/she will also cultivate and deepen relationships with donors, policy makers, academics, and other evidence consumers. The position will maximize engagement with Iraqi NGOs by ensuring they are co-creators and partners in delivering on all commitments.

Essential Job Responsibilities:

STRATEGIC GROWTH OBJECTIVES

• Work closely with the Deputy Country Director and Senior leadership to ensure Mercy Corps’ global strategy (P2P) and the country office strategy guides decision making.
• Serve as a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) and program Leadership team (PLT) to provide input and leadership around country-level policies and processes, including proactive problem solving and cross-department collaboration and building consensus around a common vision of what shared success in Iraq looks like.
• Lead integration with other sectoral programs, joint proposal development, sectoral strategies, and exploring possibilities of multi sectorial or area-based programing,
• Recognize opportunities for innovative action, use of new technology, digital peacebuilding, transformative governance approach and creating an environment of trust where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.

PROGRAM Leadership, QUALITY, LEARNING AND IMPACT

• Provide leadership to ensure programs meet donor and internal obligations on scope, time and budget, and enhance internal program/ sector coordination, collaboration and communication.
• Ensure Mercy Corps minimum standards, guidelines, policies and SOPs are understood and adhered by all team members
• Lead the maintenance, technical orientation, rollout, socialization, and sustainability planning for newly established technical working groups.
• Work with the Program Quality, Evidence and Learning (QEL) unit for the roll out of ELA (Evidence and learning agenda), Learning center, QRMs and to ensure that implementation, monitoring and evaluation is practical and reflects best practices.
• Explore partnerships with universities, research institutions, and other organizations to produce case studies, assessments, and other learning documentation, as well as enhance program quality.

PROGRAM AND PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT

• Proactively lead and contribute to donor relationship building, exploring new partnerships and new business opportunities/ proposal development to grow the portfolio.
• Liaise with Regional advisors and country team (QEL, Program Development and Grants Team, Deputy Country Director)  to gather/analyze data to determine program needs and priorities and Mercy Corps’ competitive advantage for funding in Iraq
• Develop and regularly update (at least bi-annually) a development strategy for their portfolio that takes into consideration donor trends, the contexts and needs in the country, and Mercy Corps technical expertise and P2P
• Work with other sectoral teams on the design and support of multi-sectoral programs that encompass elements of broader agency goals such as resilience, food security, economic opportunities, social cohesion and governance.

PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

• Allocate and manage resources between project management, business development (in coordination with the Program Development Team), and oversee project start-ups to closeouts in accordance with PM@MC guidance and relevant policies/procedures
• Allocate and manage resources between project management, business development (in coordination with the Program Development Team), and oversee project start-ups to closeouts in accordance with PM@MC guidance and relevant policies/procedures
• Engage in periodic in-depth reviews to ensure programs are GEDSI-sensitive and adhere to Do No Harm principles, in coordination with GEDSI Advisor.
• Ensure program teams receive regular technical guidance, coaching, training and capacity building initiatives (through TRaQ or other learning channels).
• Assist program teams in developing relevant SOPs and program guidelines
• Promote Mercy Corps localization strategy and drive the engagement with local NGOs/CSOs by involving them in all facets of programming
• Ensure Mercy Corps participation in coordination mechanisms.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews, check-ins, and real-time reflection.
• Supervise and manage SPMs and/or PMs, as relevant, to ensure program management responsibilities are completed according to schedule, budget and quality while team members also maintain overall wellbeing
• Supervise and mentor all staff under supervision to ensure expected outcomes are reached

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: Senior Program Manager, Consortium Manager, Program Managers,

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Deputy Country Director

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Program Development and Grants team, Subaward team, Inclusion and CARM, MEL unit, Operations, Finance Teams, Security and other sectoral leads, Regional TRaQ team

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's or master's Degree in relevant field or equivalent work experience
• Minimum 5-7 years’ experience in a management position overseeing program implementation
• Having 5 years technical experience in Peace and Good Governance programming providing [AS1] high level technical assistance, coordination and   support to government, CSOs and development partners is required
• Experience in strategic leadership, stakeholder engagement, and advocacy initiatives,
• Experience in complex and diverse settings, with capacity to complete time sensitive deliverables in unstable environments
• Knowledge of Iraq’s local context and vulnerabilities
• Understanding of different governance systems, including delegated management, Public-Private Partnerships, and other systems.
• Ability to discuss and articulate ideas, opinions, and strategies with government officials, institutions, donors, and partners.
• Strong experience of mentoring a team, identifying talent and capacity building
• Knowledge of participatory approaches and community sensitization and mobilization
• Demonstrated ability to manage and communicate effectively with and ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment
• Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving
• Ability to effectively represent Mercy Corps in engagements with key stakeholders including relevant government institutions, including national and international NGOs
• Excellent oral and written skills in English and Arabic required

SUCCESS FACTORS:

The successful Head of Portfolio: Peace and Good Governance will combine exceptional management skills and experience in building and maintaining donor and partner relationships. The successful candidate has previous experience in implementing peace and good governance programs in insecure and conflict affected contexts. S/he will have proven experience with cross-cultural team and capacity building, individual staff development and strong mentoring skills. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail as well as strategic vision are essential. 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. An ability to be creative, to juggle multiple priorities under tight deadlines, and to calmly and diplomatically deal with unexpected and sudden events impacting project operations are also essential, as is patience, tenacity, and a good sense of humor.

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 Participants 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

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.

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.

SDG Impact