Conflict Management Advisor - Mercy Corps - Amman, Jordan

Tracking Code: 218402-927

Job Location: Amman, Jordan

Position Type: Full-Time/Regular

 Job Description

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Mercy Corps has worked in the Middle East for over 15 years and considerable experience implementing programs in conflict and post conflict countries, as well as in countries hosting large number of refugees fleeing conflict in the region. Since the onset of the ‘Arab Spring’, and more specifically the civil war in Syria, Mercy Corps has committed to supporting Syrian who have fled their country and are now refugees in neighboring Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Turkey. As the conflict drags on, more and more refugees are flooding into neighboring countries and accessing/consuming the limited resources of host communities. Severely limited water supplies are now required to support an additional 100,000 people in northern Jordan, demand for housing in Lebanon and Jordan has quadrupled the local rates for rent, long lines have developed to access basic commodities such as bread, and much more. The strain put on host communities has resulted in several acts of violence and could potentially lead to major unrest. To mitigate current and future conflicts, Mercy Corps will implement several conflict management projects in the region, starting with projects funded by DFID in Jordan, and the EU in Lebanon. Each of these projects will begin in early 2013 with additional conflict management projects possible later in the year.



GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The Conflict Management (CM) Advisor will primarily provide overall technical support to the implementation of Mercy Corps Jordan’s Conflict management between Syrian refugees and host communities in Jordan Project, Mercy Corps Lebanon’s Support to non-State Actors for the Prevention of Conflicts and the Consolidation of Civil Peace in LebanonProject. The CM Advisor will provide technical support and training to conflict program staff for those two programs and liaise with Mercy Corps’ technical support team in the US. He/she will travel regularly between Jordan, Lebanon and possible to other countries in the region where Mercy Corps works to provide relevant technical support to CM related projects. The Advisor will focus on technical support for program implementation in Lebanon and Jordan and Regional Value Proposition (RVP) related tasks in these two countries as agreed with the RVP Manager.   The RVP Manager will work closely with the Advisor for Lebanon and Jordan, however, the RVP Manager will prioritize geographic efforts on Iraq, Libya, Yemen and Syria.



ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Technical Oversight & Capacity Building

• Provide technical assistance to conflict management/mitigation program activities in cooperation with key project stakeholders, including Mercy Corps staff, local non-governmental organizations, local government officials, community-based organizations, other international agencies on the ground, and key donors;
• Increase staff capacity by designing and leading technical training sessions on conflict management for Mercy Corps staff and local partners and providing ongoing coaching and mentoring;
• Train program staff on monitoring and evaluation tools for CM programs, including M&E plan, baseline and end of program surveys, and other tools;
• Support program staff in performing community mapping, conflict assessment and utilizing other relevant conflict management tools and instruments;
• Support program staff and consultants in delivering, evaluating and following up on training modules in accordance with the CM program objectives;
• Promote learning and knowledge management through documentation and knowledge sharing around best practices and lessons learned;
• Provide technical assistance to project staff and support departments to ensure smooth planning, preparation, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of program activities;
• Support the program managers in evaluation efforts of CM programming, including external and internal mid-term and final evaluations, developing terms of reference and working with consultants, and writing and editing reports.

Program Development

• Work closely with Mercy Corps technical and program teams to pre-position the agency for additional opportunities to develop a robust portfolio of conflict-related programs;
• Supports assessments and program design for new opportunities that build off existing Mercy Corps programs;

Representation

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders;
• As relevant, maintain good working relationships with the donor, the host country government and local leaders, partner agencies, and other key stakeholders;
• Assist the Regional Value Proposition (RVP) manager with documentation and dissemination of lessons learned and best practices from Mercy Corps regional conflict portfolio to internal and external stakeholders, including at international conferences and similar forums.

Strategy and Vision

• Develop strategies for conflict programs in Lebanon and Jordan, integrating agency best practices and building off the existing portfolio of programs in country;
• Assist in prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve these objectives and contribute to country-wide strategy development and the Conflict Management Regional Value Proposition .

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 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.

 

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: No direct supervisory role.



REPORTS DIRECTLY TO:              Country Director Jordan with close coordination with Country Representative Lebanon

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Works directly with Conflict Project Managers in Lebanon and Jordan, the Lebanon Country Director, The RVP Manager, the Youth and Conflict Technical Support Unit, local national staff and affiliated relevant Mercy Corps headquarters units as necessary



KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• Masters degree in conflict mitigation, social sciences, international relations or other relevant field preferred.
• 3-5 years relevant professional experience with conflict management programs, preferably in insecure or transitional environments.
• Previous experience of working in insecure environments.
• Experience in disaster risk reduction/natural resources management programming preferred.
• S/he is aware of the sensitivities of working in the Middle East and will help ensure that the programs respect international agreements.
• Strong facilitation and consensus-building skills.
• Strong writing, research, training and M&E skills for conflict programming.
• Experience managing national and international staff.
• Arabic language skills strongly preferred.
• Must be able to work independently while being a strong team player.

 

Job Location: Amman, Amman, Jordan

Position Type: Full-Time/Regular 

Apply Online