Program Assistant

Location: Ramallah with frequent travel within the West Bank 
Position Status: Full-time, Regular employment
Salary Level: 2A
Duration: One year with a possibility of extension
Department: Positive Youth Engagement (PYE) Program

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. In Palestine, Mercy Corps has been working hand-in-hand with local communities and partners since the 1980s and has staff in three offices based in East Jerusalem, West Bank, and Gaza. Mercy Corps work aims to increase the capacity of Palestinian civil society to promote inclusive social and economic development, long-term recovery, and respond to humanitarian needs.

Program / Department Summary

Positive Youth Engagement (PYE) is a seven-year multi-sectoral Youth Activity designed to address the core issues of Palestinian youth development. The PYE activity will reach vulnerable and marginalized youth aged 10-24 at risk of social marginalization in deprived areas and private universities where they live by improving education, health, employment, community involvement (reintegration), and other needs as identified through drivers' assessments.

The activity’s goal is to transform vulnerable youth into productive, contributing citizens who are connected to their communities by increasing opportunities for Palestinian youth to realize their potential and to effectively contribute to social and economic development. The following are the main themes of the PYE:

• Core programming that supports, protects, prepares, and engages youth in safe spaces located within a strong network of more than 80 CBOs throughout the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. 
• Tailored packages of activities, resources, and referrals that will set youth on individually selected pathways building on the core curriculum to increase opportunities for youth to effectively contribute to social and economic development.
• Opportunities for sustained community engagement and leadership through youth-led pathways and councils, community and social media campaigns, and mentorship of subsequent cohorts as part of sustainable community youth networks.
• Improve opportunities for learning and individual empowerment for youth in grades 7-12 through the network of safe spaces.
• Expand safe spaces through 11 local university career centers to reach youth ages 19-24 and offer the PYE core interventions including the Profound Stress and Attunement (PSA) approach and healthy well-being for youth, parents, and adult caretakers; learning activities (including the Passport To Success (PTS) and I: SERVE), youth pathways; and youth-led small-scale initiatives in addition to technology and innovation-driven learning programs with a focus on STEAM, green solutions, and entrepreneurship.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The Program Assistant will provide programmatic and administrative support for the PYE team and network of local partners and stakeholders. The Program Assistant will engage with other youth as a mobilizer and mentor on key initiatives of the program under the non-formal education and the universities’ career centers components. The Program Assistant will assist in following up on various interventions, providing programmatic, administrative, and procurement support. In addition, the Program Assistant will assist in information gathering and reporting, conducting field visits to target safe spaces in communities and the career centers across 11 selected private universities. The position will work closely with PYE Technical Advisors on Non-Formal Education and Universities’ Career Centers and support the Technical Advisor on Youth well-being and Youth Pathways as required to ensure effective and efficient implementation of related activities.

جميع الحقوق محفوظة لموقع جوبس.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Support in organizing training sessions, workshops, and field visits as required.
• Participate in implementing the PYE program activities.
• Engage with other youth as a mobilizer and mentor on key initiatives of the program particularly the Youth Facilitators Network, youth mappers, and youth volunteers in the safe spaces and career centers.
• Submit field reports documenting work carried out and collect progress data as required.
• Assist the PYE team in reviewing and preparing documentation on the procurement of goods and services, and support contract tracking. 
• Assist in the development of purchase requests for the PYE non-formal education and universities’ career centers activities using Mercy Corps’ internal systems.
• Assist in any other task or duty assigned by the Program Officer in close coordination with the Specialists and Technical Advisors leading the implementation of related activities.
• Travel to various parts of the West Bank for activities support and follow-up.
• Other duties as required. 

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 – Mercy Corps expects 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 the partners and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging partner communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.

Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs, and MC's policies, procedures, and values always and in all in-country venues.

Authority and Accountability

Reports Directly to: Program Officer under the specific component.

Works Directly with Operations, Finance, and Procurement Teams, PYE Technical Advisors on Non-Formal Education and Universities’ Career Centers and supports the Technical Advisor on Youth well-being and Youth Pathways, PYE Program Specialists and Coordinator, as well as program partners and youth participants.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• University degree in Business Administration, Languages, Social Sciences, or any other related field.
• 2-3 years of work experience in a relevant field. 
• Good writing skills in English and Arabic.
• Excellent computer skills, including expertise in MS Office, Google Drive, and other applications.
• Strong team player and communicator.
• Strong organizational skills.

Success Factors

The successful candidate will be capable of multitasking, excellent management, facilitation, and communication skills with a strong personality, initiative, drive, and energy, and experience engaging with local and national partners from the civil society, public, and private sectors. The ideal candidate will have the ability and curiosity to work comfortably and effectively with team members of varied work styles and cultures, follow procedures, and meet deadlines with flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving. Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.

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 a 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 encounter 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 the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary-General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. 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.

Qualified people with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply.

Interested candidates are encouraged to apply online HERE no later than 3:00 PM Thursday 16 November 2023.  Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.