About Mari Research and Development

Mari Research and Development is a non-for-profit civil society organization operating in northeast Syria. It was established in 2018 and registered in Canada, France and Erbil.

In 2018, a group of educated, dynamic and like-minded youth working in the development sector got together to establish an organization for addressing the most urgent and pressing needs of people in Syria. MRD seeks to build a stable and just society where peace and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms prevail.

In order to promote cohesive and tolerant societies where justice and equality prevail, we seek to promote human rights, and to make them the primary and main drivers of the diverse societies which we target through our work.

The purpose of the Position

Under direct supervision of Programs Manager, the projects coordinator. S/he will oversee project/s implementation, ensuring that all projects activities will be implemented in line with the project work plan and in accordance with MRD and the donor’s standards and requirements. The projects coordinator will provide support for technical oversight of all components of the projects, including working closely with MRD's M&E, technical, finance and HR/administrative teams to ensure successful projects implementation.

Key Responsibilities

Project coordinators in the central administration put donor satisfaction in the first place in their work through the following tasks:

1. Planning and development
a) Designing project proposals, either in contributing to the preparation of inputs for grants and partnerships department, or designing project proposals from scratch.
b) Manage the initialization and preparation processes for new projects.
c) Continuous capacity building for project officers when executing project activities
d) Provide capacity building and on-the-job training to junior staff and newly hired staff at new locations.
e) Ensure project officers comply with MRD's Human Resources, Financial, Logistics and Security policies and procedures.

2. Implementation and follow-up of basic needs activities
a) Supervising and following up the progress of project implementation according to the implementation plans and providing tools to assist in the implementation.
b) Responsible for project deliverables and what is contained in the project charter document.
c) Carrying out the duties of the project officer when he or she is unavailable.
d) Supervising the process of closing the grant (financially, administratively, contractually),
e) Support project officers and technical staff to carry out activities related to gap/basic needs analysis at all project sites.
f) Follow up and coordinate with the center officers to organize the implementation of the activities on a monthly basis.
g) Supervise, in coordination with the regional grants officer, the follow-up of project officials to publish the plan on the tracking softwares.

3. Coordination and communication with stakeholders
a) Manage the relationship with the operations departments to create an environment conducive to the completion of project activities
b) Ensuring the best communication with the donor, meeting his requirements and making sure that they are met in accordance with the agreement.
c) Coordinating the implementation of the basic needs project portfolio in line with proposals, strategies, standard operating procedures and donor requirements.
d) Enhance internal coordination of the Programs department and support it to strengthen program results and accountability in target locations.
e) Attend coordination meetings if requested by the Programs manager.

4. Data management and reporting
a) Improving and reviewing project reports submitted by project officers on the ground (reports, completion reports and IPTT tracking reports are meant here)
b) Supervising the archiving of the project.
c) Preparing and submitting the monthly program management report.
d) Work with the MEAL team to ensure continuous review and monitoring to enable improvement of projects.

Education

A BA or Master’s degree with significant experience in either humanitarian relief, public health or development projects management.

Experiences

1. Experience in handling complex Food Security and Livelihoods Projects (Required)
2. Demonstrated field leadership in strategic program and project development, implementation, and evaluation.
3. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
4. Excellent diplomatic skills and ability to create positive relations with senior government officials, heads of diplomatic missions, international organizations, NGOs and CBOs to enhance Mari Development’s programs.
5. Experience with financial management and compliance with donor requirements.
6. Entrepreneurial orientation, self-starter able to work independently and cope with demanding work situations in complex setting.
7. Excellent English and Arabic communication skills (written and oral).