Program Assistant

PROGRAM ASSISTANT

Location: Qamishli.

Position Status: Full-time, Regular

Salary Level: As per salary scale

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.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps seeks to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression around the world. We recognize that instances of sudden change within a country or region are rare moments to enact significant, lasting change. Mercy Corps, with its global experience working in countries undergoing major transitions, brings knowledge, expertise, and strong management skills to position the agency as a partner of choice for progressive change in Syria. Mercy Corps has been operational in Syria since 2012 as a leading agency implementing triple nexus programming in one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises. Millions of Syrians remain displaced, essential services are degraded, and communities struggle with economic collapse, food insecurity, and limited access to healthcare, water, and protection services. At the same time, localized stability in some areas has created opportunities for early recovery and transition.

Mercy Corps humanitarian and development bridges emergency response with resilience‑oriented approaches, ensuring that lifesaving assistance continues while communities begin to rebuild systems, livelihoods, and social cohesion. Mercy corps is expanding its scope off programming to accelerate a shift by fast‑tracking critical support and strengthening local capacities for a sustainable humanitarian transition. Mercy Corps’ focus is to rapidly deliver lifesaving assistance to crisis‑affected populations in Syria while enabling a strategic humanitarian reset that strengthens local systems, enhances resilience, and supports a transition toward early recovery and stabilization.

General Position Summary

Mercy Corps is looking for a Program Assistant to support the implementation of Mercy Corps’ components of the ECHO-funded action on Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems and Anticipatory Action in Syria, with a focus on field-level preparedness activities in selected hotspot locations and the delivery of multi-purpose cash assistance through the Crisis Modifier to vulnerable households exposed to disaster risks. Under supervision of the Program Officer, this position focuses on field level coordination, community and stakeholder engagement, data collection, logistical support to trainings and simulation exercises, monitoring, and ensuring that activities and cash assistance are delivered safely, transparently and in line with humanitarian standards. S/he will work closely with communities, local authorities, first responders, consortium partners, financial service providers and the internal team to ensure high-quality, inclusive and accountable preparedness and anticipatory action programming.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Program Implementation

• Support the organization of introductory meetings, stakeholder mapping, and community consultations in selected hotspot locations, and mobilize local authorities, first responders, and community actors through regular stakeholder/community meetings.
• Assist in participatory preparedness and response capacity gap analyses and in the collection of information for governorate preparedness plans and SOPs.
• Provide logistical and administrative support to training of trainers, workshops, and simulation exercises, including participant lists, venues, materials, and attendance records.
• Support community-based early warning activities, including coordination with community focal points and the testing of last-mile alert dissemination (SMS, radio, and community mechanisms).
• Support the rollout of Crisis Modifier multi-purpose cash assistance when triggered, including registration, verification, and distribution, ensuring accurate and timely beneficiary data, vulnerability scoring, eligibility checks, and compliance with safety and accountability procedures.
• Through coordination and collaboration with the Sub-National Cash Working Group, monitor market conditions and report price changes or supply issues that may affect cash transfer values.

Community Engagement & Communication

• Conduct community outreach to explain program objectives, selection criteria, early warning messages, and assistance modalities.
• Maintain respectful, culturally sensitive communication with community members, volunteers, and local authorities, ensuring the inclusion of women, youth, older persons, persons with disabilities, IDPs, and returnees.
• Collaborate with CARM to support the establishment and functioning of feedback and complaint mechanisms, and relay community feedback to the Program Officer.
• Identify and report protection concerns, conflict sensitivity and Do No Harm risks, or barriers to accessing assistance and early warning information.

1. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEAL)

• Assist PaQ teams with post-distribution monitoring (PDM), beneficiary surveys including the ECHO indicator on safe, accessible, accountable and participatory assistance, pre- and post-training assessments, and after-action reviews.
• Ensure data quality by following data protection and confidentiality protocols.
• Document lessons learned and share observations to improve program design and delivery.

1. Coordination & Reporting

• Coordinate with field teams, finance, MEAL, and logistics to ensure smooth implementation.
• Prepare field reports, training and simulation summaries, distribution summaries, and incident reports as required.
• Support coordination with local partners, vendors, financial service providers, and community committees.
• Report any irregularities, fraud risks, or operational challenges promptly

Accountability

Reports Directly to: Program Officer

Supervisory Responsibility: None

Works Directly with: Program team, enumerators, M&E Team, field-based logistics and finance teams, and local partners and community focal points.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• BA/BS in humanitarian studies, disaster risk management, social sciences, economics, or related field (equivalent in a relevant to experience).
• At least 1-2 year of relevant experience working in a humanitarian or NGO setting; candidates with disaster preparedness, community engagement, or cash-based program experience are highly preferred.
• Experience of working with vulnerable communities in emergency or early recovery contexts.
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members in a cross-cultural environment.
• Basic understanding of disaster risk reduction, early warning, and anticipatory action concepts, and of cash and voucher assistance (CVA) principles.
• Knowledge of safeguarding, accountability, and humanitarian principles.
• Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.
• Proven ability to learn quickly and initiate solutions to achieve stated results and objectives.
• Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.
• Understanding of the humanitarian and disaster risk context of Al-Hasakeh and the other target governorates is required.
• Good command of Arabic and English (spoken and written) is required
• Detail-oriented and strong command of computer skills; familiarity with KoboToolbox or similar data collection tools is an advantage.

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.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards

Team Efficiency and Effectiveness

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.

We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

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 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.

Personal Consent:

The organization collects your personal data for the purposes of managing the organization’s recruitment related activities as well as for organizational planning purposes globally. Consequently, the organization may use your personal data in relation to the evaluation and selection of applicants including, for example, setting up and conducting interviews and tests, evaluating and assessing the results thereto and as is otherwise needed in the recruitment processes including the final recruitment.

The organization is an international organization consisting of multiple affiliated companies in various countries. The organization has international sites and uses resources located throughout the world. Your data may be held on secure platforms globally, including outside of the EU. All personal data whether relating to recruitment or employment, is held on a secure platform and system which is subject to regular testing and audit. Unless stated in the job description that the post involves other organizations with which the information will be shared as part of the recruitment process, your personal data will only be shared with third parties where consent is given.

The organization participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (the “Scheme”) (www.schr.info/the-misconduct-disclosure-scheme). Accordingly, we request information from a job applicant’s previous employer(s) about any investigations which found that the applicant committed sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents of misconduct under investigation when the applicant left employment. By applying, you confirm your consent to the organization collecting your prior employment history under the Scheme as part of the application process. Your data will be stored for up to four years.

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