Менеджер/ка проєкту (Water напрямок)

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

 The Program Summary

Mercy Corps’ Ukraine response meets the humanitarian needs of people affected by the war in Ukraine. Since the escalation of the war in 2022, Mercy Corps has supported more than 750,000 conflict-affected people in Ukraine and neighboring countries. We have provided cash assistance, in-kind humanitarian assistance, and psychosocial support for people in emergency situations; grants for micro, small and medium businesses, as well as small to medium farming enterprises; and conducted large-scale information campaigns. Notably, nearly all our programming is delivered in partnership with local and national civil society organizations matching humanitarian action and resilience programing with capacity strengthening and a real commitment to localization.

In order to strengthen the current response, Mercy Corps aims to address water shortages, creating significant challenges for households, communities, small and medium enterprises and farmers, making it difficult for them to thrive. Our aim is to meet immediate needs while ensuring that households, businesses and communities become more resilient in the longer term. Therefore, Mercy Corps is launching support to community-driven projects that will improve access to water sources in war-affected areas.

The Position

The Project Manager is responsible for planning, overseeing and managing community-driven projects aimed at improving the level of water security. S/he will work closely with local NGOs, community leaders, and stakeholders to ensure interventions are relevant, appropriate, inclusive, and maintain long-term viability. The Project Manager is responsible for ensuring that water interventions and staff promote equitable and sustainable water practices. Additionally, this role will provide oversight of the technical design of the community-based water projects and together with local partner water engineers will ensure compliance of selected water projects to Ukrainian technical standards and relevant legislation. S/he at the same time should promote Mercy Corps values through various entry points in the project and preserve staff moral and enthusiasm for the project.

Essential Responsibilities

Safeguarding Responsibilities

• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
• Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.

STRATEGY & VISION

• Identify, develop and implement water security interventions in collaboration with local communities, NGO, and private partner(s).
• Monitor the implementation of water interventions, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, community and environmental needs.
• Facilitate regular planning meetings with project stakeholders to maintain effective communication and ensure alignment of objectives.
• Promote visibility of the program through regular updates, reports, and presentations.
• Foster a learning environment by capturing and sharing best practices and lessons learned from project implementation.

PROJECT DESIGN

• Develop and design community-driven water solutions tailored to the needs of war-affected communities.
• Conduct feasibility studies and cost-benefit analyses to assess the socio-economic and environmental viability and impact of proposed projects.
• Prepare detailed engineering plans, specifications, and reports.
• Field assessments and surveys: Gather data on site conditions to inform design and ensure alignment with local contexts.
• Collaborate with community members, NGOs, and other stakeholders to ensure designs meet local needs and cultural considerations.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• Oversee program startup and ongoing program management and administration of the project team.
• Develop program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks and participant and community targeting SOPs.
• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners, and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.

• Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.

• Oversee the allocation and management of financial resources for water projects to optimize efficiency and sustainability.
• Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with Mercy Corps policies and procedures. This includes careful budget management/oversight through coordination of monthly budget vs actuals meetings and accurate monthly forecasting, seeking input across departments.
• Ensure adherence to Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards, including infrastructure quality guidance.
• Monitor selected water projects progress and performance, addressing any issues or obstacles that arise.
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Code of Conduct; Gender, Diversity and Inclusion guiding documents; Core Humanitarian Principles and Do No Harm.
• Create project timelines to guide project implementation and ensure timely completion.
• Oversee the construction and rehabilitation of water infrastructure.
• Oversee project budgets, schedules, and resources.
• Coordinate with contractors, suppliers, local NGO partners and local authorities and community representatives.
• Ensure all projects comply with Ukrainian environmental regulations.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Hire and orient team members for the Water program.
• Facilitate project-specific progress team meetings and ensure all workplans of the various departments are harmonized.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one-on-ones and performance reviews.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence and cultivate resilience and well-being in challenging situations.
• Coordinate with teams on support gaps and needs, providing back-stopping support for urgent tasks.

 STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION

• Build and maintain strong relationships with local NGOs, government agencies, private sector actors and service providers, community leaders, and other stakeholders to facilitate coordination and meaningful partnership, as well as to showcase Mercy Corps’ work.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all water project-related communications.
• Ensure transparent and effective communication with all stakeholders, providing regular updates on project status and outcomes.
• Engage with local communities to understand their specific needs and priorities.
• Facilitate community participation in the planning and implementation of projects.
• Provide technical training and support to local staff and community members.
• Implement and monitor water management plans in collaboration with community members.

  MONITORING AND MAINTENANCE

• Develop maintenance and operations plans for water projects.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues as they arise.
• Ensure the longevity and reliability of installed systems through regular maintenance and community involvement.
• Ensure the collection and analysis of data to support evidence-based decision-making and demonstrate the impact of interventions.
• Foster a culture of learning by documenting and sharing best practices and lessons learned from interventions.

 RISK MANAGEMENT

• Identify and mitigate potential risks to project implementation, including security, financial, and operational risks.
• Develop contingency plans to address potential disruptions and ensure project resilience.

 Supervisory Responsibility Program Officer

 Accountability

Reports Directly To: Resilience Program Lead

Works Directly With: Water Program Team, Program Performance and Quality Team, Finance Team, Operations Team and Security Team, UASP team

 Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

 Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• A minimum of 5-7 years of experience in managing water projects or similar roles is desired.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Water Engineering is strongly desired. Alternative Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Environment Engineering, Civil Engineering, or a related field.
• Strong background in water management, with a focus on community-driven projects.
• Proven experience in project management and strategic planning.
• Excellent leadership and supervisory skills.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

• Experience working in post-conflict areas and with community-driven projects is highly desirable.

• Previous experience in a supervisory role is preferred.
• Experience with regulatory compliance and environmental impact assessment is a plus.
• Familiarity with the MS Office software (i.e., Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) is required.
• Good verbal and written Ukrainian and English is required.
• Knowledge of humanitarian standards and codes, including SPHERE, HAP is an asset.

 Success Factors

The successful Project Manager will combine exceptional management skills and experience in community water projects, as well as attention to detail and has good analytical skills specific to water engineering. The Project Manager possesses effective communication skills and have the ability to collaborate with stakeholders, including local NGOs and community leaders. You must demonstrate the ability to coordinate and oversee the implementation of sustainable water solutions, ensuring projects meet deadlines and adapt to changing program activities. The role requires flexibility to travel within Ukraine and work in challenging security environments, addressing the local needs for restoring and improving water systems in war-affected communities. Additionally, you should have excellent leadership skills to supervise project staff and ensure successful project execution, as well as strong attention to detail and good analytical skills specific to water management. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability and thrive in an evolving and changing environment while taking care of self and others.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

 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 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 based on 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. As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline ([email protected]).

Please, apply: Project Manager (Water) | Mercy Corps Ukraine (ultipro.com)

Тільки попередньо відібрані кандидати будуть запрошені на співбесіду.

Ласкаво запрошуємо осіб з інвалідністю та ветеранів відгукнутись на цю посаду.

Mercy Corps створило робоче місце для працевлаштування осіб з інвалідністю та ветеранів, та належні умови праці для цієї вакансії, але це не обмежує коло осіб, які можуть подаватись на цю вакансію.