Information Management Systems Manager, Jordan

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 has been meeting the needs of conflict-affected communities inside Syria since 2012. Mercy Corps Syria currently operates from three locations in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria with an experienced team of staff and partners who are supported and led by a Country Team based in Amman that ensures consistent, technical and quality driven programming. Globally, Mercy Corps has made a high-level commitment to achieving greater impact through evidence and learning, adaptive management, using data driven evidence to demonstrate results and contribute toward solving complex global challenges. It is in this context that the Syria Team created this position.

General Position Summary

The Information Management System (IMS) Manager leads the Information Systems unit and is responsible for developing and adapting complementary information management systems, to better understand and track the scope and impact of Mercy Corps' collective activities across Syria. S/he reports to the Program Performance and Quality (PaQ) Director and manages a team of staff across field offices – ensuring that systems and analysis are responsive to the needs of field program staff as well as the leadership team. S/he also provides strategic guidance and direction in all that relates to information management.

The IMS unit is responsible for coordinating the set-up of a cloud-based system for filing/documentation for all Mercy Corps Syria. S/he will set-up and manage a core information management system to store all data related to Mercy Corps' programs indicators and beneficiaries, while also collecting, storing, and making available all relevant information and data related to Syria. The IMS Manager will be the primary link with technology and/or software developers. Finally, s/he processes and analyses available information/data related to Mercy Corps' programs and areas of operation in Syria, according to the information needs of the program teams. This includes basic analytics such as creating visuals, regular reporting, and summarizing of finding.

It is critical that the IMS Manager be an excellent communicator, who is supportive and solution focused. The IMS Manager needs to be analytical, highly motivated, self-driven and able to support Mercy Corps' complex portfolio of humanitarian and development programming inside Syria with limited daily support and direction.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Technical Support

• Engage with staff and partners to strengthen their capacities in information management.
• Provides substantive support to develop systemized and on-demand information gathering – including developing minimum standards and protocols for information management across Syria portfolio.
• Identify opportunities for improvement and make recommendations and develop tools to strengthen programmatic information flow and to improve management systems.
• Carry out information management functions according to relevant technical specializations such as: information coordination; geographic information systems, infographics and visualization; secure database development,management, and maintenance; web development such as apps; social media analysis or coordinated assessment analysis.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of internal information systems including the set-up, and management a core database to store all data related to Mercy Corps' programs indicators and beneficiaries in Syria including but not limited to Tola. This could also include helping teams to use project management tools to streamline work flows and information flows.
• Support the development and management of information products, including assessment results, mapping of activities, and inter-sectoral analysis.
• Set up and manage cloud-based system for program filing/documentation for the Syria Country Office to meet PM@MC Minimum Standards.

Information Analysis and Outputs

• Lead the IMS team to enter, manage, analyze and visualize data and information to support Mercy Corps programs in close collaboration with MEL Unit and program teams, using Tola or other systems.
• Review, analyze and interpret data and information, identify problems/issues and prepare recommendations.
• Support assessment initiatives and promote analysis of and learning from results and findings.
• Identify and track follow-up actions with an emphasis on data gathering, sharing and substantial exchange with Mercy Corps Syria programs and relevant humanitarian agencies, including specialized UN agencies and INGO responders.
• Research, analyze and present information gathered from diverse sources.
• Contribute to information products such as situation reports, secondary data reviews and internal reports.
• Prepare various written and info-graphic outputs, e.g. draft background papers, analysis, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, maps, graphs etc.
• Manage and share relevant data received through the Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism (CARM) mechanism

Team Management

• Directly manage IMS Unit staff, which could include an Information Analyst, Document Manager and Filing Officer, and Data Entry team.
• Recruit and provide capacity building for IMS team members.
• Maintain high ethical standards and treat people with respect and dignity.
• Share information regularly with all relevant team members.
• Consistently demonstrate flexibility, resilience and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure, even under difficult circumstances.
• Demonstrate an awareness of his/her own strengths and development needs.

Strategy and Vision

• Promote active learning, information sharing and adaptive management across the field teams, through documentation and knowledge sharing around best practices and lessons learned.
• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to both countrywide strategy development as well as IMS unit strategy development.
• Formalize and coordinate information sharing between program, MEL, and other secondary sources.

Representation and Coordination

• Build partnerships with information management counterparts in other NGOs, local partners, and other peer agencies, to enable and promote the coordinated collection, management, analysis and visualization of data and information.
• Participate in external information management fora, as required.
• Act as focal point for coordination between relevant departments (humanitarian access, programming) to gather and organize relevant data regarding security, markets, etc. and other information that can be used for successful programming.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

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.

Supervisory Responsibility

Supervise a team of staff, both directly (same location) and remotely

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Program Performance and Quality Director

Works Directly With: MEL and program teams, Regional Technical Support Unit (TSU) and T4D team as necessary, and HQ staff

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor degree or equivalent in Geographic Information Systems, Information Management, Information Systems, Information Technologies, Social Sciences or a related field is required. Masters is preferred.
• 5-7 years of progressively responsible professional experience in monitoring, evaluation, and managing information in an emergency management, humanitarian crisis or related area.
• Excellent technical skills in database development, cloud-based technologies, data visualization, mapping, data analysis (qualitative and quantitative), etc.
• Relevant field experience; managing information in a conflict context or complex emergency at the international level is desirable.
• Proven ability to work cooperatively with internal and external stakeholders, and to play a leadership role in convening groups. Astute skills in relationship building and coordination.
• IMS and/or M&E experience in the sector is desirable as well as tools such as ODK/mobile data collection, Arc GIS, mySQL, .
• Excellent writing and communications skills required.
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently to Mercy Corps project sites and field. locations, including traveling to insecure environments, is required.
• Fluency in English is required. Proficiency in Arabic or Kurdish is a plus.

Success Factors

The successful candidate will have a wide range of existing knowledge regarding the Syrian conflict, information gathering techniques, databases and the design of relevant tools. S/he will have an analytical mind and be able to systemize the collection of information and present it in useful formats for programmatic and operational decisions. S/he will be capable of multitasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building. S/he will have highly developed interpersonal communication skills – particularly when working in a remote context. S/he will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level. 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.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This position is based in Amman, Jordan. Jordan is middle income country with excellent education, medical, and other facilities in the capital Amman. Jordan is a very safe country with excellent communications, transportation, and housing infrastructure. Although neighbouring countries continue to experience political unrest, Jordan has been a stable monarchy for over 30 years and the destination preference for many people from the Middle East to relax or gain access to available services. In recent years, events unfolding in Syria and Iraq have increased local concerns over the continued stability of Jordan but to date there have been no incidents.

It requires up to 40 % travel to Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. 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.

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