Education Program Manager

ROLE PURPOSE: Save the Children Lebanon is implementing a large Education program to meet the needs of Syrian refugees in the Qobayat area. This role is required to provide leadership to the education program. The post will be primarily office based, but will be expected to regularly join the field teams during assessments and implementation. They will hold primary responsibility for representing SC Lebanon’s Education program in the area. It is anticipated that this role will be needed throughout 2015, however there is a strong likelihood that it will be extended depending on performance and pipeline funding. The contract length is dependent upon funding.   KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: Programme management: Head of Education sector in Zahle  area. Supervise assessments and beneficiary identification and ensure adequate information, communication, sensitization, mobilization and feedback collection. Develop implementation plans for Education projects/grants. Prepare regular work plans in line with the implementation plan and; ensure timely implementation of activities in line with the plans (including beneficiary registration, trainings, data collection and distributions). Ensure consistency in methodology and quality with other SC Lebanon education programs in Lebanon. Monitor budget/expenditure based on the implementation plans; and analyse Budget-versus-Actual (BVA) reports to assess any discrepancies and ensure timely expenditure. Analyse information to select intervention sites; and analyse and evaluate monitoring data to understand impact of project and identify lessons learned for future programming. Liaise on a regular basis with finance, logistics, and administration to guarantee the smooth running of programs. Provide regular reports, as required by management, or by internal and external need.   Coordination and integration Build and maintain relationships with partners and donors at a regional level. Ensure that programme interventions continue to be informed by and integrated from planning and throughout the entire project life cycle. Lead bilateral coordination with other agencies and maintain good working relationships and communication with representatives of other NGO’s. Be the lead representative for SC Lebanon at all relevant regional coordination meetings and other meetings and forums. Take a leading role in strengthening aspects related to child protection in Education. Regularly coordinate with UNHCR at regional level and build positive working relationship. Provide them with timely updates on SC Lebanon’s activities to the relevant regional Working Groups Support the Education Advisor at National level Working Group meetings Human resources and capacity building Lead the recruitment of appropriate personnel, in collaboration with the Area Management. Work in collaboration with Education Advisor to identify capacity building requirements for the Education Team members and develop capacity building plan for all Education national staff. Conduct on-the-job training and conduct regular training sessions. Ensure that policy and procedure is understood by new staff (e.g. procurement and finance requirements). Lead, manage and motivate staff under direct line management, ensuring that they have clear objectives and receive meaningful feedback on their performances. Conduct trainings for relevant local NGOs and partners. Technical Support Ensure technical quality and compliance with nationally agreed standards and procedures, in collaboration with the Education Advisor. Provide technical input into the planning of other sectors activities where appropriate. Conduct technical evaluation of activities and take initiative to propose adjustment of activities depending on needs and circumstances Monitoring and Evaluation: Ensure clear plans are in place for monitoring and evaluating project activities. Ensure that projects are monitored regularly, and that data is collected on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis. Contribute to the development of data collection tools and databases. Regularly visit project sites’ implementation to ensure that teams are appropriately supported. Actively participate in the collection and analysis of information used to determine vulnerability and beneficiary selection criteria, and contribute to the establishment of transparent targeting criteria. Proposal Development Support the development of regional proposals, in collaboration with the Education TA. Ensure that appropriate measurable indicators are established. Participate in the continuous assessment of mid and long term education needs and ensure that it is appropriately reflected in sectorial meetings. Work with colleagues from other sectors to ensure regular coordination at strategic and programmatic level; and ensure multi-sectorial and integrated programming. With other team members (and communities), identify programme gaps and ensure appropriate action is take. Lead and conduct needs assessments to guide strategy development. General Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures. Contribute to the development of case studies for the purpose of reporting, advocacy and media efforts. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE Essential Minimum 3 years of work experience in education programmes. Minimum of 2 years of experience working with NGO’s in an emergency/humanitarian or development context. Minimum of 2 years of experience of line management. Minimum of 2 years of experience of basic distributions, coordination, report writing & proposal development. Experience in Early childhood education and community based education is a plus. Skills Minimum bachelor’s degree in education or other related field. Familiar with humanitarian sector, donors, technical aspects of humanitarian Education, Sphere standards, distributions and Humanitarian principles. Familiar with liaising with NGO’s and UN bodies. Proficiency on Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel. Good time management and organizational skills. Fluency in written and spoken English (Arabic language skills advantageous). Strength in interpersonal, communication and presentation skills and teamwork. Flexibility and willingness to change work practices and hours, and capability to work in insecure environment.