Livelihoods Officer – Lebanon

General Purpose of the Position

The Livelihoods Officer for Lebanon will be responsible for the coordination and implementation of the pilot project: “Strengthening micro-, small and medium enterprises in Bourj Hammoud and Karantina to cope with the socio-economic consequences of the explosion in times of economic and financial crisis”; and will help to define the future of the livelihoods program at JRS Lebanon.

Main Responsibilities of the Position

I.Project Coordination and Implementation:

1. Work with the M&E officers at JRS to develop the selection criteria that determine which MSMEs are eligible to apply for the unconditional cash;
2. Work with the Home Visit Team to implement field work and outreach activities in Bourj Hammoud and Karantina;
3. Work with MSMEs with growth and job creation potential and support them to develop a business plan;
4. Participate in establishing an evaluation committee that will develop evaluation criteria and make recommendations regarding the amount of cash to be provided;
5. Facilitate referrals to organisations providing technical support for MSMEs;
6. Contribute towards monitoring of project activities;
7. Highlight lessons learnt from the pilot project that will support and feed into the design and implementation of future livelihood projects including subsequent interventions with MSMEs;

II.Program Management:

1. Implement secondary research to help JRS explore competitive productive sectors and understand and map the entrepreneurial and financial actors present in Bourj Hammoud, Bar Elias and Baalbek;
2. Develop terms of reference for labour market assessments to be carried in JRS projects’ locations: Bourj Hammoud, Bar Elias and Baalbek;
3. Work with external evaluators to develop the assessments’ tools and methodologies, implement the assessments and produce action-oriented reports;
4. Participate in identifying training courses which help directing the participants in the social centres towards competitive productive sectors based on the findings of the market assessments;
5. Help the projects’ teams understand the profiles of the people served by JRS, their capacities and needs to adapt and meet emerging market needs;
6. Support JRS projects’ directors and teams for the planning, delivery, and review of livelihood projects;
7. Provide guidance and capacity building to JRS Project Directors on livelihoods;
8. Attend and represent JRS in livelihoods coordination meetings and working groups;

III.Collaboration with regional team:

1. Works closely with other staff in the country and regional office to fulfil key functions, coordinate programming efforts and ensure successful operations.
2. Attends regular team meetings, planning meetings and workshops as required.

Availability

 Undertakes any other duties as assigned by the Country Director that are within the ambit of the position.

Qualifications, Skills & Attributes

• A Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline such as economics or development or equivalent experience;
• A minimum of 3 years’ experience in the implementation of donor-funded livelihoods projects (employment, self-employment, business development support, local economic development, etc.);
• Experience carrying out in-depth assessments of MSMEs to identify bottlenecks, challenges and potential for growth;
• Knowledge of the local market and vulnerabilities.
• Experience conducting market assessments.
• Strong assessment, analytical, strategic-thinking, and planning skills/experience;
• Ability to work under pressure and within strict timelines;
• Excellent communication and writing skills;
• Integrity, honesty, flexibility and a good team worker;
• Fluency in verbal and written English. Good verbal and written Arabic and French are assets;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word and Excel;
• Demonstrated experience working with marginalised communities of diverse backgrounds;

Ability and willingness to travel to JRS project sites and adapt to modest living and working conditions;