Project Manager (m/f/d)

BACKGROUND

Form of Employment: Full-time
Starting Date: as soon as possible
Duration: Until 31 December 2022, with the possibility of extension
Location: Beirut with travels within Lebanon            

Background:
Democracy Reporting International (DRI) is a non-partisan, independent, not-for-profit organisation registered in Berlin. DRI promotes political participation of citizens, accountability of state bodies, and the development of democratic institutions worldwide.

YOUR TASKS

DRI is currently recruiting a full-time Project Manager for its Country Office in Lebanon. Under the supervision of the Country Representative, your tasks will be the following:

• Responsible for the day-to-day management of assigned project(s) through their life cycle from end-to-end, in line with project objectives and in strict compliance with the contract and the requirements of the grant givers, ensuring that project outputs are responsive to project goals and delivered in an effective, timely and cost-effective manner, using standardised programme management tools including work breakdown structures, programme logic, logframes, etc.;
• Manages the work plan, anticipate changes, introduce project adjustments in a timely and efficient manner;
• Oversees and manages the engagement of project partners and stakeholders, including implementation partnerships and their compliance with DRI’s Partnership Guidelines;
• Liaises proactively with the Finance Unit in terms of monitoring, planning, replanning, and executing operations (budgeting, procurement of supplies and services) to ensure optimal alignment and communication between the Finance and the Programme Units regarding the assigned project(s);
• Identifies and formulates procurement needs and oversees the selection processes in a timely manner;
• Signs off on all project expenditures not exceeding 1,000 EUR in accordance with the project budget;
• Contributes to the identification of national and international experts, drafts terms of reference, and maintains quality assurance regarding the design and completion of deliverables against the terms of reference (ToR);
• Monitors political, social and legal developments and suggests modifications to project design, when appropriate;
• Oversees, co-drafts, reviews, and finalises internal and donor reporting on assigned project(s);
• Oversees, co-drafts, reviews, and finalises amendment proposals – if required;
• Travels in the different regions of Lebanon to ensure sound implementation of project activities;
• Ensures a continuous and effective Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) processes throughout the project life cycle and ensures that programmatic targets are being met;
• Ensures gender and diversity mainstreaming across the project;
• Contributes, with the Country Representative, the Programme Manager, and the project team, to programme development as well as the design and implementation of project frameworks and grant/proposal writing;
• Co-develops, co-drafts, reviews and finalises, DRI publications and knowledge products;
• Supports the Country Representative in outreach activities involving key stakeholders such as donor organisations, civil society partners, public officials, academia, and media actors;
• Coordinates, with the Communications Unit, the development and implementation of outreach and advocacy activities;
• Ensures all project documentation is filed in the relevant project SharePoint folder;
• Oversees, co-drafts, reviews, and finalises project concept notes and activity concepts to provide detailed planning for each project activity;
• Manages, with the support of the Country Representative and the Programme Manager, the performance of project staff through periodic touchpoints, HR check-ins, and annual performance appraisals;
• Leads the closure of the assigned project(s);
• Performs other duties, as required.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Required:

• University degree in political science, law, public administration, social science, public policy/development studies, or other relevant fields;
• At least seven (7) years of extensive experience working on governance, policy, development, and political dialogue processes, and fieldwork experience working with civil society organisations, public officials, community actors, and managing high-level stakeholders in Lebanon;
• Excellent command of project cycle management and MEL methods and tools;
• Proven team management experience and supervisory skills;
• Outstanding writing skills and ability to draft narrative reports in a concise, compelling style (you are required to provide relevant writing samples/publications);
• Outstanding attention to detail, sense of accuracy, thoroughness, and consistency;
• Proven budget and procurement management abilities (budget monitoring, procurement planning and execution, drafting ToRs, reviewing and finalising contracts);
• Proven experience in writing project proposals and amendments;
• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office (particularly Word, Excel and PowerPoint);
• Strong emotional intelligence competencies, with outstanding communication and negotiation skills, and the ability to manage conflict;
• Ability to work with a culturally diverse team;
• Familiarity with issues pertaining to human rights, rule of law, good governance, electoral, and democratisation processes;
• Fluency in written and spoken Arabic and English.

Preferred

• Advanced knowledge of the work of Lebanese municipalities and municipal unions in theory and practice;
• Advanced knowledge of the Lebanese electoral system;
• Experience in youth and women empowerment processes;
• Familiarity with political dialogue processes.

WHAT WE OFFER

• DRI offers you flexible working hours, travel and health insurance, training options, and the opportunity to work as part of an international and diverse team.