Legal Consultant

1. ABOUT ACTED

ACTED in an international NGO that has been registered in Leba­non since 2006. It has an established country office in Beirut as well as a field office in Akkar. More recently, it has been carrying out activities in the South and in Tripoli. ACTED works closely with local authorities and civil society stakeholders at the com­munity level to implement priori­ty humanitarian interventions such as emergency multi-purpose cash assis­tance, WASH projects (including disease monitoring and infrastructural and be­havioral response), and shelter interven­tions incorporating multiple modalities. ACTED is also implementing long-term development projects to rehabilitate infrastructure, improv­e agricultural production, increase livelihood opportunities and support state and non-state ac­tors to improve service deliv­ery and social stability through col­lective development planning.

ACTED responds to emergency and develop­ment needs through a community driven approach which focuses on engagement and capacity building of local civil soci­ety and local authorities, with the aim of promoting accountable governance and civic engagement. Moreover, ACTED in Lebanon seeks to support private sector actors to become the key driv­ers in Lebanon’s economic development with the goal of raising the living standards of Lebanese and refugee households, and improving the coping capacity of local communities.

The consultant is expected to start mid- January 2022 and consultancy to end April 2022 for a specific number of days during this period.

2. PROJECT BACKGROUND

The overall objective of this action is to support vulnerable Lebanese host communities and Syrian refugees in 4 villages : Kfar Habou, Akroum, Syr el Donniyeh, and Bebnine in Akkar and North-Lebanon governorates through promoting social and solidarity income-generating initiatives in agriculture and agro-food sectors. Over a duration of  18 months (started early 2020), the following is/will be covered a) identifying social and economic priorities in the agriculture and agro-food sectors, and conducting a mapping of active actors willing to engage collaboratively in social and solidarity income-generating projects; and b) setting up a local governance structure (Steering Committees - SC) that ensures proper implementation of these initiatives, through training and coaching c) building the capacities of the local governance structures in   the multi-stakeholder engagement. The position is based in Beirut with frequent travel to North Lebanon and Akkar

3. OBJECTIVE & EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

ACTED is looking for an experienced legal/capacity building consultant to lead in the capacity building of the same targeted SCs to build or/and strengthen the independent capacities and structures allowing them to remain functional and able to be mobilized past the end of this project. The consultant will lead in facilitating workshops and development of TOR and guidelines for the SCs. The consultant will be responsible for the following activities:

• Revise and validate the steering committees’ Terms of Reference (ToR); specifically, the design of the steering committee management and operations; 
• Develop / design community engagement guidelines (set of guidelines and tools for SCs to use within this project and in the future); This guideline provides guidance to consider when planning and designing community engagement. It focuses on quality and effectiveness, process planning and designing engagement tailored to the particular project / activity, level of participation to be achieved, timeline and beneficiaries.
• Develop / design sustainability guidelines (set of guidelines and tools for SC focused on making SC role and structure sustainable). The guidelines provides key guidance for the long-term performance of the committee; the principles that guide the committee’s decision making, and their long term vision for the steering committees operations.

Deliverables:

1. Design and conduct 1 two-day workshop for all 4 SCs by end of January or Mid February 2022
2. Design and conduct 1 one-day validation workshop for all 4 SCs by end of February 2022
3. Revise and update the steering committee structure and internal by-law TOR by end of February 2022
4. Develop set community engagement guidelines based on the workshops and discussions with SCs by March 2022
5. Develop set of sustainability guidelines based on the workshops and discussions with the SCs by March 2022
6. Submit a final report of work conducted by April 2022

qualifications

The consultant(s) or consulting firm is expected to have the following skills:

• Master’s degree in Political Science, Law, or any other relevant field
• Minimum 5 years of experience of working as legal consultant and capacity building consultant with organizations in Lebanon
• Experience working in North Lebanon and Akkar
• Professional knowledge of humanitarian and protection principles
• Communications management, including internal communications and communicating with communities
• Fluency in English and Arabic, both written and verbal