Learning and Research Coordinator - Caritas Switzerland

The Job is subordinate to the following function(s):  Programme Manager Relief and Livelihood Lebanon

Background

In response to the crisis in Syria, Caritas Switzerland (CACH) has been engaged in relief activities together with its partners since in July 2012. CACH is currently supporting projects in Lebanon and Syria. Vis-à-vis the steadily increasing needs and funding gap of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan and national response plans, CACH has extended its engagement in the region focusing on relief, education, and livelihood, managed from its regional office in Beirut/Lebanon. CACH activities are implemented exclusively through partners with local presence and are focusing both on refugees and host communities.

Objective of the post:

The Learning and Research Coordinator will provide technical guidance and implementation support to the research and learning activities within a socio-economic youth empowerment project in Lebanon. The 26-months project is implemented in consortium between Caritas Switzerland (CACH), Caritas Lebanon and Caritas Denmark. CACH has the lead in the project’s learning component and general MEAL activities.

The function of the Learning and Research Coordinator will include engagement in a wide range of learning and qualitative and quantitative research activities, from refinement of the project’ Theory of Change (ToC), design of evaluations and mixed-methods research, data collection oversight and training, data analysis and interpretation, and presentation of findings in learning briefs and reports. The Learning and Research Coordinator will be responsible for day-to-day oversight of the project’s learning component and will work closely with CACH’s and Caritas Lebanon’s programme and technical staff to ensure that 1) the project’s underlying model is evaluated, adjusted as needed based on evidence, and disseminated, and 2) evidence on employability and self-employment opportunities and barriers for youth in Lebanon is collected, documented and disseminated through learning briefs, a coaching toolkit, and market and value chain assessment reports.

The position is based at the CACH Regional Office in Beirut with regular travel to the project sites in Lebanon.

Responsibilities:

• Lead on the further design, implementation and tracking of the project’s learning component in close collaboration with the Programme Manager. This does include coordination activities with project partners and external stakeholders. Envisaged key learning outputs include the development of periodic learning reports and preparation of a youth coaching toolkit .
• Ensure high quality research is designed and implemented in line with the project’s learning agenda, seeking to test, evaluate, adjust, and disseminate the youth socio-economic empowerment model. This includes the framing and development of research and learning questions, methodologies, qualitative and quantitative data collection tools, support in data collection, analysis, and presentation of findings.
• Ensure efficient conduct of a Labour Market Analysis to assess gaps, opportunities and identify availability and accessibility of decent work or entrepreneurial opportunities for male and female Syrian and Lebanese youth in the project areas. Support in training and oversight of data collectors; interface with MEAL team members of the Consortium to ensure that MEAL data feeds into research and learning activities.
• Support dissemination of learnings and findings within the consortium, developing internal briefing documents to inform the project and adjustments to the project’s Theory of Change.

• Support research and learning dissemination to external audiences, including preparation of briefings, reports and presentations.  Establish and maintain relationships with peer organizations, research and other institutions to help facilitate research uptake, including participation and presentation in (inter)national forums to collect and share best practices and promote the work of the consortium.
• Plan for and organize external trainings for CACH and partners’ staff (e.g.: market system development, tableau, methodologies of labor market assessments, of “quick” value chain analysis), draft of terms of reference, support recruitment of external consultants, support in documentation of learning and measuring improvement of knowledge.

Requirements

Education:

• University degree in social sciences, international development, pedagogy, or related field

Experience:

• Proven track record and a minimum of 5 years’ work experience in livelihoods interventions, preferable in practical and technical training and business training methods as well as quick adaptation of job market assessments and value chain assessments in specific locations for youth.
• Strong background in evaluation and learning methods in development programmes in coordination with MEAL colleagues.
• Knowledge  of qualitative and quantitative research methods, as well as experience in overseeing and managing data collection (preferred).
• Ability to interpret research findings and present them in a variety of formats in coordination with the Information Management (IM) Officer for translation into action within the consortium and for external stakeholders in a clear manner.

Skills & Competencies

• Ability to take initiative, work autonomously, and achieve high quality results via the application of strong critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills.
• Strong analytical and conceptual skills with experience evaluating and revising Theories of Change.
• Open-minded personality, eager for knowledge and learning, competent to enroll partners and others in learning and re-designing the intervention.
• Maturity and presentation skills to represent the Consortium at high level fora about the learning activity, the interventions and the involved organizations.
• Flexibility and readiness to take on additional tasks.
• Excellent written and spoken English and Arabic skills.
• Ability and willingness to travel to project sites within Lebanon.
• Respect for the vision and mission of the Caritas International Network organizations