Senior Capacity Strengthening Specialist

Expertise France

Expertise France (EF) is a public agency created on 1st January 2015 under the supervision of the French Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Economy and Finance with a strong inter-ministerial vocation. EF offers programme engineering and technical assistance by developing and implementing international cooperation actions worldwide. Expertise France is the French public agency for international technical assistance.

EF designs and implements cooperation projects addressing skills transfers between professionals. The agency also develops integrated offers, assembling public and private expertise in order to respond to the partner countries' needs. With a business volume of 148 million Euros, a portfolio of over 500 projects in 100 countries, and 63,000 days of expert missions every year, Expertise France promotes French and European development policy goals.

EF operates in various fields of development and institutional cooperation including safety and security reform, public health, human rights, strengthening of institutions and NGOs and governance. Carrying out large-scale, multi-stakeholder programmes, EF can ensure the cooperation between individuals, teams and institutions with very different statuses, cultures and specialties. EF has acquired a sound experience in administrative and financial management of large-scale international programmes. www.expertisefrance.fr

1. Project background

The multiple crises that have impacted Lebanon for several years have led to a serious deterioration in the standard of living of the population and increased the risks of economic, social and political instability in the country. With the start of the Syrian crisis in March 2011, more than one million people had to seek refuge in Lebanon. This influx of refugees has had significant human, social, economic and political repercussions and has weakened the structures of assistance to fragile populations. The last two years have been marked by the collapse of the economy, the October 2019 protests, the COVID-19 pandemic and the explosion of the Port of Beirut. This accelerated succession of economic and social humanitarian crises has led to a dramatic increase in poverty levels among displaced populations and vulnerable host communities.

In the spring of 2021, the World Bank estimated that the economic and financial crisis hitting Lebanon would be among the ten, and probably the three most serious crises in the world since the middle of the 19th century. The banking sector has ceased lending operations and is no longer attracting deposits, and the Lebanese pound (L.L.) continues to lose value with soaring inflation.

Local NGOs play an essential role in crisis contexts in Lebanon, through their proximity to the most vulnerable populations and their presence in the most affected areas of the country. Their activities contribute to improving access to basic services in a context of saturation of public services. They also play a key role in strengthening social cohesion in the face of the growing risk of communal tensions.

Six years after the signing of the “Grand Bargain” on aid localization, aimed at repositioning local actors at the center of humanitarian action, the role of local NGOs in the aid ecosystem in Lebanon still needs to be strengthened, and strengthening their capacities remains a major lever for the sustainability of crisis response actions in the country. Lebanese NGOs must therefore be supported in strengthening their management capacities, technical skills and sectoral specialization to assert themselves as effective and relevant actors in the response to current crises.

2. The Shabake2 project

The Shabake 2 project is part of the Peace and Resilience Fund – Minka Middle East, which aims to contribute to the response to the consequences of the Syrian crisis, and to act on the prevention and management of the protracted crisis in Lebanon. In addition, the intervention with a dynamic and mature Lebanese civil society makes it possible to concretize the French commitments of "localization of aid" within the framework of the "Grand Bargain" of the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit. The project is also a continuation of the first phase conducted by Expertise France (EF), which supported 13 local NGOs, and conducted a study on the local associative fabric and a mid-term evaluation, the conclusions of which feed into phase 2.

Following the lessons learned in Phase 1, the Shabake 2 project rebalances the objectives with increased attention to the rapid and concrete effects that NGO grants will achieve on the ground. The overall objective of the project is to strengthen social cohesion and support peace and stability by accompanying local NGOs in their key crisis management role and providing sustainable support to vulnerable host communities and Syrian refugees.

It aims to strengthen purpose-driven, technically sound and locally rooted NGOs to support their abilities in weathering the crises as they arise, gaining greater financial autonomy and contributing to Lebanon's recovery. An emergency response component, funded by the Crisis Centre (CDCS) of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE), is included in the programme, which makes it possible to articulate different French emergency and development instruments as part of a comprehensive approach to support Lebanese CSOs.

The project is structured around three components:

1. Enable NGOs to be trusted partners in the implementation of vulnerability reduction projects and thematic actions
2. Support local NGOs in their efforts to respond effectively to ongoing emergencies and crises in Lebanon
3. Strengthen the technical and organizational capacities and the economic model of partner NGOs for a better localization of aid for the benefit of vulnerable populations.

3. Job Description / Assignment

The main role of the Senior Capacity Strengthening Specialist (CSS) is to oversee the planification, implementation and closure of the Shabake project component related to NGO capacity strentghening and localization/networking activities. Working under the authority of the Shabake Project Manager (PM) of Expertise France in Lebanon, the CSS will be liaising with a team of 8 Field Facilitators posted throughout Lebanon in areas of grants implementation. The portfolio of partner NGO’s receiving capacity strengthening support services ranges from 12 to 15 partners throughout Lebanon over multiple cycles.

The position is based in Beirut, within the Expertise France Lebanon coordination office.

Responsibility 1: Operations

• Along with the PM, prepare the planification of the component 3 of Shabake throughout the project cycle
• Prepare the package of trainings/documentation for the Field Facilitators, in order to ensure all team members are trained before the implementation process starts.

On Capacity Strengthening:

• Along with the PM and procurement department, lead the recruitment and selection of the external experts to conduct the self-assessments and identification of capacity strengthening needs with the partner NGOs.
• Lead on the recruitment of experts to provide tailored organizational and technical support services to the NGO partners based on their individual capacity strengthening action plans. This includes drafting expert Terms of References and selection of experts in coordination with the procurement department.
• In coordination the with Field Facilitators, monitor the delivery of all capacity strengthening activities, including the validation of methodologies and modules to be delivered by CS experts and conducting quality checks and ensuring that activities are done according to the workplan.
• In coordination with the field facilitators, develop a post implementation follow-up and coaching plan for each capacity strengthening service with each NGO partner to ensure the operationalization of the strengthened capacities as relevant.
• Ensure smooth collaboration with the M&E unit for all related M&E activities with the NGO partners.
• Support the Field Facilitators where needed in troubleshooting and finding solutions for any challenges related to the NGO partners and the component overall that may arise.
• Make sure that any major project updates/information needed are shared with partners in due time.

On Localization and Networking:

• In close collaboration with the PM, lead on the development of an updated Mapping Study around the Localization of Aid in Lebanon
• Oversee the planning and implementation of a series of national events to foster key localization themes (of which capacity strengthening is a key area) in Lebanon.

Responsibility 2: Coordination

• Organize in cooperation with the FFs information sessions with NGO partners about the Shabake 2 project, guidelines and reporting requirements
• Lead the formation of 5 Thematic and sector peer Communities of Practice (CoPs), allowing to promote exchange of good practices and information and collaboration among the project’s NGO partners
• Facilitate, along with the FFs, regular CoP meetings and document outcomes and results.
• Report to the PM regularly any context and activity updates related to the implementation of the component’s activities, communicate challenges and discuss solutions
• Ensure that all roles and responsibilities are maintained in coordination with relevant departments at EF (M&E, Finance, Procurement, Logistics, Communication)
• Collaborate with the PM and relevant departments in all planned external evaluations and audits.

Responsibility 3: Finance, Logistics and Administrative support

• Responsible for the overall financial management of the capacity strengthening component (Component 3), in collaboration with the PM and the finance unit
• Develop and monitor the forecasting of the components expenses, utilizing tools such as budget versus actuals (BvAs), cashflow, activity and procurement planning in collaboration with relevant units to ensure timely implementation of activities and to monitor expenditure.
• Ensure with the team that logistical, administrative, and financial procedures linked to project implementation are followed according to EF requirements.
• Follow up and ensure that all administrative documents related to project implementation are up to date and stored.
• Supervise and ensure accountancy and financial transactions.

Responsibility 4: Reporting

• Ensure proper and timely financial and narrative internal and donor reporting in compliance with reporting requirements.
• Make sure with the project team that the NGOs partners issue timely qualitative reporting (both narrative and financial) in regard to the capacity strengthening component.
• Review with the team and validate with the PM all data/reports from the NGOs and ensure the accuracy of data/reports.
• Develop internal monthly/quarterly information updates summing up monthly/quarterly achievements and planned activities with.
• Support in the documentation of best practices, challenges, lesson learning and recommendations of project activities.
• Participate in writing articles and creating and managing communication tools, in coordination with the PM and communication expert.

4. Technical Skills, Experience & Knowledge

Education level

University degree in Management, Political Science, Social Sciences, or related field

Qualifications

• 7 to 10 years in the development field with NGOs/ CSOs work experience, including small and medium sized organizations, specifically in the areas of organizational development (experience in project management is a plus)
• In depth knowledge of best practices in NGO organizational and technical development, and capacity strengthening methodologies.
• Knowledge and experience in workshop engineering and facilitation.
• Excellent Knowledge of the Lebanese civil society, and the Lebanese aid ecosystem in general.
• Fluency in English and Arabic (written and spoken). Excellent command in French is a plus.
• Excellent computer skills: MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Excellent communication and reporting skills.
• Strong relationship skills and the ability to work effectively with local stakeholders.
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented.
• Previous experience work experience for international agencies would be an asset.