LIAISON OFFICER

Main Purpose

Give support to external administrative work and to the coordination team in obtaining working/travel permits, as well as all official contacts, procedures and importation of goods, according to local and international laws and MSF procedures, in order to ensure the smooth running of MSF activities.Give support to external administrative work and to the coordination team in obtaining working/travel permits, as well as all official contacts, procedures and importation of goods, according to local and international laws and MSF procedures, in order to ensure the smooth running of MSF activities.

Accountabilities

• Establish and maintain professional contacts with relevant authorities, depending on the context and the needs of the mission.
• Arrange meetings related to administrative issues for the  Project Coordinatoras well as attend them.
• Keep a complete and updated detailed list of all useful contacts in the /Project with names, telephones, addresses and other relevant details.
• Ensure that no illegal money is paid to any authorities or any individual, promoting and sharing MSF principles and values at all levels.
• Keep all documentation and files updated, properly filed and easily accessible for the internal users.

MSF Section/Context Specific Accountabilities

• Strong understanding of local and national government structures and procedures.
• Ability to write reports and security updates either in English or Arabic.
• Excellent knowledge in the context, demography and the communal dynamics
• Together with the Project Coordinator, monitors the regional security situation for the Project areas of activity, to ensure a safe and informed working environment
• Liaises with local actors and stakeholders (official authorities, factions, local and international organisations, population and beneficiaries)
• Ensures that all MSF staff has applied and obtained on time any permits for accessing sensitive areas according to needs, and keep information on legal, administrative procedures
• Maintains the support departments informed about ongoing processes, specific situations or changes in the procedures related to permits, regulations, etc..
• Knows all the procedures that MSF needs to follow in order to move around, access populations in need, provide and deliver aid and distribution, in cooperation with the Medical, Log, Finance, Administrative and HR departments.
• In close collaboration with Log/Supply department, follows up clearances for MSF donations and distributions, and informs about any possible planned or extraordinary needs.
• Establishes and maintains professional contacts with relevant authorities and stakeholders, depending on the context and the needs of the Project.
• Arranges meetings related to operations for the PC or the PMR as well as attends them when necessary.
• Provides Project Coordinator with a complete and updated detailed list of all useful contacts in the Project area with names, telephones, addresses and other relevant details.
• Supports Project Coordinator in the updates of the Security Logbook / Geomap.
• Ensures, together with the Project Management Team members that all MSF activities are running lawfully and safely in all operational related issues and informs about any possible risks or problems.
• Ensures that no illegal money is paid to any authorities or any individual, promoting and sharing MSF principles and values at all levels.

Liaison work

• Establishes an effective communication system with the different stakeholders present in South Lebanon (other (I)NGOs, authorities, UN agencies) under the supervision of the Project Coordinator and according to instructions from PC.
• Facilitates the meetings of MSF staff with authorities, institutions, organizations, factions’ representatives and informal stakeholders
• Together with Project Coordinator, develops and updates a mapping of local & international NGOs/civil society
• Centralizes, organizes timely requests for accessing sensitive areas (Palestinian camps, Red zone, etc.), liaising with Coordination, LAF, Intelligence services for obtaining the necessary documents and validations
• Maintain proactive, constant contact with local population and actors in all areas of activities (especially MMUs), provides regular updates to Project Coordinator on the matter

Security and humanitarian context follow-up

• Reports to Project Coordinator on any security concerns and advises/consults on decision making
• Feeds on the Team Security group on any relevant Security related alerts and advisory
• Researches and collects any useful information and data relating to the context that are relevant for the strategic development and positioning of MSF in South Lebanon
• On request of Project Coordinator, liaises with security/intelligence services
• On request of Project Coordinator, provides inputs for Project security and context documents, advises on protocols

Miscellaneous

Feeds Contact list of external contacts and stakeholders

Requirements

Education

Secondary education desirable.

Administration or communication related studies desirable.

Experience

Essential previous experience of at least 3 years in related relevant positions, in MSF or other NGOs.

Competencies

Excellent communication skills (verbal, written)

Fluent in Arabic. English is a strong asset

Computer literacy desirable (word, excel)

Autonomy, flexibility, problem-solving mindset

Ethical and humanitarian oriented