VSLAiE Supervisor - Generic

1. Purpose

CARE established its presence in Lebanon in 2006 and has been responding to the Syrian Crisis since late 2012. Among CARE’s key imperatives is putting people it serves first through implementing cutting edge programming in areas it operates. CARE currently carries out activities in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Akkar, North Lebanon, South Lebanon, and the Beqaa Valley. CARE implements both emergency and development projects contributing to livelihood, food security, protection, gender, shelter, and water, sanitation and hygiene. It targets the most vulnerable people and populations, both host communities and refugees. Over the course of 7 years, it has supported over than half a million beneficiaries.

CARE Lebanon has scaled up rapidly over the past few years and today it has about 90 staff members, with more than 15 different local/international partner organizations. 90% of the team is composed of national staff, with a symbolic number of international members.

2. Reporting Lines

FSL Coordinator

3. Organizational Relationship

The VSLA-iE Operations and Community Resilience Supervisor is responsible for leading the full operational implementation of VSLA in Emergencies and related group investment activities. The position ensures that CBTs are properly supervised, VSLA groups are formed and monitored according to methodology, community engagement is inclusive and accountable, data is accurate and complete, and field activities are implemented in line with CARE standards and donor requirements.

The Supervisor also works closely with the project team to ensure that mature VSLA groups are supported through readiness assessments, business ideation, business planning, financial literacy, investment ledger monitoring, and group investment follow-up.

This position is designed to make the VSLA structure more efficient, reduce duplication, strengthen accountability, and ensure that the field team has one clear manager responsible for operational delivery and implementation quality.

4. Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibility 1: Operational Leadership and Implementation Management

Approx. 20%

Lead the overall operational implementation of VSLA-iE activities, ensuring that activities are delivered on time, with quality, and in compliance with approved plans.

Key Tasks

• Develop and manage detailed implementation plans, monthly workplans, field schedules, CBT deployment plans, and activity trackers.
• Translate project objectives into clear field-level activities, timelines, responsibilities, and deliverables.
• Ensure that community mobilization, group formation, training, monitoring, health checks, MIS updates, share-out, and investment preparation are implemented according to the VSLA cycle.
• Coordinate with the FSL Coordinator / Program Manager on implementation progress, operational risks, team performance, and corrective actions.
• Ensure field activities are aligned with CARE policies, donor requirements, approved tools, operational procedures, and quality standards.
• Lead weekly and monthly coordination meetings with CBTs and the Field Assistant – Investment Lead.
• Identify implementation bottlenecks and solve operational issues related to field access, schedules, attendance, documentation, logistics, data, community engagement, or staff performance.
• Coordinate with procurement, finance, MEAL, logistics, and program teams to ensure that activities are supported on time.
• Ensure that VSLA boxes, record books, training materials, attendance sheets, stationery, and other field materials are prepared, distributed, tracked, and used properly.
• Prepare operational updates for the FSL Coordinator and contribute to donor reports, management updates, and internal learning documents.

Responsibility 2: CBT Management, Coaching, and Field Supervision

Approx. 20%

Directly manage CBTs and ensure that they are capable of forming, training, monitoring, and supporting VSLA groups with quality.

Key Tasks

• Supervise CBTs and volunteers and provide them with clear workplans, targets, schedules, tools, and reporting requirements.
• Lead the recruitment, onboarding, orientation, deployment, and performance follow-up of CBTs, in coordination with HR/procurement as required.
• Train and coach CBTs on VSLA methodology, community mobilization, facilitation skills, group formation, elections, constitution development, savings, loans, record keeping, health checks, MIS, and share-out.
• Accompany CBTs during key group milestones, including first community meetings, first savings, first loan, health check visits, readiness assessments, share-out, and business ideation sessions.
• Review CBT weekly schedules, field reports, attendance sheets, photos, group documentation, and monitoring updates.
• Conduct regular field visits to observe CBT performance and provide direct feedback.
• Ensure CBTs are supporting groups in a consistent, ethical, inclusive, and methodology-compliant way.
• Identify weak-performing CBTs and provide targeted mentoring, corrective coaching, or performance feedback.
• Ensure that CBTs understand and apply CARE’s accountability, safeguarding, PSEA, and community engagement standards.
• Maintain a clear CBT performance tracker covering group coverage, attendance, documentation quality, data completion, field presence, and group progress.

This responsibility absorbs the core Senior CBT function, including CBT mentoring, supervision of group meetings, review of records, field quality monitoring, and consolidation of field documentation.

Responsibility 3: Community Mobilization, Social Engagement, and Accountability

Approx. 15%

Lead the social and community-facing component of VSLA implementation to ensure strong participation, trust, inclusion, and accountability.

Key Tasks

• Design and oversee community mobilization plans for targeted areas.
• Ensure that CBTs conduct community meetings to explain the VSLA approach, participation criteria, group formation process, benefits, risks, and responsibilities.
• Build and maintain respectful relationships with municipalities, local leaders, community representatives, women’s groups, MoSA/SDC representatives, and other relevant local actors.
• Ensure that vulnerable groups, women, persons with disabilities, refugees, host community members, and marginalized households are reached in a safe and inclusive manner, according to project criteria.
• Monitor community acceptance, participation barriers, social tensions, dropouts, complaints, and misinformation.
• Ensure that community members understand that VSLA participation is voluntary, transparent, and based on clear methodology.
• Coordinate with MEAL and accountability teams to ensure feedback and complaints are properly collected, referred, and followed up.
• Support conflict-sensitive field implementation and ensure that group formation does not create community tension.
• Ensure that community engagement messages are clear, consistent, and aligned with CARE’s values.
• Document community feedback, social risks, participation challenges, and lessons learned.

Responsibility 4: VSLA Group Formation, Training, and Quality Assurance

Approx. 15%

Ensure that VSLA groups are properly formed, trained, monitored, and supported throughout the implementation cycle.

Key Tasks

• Oversee group formation and validate that groups meet project criteria and VSLA methodology standards.
• Ensure CBTs support groups to elect committees, develop constitutions, agree on savings rules, set loan procedures, and maintain proper records.
• Monitor the quality of VSLA meetings, savings practices, internal lending, repayments, passbooks, group ledgers, and governance structures.
• Conduct regular quality checks on group records, attendance, savings books, loan books, health check forms, and MIS data.
• Ensure that groups receive timely training on:
  • VSLA concept and principles
  • Elections and constitution development
  • Savings methodology
  • Loan management
  • Record keeping
  • Share-out
  • Group governance
  • Basic financial literacy
• Track the progress of each group across the VSLA cycle.
• Identify groups needing additional support and ensure CBTs provide follow-up.
• Ensure that group documentation is complete before moving to the next phase of the cycle.
• Validate that groups are ready for readiness assessment and investment preparation before referral to the Field Assistant – Investment Lead.
• Ensure that all field implementation follows the approved VSLA manual and operational framework

Responsibility 5: Data Management, MIS, MEAL Coordination, and Documentation

Approx. 15%

Lead the data, documentation, and reporting function for VSLA implementation to ensure accuracy, completeness, and accountability.

Key Tasks

• Ensure that CBTs collect complete and accurate participant data, group lists, attendance sheets, training records, photos, and field updates.
• Manage and update VSLA trackers, group progress trackers, CBT performance trackers, training trackers, and implementation dashboards.
• Ensure timely and accurate MIS data entry and follow-up.
• Coordinate with MEAL on KOBO tools, MIS access, baseline assessments, health checks, readiness assessments, endline data, and monitoring visits.
• Review and validate data submitted by CBTs before sharing with MEAL or management.
• Ensure consistency between group records, MIS entries, attendance sheets, health check forms, readiness assessments, and field reports.
• Identify data gaps, inconsistencies, or quality issues and follow up with CBTs for correction.
• Prepare regular data summaries on:
  • Number of groups created
  • Number of active members
  • Attendance and dropout trends
  • Savings and loan progress
  • Groups completing health checks
  • Groups ready for investment
  • CBT performance
  • Field challenges and corrective actions
• Ensure proper archiving of group files, including constitutions, attendance sheets, health checks, MIS extracts, readiness forms, business plans, MoUs, ledgers, photos, and reports.
• Contribute to donor reporting by providing accurate field data, implementation updates, lessons learned, and success stories.

Responsibility 6: Management of the Field Assistant – Investment Lead and Group Investment Follow-Up

Approx. 10%

Supervise the Field Assistant – Investment Lead and ensure that group investment activities are technically sound, well documented, and properly monitored.

Key Tasks

• Manage and guide the Field Assistant – Investment Lead in planning and implementing group investment activities.
• Ensure that the Investment Lead conducts readiness assessments, financial literacy sessions, business ideation, business planning support, feasibility reviews, and investment monitoring.
• Review and approve investment activity schedules, assessment plans, training plans, and field visit plans.
• Ensure that business plans are realistic, collective, feasible, and aligned with group capacity.
• Coordinate with the Investment Lead to validate group readiness before seed grant disbursement.
• Ensure that MoUs, payment documents, invoices, receipts, photos, ledgers, and investment files are complete before and after disbursement.
• Monitor investment implementation and ensure that funds are used according to approved business plans.
• Ensure that profits, expenses, reinvestments, and group decisions are properly recorded in the investment ledger.
• Review mid-term evaluation findings and support corrective actions for weak investments.
• Ensure the Investment Lead submits regular reports on business performance, risks, challenges, and recommendations.
• Escalate major financial, operational, or compliance concerns to the FSL Coordinator / Program Manager.

Responsibility 7: Compliance, Risk Management, and Safeguarding

Approx. 5%

Ensure that all VSLA and group investment activities are implemented safely, ethically, and in compliance with CARE and donor standards.

Key Tasks

• Ensure that field teams comply with CARE’s policies, donor requirements, financial procedures, procurement rules, and documentation standards.
• Monitor risks related to fraud, misuse of funds, poor record keeping, elite capture, exclusion, social tension, or weak group governance.
• Ensure that CBTs and the Investment Lead understand and follow PSEA, safeguarding, child protection, anti-fraud, anti-corruption, and code of conduct standards.
• Report safeguarding, accountability, financial, operational, or protection concerns through appropriate channels.
• Ensure that field implementation is gender-sensitive, inclusive, safe, and conflict-sensitive.
• Support risk mitigation planning for field access, community acceptance, cash/investment activities, and sensitive group dynamics.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES AS ASSIGNED BY LINE MANAGER

5. Qualifications / special skills or knowledge

a. Skills & knowledge:

• Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, development studies, economics, business administration, livelihoods, community development, project management, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in livelihoods, economic empowerment, community mobilization, financial inclusion, rural development, agriculture, or NGO project implementation.
• At least 5 years of experience managing field teams, volunteers, or community facilitators and Mobilizers.
• Proven experience in operational planning, field supervision, data follow-up, reporting, and community engagement.
• Experience in savings groups, financial literacy, group investment, or small business support is strongly preferred.
• Experience working with NGOs, public institutions, municipalities, community structures, or vulnerable communities.
• Experience coordinating with MEAL, finance, procurement, and program teams.
• Exceptional interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to build rapport and trust with diverse community members.
•  Strong organizational skills and an eye for detail in managing logistics.
•  Resourceful, proactive, and capable of independent problem-solving in the field.
• Ability to accurately record information and complete daily reports.
• Strong organizational and communication skills, ability to work independently and as part of a team, and proficiency in data collection and management. Basic knowledge of computer applications and data entry tools.
• Attributes: Detail-oriented, proactive, and able to handle multiple tasks in a dynamic environment

​​​​​​​b. Experience:

At least   3-5  years of relevant experience, especially at NGOs, academic organizations, standard-setting bodies, public agencies.

c. Academic background:

High school diploma or equivalent in one or several of the following areas: Social Sciences, Agriculture, Business, social workers or others

d. Languages:

English and Arabic are the working language of CARE International in Lebanon.

Knowledge of other languages is an asset.

6. Other contract elements

Benefits: Social security/Health Insurance & Transport allowance.

The direct supervisor reserves the right to adapt this job description at any time during employment according to needs.

Any extension of this contract is dependent on performance review and funding availability.

Safeguarding and Equal Opportunity

CARE International in Lebanon is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

CARE International in Lebanon employees and related personnel abide by CARE International Safeguarding Policy. CARE has a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of abuse, including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, physical and emotional abuse, neglect, and child abuse.

CARE is an Equal Opportunity employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law.