Senior Architect Project Manager

Program  Background

The Government of Lebanon, with support from the international community, is implementing the second phase of the Reaching All Children with Education (RACE) initiative. First launched in 2013, RACE seeks to improve access to formal education for 460,000 Syrian refugee children and underprivileged Lebanese children in the country. Efforts under this new phase of RACE 2 are expected to minimize the short and medium-term costs of displacement for refugee families, while strengthening the long-term capacity of the Lebanese education system to prepare children for life and work once regional stability returns. MEHE, with the support of CERD, is responsible for implementing the S2R2 program.

Program  Objectives

The Program Development Objective is to promote equitable access, enhance quality of learning, and strengthen the systems in Lebanon’s education sector in response to the protracted refugee crisis. The key results are as follows:

1. Increase in the proportion of school-aged Lebanese and non-Lebanese children (3–18) enrolled in formal education;
2. Increase in the proportion of students passing their grades, and transitioning to the next; and
3. Improvement in MEHE’s capacity to review, evaluate, and update Program implementation.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the S2R2 Program, the Center for Educational Research and Development (CERD) is looking for a Senior Architect Project Manager who will be responsible for all non-structural upgrading works undertaken under the program, the preparation of assessments reports including preliminary design and cost estimate, and the detailed specifications which are required for the development of the tender documents. Below are the main tasks and responsibilities:

1. Work closely with CERD’s relevant entities and Heads of Departments and Units, to support in the identification and prioritization of rehabilitation/renovation projects that concur to the S2R2 Program results as well as to CERD entities’ work plans.
2. Support in mapping CERD Headquarters and Regional Centers rehabilitation, renovation, equipping needs and construction works – when applicable. 
3. Supervise the implementation of the technical components of the contracted projects and ensure full compliance with required standards and specifications.
4. Review requests for non-structural upgrading works, carry out assessments and prepare reports with recommendations for follow-up actions.
5. Liaise with the project stakeholders and develop plan of required activities needed.
6. Provide technical input for the preparation of tenders, bid evaluation process, and for the preparation of the contracts award approval documents.
7. Coordinate closely with the Procurement Team for the selection of service provider and supervise the implementation of the works assigned to the contractor at the designated sites.
8. Supervise the works and administer the execution as per the contractual provisions and the design specifications to ensure the works are completed on time, within budget and up to quality standards.
9. Assist in the preparation of project/contracts related documentations such as periodic progress reports, site monitoring reports, stakeholder meeting minutes, engineer’s instructions and variation orders, contractor’s bills review reports, certifications, hand-over documents and contracts close-out reports.
10. Develop a priority list of rehabilitation projects for CERD in consultation with the leadership team.
11. Advise on good upgrading practices, good environmental management practices, and appropriate health and safety standards.
12. Present procedures, rules and regulations to teams involved in these projects.
13. Maintain a safe, clean and productive environment through enforcing procedures.
14. Ensure on-site / field presence to monitor projects’ implementation.
15. Represent CERD – when requested - in relevant meetings and negotiations with different stakeholders related to this role, as directed by CERD S2R2 Steering Committee.
16. Contribute to building the capacity of CERD designated staff and Focal Points (FPs) namely with CERD’s Administrative Directorate and the Design and Maintenance Unit.
17. Perform other tasks related to the program objectives as assigned by CERD President or S2R2 Steering Committee.

Previous Experience 

• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience, including 7 years in handling Architectural/ Contracting Project Management.
• Proven experience in similar renovation and rehabilitation projects for public administrations, educational institutions, research and development centres, or with donor-financed operations.
• Experience in public procurement or construction procurement including sub-contracting is a plus.

Behavioural Skills

• High sense of integrity with the ability to maintain impartiality and neutrality in dealing with all stakeholders.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Strong team management and sub-contractor management to cover all sites in the different regions.
• Ability to cope with pressure in a fast-paced work environment and mitigate challenges.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills both verbally and in writing.

Technical and Computer Skills

• Proven experience in setting architectural guidelines, creating design and construction plans, leading the tendering and engineering management for renovation and rehabilitation projects.
• Excellent reporting and engineering technical assessment skills.
• Effective knowledge and use of technology especially MS Office, AutoCAD and other design and visualizations software.
• Experience in Project Management tools is a plus.