Community Development Center Officer (Aarsal) - FOR NATIONAL CANDIDATES ONLY

Background/IRC Summary:  Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee (www.theIRC.org) is a world leader in relief, rehabilitation and post-conflict development services for those uprooted or affected by violent conflict and oppression. The IRC is currently working in over 25 countries around the world, addressing both the immediate and life saving needs of conflict affected people in emergencies and the reconstruction needs of post-conflict societies.  The IRC has been working in Lebanon since 2012 to provide support to refugees and vulnerable host community members in the areas of women’s protection, children’s protection and cash assistance.

The IRC is implementing protection programming in North Bekaa during 2015, incorporating protection monitoring and information dissemination (all areas), as well as legal service provision (North Bekaa) and case management for high risk protection cases (Arsal).  The program seeks to promote a protective environment for adults and children, especially those identified through monitoring to be most at-risk of rights violations and problems in accessing services, through protection reporting, referral of protection concerns faced by vulnerable groups and individuals, and direct service provision.

Job Overview/Summary: The Community Development Center (CDC) Officer will be responsible for providing direct support for the implementation of activities in the community development center in Aarsal and will supervise matters related to the CDC in Aarsal as per the responsibilities listed below with the support of the Senior Protection Manager and protection team in Aarsal. The Community Development Center Officer will report to the Senior Protection Manager of North Bekaa.   

Major Responsibilities: Major responsibilities of the Community Development Center Officer (not exhaustive) are listed below:

1. Supervise the community based volunteers in the community development center (CDC) in Aarsal, 4 community groups in the Aarsal community and 3 community groups linked to the CDC (Aarsal)
2. Provide the community based volunteers and community groups with on-going capacity buildings and organize trainings for them in coordination with UNHCR, IRC’s Protection Team Leaders and other Protection sectors;
3. Follow up on roles and responsibilities of the community groups and report on their achievements.
4. Coordinate closely with the Referral Officer, Protection Monitoring Officers, Legal team leader, and Case Management Officer in internal referrals for persons of concern and participants in the CDC.
5. Coordinate closely with the Reporting officer and Senior M&E Officer to keep track of targets related to the CDC activities;
6. Act as a focal point for receiving and following up protection referrals identified by the community groups;
7. Handle all administrative and financial matters related to the community outreach volunteers and the CDC (Procurement, logistics);
8. Monitor and evaluate the activities and the work of the community based volunteers and community groups;
9. Lead FGDs with beneficiaries to identify activities needed for the CDC on a continuous basis
10. Assess local organizations in Aarsal to determine level of engagement linked to the CDC and coordinate with them accordingly.
11. Supervise CDC activities and ensure quality program implementation in coordination with Aarsal protection team
12. Perform other duties, as needed or requested by the supervisor.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to:  Senior Protection Manager (North Bekaa)
Position directly supervises:  2 Community Based Volunteers, 1 self-management committee, 3 community groups, and 4 community groups linked to the CDC.

Indirect Reporting:  NA
Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: Protection monitoring officer (North Bekaa), Legal Team Leader (North Bekaa), Information Officer, Reporting Officer, Security Focal Point (Bekaa); Case management Officer (Arsal)

External: UNHCR Community Services Unit (Bekaa)

Job Requirements:

Education:

• Completion of a Bachelor Degree

Work Experience:

1. At least two years of prior professional experience in a similar post, preferably with an international organization.
2. Good protection background and knowledge of refugee context.
3. Good knowledge on community center management.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Strong management and organizational skills.
• Excellent time management skills and ability to meet deadlines.
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team, as well as independently.
• Flexible and able to work in a dynamic and diverse environment.
• Must be computer literate (Microsoft Word and Excel).

Language Skills: 

• Fluency in Arabic required, ability to communicate and write clearly in English required.

Working Environment:  Located in Aarsal, the working environment will be center-based (80%), with some field work (20%).