Senior Education Coordinator

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home. With its country headquarters in Beirut and field offices in the governorates of North Lebanon and the Bekaa, the IRC is growing to become one of the largest humanitarian actors in Lebanon in response to the crisis in neighboring Syria. The IRC aims to save lives, to strengthen Lebanese communities and institutions and to reinforce social cohesion through carefully designed and professionally-implemented programs. The IRC has been working in Lebanon since 2012, and currently operates protection monitoring, child protection, women’s protection & empowerment, and economic recovery and development programming with Syrian refugees and hosting Lebanese communities. The IRC currently seeks a Senior Education Coordinator to lead the implementation of IRC Lebanon’s education program, including the immediate initiation of a pilot program while also supporting systematic growth to include a proposed 3-year, multi-donor education initiative for out-of-school Syrian and Lebanese children and youth across Lebanon. The Senior Education Coordinator will lead the education program which aims to (i) rapidly initiate community-based schools for Syrian and Lebanese children in the most vulnerable locations; (ii) champion immediate support to Lebanese and Syrian teachers throughout the country; and (iii) develop and share common and aligned curricula and standards of practice. General Scope of Work Provide overall leadership, management, technical support, and strategic vision to the implementation of the education program, managing staff, and liaising with governmental and non-governmental partners (both international and national) to ensure that the program meets performance based targets on-time, within budget per donor requirements Supervise key program staff and ensure accountability to IRC policies and donor rules and regulations Build and maintain productive working relationships with a wide network of partners and stakeholders, serving as IRC representative to donors, line Ministries including Education, other multinationals, technical agencies and other partner organizations Be responsible for addressing grant-related issues, including ensuring that financial controls and systems comply with generally accepted accounting practices that meet donor standards, and that all activity-procured materials and equipment are safeguarded and prudently and responsibly used As member of the IRC Lebanon (SMT), contribute and participate in meetings and discussions on mission strategic plans, annual operating plans; security and well-being of the mission and its staff Essential Job Functions Ensure that program initiatives adequately and cost-effectively address the needs of children & youth Prepare, in coordination with key staff, work plans with clear objectives and achievement benchmarks, long-term and short-term priorities, implementation plans, financial projections and evaluation tools Discuss job expectations, set objectives and provide appropriate and timely feedback regarding performance, including timely implementation of the annual staff performance planning system Manage the overall project by planning, monitoring and evaluating project activities in accordance with grant agreements, donor regulations, and internationally recognized quality standards Oversee performance of partners and sub-grantees, ensuring coordinated inputs and technical/managerial quality from all partners/collaborators Ensure the best use of resources by preparing sound budgets, monitoring project expenses, and ensuring timely submission of financial reports to the donor Facilitate the achievement of targets and outcomes and lead efforts to s to design effective, proactive, and iterative M&E systems following the logical framework Ensure that M&E team members focus on assisting programs to generate practical information that can be used for ongoing program decision-making while also capturing results at the impact level Conduct frequent field visits to all program sites throughout Lebanon Identify technical assistance needs and arrange for the provision of needed assistance Report to donors through both formal and informal briefings, annual and semi-annual reports, and maintain ongoing dialogue Forge and maintain solid cooperation with partner organizations and government officials Manage external relations by representing the project and the organization in the public and ensuring the distribution of information about project achievements and lesson learned Clearly define the training needs of direct reports and ensure they are able to access training and professional development resources appropriate to their skill gaps/needs Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions including staff development plans Lead with commitment, integrity and accountability to the “IRC Way” – Global Standards for Professional Conduct Requirements Minimum of five years senior management experience, particularly managing medium to large-scale pre-primary, primary, and/or secondary education with refugee and/or conflict-affected populations Prefer experience in at least one of the following areas: community-based education, teacher professional development, remedial learning options, youth programming, Accelerated Learning Programs Masters Degree in Education, Social Sciences, International Development, or a related field Proven leadership and strategic planning capabilities Experience managing large, geographically dispersed teams and working in tandem with local and international partners Demonstrated budget management ability Strong experience of UK and US government grants and compliance issues Effective and persuasive writing and public speaking Proven sound judgment and decision-making skills Computer skills in MS Office (Word, Excel, Access, Outlook) Fluency in English, ability to communicate in Arabic and/or French is a plus Previous work experience in Lebanon or the region is preferred Security Situation/HousingThe Senior Education Coordinator is an unaccompanied position and will be based in Lebanon’s capitol, Beirut, in individual housing. Beirut has comparatively low rates of crime but minor theft is on the increase. The conflict in Syria has had a spillover effect into Lebanon, leading to sporadic clashes targeting civilian areas particularly in the city of Tripoli and parts of the North and Bekaa valley. All movement to these areas must be coordinated with IRC’s Security Officer. Demonstrations are an almost daily event in Lebanon, the majority occurring in Beirut for a host of political, social or economic reasons.