Senior Program Manager and Country Representative

The Senior Program Manager and Country Representaive is a member of the Near East Foundation leadership team in Lebanon, reporting to the Vice President of Operations (HQ), has overall responsibility for the effective management and implementation of the NEF projects in Lebanon.

Responsibilities

The Senior Program Manager will be responsible for the following areas:

Program Management

Ensures project activities are implemented in a timely and effective manner, as outlined in the project proposals and budgets and in accordance with NEF policies and regulations;

Supports the development of quarterly and annual implementation plans and monthly updates, in coordination with project staff and local partner organizations;

Continuously assesses the context, assumptions and changes in the operating environment to ensure project focus, strategies and activities remain relevant;

Recommend project changes including realignment of activities, budgets, contract extensions;

Implements programmatic and financial recommendations from Finance and Program teams at Headquarters.

Program Development and External Relations

Maintains ongoing communication with project stakeholder regarding project progress and challenges;

Functions as the primary point of contact with the donor community in Lebanon;

Establishes a positive working relationships with relevant government offices, local and international organizations, academic institutions and private sector actors with activities relevant to the project and \identifies areas of potential collaboration in coordination with HQ Program Development team;

Contributes to program development and proposal writing for project expansion, transition and sustainability;

Contributes to expansion and diversification of NEF’s program in Lebanon;

Maintains effective, open and transparent communication with NEF offices in the region and with Headquarters to ensure consistent information sharing and support, including financial, administrative and HR matters.

Leadership

Supervises project staff as assigned;

Provides team leadership, technical capacity and motivational support to the country project team through orientations, daily supervision, regular team meetings, learning and reflection events.

Project Administration

Oversees the preparation of periodic progress/final reports in compliance with donor requirements;

Ensures compliance with applicable donor rules and regulations, including familiarizing all relevant project staff to them;

Manages project budget, including monthly review of expense reports;

Supports the preparation of procurement plans and monitors procurement processes;

Ensures security and appropriate use of project and NEF assets;

Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Requirements

The successful Senior Program Manager must be a self-directed individual with the following qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in development, agriculture, education, social science, economics;

5-7 years of experience in development and/or humanitarian organizations, including significant experience of working with partners to deliver development interventions and/or humanitarian programs;

Expertise in one or more of the following program areas: income generation, SMEs, refugee livelihoods, protection, gender & rights-based approaches;

Proven record of effective project management, including project planning, implementation and managing a budget;

Proven skills in partnership building, influence and negotiation with a range of humanitarian actors, including governments, UN agencies, academic institutions, networks, national/local NGOs and community groups;

Strong facilitation skills, including the design and management of effective training, workshops and meetings with diverse participants;

Fluency in English and Arabic; excellent verbal and written communication skills, including effective report writing;

Sensitivity to cultural differences and the ability to work effectively across a wide variety of cultural contexts;

Effective team player, able to develop and maintain effective working relationships within a disperse and dynamic team;

Flexible, creative and solution-oriented approach in an innovative and frequently high-pressure environment;

Familiarity in development or humanitarian operational environments in Bekaa, North and Akaar regions;

Understanding of the concepts behind and practical application of humanitarian codes and standards such as SPHERE, People In Aid Code, and Core Humanitarian Standard;

Competence with MS Office applications, including Word, Excel and Outlook.