Shelter Helpline Assistant

All NRC employees are expected to work in accordance with the organisation’s core values: dedication, innovation, inclusivity and accountability. These attitudes and believes shall guide our actions and relationships.

Background

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) supports people affected by displacement living in Lebanon and advocates for their rights inside the country, regionally and internationally. We also work to serve vulnerable Lebanese affected by the deteriorating economic situation in the country, and assist vulnerable households in the neighbourhoods most affected by the Beirut port explosion. In 2019, our programmes reached over 330,300 refugees and vulnerable Lebanese with legal assistance, shelter, water, sanitation & hygiene and education. NRC Lebanon’s Covid-19 response includes crosscutting activities and sector-specific Covid-19 support. NRC also implements activities with partners to extend its access to people in need. We have operations in Beirut/ Mount Lebanon, Bekaa, South and North Lebanon.

1. Role Summary

NRC Lebanon is committed to ensuring an effective two-way communication between NRC and its stakeholders, and that the affected population have access to information and can make a request for services. Additionally, NRC is committed for beneficiaries and stakeholders to have access to NRC’s Complaints, Feedback and Response Mechanism (CFRM), which are the established processes through which we receives, addresses and responds to complaints and feedback. 

The Shelter Helpline Assistant is responsible for the management of the central shelter helpline that receives calls from households requesting shelter services from NRC Lebanon, or households giving complaints and feedback about services received. Also, the Assistant supports with developing tools to improve registering and triaging calls, and does initial data cleaning and analysis. The helpline receives calls from NRC’s operational areas of Beirut/ Mount Lebanon, Bekaa, South and North Lebanon. The Accountability Manager heads the Accountability team and the Assistant reports, together with the Emergency Response Helpline Assistant, to the Accountability Officer. The position works closely with the Shelter and Settlements team for updates on project activities and to whom trends and gaps from calls are reported.

Generic Responsibilities:

1. Adequately communicate and share general information to callers about NRC’s operation in Lebanon and specifically about Shelter and Settlements modalities.
2. Develop knowledge of NRC’s Shelter and Settlements core competency to most effectively attend to callers.
3. Join the Shelter and Settlements team in implementation of project activities and household visits, when possible, to most effectively attend to callers.
4. Share regular reports of received calls with Shelter focal points in the areas, and perform follow-up as needed to ensure proper handling of cases.
5. Work with the Shelter and Settlements team to update regularly the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document to ensure up-to-date information is given to callers.
6. Handle sensitive and non-sensitive complaints and feedback calls, and actively promote accountability and PSEA (Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse) standards and principles.

Specific Responsibilities:

1. Represent NRC using excellent communication skills with beneficiaries, communities and stakeholders.
2. Receive calls via the centralized Shelter helpline, triage/classification of cases, update database and refer admissible cases to the Shelter focal points in the areas in a timely manner. Follow-up with Shelter focal points on status of cases (in process, closed, open).
3. Maintain the Shelter helpline database, compiling, revising and cleaning of entered data.
4. Receive and follow-up on results of referred calls from the area teams, and update helpline database accordingly.
5. Provide feedback, when needed, to calls requesting follow-up on eligibility, based on the reports provided by the Shelter teams.
6. Support the process of the explanation and signature of Shelter Cooperation Agreements as requested.
7. Handle calls on complaints and feedback and ensure these are reported to the Accountability Unit for follow-up.
8. Handle sensitive calls (potentially related to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse/ protection/ fraud/ corruption) as per standard procedures, in a reliable and confidential manner.

Critical Interfaces:

By interfaces, NRC means processes and projects that are interlinked with other departments/units or persons. Relevant interfaces for this position are:

• Shelter & Settlements Specialist
• Shelter and WASH Project Managers
• Shelter Database Officers
• Protection Coordinators at Area Office level
• Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinators at Area Office level

2. Competencies:

Competencies are important in order for the employee and the organisation to deliver desired results. They are relevant for all staff and are divided into the following two categories:

1. Professional competencies

These are skills, knowledge and experience that are important for effective performance.

• Previous experience from working in complex and volatile contexts

• Knowledge of English, written and oral and fluency in Arabic is must
• Professional management of confidential/sensitive information
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Knowledge of, respect and empathy for the communities we are working with
• Experience in handling a helpline (desirable)

2. Behavioural Competencies:

These are personal qualities that influence how successful people are in their job. NRC’s Competency Framework states 12 behavioural competencies, and the following are essential for this position:

• Communicate with impact and respect
• Working with people
• Planning and delivering results
• Handling insecure environments
• Working under stress