Network Strategist

Network Strategist

Terms of Reference

Background

With the support of the European Regional Development and Protection Programme for Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq (RDPP II), Oxfam and partners Legal Agenda (LA) and Lebanese Observatory for Workers and Employees’ Rights (LOWER) are implementing a project titled “Promotion of decent work and sustainable business development in Bekaa, Lebanon.” In addition, the project works very closely with My Work, My Rights! Network, an informal group of local Civil Society Organisation (CSOs) that work on advancing decent working conditions in Lebanon.

The project aims to contribute to a decent and economically sustainable business environment for displacement-affected populations in the Bekaa by strengthening the linkage between the local civil society, the business development organizations, and the MSMEs in Bekaa.

To achieve this overall objective, the project will implement activities under three main clusters:

• Cluster 1: Empower a local network of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to influence practices and policies related to decent work;
• Cluster 2: Convene an informal network of private business development organizations and professionals with strong decent work capacities in Bekaa;
• Cluster 3: Improve working conditions and accessible decent job opportunities in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Bekaa.

Under the first cluster, Oxfam is continuing the support for the My Work, My Rights Network in an aim to strategize and institutionalize the network and ensure its sustainability.

The My Work, My Rights! network is a network that brings together civil society organizations engaged in the promotion of protection for individuals involved in the formal and informal labour market in Lebanon, in accordance with international human rights law, workers’ rights and labour safeguards.

It is a membership network composed of mainly 11 core member and 3 consultant members. The network was formed in 2018 by the three partners - the Legal Agenda, the Lebanese Observatory for Workers and Employees Rights (LOWER), and Oxfam in Lebanon with a mission to achieve comprehensive social and legal justice and protection, especially protection for individuals working in the formal and informal labor market in Lebanon, in accordance with international human rights law, Lebanese labor law and international labor standards.

The network is the platform for civil society organizations to coordinate and jointly and collectively engage in policy lobbying and advocacy, and access opportunities for capacity building through learning and information sharing so as to ensure evidence based advocacy towards effective and fair policies around labor and decent work for all.

Since its establishment, the network has had a few and brief opportunities for revisiting the internal organizational structure and policies, memberships, roles, governance etc. but has not revisited these aspects in light of recent developments and existing dynamics and ways of working and the steering committee is keen on achieving clarity towards the direction of the network moving forward.

Objective

As part of Oxfam’s exit plan from the network, Oxfam is looking for a consultant to support the strengthening and sustainability of the network by revisiting its  internal bylaws and policies, ways of working, memberships, roles and responsibility, fundraising and sustainability plans and developing with the members the network’s strategic direction on short, medium and long term towards achievement of its vision, mission and strategic objectives. Additionally, the plan will serve as a tool for resource mobilization.

The aim for Oxfam is to sustain program benefits beyond Oxfam’s support, reduce dependency and increase ownership, establish clarity on roles and responsibilities, capture and sharing learning for future program work, and hold Oxfam and partners accountable for the results of what we set out to achieve.

Consultancy duties and responsibilities

1. Familiarization with the history, review the vision, mission and goal based on network’s mandated objectives.
2. Conduct a participatory rapid assessment of the network with its members which includes: the governing partnering principles, membership, relationship management, technical performance through reflection meetings (i.e. key results, lessons learnt achievements and emerging issues – challenges and opportunities) in respect to implementation of the previous and current network activities.
   1. What type of network are you building?
   2. What is the network’s primary purpose, along with specific goals to evaluate progress?
   3. How will the network be governed, informally or formally, and by whom?
   4. What is the timeline for the network? Will it go on or end after meeting its goal?
   5. How will the network’s membership be selected and managed?
3. Undertake internal and external analysis in relation to the network’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) as a platform for engagement towards a well developed and managed strategy.
4. Assess the capacities of the network to exercise effective influencing actions (identify priorities based on a contextual analysis, develop influencing strategies, and action plans, and translate monitoring findings into advocacy actions).
5. Through a consultative process and application of appropriate tools of analysis long term goals, strategic objectives, key result areas for the network, review the institutional capacity, organizational set-up, financial and administrative systems against network’s mandated objectives, strategic objectives and key result areas, key performance indicators (KPIs), make recommendations, and finalize the fundraising strategy.
6. Propose strategies for achieving the strategic objectives and key results.
7. Develop a Results and Resources Framework for the specific period agreed on with the network.
8. Facilitate Network members and stakeholder meeting to validate the drafted Strategic Plan.
9. Propose monitoring and evaluation strategies and mechanisms to ensure the effective implementation of the Strategic Plan.
10. Finalize the Strategic Plan and submit the final document to the network’s steering committee.

Expected Deliverables

The key deliverables are:

1. Strategic plan with associated budget and timeframe (goals and achievements based).
2. Corresponding monitoring and evaluation framework of strategy goals, objectives and plans.
3. Reports on the process including stakeholder consultations and validation workshop to obtain approval of strategy.

The key tasks, and related outputs are presented below.

Task

Expected Outputs

# days

Conduct desk review and meetings to become familiarized with the history, and the existing strategic documents of the network (vision, mission, goals, ways of working, roles and responsibilities etc.).

Inception report

4

 Conduct a participatory rapid assessment of performance (in respect to implementation of the previous and current engagements)

A report highlighting what went well and rooms for improvement

5

Through a consultative process and application of appropriate tools of analysis (based on partnership principles, network best-practices etc.), identify focus areas for the Strategic Plan including the short-term, medium-term and long-term goals and results.

Drafted strategic plan and a draft process report

5

Review the institutional capacity, organizational set-up, financial and administrative systems against network’s mandated objectives and the identified goals, strategic objectives, and key result areas, and make recommendations, if any.

SWOT, communication tree, roles and responsibilities, Stakeholder analysis, partnering cycle

4

Partnering and networking principles refresher workshop.

Key findings and next steps

1

Propose a strategy for achieving the goal, strategic objectives, and key results.

2

Develop a Strategic Plan draft (results & outcomes) and budget.

The strategy incl. methods and approaches

3

Develop a monitoring and evaluation framework for the Strategic Plan

Incorporated as part of the strategy doc

1

Facilitate the network members’ workshop to validate and approve the draft Strategic Plan, budget and the monitoring and evaluation framework where members commit to recommendations, the findings, the plans, and their role.

MoM from bilateral meetings; a report encompassing recommendations and ways forward following workshop

3

Finalize the Strategic Plan and submit the final document along with the PowerPoint of the plan to the steering committee

Final strategic plan, PowerPoint and final process report

2

TOTAL

30

Qualifications

• • • Relevant Master’s degree in any relevant academic disciplines such as NGO management, strategic management, organizational development and psychology, public management, and administration.
    • Over five year’s professional experience in strategic planning and management consultancy.
    • Prior work experience in the academic organizational and change management is an added advantage.
    • Demonstrated experience in working with government partners and other stakeholders in public sector development programs, especially in capacity building and organizational development.
    • Skills and Competencies:

• • • Ability to work with minimal supervision.
    • Ability to smoothly navigate through difficult conversations.
    • Proven excellent written and oral communications skills in Arabic.
    • Proven excellent written and reporting skills. Reports to Oxfam are in English.
    • Application/use of innovative and effective tools for stakeholder’s engagement in the collection of required information and feedback.
    • Must be results-oriented, a team player, exhibiting high level of enthusiasm, tacit, diplomacy and integrity.
    • Ability to deliver on quality outputs within agreed timelines and deadlines.
    • Demonstrates excellent interpersonal and professional skills in respect to engagement with stakeholders and partners.
    • Excellent analytical, facilitation and communication skills for effective stakeholder engagements/workshops.
    • Evidence of having undertaken similar assignments.
    • Experience in research, policy development, management, and programming-related work.
    • Excellent writing and reporting skills.
    • Ability to work efficiently and deliver on committed outputs under the assignment within agreed timelines and deadline.

Timeframe

June 2022 till Mid September 2022.