Project Assistant

About Oxfam

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

Oxfam GB is a member of the international confederation Oxfam.

Our Team

Oxfam in Lebanon is responding to the Beirut explosion with a two-phased response; first line emergency aid for the first 3-6 months, aimed at the most vulnerable groups in the city such as LGBTQ communities, refugees, migrant workers, GBV survivors and the extreme poor. This phase will be followed by recovery and rehabilitation work, with strong civil society and advocacy components, and support to small businesses (SMEs), for the remaining 9 – 12 months. The response will be largely implemented through partners, with some Temporary Cash Assistance provided directly by Oxfam.

The Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) team will be responsible for Oxfam’s emergency Temporary Cash Assistance programming that is being implemented in Beirut. In this context, Oxfam is working with local partners to support vulnerable and blast effected households in meeting their basic needs, as they begin to rebuild their lives.

Job Purpose

The Project Assistant position will work with the partner to support the TCA team in the identification and assessment of households eligible for cash assistance, ensuring proper follow-up with beneficiaries, coordinating with Liban Post on the provision of the cash assistance, and ensuring that accountability mechanisms are mainstreamed throughout Oxfam and partners’ cash assistance.

Core Details

Location: Beirut, Lebanon

Internal Grade: E1

Job Family: Programme

Hours of work:  40 hours per week. This is a full-time role; however, Oxfam offers various flexible arrangements which candidates can discuss with the Recruiting Manager at interview stage

This role reports to: Project Manager

Staff reporting to this post: N/A

Annual budget for the post: N/A

Key relationships/interactions: Project Manager, Beirut Response Projects Manager, Beirut Response Coordinator, EFSL coordinator; Humanitarian Programme Coordinator, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Officer, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Coordinator, Protection Advisor, partner staff, Liban Post

Screening checks: All successful candidates will be screened through Refinitiv World-Check One to comply with counter terrorism and financial sanctions regulations.

Key Responsibilities

Programme

• Work with partner to identify potential beneficiaries
• Work with partner staff to conduct assessments for potential beneficiaries, inform them of their acceptance status, provide cards to households and ensure they have the information they need to collect the assistance and to ask questions if needed
• Ensure that cash documentation is accurately completed, compiled and returned to the Finance Department in a timely manner every two weeks
• Liaise with Liban Post to ensure effective and timely delivery of cash to beneficiaries
• Work in close consultation with the protection team to ensure appropriate follow up with households as well as referrals to external services
• Support MEAL activities and ensure accountability and inclusivity are mainstreamed throughout
• Receive complaints and inquiries from beneficiaries on the complaints hotline, and follow up on them to ensure that necessary actions are taken to address them. Where there are challenges, scale up for support by the PM.

Monitoring

• Track project progress and flag issues to the attention of the Project Manager

• Support post-distribution monitoring, baseline and endline activities (including data collection) by the MEAL team

• Contribute information to a log of all 'lessons learnt" during the project
• As issues are flagged, support the adaptation of the project activities along with the Programme Manager

Reporting and Data Management

• Report regularly to the Project Manager, and technically coordinate with the EFSL Coordinator on the progress of implementation and challenges encountered against targets set, highlighting constraints and propose solutions
• Ensure data entry and safe management of beneficiary information following data protection protocols
• In coordination with the partner counterpart, follow up on to ensure that cash documentation is accurately completed. These includes review of assessment reports, verification of beneficiaries’ to ensure that the lists are correctly filed, uploading necessary documents to Box.
• Enter data into sector database

Your commitment to Oxfam

• Required to adhere to Oxfam’s principles and values as well as the promotion of gender justice and women's rights
• Understanding of and commitment to adhere to equity, diversity, gender, child safety and staff health and wellbeing principles

Person specification

Note to candidates: Shortlisted candidates will be assessed on our organisational values and attributes at the interview stage. The successful candidate(s) will be expected to adhere to our code of conduct. We encourage candidates to read and understand our code of conduct here.

Key Organisational Attributes

• Ability to demonstrate sensitivity to cultural differences and gender issues, as well as the commitment to equal opportunities.
• Ability to demonstrate an openness and willingness to learn about the application of gender/gender mainstreaming, women’s rights, and diversity for all aspects of development work.
• Commitment to undertake Oxfam’s safeguarding training and adherence of relevant policies to ensure all people who come into contact with Oxfam are as safe as possible

Organisational Values                                                                                                    x          

• Accountability – Our purpose-driven, results-focused approach means we take responsibility for our actions and hold ourselves accountable. We believe that others should also be held accountable for their actions
• Empowerment – Our approach means that everyone involved with Oxfam, from our staff and supporters to people living in poverty, should feel they can make change happen
• Inclusiveness – We are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences

Oxfam Leadership Competencies

• Relationship Building: We understand the importance of building relationship, within and outside the organization. We have the ability to engage with traditional and non-traditional stakeholders in ways that lead to increased impact for the organization.
• Enabling:  We all work to effectively empower and enable others to deliver the organizations goals through creating conditions of success. We passionately invest in others by developing their careers, not only their skills for the job.  We provide freedom; demonstrate belief and trust provide appropriate support. We give more freedom and demonstrate belief and trust, underpinned with appropriate support.
• Decisiveness: We are comfortable to make transparent decisions and to adapt decision making modes to the context and needs.

Essential - Experience, Knowledge, Qualifications & Competencies

• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline such as Development Studies or equivalent;
• 2 years of experience in working with communities in humanitarian or development contexts, in particular with displaced or refugee populations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to motivate, influence and negotiate both internally and externally, strong English and Arabic skills.
• Previous experience in working in partnership with national organisations
• Good computer skills in MS Office programs, particularly Excel
• Strength in interpersonal, communication and report writing skills

Desirable

• Previous knowledge and/or experience of cash-based humanitarian interventions. Protection professionals with relevant cash experience are strongly preferred;
• Experience conducting assessments
• Experience entering data and maintaining databases

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.  In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply