Food Security And Livelihood Coordinator (Zahle)

ROLE PURPOSE: Since the outbreak of violence in Syria in the spring of 2011, the number of Syrians crossing to Lebanon continues to increase. The influx of Syrians has created labour competition, decreasing daily wages and reducing the number of days work each household is able to access. This has resulted in less purchasing power for both Syrians and Lebanese families. Additionally, rent, food and some non-food prices (especially fuel) have increased as a result of border closures. The combination of decreased income and increased cost of essential expenditure is causing many households to engage in negative coping strategies, such as sending children to work, depleting assets and savings, and taking debt. While delivering humanitarian assistance programs to address these needs, Save the Children is also focused on supporting the local economy. Border closures have interrupted the supply of Syrian goods, but alternative trade routes have been identified and Lebanese equivalents are available. As markets continue to function and traders struggle with decreased purchasing power in communities, Save the Children is using cash and vouchers as a mechanism for assistance.  In addition, Save the Children is developing a longer-term strategy, which includes supporting livelihoods. Cash-for-work, community support projects  and homebased skills development projects  are all activities to be implemented in 2015. Save the Children is scaling up its response for Food Security and Livelihoods in the Bekaa, Lebanon. The FSL Coordinator will oversee the planning and implementation of the FSL programme in Bekka under the technical guidance and direct supervision of the FSL programme manager in Zahle. These interventions include multi-purpose cash programming to support vulnerable refugees to meet their basic needs and Cash for work programme in the form of community suppor projects targeting both Lebanese and Syrian refugees through providing temporary income source. The FSL programme also includes livelihoods interventions, with a focus on youth, to enhance their skills and placement in local and international NGOs through a humanitarian traineeship programme. The livelihood component also include a Home based skills development intervention concentrating on targeting females to be engaged in working in two value chains. The FSL Coordinator  will ensure that the FSL interventions are of a high technical quality, that monitoring processes are in place, that reporting is high-quality and timely, and that the programme is continually assessed and solutions quickly put in place for any changes in context.   KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: Programme Management: With the FSL Programme Manager, finalize implementation implementation up and design of youth livelihoods activities develop their own businesses. households to access income-generatplans for each FSL project Support the set-up and design of cash and  livelihoods activities including multipurpose cash programme,Traineeships for youth; and home based skills development projects. Actively participate in the collection and analysis of information used to determine vulnerability, and contribute to the establishment of transparent targeting criteria for cash programming and livelihood beneficiaries. Prepare weekly and monthly work plans in line with the implementation plan;  and ensure timely implementation of activities in line with the plans (including beneficiary registration, trainings, data collection and distributions) Liaise regularly with communities/municipalities to ensure participatory approaches and acceptance of Save the Children’s FSL programming Assist with the training of the FSL Officers and Assistants to ensure they have solid understanding of key programme documents and tools, including M&E tools Monitor budget/expenditure based on the implementation plans; and analyse Budget-versus-Actual reports to assess any discrepancies and ensure timely expenditure . With the FSL Programme Manager and Adviser, analyse information to select intervention sites;  and analyse and evaluate monitoring data to understand impact of project and identify lessons learned for future programming Contribute to local market assessments to determine supply of essential goods for cash and voucher programmingorm programmingnt projects; and vocational training/micro-enterprise set-up; as well as the impact of cash-transfer programming on markets Produce timely reports for internal use on the status of on-going programming; and contribute to donor reporting Liaise on a daily basis with finance, logistics, and administration to guarantee the smooth running of programmes that include movements planning, internal request, Payments, HR, etc. Lead, manage and motivate staff under direct line management, ensuring that they have clear objectives and received meaningful feedback on their performance.   Programme development Participate in the continuous assessment of mid and long term FSL needs and ensure that it is appropriately reflected in sectoral meetings Work with colleagues from other sectors to ensure regular coordination at strategic and programmatic level; and ensure multi-sectoral programming. With other team members (and communities), identify programme gaps and ensure appropriate action is taken Oversee knowledge sharing across teams, and ensure that monitoring and evaluation results are understood and used to improve programs Contribute towards the elaboration of proposals ; Work closely with FSL Program manager to assess and identify potential local partners for future FSL programme scale up.   Monitoring and Evaluation Ensure clear plans in place for monitoring and evaluating project activities in relation to Save the Children and donor objectives; and that lessons learnt are shared and capitalized on Ensure that projects are monitored regularly, and that data is collected on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis Contribute to the development of data collection tools and databases Regularly visit project sites to provide technical and managerial guidance/support and identify issues that need timely action and support at different levels.   External Relationships Maintain strategic links with key stakeholders such as governmental bodies, UN agencies, INGOs and other local NGOs and CBOs, identify opportunities and ensure Save the Children’s participation in key activities of the local level Represent Save the Children at appropriate coordination meetings (livelihood working group, basic assistance working group group, and food security sector working group etc).   Other Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.   QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE Degree in Economics, Finance, International Relations, Development studies or similar field Minimum 3 years of experience in development programs, preferably working in food security and & livelihoods, Experience in cash and voucher programming Experience in business development programming Experience in managing a team Good time management skills Experience in data collection and analysis Experience in field work and community mobilization (particularly of youth); and in training groups of beneficiaries Fluency in written and spoken Arabic and English Computer skills (especially Excel and word) Strength in interpersonal, communication and presentation skills Flexibility and willingness to change work practices and hours, and capability to work in insecure environment  Available to travel in country