Project Coordinator

SAWA for Development and Aid is a Civil Society Organization founded initially as a spontaneous initiative in December 2011 to respond to the arrival of the first 40 Syrian families displaced from Syria into the North of Lebanon.

This initiative then grew to include individual activists, locals and internationals, who worked together (literally meaning ‘SAWA’ in Arabic) to share their knowledge and exchange their experiences in order to support Syrians, internally displaced or refugees in neighboring countries, united by their belief in their right to live in dignity, freedom, and to be active individuals in their communities and wherever they are.

SAWA sees itself as part and parcel of the society, and that it is on a continuous learning journey based on a participatory relationship at all levels with the communities that it works with, whether host or displaced, as well as with local and international partners.

SAWA believes that humanitarian, developmental, and civic work has to always strive to achieve social justice, and so it aims to work with individuals and communities through holistic interventions towards a society based on democracy, pluralism, and the values of citizenship and human rights. 

Objective of the Role:

The Project Coordinator is responsible for overseeing the successful planning and completion of SAWA’s programs. Duties include leading project staff and delegating tasks among them, monitoring program budgets and determining how to prioritize funds and performing outreach duties to engage with the local community.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

•    Determine and define project scope and objectives.
•    Predict resources needed to reach objectives and manage them in an effective and efficient manner.
•    Lead the implementation of activities of a project through conceptualization, planning, and documentation. 
•    Serves as a central point of contact between staff, other departments, and/or external stakeholders on day-to-day programmatic, operational, and administrative matters.
•    Assists with meetings, special projects, and/or general problem resolution.
•    Prepare budgets based on scope of work and resource requirements. 
•    Track project costs in order to meet budget deadlines.
•    Develop and manage a detailed project schedule and work plan.
•    Coordinates activities of support staff, consultants, and/or volunteers engaged in the implementation of program objectives.
•    Monitors and administers program/project revenues and expenses; may develop or participate in the development of funding proposals for the program.
•    Contribute to fundraising for follow-up to related projects. 
•    Provide project updates in a consistent basis to stakeholders about strategy, adjustments, and progress.
•    Maintains program/project records, researches information and gathers and computes various data; prepares special and/or one-time reports, summaries, or replies to inquiries by selecting relevant data from a variety of sources.
•    Provide background research, context analysis and support project documentation and donor reporting. 
•    Measure project performance to identify areas for improvement. 
•    Perform risk management to minimize project risks.
•    Ensure resource availability and allocation. 
•    Report to management as needed. 
•    Use and continually develop leadership skills.
•    Attend conferences and trainings as required to maintain proficiency.
•    Perform other related duties as assigned.

Competencies and Skills:

•    Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field.
•    Prior experience as a Program Coordinator.
•    Ability to work as a team player who demonstrates leadership and is able to support and train staff in a participatory manner. 
•    Positive and solutions-oriented leader focused on team-building.
•    Written and oral communication skills; able to communicate clearly and sensitively with internal and external stakeholders as a representative of SAWA. This includes effective negotiation and representation skills. 
•    Works with trustworthiness and integrity and has a clear commitment to SAWA’s core values and humanitarian principles. 
•    Works with a flexible, adaptable, and resilient manner. 
•    Demonstrates good knowledge of techniques for planning, monitoring, and controlling programs, as well as knowledge of budgeting and resource allocation procedures.
•    Demonstrates awareness and sensitivity to gender and diversity. Has experience and the ability to work in diverse cultural contexts in an appropriate manner. Has the capacity to make accurate self-assessment particularly in high stress and high security contexts. 
•    Well planned and organized even within a fluid working environment and has the capacity for initiative and decision-making with competent analytical and problem-solving skills. 
•    Sufficient seniority and credibility to advise project teams on their projects in relation to the program.
•    3-5 year of humanitarian aid experience.