Project Manager

About Teach For Lebanon (TFL):
Teach For Lebanon (TFL) is an NGO working to ensure that all children in Lebanon, regardless of socioeconomic background, have access to quality education. The model of Teach For Lebanon is an education innovation that focuses on youth capacity building to provide quality intervention and systemic support for students. TFL employs and trains Lebanon’s most promising graduates, “TFL Fellows”, and places them in schools serving underprivileged refugee and Lebanese children. These Fellows receive on-going training and support to address educational disadvantages by providing transformational teaching that places their students on a path of academic success. Along the way, they become leaders and advocates for a better Lebanon.
LearnMore:www.teachforlebanon.org

Project Scope:
Lebanon is one of the most complex and fragile countries in the Middle East. While religious and sectarian discord has been a root cause of social instability and conflict for decades, the influx of Syrian refugees has only served to increase tension and instability. On the one hand, host communities have been overwhelmed with the influx of refugees and public services cannot adequately provide services for migrant populations as well as their own host communities; and on the other, the dire conditions of refugee populations and the lack of human rights afforded Palestinian and Syrian refugees causes systematic disenfranchisement, anger, and resentment that not only undermines any possibility of stability but also increases social, ethnic and religious divisions already plaguing the country. There is then, a critical and immediate need to aggressively promote social cohesion and stability in vulnerable communities.
The focus of this initiative then is two-fold and deals with both the short-term need to address the drivers of instability, and the long-term need to normalize values that create a more healthy, equal, and stable society.
First, the program will engage in a broad-based effort to promote social cohesion in 160 vulnerable communities across Lebanon reaching over 120,000 people that includes displaced populations and communities where tensions are extremely high, to counter drivers of current social instability that can result in immediate violence. And Second, working with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) and safe spaces country-wide, to provide a curriculum that promotes pluralism, inclusion, democracy, human rights and the rule of law to host community and refugee children; during the program period, 104,000 children (46,800 in schools and 57,500 in safe spaces) will take the curriculum.

Job Summary:

The Project Manager is responsible for the overall and effective management of the project by directly managing its staff and ensuring that the objectives are met within the required timeframe, with close consideration of quality and sustainability. The Project Manager will be responsible for the entire project cycle, including budget management (comprising expenditure planning and expenditure monitoring), while also leading and enhancing internal and external learning and representation.

The key areas of responsibility are as follows:

• Project Implementation

• Project Reporting

• Field Supervision and Capacity Building

• External Representation and Coordination

• Accountability to Communities and Beneficiaries

The key working relationships are as follows:

• Position reports to: Chief Executive Officer

• Position directly coordinates: Initiate, MEHE, RDPP, Big Bad Boo, in addition to any potential partners

• Other internal contacts: Administrative and Finance Officer; Monitoring Officer, Education Team

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

To perform this job successfully, the Project Manager must take on all of the key areas of responsibilities.

Project Implementation

• Ensures that there is an implementation plan in place guiding the work of all project staff;

• Guides the day-to-day implementation of activities with a focus on quality, ensuring that activities proceed in accordance with the project document and logical framework;

• Adopts a proactive approach, continuously identifying potential training topics, internship and job opportunities, and areas with potential to maximize benefits for the targeted groups;

• Manages the project budget and operational processes (recruitment, procurement, etc.);

• Ensures funds are spent within the timeframe acceptable to both TFL and the donor agency and ensuring rules and regulations are adhered to.

• Supports the project partners to implement activities in accordance with the implementation plan;

• Ensures the appropriate monitoring (financial, technical, implementation) of the partner;

• Ensures TFL’s values and principles are integrated into all project activities;

• Ensures the correct and efficient use of resources (including project staff, assets, etc.);

• Ensure that risk management and contingency planning is included at all stages of the project;
• Ensure that the donor agency’s contractual requirements are fulfilled, including by the partner, throughout the entire project period;

• Project Reporting and Communication

• Sets a clear timeline donor reports (both narrative and financial) and coordinates the reporting process with all relevant staff, assuming ultimate responsibility for quality and submission;

• Ensures that data is collected on a regular basis for timely and quality reporting, designing and upgrading/improving any required tools;

• Ensures the visibility of the project as per TFL and donor agency’s standards and requirements;

• Communicates regularly with the Chief Executive Officer and submits internal reports as required;

• Ensures that success stories and challenges are documented;

• Ensures that the project team communicates effectively with the project stakeholders.

• Field Supervision and Capacity Building

• Leads on the design and implementation of outreach strategies in collaboration with other project staff;

• Follows-up on the daily field activities;

• Conducts regular field visits to project activities/sites;

• Establishes and maintains clear lines of communication with project staff and ensures internal communication is effective;

• Conducts regular meetings with all project staff and the project partner;

• Builds the capacity of the project partner in terms of project management, reporting, monitoring, and other areas based on needs.

• External Representation and Coordination

• Coordinates with municipalities, local authorities, relevant governmental departments, community leaders, and other stakeholders;

• Attends national-level coordination meetings and working groups, as well as any other relevant events;

• Acts as the primary point of contact with donor agency’s for both informal and formal coordination and communication.

Accountability to Communities and Beneficiaries

The Project Manager is responsible for ensuring that all relations with local communities are positive and conducted in a respectful and consultative manner. Due attention must be paid to ensuring that communities are adequately consulted and informed about activities, objectives, activities, selection criteria, and methodologies to ensure transparency.

• BA in a Social Science discipline or relevant domains (Master is a plus)

• Previous work experience, including a minimum of 4-5 years working in project management

• Good understanding of socio-economic issues and challenges facing populations in Lebanon

• Possess excellent report writing, presentation, and documentation skills

• Strategic and innovative in activity implementation

• Proven interpersonal, and organizational skills

• Very good knowledge of English, Good in Arabic, French is a plus

Location: The chosen candidate will be based in Hamra HQ.
Package includes Competitive salary based on experience with NSSF and Medical-Life Insurance benefits.
Duration: 2-year contract.
Other: Willingness to work some weekends and evenings to facilitate Professional Development training as per project needs.