Education Coordinator - Beirut

ROLE PURPOSE: In the framework of Save the Children’s emergency response in Lebanon, the Education Coordinator will be a core member of the Beirut  education team, overseeing the planning and implementation of all education programmes in Beirut, Mount Lebanon and South under the supervision of the Education Programme Manager and guidance from the Deputy Area Manager as required. The Education Coordinator will ensure that the education intervention is of a high technical quality, that monitoring and evaluation systems are in place and followed by all team members, that timely and high quality reporting occurs, and that the programme is continually assessed and solutions quickly put in place in a changing context. With guidance from the Programme Manager and the Deputy Area Manager, the Education Coordinator will support field assessments, identifying new geographical areas and education interventions. S/he will also act as the lead community liaison focal point, maintaining a good relationship with local authorities, municipalities and school directors. He/she will also contribute to facilitate and coordinate donor (including UN Agencies) visits together with the team members as relevant. SCOPE OF ROLE: Reports to: Education Programme Manager based in Beirut Staffs directly reporting to this post: Education Officers and dotted lines to Education  KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: With support and guidance from the Education Programme Manager, the Education Coordinator is responsible for the following tasks: Programme Management: Be the interface between the Education Officer, Assistants and the Education Programme Manager, ensuring smooth coordination and information exchange. Be the lead community focal point, ensuring programme goals, objectives, targets, selection criteria and other related issues (i.e. contractual) are clearly and continuously communicated to local stakeholders such as landlords, community focal points, school directors, municipalities, local partners etc. Liaise on a regular basis with communities, schools, Education Programme Manager, Deputy Area Manager and support departments (Log/Finance/Admin) to guarantee the smooth operation of the programme, addressing any issues that need immediate attention. Support the Education Programme Manager in formulating overall implementation and area development plans and in monitoring activities. Support and oversee the Education Officer and Assistants’ work both in the office and in the field and identify capacity building needs. With the Education team, establish operational working plans according to funded targets and activities per location/programme and follow up on timely and quality implementation. Improve understanding on budgeting and budget monitoring process through continuous coaching and mentoring from the Education Programme Manager and comply with delegated budget holder responsibilities, if any. Coordinate education interventions with other sectors (particularly protection), as appropriate. Ensure recognised international best practices and Save the Children policies are applied in the work with children. Help the teams to get a an overview of the education strategy though continuous engagement with the Education Programme Manager and other team members   External Relationships Maintain strategic links with key duty bearers and stakeholders such as governmental bodies (MEHE), UN agencies, (I)NGOs, CBOs and community focal points by participating in relevant discussions, coordination meetings and trainings. Identify opportunities for collaboration and ensure Save the Children’s participation in key activities at the local level. Develop and maintain strategic and operation partnerships as relevant with potential local NGO partners etc. Programme development Participate in the continuous assessment of immediate, mid- and long term education needs and gaps and ensure that findings are appropriately reflected in sectorial meetings and fedback to Education Programme Manager so as to inform strategic decisions/developments. Contribute to establishing mechanisms to ensure children’s and community voices are taken into account when carrying out assessments. Contribute to proposal development by collecting and sharing data from field assessments and providing field inputs on a gradual process. Work with colleagues from other sectors to ensure regular coordination and collaboration in key issues at strategic and programmatic level. Report any integration issues to the Education Programme Manager. Ensure knowledge sharing across the team and that monitoring and evaluation outcomes are understood used to improve programmes.   Monitoring and Evaluation Ensure that projects are monitored regularly and that data is collected in a timely and accurate manner and made available to the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) and data management team. Provide inputs to reports such as situation reports (sitreps), monthly donor reports and end of project reports etc. Ensure clear plans and tools are in place for monitoring and evaluating project activities in relation to the programme objectives and those lessons learnt are identified and shared. In coordination with MEAL and the Education Programme Manager, adapt or develop new MEAL tools so as to constantly improve MEAL in the education sector. Regularly visit project sites to ensure that teams are appropriately supported and feed back to the Education Programme Manager. Share data and team concerns with the Education Programme Manager on a regular basis.   Human Resources/ Team Management / Capacity building: Support recruitment process at Officer and Assistant level, including shortlisting of candidates, interviews, drafting/revision of interview questions. Build the capacities of local communities and partners, including their project management skills. Establish monthly team capacity building plans and organise relevant trainings if required in collaboration with Education Programme Manager while participating on coaching mentoring on a regular basis   QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE At least 3-5 years of management experience in an NGO environment, preferably in education in emergencies. Bachelor’s degree in education or related field (Social Studies etc.). Solid project and team management skills with a proven track record in delivering quality programmes to deadlines, including finance. Ability to follow up on a range of projects and tasks simultaneously, to analyse information, evaluate options, define priorities and to plan strategically. Knowledge of international humanitarian systems, institutions and donors, and of procedures, accountability frameworks and best practices in emergency management. Sound understanding of the educational challenges in the current emergency context as well as of the strategies to address them. An understanding of national development issues, in particular in relation to (refugee) children and education, of government institutions (MEHE) and the Lebanese public school system. Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills. Fluency in both written and spoken English and Arabic. French language skills are an asset. Excellent computer skills; knowledge of excel and other data entry programmes. Ability and willingness to change work practices and hours according to needs, and work with incoming teams in the event of major emergencies. Former experience working in an emergency context/with refugees an asset.