Senior Project Officer

  Job Purpose The post holder will be responsible for the implementation of two social stability projects, including a health and conflict sensitivity project with activities in three locations (one location in Mount Lebanon, one in South and one in West Bekaa) and a youth and social stability project in the North. S/he will be responsible for coordinating with partners to organise trainings, youth activities and coordination meetings in the different locations. The post holder will be responsible for the ensuring the timely implementation of the activities of the two projects and will have the overall responsibility over the two project budgets. Both projects have a strong monitoring and evaluation component, and the post holder will be responsible for managing the M&E process, including the evaluation consultants, coordinating learning meetings and producing lessons learnt reports.   The post holder will report to the Country Manager and will work closely with the Senior Advisor and the Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Senior Officer based in Beirut, the Senior Programme Design and Assessment Officer (SPDAO) for MENA and the Head of Training and Learning, based in London.   Duties and Responsibilities   1. Project Implementation Take the overall responsibility to manage,  implement and coordinate activities of the two projects with partners’ involvement Conduct consultations and participatory agenda setting; identify key individuals and conduct extensive individual consultations in order to identify dialogue participants and themes Organise and coordinate the regular trainings and dialogue sessions, coordinate with all participants Lead on coordination and logistics for trainings, youth activities and coordination meetings with local authorities and civil society Collect relevant  information to feed into the monitoring and evaluation of the project and prepare donor reports and project completion reports, including financial reports Manage monitoring activities in the North, including reflection sessions with partners and project beneficiaries Maintain positive relationships and regularly update relevant authorities and local actors.   2. Grants Management and Partners Liaison Develop a detailed action plan and budget forecast and ensure activities are implemented in accordance with the agreed plans and budget Receive monthly project financial data from London Finance team and review for variances to avoid overspending or under spending Administer financial tasks related to project implementation, including preparation of money transfers, cash requests, processing of invoices and donor financial reporting Ensure the effective recording, documentation, and filing of project activities, internal and external project meetings Procure small equipment and consultancy services following Alert’s procurement standards Produce narrative and financial reports to partners/ donor Maintain positive relations with partners and provide regular updates, especially at critical junctions of the project implementation   3.     Project design, monitoring and evaluation Contribute and develop ideas for new projects, building upon the impact achieved by existing projects. Together with the MEL Officer and SPDAO, set up a monitoring and evaluation plans, and ensure monitoring data is collected as planned; with support from the MEL Officer and the Senior Advisor lead on selected monitoring activities such as reflection sessions with partners and project participants. Monitor project progress and impact and adjust indicators and activities if necessary. Manage baseline assessments and project evaluations, with support from the MEL Officer and SPDAO, ensuring appropriate management responses if necessary. Disseminate findings of evaluations and ongoing monitoring and any lessons learned internally and externally.   4. Contribute to Alert strategies Contribute to team-wide communications and knowledge management, and participate in organisation-wide events and discussions on related topics/projects Represent Alert’s values and ideas and be a spokesperson for the organisation at relevant conferences, seminars and other meetings Contribute to organisation-wide learning and exchange on the use of monitoring and evaluation as a tool for achieving greater impact; and on accompanying national NGOs as a tool to strengthening their peacebuilding capacity Any other tasks as may be reasonably required   Travel requirements This post is based in Beirut, Lebanon, with frequent travel to the regions PERSON SPECIFICATION ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS Talents At Alert, we have introduced Talent Management to our business model as we believe talented people are crucial to the success of our work.  We believe all individuals are talented and success comes in matching the right talents to the right roles. For this role, the skills, qualifications and experience listed below are important, but we believe that to be great in this job you are likely, first and foremost, to have a talent for communicating with men and women with diverse backgrounds, and strive to reach understanding and build consensus.    This is what we will be looking for above all else.     A degree, preferably to master’s level, in a subject of relevance to international peacebuilding Fluent in Arabic and English, and communicates clearly and effectively At least 3 years successful experience of managing projects; including narrative and financial reporting Knowledge of Lebanese politics and understanding of the impact of the Syria crisis on Lebanon Excellent inter-personal, communication and presentation skills Ability to influence and motivate others Demonstrates the ability to take the initiative Commitment to the mission and vision of International Alert Ability to work well with people of diverse backgrounds and in diverse roles Solution-oriented DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS Knowledge and experience in the peacebuilding sector SUMMARY TERMS AND CONDITIONS Annual Salary Competitive annual salary based on our salary scale for Lebanese nationals Benefits Medical insurance and NSSF Leave entitlement 25 days per year plus Lebanese statutory holidays Notice period There will be an initial three months’ probationary period during which notice will be 15 days on either side. On successful completion of the probationary period notice will be one month. Working hours Full time staff are expected to work a standard 40 hours per week,  a maximum of 48 hours per week, with some flexibility around start and finish times to be agreed with the line manager. All staff are required to work core hours10am–4pm