Project Assistant

Context

According to Transparency International’s 2017 Corruption, perception Index Lebanon ranks 143 out of 180 countries in terms of corruption. Corruption is indeed a prevailing problem in the country and affects both public and private sector. Local polls confirm that the Lebanese opinion considers the problem as endemic.

Sources of corruption are extremely diverse but can be summarised in three main causes: political, administrative and social causes.

However, in recent years, Lebanon has showed a willingness to take actions against this phenomenon and Anticorruption is becoming a high priority on the new government’s agenda. This echoes to the growing demand from the International partners. The CEDRE conference in Paris has provided an opportunity to recall the importance of a sound management of public finance for private and public investments and the Lebanese government committed itself to take measures along these lines.

Expertise France has been entrusted by the European Union to implement a 3-year project to support the national effort on combatting corruption. 

The project aims at supporting the national effort on combatting corruption through promotion of transparency and the improvement of public accountability. These objectives will be achieved through technical assistance, equipment procurement and grants to Lebanese SCOs and NGOs.

Tasks Description:

The project assistant will work on a daily basis with the project team and will manage the following mission:

Support the project coordinator in Beirut in the management of the following administrative, financial, logistics and reporting tasks:

• Daily administrative and logistic support to the project team such as:

Management of all the administrative and operational documentation generated in the framework of the project (Offline and online)

Perform short translations and interpreting (whenever needed).

Support for the management of the local office and deal with office logistics;

Co-coordination of travel plans and diary arrangements for the project team and short-term experts trips and missions (agenda, hotel booking, order of mission, visa management processes, etc.);

Support for the preparation and formatting of all the project documentation;

Support in the logistics management for all the events related to the project (Invitations management, purchases processes, etc.)

Support in the management of the procurement processes with the providers (Recruiting and selection processes, contracting, follow-up and evaluation, etc.)

• Support for the reporting tasks:

Management of the daily reporting on the main meetings organized in the framework of the project

Assistance in the consolidation of all technical reports and deliverables of the project for the consolidation of contractual interim reports;

Support in gathering the different reporting documents provided by the local partners (Monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, etc.)

Support of the follow-up and management of the Monitoring and Evaluation system;

Support for the daily financial management:

Cash management (managing petty cash file)

Accounting: Bank account management, verification and recording in the accounting system of all the expenses, compilation and analysis of the operation unit costs (including collection of the evidences), etc.

Contribute to the organisational and operational management of the activities when needed.

Plan and organise the project’s event (launching seminar, conferences, workshops etc.)

Support in managing the operations of the short-term expert’s assignments (writing and launching ToR, collecting CVs, manage the selection process, etc.);

Support in communication activities and visibility plan implementation: newsletter, goodies, communication material and press releases, etc.

Support in the operational coordination with the local partners’ administrations;

Requested profile

Education and experience:

• University Degree in Economics, Management and/or Accounting
• A first experience (from 1 to 3 years) on a similar job is a must
• Experience in organizing meetings/events and manage the related logistics is a must
• Experience in accounting management is a must
• Experience in international project management; knowledge of EU procedures for cooperation projects is an asset

Competences and skills:

• Ability to work effectively as a team member and independently
• Ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure and to meet short- and long-term deadlines
• A high degree of integrity and the ability to deal with confidential information is required
• Proven experience in budget and financial management
• Excellent written and verbal communication and negotiation skills
• Proven computer skills including Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Fluent in Arabic, French and English.