QUDRA Project Manager

Expertise France (EF) is a public agency created on 1st January 2015 under the supervision of the French Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Economy and Finance with a strong inter-ministerial vocation. EF offers programme engineering and technical assistance by developing and implementing international cooperation actions worldwide. EF operates in various fields of development and institutional cooperation including safety and security reform, post-crisis/ stability, public health, human rights, strengthening of institutions and NGOs and governance. Carrying out large-scale, multi-stakeholder programmes, EF can ensure the cooperation between individuals, teams and institutions with very different statuses, cultures and specialties. Besides, EF has acquired a sound experience in administrative and financial management of large-scale international programmes.

1. CONTEXT

The Middle East is currently experiencing a profound crisis. The conflicts in Syria and Iraq are both a reflection and a transmitter of this crisis, with growing potential to further destabilise neighbouring countries and the wider region. These crises have resulted in a humanitarian disaster affecting more than 13.5 million people who were forced to flee their homes from Syria, and more than 17 million people in need of humanitarian aid (12.2 in Syria and 5.2 in Iraq).

Lebanon is now home to the largest number of Syrian refugees per capita relative to its total population, putting a severe strain on the country’s fragile infrastructures, economy, and security. The population of Lebanon was estimated at about 4.8 million (including almost 1.5 million of Syrian and Palestinian refugees). Even though Lebanon has not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, up to date it has taken in about a fourth of its own population. According to UNHCR, in April 2018, 986 942 persons from Syria were registered as refugees in Lebanon. In the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan 2017-2020 (LCRP), the total number of people living in Lebanon is estimated at 5.9 million, with 3.3 million people in need. Among the Syrian refugee population in Lebanon, which today comprises over 1.5 million people, the Bekaa Valley contains the highest concentration of refugees, with over 360,000 registered with UNHCR.

In Lebanon, the Stabilisation and Resilience Unit of Expertise France ensures the consistency and the coordination of two projects in the field of crisis management. The first project is a second phase of the QUDRA project funded by EU and BMZ, for the benefit of both Syrian refugees and Lebanese host communities.  The second project is funded by AFD (Agence Française de Développement) and aims at helping local and international Lebanese non-governmental organizations (NGOs) become lasting, key players in mitigating and ameliorating the effects of the Syrian refugee crisis on Lebanon.

2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE STABILISATION & RESILIENCE PROJECTS: QUDRA

’Qudra – Resilience for Syrian refugees, IDPs and host communities in response to the Syrian and Iraqi crises’ is a regional action financed by the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, the Madad Fund and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), seeking to strengthen the resilience of Syrian refugees, IDPs and host communities in response to the Syrian and Iraqi crises.  QUDRA was launched in June 2016 and will end by August 31st. The second Phase of the programme, will be starting on September 1st at regional level for another 3-year and will be jointly implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Expertise France (EF), Spanish Agency for International Development (AECID), Hungarian Interchurch Aid and the Belgium Development Agency in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and North Iraq.

Expertise France action within QUDRA 2 will focus on Lebanon and be part of the component “Education and Protection”. The project will seek to improve education, engagement and protection opportunities for children, youth and other marginalised groups through a comprehensive and local approach on protection. To do so, activities will revolve around two pillars:

1. Strengthening local and national systems and service delivery capacities of MoSA in targeted areas
2. Enhancing self-development and wellbeing of marginalized children and adults through protection and child protection activities.

Expertise France works within the framework of the LCRP and MoSA National Plan for Safeguarding women and children. The Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) is a key partner of our action, as the activities will be implemented in at least 12 Social Development Centers of the MoSA through selected local NGOs.

3. JOB DESCRIPTION / ASSIGNMENTS

Under the supervision of the Programme Director, the QUDRA2 Project Manager will undertake the overall responsibility of QUDRA project to ensure timely and quality implementation of QUDRA activities in coordination with Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA), EUD and external expertise.

The Project Manager will have the supervision of 2 project officers (partner capacity building and focus on protection).

Project management, monitoring, evaluation and learning

• Overall responsible for the timely and quality project delivery;
• In coordination with the relevant Team of the Stabilisation & Resilience Unit, implement planning and operational and budgetary monitoring tools to analyse (1) the real-time progress of activities, including cross-functional activities such as recruitment, reporting, management, etc.; (2) achievement of logical-framework indicators; and (3) budget expenditures and running balance;
• Organize quarterly and annual reviews that include progress analysis reports and project-team meetings to assess the intervention strategy and situation changes;
• Coordinate and work with relevant state-level government authorities, local government institutions, non-governmental organisations in order to ensure the smooth execution of project activities;
• Provide technical support to MoSA and implementing partners to ensure protection activities meet standards for quality and innovation;
• In collaboration with M&E Team, collect information and draft narrative report for donors in compliance with requirements;
• Provide recommendations on project monitoring, improvement of practices, and initiative potential revision of activities if needed;

Staff Management

• Provide strong leadership to the programme, with oversight and management of field staff

• Ensure the direct Management of protection officer and project officer (including capacity building, trainings…);
• Supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews;
• Supervise the recruitment of experts, coaches, trainers, case managers and recruit EF staff if needed

Monitoring on protection sector and project development

• Monitor the protection sector in Lebanon; evolution of institutional framework, actors and international guidelines;
• In collaboration with other EF technical departments, develop a relevant protection strategy based on needs-assessment;
• Produce regular paper and report and protection sector to update collective knowledge and suggest innovative projects design;
• Keep the Programme Director informed of programmatic updates and potential project ideas and initiatives.

Institutional representation & partnership

• As needed and in coordination with protection sector actors, represent EF in Inter-Agency forums, national protection working groups and discussions.
• Represent EF with MoSA, at the DG level, on all matters related to the project strategy and implementation
• Build up a collaborative network of peers, government agencies, UN agencies, international and local NGOs engaged in issues related to protection
• Participate to Qudra regional workshop with Qudra implementing partners

Qualifications and aptitudes :

MA/MS degree in international development, human rights, social protection, social policies or any related field;

Demonstrated knowledge in social protection concepts;

Strong Programme/technical and budget management skills, planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation skills

Strong written and oral communication skills, effective in representation and liaison with external parties.

Must be capable of applying their skills and knowledge in a range of capacities, including direct implementation, advisory functions, training and the transfer of technical knowledge and management skills to others.

Personal qualities: Works well in and promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure well.

Fluency in English. French and Arabic are an asset.

Experience :

Minimum of 10 years professional experience in humanitarian and non-humanitarian response, with specific experience in protection projects in emergency or post conflict settings;

INGO experience desirable; experience working with the interagency coordination mechanisms desirable.