Programme Coordinator, MENA - German Red Cross

Organizational Context

The German Red Cross (GRC) is part of a worldwide community assisting victims of conflicts and disasters and people affected by social or health related crises. The Red Cross / Red Crescent Movement provides vulnerable people with assistance without discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions and adheres to the seven Fundamental Principles of the Movement: Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity and Universality. The German Red Cross assists in disaster response, rehabilitation and capacity building projects on appeals of their sister organizations within the Movement. According to the latest update of the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) in January 2019 3.2 million people classify in need for assistance; this reflects over 50% of the people living in Lebanon. This calculation includes 1.5 million people fled from Syria, 1.5 million vulnerable Lebanese, and 180.000 Palestinians (PRL) as well as another 28,800 Palestinians (PRS) who fled from Syria. All the 3.2 million people face protection issues (GBV, child protection, legal threats); 1.4 million depend on humanitarian basic assistance. The LCRP is the overall framework of all humanitarian and development aid allocated linked to the Syria crises; it is the umbrella for all UN organizations and over 150 international and national partners as the Lebanese Red Cross. The Lebanese Red Cross (LRC), founded in 1945 as an independent National Red Cross Society, provides services to more than half a million persons every year. Its services are mainly focused on Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Medico Social Services (MS), Blood Transfusion Services (BTS) and Disaster Management (DM). Services are delivered through a network of around 12’000 volunteers and 400 staff working from 38 ambulance stations, 36 medico-social clinics, 8 mobile clinics, 13 blood banks (+ 1 mobile unit), 33 youth clubs and 14 disaster management teams in addition to a central headquarters. GRC supports LRC through exchange of expert knowledge, as well as technical and managerial support. Currently, the programmatic focus of GRC is on LRC’s national programs (EMS & BTS), disaster management, community-based disaster risk reduction and institutional development. Further programmatic areas of potential engagement are currently explored.

Job Purpose

The Program Manager will act as the focal point for all managerial aspects of the different projects and programs that are being implemented by the LRC with the GRC’s support, and to ensure efficient, effective, coordinated and timely implementation. This includes support of LRC’s technical staff and close collaboration and coordination with Movement partners, and networking at the programmatic level within the wider humanitarian network.

The PM will work under the supervision of Lebanon Country Manager and work in close collaboration with LRC heads of program departments.

The Programme Manager will be responsible for the support, guidance and quality control in planning, implementation and monitoring of activities of the GRC Global Project in Lebanon. A strong focus will lie on the provision of technical, on the job support and capacity building to the Host National Society LRC with regards to programming, reporting and MEAL. 

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Programme Management

• Provide technical and managerial support to assess, plan, implement, monitor and report the GRC supported activities and operations together with LRC.
• In close coordination with the GRC team, enhance the planning, set up and implementation of monitoring activities (including design of PMER – Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting – tools where necessary); Monitor and follow up the activities through regular field trips as security situation allows.
• Follow up on challenges and opportunities for the implementation of planned activities in various projects and coordinate the mitigation and adaptation with LRC and GRC.
• Report projects progress internally and to external donors according
• Support the development of new projects, concept notes, and proposals;
• Support the GRC team in monitoring of financial and operational processes. Ensure that internal and donor-specific quality standards are kept and documented;
• Through ongoing assessments of the situation, collect all relevant information to enable GRC to submit application for funds where suitable and provide support and input to the development and composition of the German Red Cross portfolio in Lebanon in general.
• In cooperation with the Movement, provide effective coordination and communication on programs issues, within the Movement and with international organizations, donor societies and other stakeholders.
• Ensure that humanitarian interventions are responsive to current and emerging needs and threats.
• Ensure that the response is based on frameworks and approaches that are consistent with or have considered national and international standards and guidelines, as well as IFRC policies, procedures and tools.

Partnership:

• Maintain a cooperative working relationship with the host National Society LRC, providing guidance and support in the development of capacities, quality assurance, management and reporting.
• Facilitate dialogue between different partners and donors, as required.
• Support the GRC Country Manager for Lebanon in representing the GRC with LRC, other partners of the Red Cross/ Red Crescent Movement, and other stakeholders or the media, as required.
• Coach and mentor all program staff LRC program counterparts, to strengthen the promotion, coordination and management of programming.

General Management and Support:

• Support the GRC Country Manager in tasks related to the GRC operations, strategy, security and human resources management according to need.
• Contribute to internal and external communication about the project and the context in general, including visibility in the project activities where possible.
• Ensure compliance with applicable laws and agreements to minimize risk of harm to the IFRC and its Secretariat personnel, properties and resources. Special attention is to be given to compliance with procurement procedures and standards.
• Support the Lebanon Country Manager in representing the GRC in relevant national and international engagements and meetings.
• Support the Lebanon Country Manager in all other matters related to the GRC activities in Lebanon and be prepared for changing working conditions and reasonable adjustments of the job description during the mission.
• Support the Lebanon Country Manager in issuing and updating security documents and protocols to ensure the security and safety of GRC staff based in Lebanon. 
• Actively work towards the achievement of the Federation Secretariat’s goals 
• Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross and Red Crescent principles 
• Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager

Education

• Relevant Bachelor Degree - Required
• Master’s degree in management of humanitarian field - Preferred
• Relevant trainings in Project Cycle Management  - Required

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years working experience in the field of Emergency Relief, Development Project in protracted crises - Required
• Minimum of 5 years experience and proven expertise in projects management - Required
• Minimum of 5 years and proven experience in the design and implementation of PMER tools and mechanisms, preferably working with local partners - Required
• Experience in Disaster Risk Reduction programming, or related fields - Preferred
• Professional reporting and proposal writing skills; solid experience with donor-funded projects and working with different donors - Required
• Proven experience in Monitoring and Evaluation, Accountability and institutional Learning - Required

Knowledge, skills and languages

• Excellent communication and negotiation skills (oral and written) - Required
• Ability to work independently, highly solutions-oriented and as a team player - Required
• Experience in on the job capacity building and organizational development - Required
• Technical knowledge about community-based programming in fragile context is an asset - Preferred
• Fluency in English with good spoken and written command of the language - Required
• Fluency in Arabic with good spoken and written command of the language - Required