Grants Officer

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. Expertise France is the French public agency for international technical assistance.

EF designs and implements cooperation projects addressing skills transfers between professionals. The agency also develops integrated offers, assembling public and private expertise in order to respond to the partner countries' needs. With a business volume of 148 million Euros, a portfolio of over 500 projects in 100 countries, and 63,000 days of expert missions every year, Expertise France promotes French and European development policy goals.

EF operates in various fields of development and institutional cooperation including safety and security reform, 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. EF has acquired a sound experience in administrative and financial management of large-scale international programmes. www.expertisefrance.fr

1. Project background

The multiple crises that have impacted Lebanon for several years have led to a serious deterioration in the standard of living of the population and increased the risks of economic, social and political instability in the country. With the start of the Syrian crisis in March 2011, more than one million people had to seek refuge in Lebanon. This influx of refugees has had significant human, social, economic and political repercussions and has weakened the structures of assistance to fragile populations. The last two years have been marked by the collapse of the economy, the October 2019 protests, the COVID-19 pandemic and the explosion of the Port of Beirut. This accelerated succession of economic and social humanitarian crises has led to a dramatic increase in poverty levels among displaced populations and vulnerable host communities.

In the spring of 2021, the World Bank estimated that the economic and financial crisis hitting Lebanon would be among the ten, and probably the three most serious crises in the world since the middle of the 19th century. The banking sector has ceased lending operations and is no longer attracting deposits, and the Lebanese pound (L.L.) continues to lose value with soaring inflation.

Local NGOs play an essential role in crisis contexts in Lebanon, through their proximity to the most vulnerable populations and their presence in the most affected areas of the country. Their activities contribute to improving access to basic services in a context of saturation of public services. They also play a key role in strengthening social cohesion in the face of the growing risk of communal tensions.

Six years after the signing of the “Grand Bargain” on aid localization, aimed at repositioning local actors at the center of humanitarian action, the role of local NGOs in the aid ecosystem in Lebanon still needs to be strengthened, and strengthening their capacities remains a major lever for the sustainability of crisis response actions in the country. Lebanese NGOs must therefore be supported in strengthening their management capacities, technical skills and sectoral specialization to assert themselves as effective and relevant actors in the response to current crises.

2. The Shabake2 project

The Shabake 2 project is part of the Peace and Resilience Fund – Minka Middle East, which aims to contribute to the response to the consequences of the Syrian crisis, and to act on the prevention and management of the protracted crisis in Lebanon. In addition, the intervention with a dynamic and mature Lebanese civil society makes it possible to concretize the French commitments of "localization of aid" within the framework of the "Grand Bargain" of the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit. The project is also a continuation of the first phase conducted by Expertise France (EF), which supported 13 local NGOs, and conducted a study on the local associative fabric and a mid-term evaluation, the conclusions of which feed into phase 2.

Following the lessons learned in Phase 1, the Shabake 2 project rebalances the objectives with increased attention to the rapid and concrete effects that NGO grants will achieve on the ground. The overall objective of the project is to strengthen social cohesion and support peace and stability by accompanying local NGOs in their key crisis management role and providing sustainable support to vulnerable host communities and Syrian refugees.

It aims to strengthen purpose-driven, technically sound and locally rooted NGOs to support their abilities in weathering the crises as they arise, gaining greater financial autonomy and contributing to Lebanon's recovery. An emergency response component, funded by the Crisis Centre (CDCS) of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE), is included in the programme, which makes it possible to articulate different French emergency and development instruments as part of a comprehensive approach to support Lebanese CSOs.

The project is structured around three components:

1. Enable NGOs to be trusted partners in the implementation of vulnerability reduction projects and thematic actions.
2. Support local NGOs in their efforts to respond effectively to ongoing emergencies and crises in Lebanon.
3. Strengthen the technical and organizational capacities and the economic model of partner NGOs for a better localization of aid for the benefit of vulnerable populations.

3. Job Description / Assignment

The main role of the Grants Officer (GO) is to support the implementation of the Shabake 2 project component related to NGO partner grants (both development and emergency grants). Working under the management of Grants Specialist, and in coordination with the Project Manager (PM) of Expertise France in Lebanon, the GO will work on regular basis both in the office and on the field with a team of Field Facilitators (FF) and Grants Finance Assistants (GFA).

The GO will be supervising the designated Field Facilitators and designated Grants Finance Assistant in coordination with the Grants Specialist. The position is based in Beirut, within the Expertise France Lebanon coordination office.

Responsibility 1: Operations

• Oversee all NGO partners operations in coordination with Field Facilitators (FF),
• Support the GS in the finalization of the contract documents (Description of Action, Logframe, Budget) in close coordination with the M&E and Finance teams.
• Follow up on the implementation activities of all NGO partners in the field, ensuring that activities and expenditure are progressing according to their workplans and budget forecasts.
• Organize and oversee the community meetings and situation analysis meetings, with the designated Field Facilitator, that will be taking place among Shabake NGO partners during project implementation.
• In close collaboration with the M&E team and FF, ensure that monitoring data is collected and archived in a timely manner, and that feedback to NGO partners is provided in a timely fashion.
• Oversee and manage the FFs in their on the ground support to partner NGOs throughout their project implementation while identifying challenges and solutions as they arise.
• Work closely with the designated Field Facilitator to identify key stakeholders to be involved in the project and support in approaching them.
• Make sure that any updates/information needed are shared in due time with partners (official letters, activity progress reports, minutes of the meetings …).
• Support the Grants Specialist, M&E team in preparing for activities and evaluations.
• When the needs arise, be part of the call for proposal/tenders’ preparation and selection process of NGO partners in coordination with the Grants Specialist and PM.

Responsibility 2: Coordination

• Report to the Grants specialist, any context updates, population needs, new NGOs implantation in the areas.
• To compile local NGOs profile within the FF areas of operation to the EF Management Team.
• Organize in cooperation with the FF, contact with NGOs and invite NGOs into information sessions about the Shabake 2 project.
• Lead coordination meetings with NGOs part of the Shabake 2 project and other NGOs active in the areas of operation.
• Communicate regularly with the Grants Specialist on activities updates and report challenges and discuss solutions.
• Organize regular coordination and communications with municipalities to create a positive and constructive collaboration between local authorities and civil society.

Responsibility 3: Finance, Logistics and Administrative support

• Make sure that logistical, administrative, and financial procedures linked to project implementation are followed according to EF requirements.
• Follow up and ensure that all administrative documents related to project implementation are up to date and stored.
• Ensure that all partner financial documents are submitted, collected, and analysed for the validity of the expense.
• Work closely and coordinate with the Grants Finance Assistants on reviewing partner NGO submissions, ensuring the accuracy of financial reports in accordance with their activity planning (financial supporting documents, revising Budget vs Actuals)

Responsibility 4: Reporting

• Make sure with the FF that the NGO partners issue timely monthly and quarterly qualitative reporting (both narrative and financial, including quarterly financial forecasting)
• Draft the monthly/quarterly information sheet summing up monthly/quarterly achievements and planned activities with GS guidance/support.
• Support the Grants Specialist in producing narrative reports, ad hoc reports related to field visits, attendance at workshops, conferences, seminars, etc.

TECHNICAL SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE:

Education level:

• University degree in Management, Political Science, Social Sciences, or any other related fields.

Qualifications:

• ­4 to 5 years NGOs/ CSOs work experience, including small and medium sized organizations (experience in emergency response is a plus).  
• ­Strong knowledge of NGOs financial reporting requirements (work experience on finance is an asset).
• ­Excellent Knowledge of the Lebanese civil society, and the Lebanese aid ecosystem in general
• ­Fluency in English and Arabic (written and spoken). Excellent command in French is a plus.
• ­Excellent computer skills: MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• ­Excellent communication and reporting skills.
• ­Strong relationship skills and the ability to work effectively with local stakeholders. 
• ­Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented.
• ­Previous work experience with international agencies would be an asset.