Basic Needs Manager - Beirut

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and is at work in over 40 countries.

Following the renewed escalation of hostilities beginning in early March 2026, IRC Lebanon is scaling up its emergency response to address rapidly increasing humanitarian needs, including displacement, disruption of basic services, and heightened protection risks for affected communities.

As part of this response, IRC delivers rapid, life-saving assistance, particularly emergency multipurpose cash assistance (MPCA), to enable vulnerable households to meet essential needs with dignity.

Interventions are informed by ongoing context and market monitoring and implemented in coordination with relevant government entities and humanitarian coordination mechanisms.

IRC’s emergency response is delivered through a multisectoral approach, with strong linkages to Protection (including Women’s Protection and Empowerment and Child Protection) to mainstream protection principles, strengthen safeguarding and accountability to affected populations, and ensure assistance is responsive to risks, access constraints, and the evolving context.

Job Overview/Summary:

Under the supervision of the ERD Program Coordinator, the Basic Needs Manager is responsible for leading and supporting the daily technical planning, supervision, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of basic needs interventions as part of IRC’s emergency response. This includes multipurpose cash assistance for different population groups, distribution of NFI items, and group cash transfers to support local response initiatives. The position will also lead and contribute to the regular review and revision of relevant operational procedures, ensuring they are adapted to evolving program modalities, operational realities, and donor requirements. The Basic Needs Manager will ensure effective coordination with communities, MoSA, municipalities, relevant Working groups and local partners. The main objective of this role is to ensure that IRC’s emergency basic needs programming is delivered in a high-quality, timely, and accountable manner that meets response plan outcomes and remains responsive to the local context and national strategies.

Major Responsbilites:

Programme planning and implementation:

• In close coordination with the ERD Coordinator, liaise with MoSA to ensure cash program design
• aligns with the national strategy while meeting expected outcomes.
• Participate in regular internal and external coordination meetings and work closely with other departments to advance IRC’s multisectoral approach and meet program ambitions.
• Ensure the distribution of cash assistance complies with IRC’s Cash Relief Operating Procedures
• (CROPS).
• In close coordination with the ERD Coordinator and the Finance Department, prepare ERD
• program cash forecasts and Cash Transfer Requests, and review advances and clearances for
• cash distributions.
• Following cash distributions, ensure all required documentation is submitted to the Finance
• Department and maintain complete records of all cash payments.
• Review ERD program transactions and client payments to ensure compliance with IRC and donor regulations.
• Coordinate with the Finance team to follow up on unpaid monthly payments for ERD clients based
• on Financial Service Provider reports.
• Supervise cash officers and enumerators in validating data shared by MoSA, preparing all required
• payments for ERD program activities, responding to clients’ complaints, and ensuring client payments are delivered on time.
• Where relevant, and in close coordination with the Finance and Partnerships Departments, support
• partners to develop and implement SOPs for cash programs.
• Lead the planning, organization, and coordination of in-kind distributions, ensuring timely
• preparation, clear roles and responsibilities, and adherence to approved distribution plans, while
• closely coordinating with the relevant Working Groups (Shelter, WASH, etc.).
• Coordinate closely with the Supply Chain (SC) team to plan, raise, and follow up on purchase
• requests related to NFI items and other program supplies, ensuring alignment with distribution
• timelines and operational requirements.
• Coordinate with local partners and initiatives to ensure that group cash transfers and donations are
• implemented successfully and contribute to achieving response plan objectives.
• Lead and contribute to the regular review and updating of operational procedures related to basic
• needs interventions, ensuring they remain adapted to program modalities, contextual changes, and
• donor requirements, and incorporate lessons learned.
• Oversee information dissemination and ensure key messages are clearly conveyed to clients to
• support accountability.
• In close coordination with the HASS team, ensure that program activities are safe and accessible
• for staff and clients, and that payment mechanisms in the area are secure, accurate, and efficient,
• with any related issues reported immediately.

Programme Monitoring & Reporting:

• Undertake weekly field monitoring visits to assess progress and identify technical quality issues and/or other implementation issues, provide solutions and implement modifications as required
• Coordinate closely with MEAL department on targeting, data collection, data systems and
• information management and report lessons learned and propose adaptations to targeting where possible.
• Coordinate with MEAL department to receive monthly post-distribution monitoring (PDM) data
• updates.
• Coordinate with the MEAL team for possible joint field visits through timely sharing information on ongoing activities and plans
• Provide inputs for regular reports for IRC donors on grant activities, progress, indicators, and achievements as specified in grant agreements and reporting schedules

Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to: Economic Recovery and Development Coordinator
• Position directly supervises: Cash Officers - Enumerators
• Other Internal and/or external contacts:
• Internal: Other IRC programming and support staff
• External: Interagency Cash/shelter/Wash Working Group, other INGOs conducting basic needs
• programming as well as other emergency respone partners, Ministry of social affairs (MoSa) as required.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor of Arts or Science in Social Science, Economics, Agriculture, Food Security, Public
• Health, or related field
• 2-3 years of technical experience implementing cash or community engagement programs.
• Experience facilitating technical trainings and workshops related to emergency response, food
• security, or cash programming.
• Previous experience in supervising MPCA programming highly preferable
• Strong ability to organize work, meet deadlines, maintain composure, prioritize work under
• pressure, coordinate multiple tasks and maintain attention to detail
• Excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills, creativity and flexibility
• INGO experience preferred
• Personal qualities: Works well in and promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural
• environment, flexible and able to handle pressure well.
• Fluency in English and Arabic required

Working Environment: This position is based in Beirut with expected travel to areas of implementation.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.
IRC et les employés de IRC doivent adhérer aux valeurs et principes contenus dans le IRC WAY (normes de conduite professionnelle). Ce sont l’Intégrité, le Service, et la Responsabilité. En conformité avec ces valeurs, IRC opère et fait respecter les politiques sur la protection des bénéficiaires contre l’exploitation et les abus, la protection de l’enfant, le harcèlement sur les lieux de travail, l’intégrité financière, et les représailles.