Stabilisation Programme Director

Expertise France (EF) is a public agency created on 1^st 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.

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.

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.

SHABAKE

The Shabake Project was designed in the framework of the localization of aid agenda and the need to strengthen Lebanese NGO capacities so that local recipients can take the lead in responding to crises generally and to the Syrian-refugee crisis in Lebanon specifically.

The project aims to help 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.

The selected beneficiary NGOs will receive funding and expert assistance to design their own-capacity-building plan. They will also have an opportunity to put their new institutional changes into practice via a humanitarian project that reduces vulnerabilities. In addition, each NGO partner will be invited to meet and directly interact with donors, aid providers, and public authorities working in the development-aid ecosystem. To this end, the Shabake capacity-reinforcement project is divided into three main component parts:

1. Building on the strengths, assets, capacities, and skills of the local Lebanese NGOs selected for a grant award.
2. Having each NGO partner implement a crisis-response project to reduce vulnerabilities.
3. Improving and/or integrating the participation of NGO partners in the development-aid ecosystem.

The Expertise France Stabilisation & Resilience programme in Beirut is composed of the following:

1. QUDRA programmatic Team: 1 project coordinator, 2 project officers (1 protection project officer, 1 project officer more dedicated to NGOs).
2. SHABAKE programmatic Team: 1 project coordinator, 1 project officer
3. Administrative and Finance Team: 1 administrative and finance coordinator, 1 finance officer (with a focus on partners capacity building), 2 finance assistants (1 for each project).
4. Logistic, procurement and security Team: 1 Logistic, procurement and security coordinator, 1 logistic and procurement officer, 1 driver.
5. Programme support team: 1 communication officer, 1 monitoring and evaluation officer.

Expertise France is looking for a Programme Director to provide strategic and operational guidance, to coordinate and manage the Stabilisation and Resilience Programme in Beirut in order to meet the results of the projects and carry on the development of its portfolio.

Based in Lebanon (Beirut), the Programme Director is responsible for the overall implementation of the stabilisation programme (QUDRA and Shabake) as well as for project development.

Working under the authority of the Head of Expertise France Stabilisation and Resilience Unit and in close collaboration with the Lebanon Desk Officer in Paris, the Programme Director is responsible for the following:

Partnership management

• Represent the Stabilisation Unit of Expertise France (together with project coordinators) in the governance bodies of the stabilisation projects;
• Maintain and further develop liaison and close working relationships with the French embassy, AFD, local and governmental authorities, UN agencies, regional, non-governmental and international organizations;

Operations Management

• Coordinate the implementation of the programme to ensure timely and quality programme delivery,
• Ensure proper and timely financial and narrative donor reporting in compliance with requirements;
• Support and accompany project coordinators and partners in the planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and learning of their activities;
• Report regularly to HQ on progress achieved and developments in Lebanon by constant communication and update of monthly activity planning tools;
• Ensure compliance with EF guidelines, policies and procedures at all stages of programme implementation;
• Ensure implementation of the programme in close collaboration with authorities, donors and local partners.
• Ensure programme steering mechanisms are in place with full participation of local authorities, donors and other stakeholders involved;

Development and follow up of strategies, policies and programme

• Maintain EF's actions in Lebanon within the framework of French policies, European institutions, EU member states and other international agencies orientations;
• Develop and maintain a medium and long-term strategic positioning for EF as well as participate in the development of projects contributing to EF's overall objectives in terms of stabilisation;
• Identify, develop, manage and implement new project opportunities in close coordination with relevant stakeholders in Lebanon, and design fundraising strategies to address such issues;
• Feed constant reflexion on stabilisation and resilience concepts to update collective knowledge and suggest innovative projects design;
• Monitor the evolution of Lebanese context and Syria crisis and ensure that EF strategy and programme implementation reflect these changes of context;

• Prepare briefings and background information when requested by HQ, the Government and other entities.

Human Resource Management

• Manage the team based in Beirut and coordinate the tasks of all the functions of the Stabilisation & Resilience Unit in accordance with EF’s regulations and procedures;
• Be responsible for recruitment and capacity building of the staff;
• Define and apply employee line management, objectives and carry out regular performance assessments for each employee;
• Ensure knowledge transfer and team capacity-building; 
• Manage and support all staff, maintain good and efficient work conditions in order to meet programme objectives;
• Supervise internal rules and procedures are implemented the field office.

A. Knowledge of the context and topic

• A minimum of 10 years proven experience in direct operational management of development, recovery, resilience-strengthening or stabilisation programmes with a focus on crisis countries;
• Previous successful experience(s) as Head of Country Programme
• Excellent understanding of the concepts of stabilisation and resilience;
• Good knowledge of the political and institutional context in Lebanon, including the Lebanese civil society and NGOs;
• Previous experience in dealing with refugee issues is an asset;

B. Project Management and Management skills

• Proven capacity in team management and ability to ensure a good work environment;
• Good command of programme and project management life cycle including strategic planning, development, management follow-up and evaluation;
• Good working knowledge of European Commission procedures required, and previous experience with the French cooperation is an asset;
• Experience in administrative, financial and logistics management;
• Experience in follow-up and evaluation of projects and excellent reporting capacity in English and French;
• Mandatory prior knowledge of working in Lebanon/Middle East and/or in other similar complex post-crisis environments
• Capacity to coordinate with other programme and with HQ;

C. Skills in representation and negotiation

• Proven ability to cooperate and negotiate with local and institutional partners as well as government representatives;
• Excellent communication skills ability to adapt to a diverse multicultural environment;
• Excellent skills in communication and representation.

D. General skills

• Excellent level of French and English (oral and written).  Knowledge of Arabic would be an asset;
• Master Degree in Political or social science, international relations, economics, development, or any other relevant topic
• Excellent relational and diplomatic skills