Contract Manager

Scope and description of the Task

In recent years, Lebanon has become the country with the highest refugee per capita in the world. Officially, there are more than 1.5 million registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon, a third of which are school going aged children. In 2013, the Government of Lebanon (GoL) opened a second-shift in its public education system to cater for the enormous numbers of refugee students. In 2017/2018, non-Lebanese students outnumbered Lebanese students in the public education system. The responsibility for educating all these students resides with the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) who, alongside external donors, launched the Reaching All Children with Education II (RACE II) programme in 2016.

The World Bank (WB) and GoL, especially the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) and the Centre for Education Research and Development (CERD), designed Support to RACE II (S2R2) to deliver on significant parts of RACE II as the strategy relates to the formal education sector. S2R2 is designed to complement other work developed to support RACE II, such as activities planned and implemented with UNICEF, UNHCR and UNESCO.

DFID Lebanon’s contribution to the education sector includes support to S2R2 as well as the provision of a technical assistance team to MEHE and a separate team to CERD. In March 2018, a three-year technical assistance project was awarded to Oxford Policy Management, which expanded an existing TA facility to serve MEHE priority areas to achieve the objectives of RACE II. The TA team supports the GoL to deliver the immediate objectives of the S2R2 programme while building the capacity, systems and processes which underpin a medium-term sector development strategy.

Background:

As per HE Minister Majzoub’s request, MEHE and CERD are launching a National Education Response Plan (NERP) for public schools. This is in direct response to the coronavirus outbreak in Lebanon which has enforced the temporary closure of all schools across the country.

The plan consists of providing students with various avenues of learning, from conventional distance learning, to recorded TV sessions aired on national TV based on an announced schedule, to providing learners and teachers with access to delivery platforms and local and international libraries of interactive digital content, mapped to the specific topics and subjects of the Lebanese curriculum at all levels, all the way to delivering synchronous live online classrooms bringing students and teachers together in real-time.

CERD’s contribution to this plan includes:

1. The CERD Learning Portal: this is a local and international library of interactive online lessons and digital resources. Such international and local digital content is mapped to the topics of the Lebanese curriculum at various age groups.
2. Development and filming of audiovisual content: the pedagogical and instructional design assistance to the TV recorded sessions production, producing a major part of these sessions, and providing Quality Assurance (QA) checks on the academic content and instructional design approach and implementation, in addition to hosting the recorded sessions on a YouTube channel.
3. The virtual classroom: Packaging them in interactive trackable modules that are hosted on a specialized Learning Management System (LMS). These learning delivery platforms shall be integrated with Microsoft Teams, a virtual classroom and collaboration environment provided by MEHE via special arrangement with Microsoft.

CERD have requested the support of a single external service provider. However the services will be provided in close collaboration between the two teams: i) CERD existing staff and consultants; and ii) the personnel deployed by the service provider.

Role and Rationale:

The contract with the service provider supporting CERD on the NERP will be held with OPM. The size, complexity and high national profile of this contract will mean that it requires a specialist contract manager to oversee it.

Objectives and Deliverables:

• The objective of this contract is to facilitate the service provider to deliver the urgent services which have been outlined in their proposal for the programme and the proposed workplan
• It should also ensure that these objectives are achieved in a way that works harmoniously with CERD and delivers through existing channels, wherever possible
• Ensure that payment of the service provider for services rendered is conducted according to pre-agreed approval processes and is done in a timely manner.
• Work with OPMTA project manager to ensure invoices and timesheets are received on time.

Workng Relationahip and Station:

This position will report to the OPM Deputy Programme Director, and later to the incoming OPM-CERD TA Team Leader. The contract manager will also be given a specific focal point through which to liaise with CERD.

Given the current context, a large amount of the work is likely to occur from home. However, if the government’s advice relaxes during the contract then it may be possible for meetings to be held at CERD or, eventually, the position to be based within CERD full-time.

The specific tasks under this role include:

Familiarity with the context, TOR and proposal

• Coordinate closely with CERD Senior Management about the objectives and delivery approach for the project
• Become extremely familiar with the Service Provider’s bid, workplan and payment plan
• Understand the overarching NERP context in Lebanese public schools and where this project fits into the wider picture of student support

Agreement on delivery, output approval and payment terms

• Liaise very closely with the service provider
• Monitor progress against work plan activities
• Hold the service provider to account for delivery of their work plan, both on time and to budget
• Be a constant channel of communication between CERD and service provider for relevant information, updates and requests
• Ensure payment to the service provider along the terms set out in the payment plan

Final review of programme according to initial objectives

• Ensure review of deliverables happens on time and is given adequate consideration by the appropriate personnel, committees and stakeholders
• Conduct appropriate quality assurance of outputs against deliverables
• Be present at relevant NERP committee meetings
• Escalate issues to the OPM Deputy Programme Director, and later to the incoming OPM-CERD TA Team Leader where necessary

 Deliverables and Timeframe:

The contract with the service provider is 14 weeks in duration and so this contract will also be for with a maximum of 70 days or until the end date of the service provider

Profile and Skills:

• Relevant degree in technology, education or other related fields.
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in the field of project and/or contract management
• Specific experience and expert proficiency with contract management of large and complex programmes.
• Mid- or advanced level of experience working on programme with technological components. For example, this programme needs the service provider to understand how content can be displayed on the web (HTML5); how single sign on (SSOs) can be set up to integrate different components into a single system; and an understanding of e-portals and back-end databases.
• Understanding of Lebanese education sector or the Government of Lebanon’s response to COVID-19 would be very useful
• Experience working on public service delivery programmes would be advantageous
• Demonstrates experience in leading on initiatives in technology and/or education.
• Ability to work under high time pressure and on programmes with a significant national profile.
• Previous work with CERD would be advantageous.
• Fluency in Arabic, English and French is desirable.
• Excellent communication and inter-personal skills