LEBANON – CHIEF OF PARTY LIRA (LEBANON INTEGRATED RESPONSE APPROACH) CONSORTIUM – BEYROUTH

ABOUT THE MISSION:

The European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) has launched a call for the Syria Regional Crisis Humanitarian Implementation Plan (HIP) for 2018. Solidarités International (SI) is in the process of applying under this call, together with Action Against Hunger (ACF), the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), the Civil Volunteer Group (GVC) and The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

ACF, DRC, GVC, NRC and SI are looking to form a new consortium to undertake the Lebanon Integrated Response Approach project, which aims to rapidly assess and respond to acute and urgent needs arising from sudden shocks and deterioration of emergency indicators, through a comprehensive and coordinated approach.

SI, which has been present in Lebanon since 2013, will be the Consortium’s lead agency. The consortium will be key for SI at Institutional and Country level since:

– It is part of the 2018 – 2022 SI’s strategy

– It will reposition SI as a key actor on RRM and evidence-based approach at Global level

– This consortium aims at a new mechanism and programmatic approach in Lebanon with high expectations from ECHO Lebanon, it will thus reinforce SI’s experience/recognition in term of early warning system, Rapid/ Emergency/resilience integrated responses, evidence-based and advocacy

– This consortium present a strong Information management and data analysis component, in line with SI’s evidence-based strategic axis

– The consortium is expected to benefit from a 15 to 20 million Euros funding for 12 months and should be a multiyear project

ABOUT THE JOB:

The Chief of Party (CoP) position will be hosted by SI as the lead agency. He/she will be responsible for the overall management and implementation of the project, as well as providing overall strategic and operational leadership for the project consortium. Key responsibilities include coordinating partners’ delivery of high quality programming; developing common Standard Operating Procedures and tools; and forging strong relationships with and between consortium members, ECHO, the United Nations, sectorial working groups, Government bodies and other I/NGOs.

The CoP will build and maintain the consortium’s relationship with donors, and ensure compliance with donor contractual requirements.

Although hosted by SI, and following its organizational procedures in logistics, finance and security, there will be a degree of separation and independence of the CoP and consortium management, as SI is also part of the consortium.

Management :

  • Reporting to : Consortium Steering Committee
  • Under the guidance of: SI’s Country Director

Staff directly reporting to the position: Consortium Head of program, IM Project Manager, MEAL coordinator, Advocacy Coordinator and Finance Coordinator.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Chief of Party (CoP) will be responsible for the overall management and implementation of the project, as well as providing overall strategic and operational leadership for the project consortium. Key responsibilities include coordinating partners’ delivery of high quality programming; developing common Standard Operating Procedures and tools; and forging strong relationships with and between consortium members, ECHO, the United Nations, sectorial working groups, Government bodies and other I/NGOs.

The CoP will build and maintain the consortium’s relationship with donors, and ensure compliance with donor contractual requirements.

Although hosted by SI, and following its organizational procedures in logistics, finance and security, there will be a degree of separation and independence of the CoP and consortium management, as SI is also part of the consortium.

Strategic planning and project leadership:

  • Participate in the overall strategy with the Steering Committee (SC)
  • Work with the SC, ensuring they are presented with key decisions and information
  • Lead the day to day activities of the consortium and manage its Consortium Management Unit
  • Further develop and improve the consortium to better respond to beneficiaries’ needs
  • Develop the advocacy and communication strategy and coordinate advocacy and communication activities
  • Ensure strong internal communication with team members and consortium partners
  • Develop a longer term strategy and project forecast, and identify funding opportunities, taking particular account of donor priorities as the crisis becomes more protracted
  • Arbitrate any dispute resolution between consortium partners as appropriate

Coordination, advocacy and representation:

  • Ensure systems, ToR, SoP, tools and procedures are in place for managing processes and response across different consortium members, and allow rapid assessment, decision and response to acute and urgent humanitarian needs
  • Ensure that coordination of actions is articulated as a structural means to improve the timeliness, inclusiveness, transparency and connectedness of proposed action within existing coordination set-ups
  • Co-Chair the SC, the Consortium Management Unit & the sectorial tasks force meetings and ensure clear agendas are set, and meeting minutes produced and circulated in line with ToR
  • Incorporate technical inputs from the Consortium Management Unit & Technical Working Group to maintain a high level of project quality and promote continual improvement of the consortium response.
  • Lead external representation of the consortium with donors, UN agencies, other humanitarian actors and National Authorities
  • Ensure the consortium actively coordinates with all necessary fora and stakeholders, including UNHCR, OCHA, UNICEF, sectorial Working groups at national and field levels, to reduce on-going and future humanitarian needs, increase resilience and assist a durable recovery
  • Ensure that the consortium’s advocacy strategy aims at stimulating specific changes at policy level and addressing critical gaps in the current response

Project delivery :

  • Coordinate delivery of the project’s objectives and accountability to consortium partners and the donor, and ensure compliance with donor contractual requirements
  • Work closely with the Consortium’s SC to ensure that each partner delivers their parts of the project
  • Safeguard the purpose of the RRM & Integrated Multi-Sectorial Response as defined, and ensure the coherence of the project, making certain that the consortium moves in one direction
  • Ensure that regular lessons-learnt workshops are organized to improve the mechanism, and maintain a high level of project quality
  • Ensure that the project is appropriately staffed across consortium members, including the appropriate combination of expertise across technical and operational areas
  • Through the SC, ensure major risks and obstacles are identified and remedial actions taken with agreement of consortium partners
  • Conduct internal planning and progress review meetings and ensure regular progress monitoring is taking place at different level in coordination with other agencies
  • Conduct regular field monitoring of activities
  • Oversee the overall programmatic, logistic and financial performance of the consortium, and ensure they are in line with the agreed project, and in compliance with SI’s requirements.

Institutional Knowledge Building:

  • Document lessons learned, RRM/IMSR interventions, activities, SoP, ToR, Processes, Operational and advocacy strategy, methods and techniques and on the experiences acquired by the Consortium.

YOUR PROFILE

Education:

  • Desirable: Post-graduate degree in humanitarian and/or development studies, social sciences, political sciences or similar field is desirable – however it can be balanced by experience.

Experience:

  • Essential : Proven ability to manage consortium programmes
  • Essential : Minimum 4 years of senior project management position in an INGO with experience managing complex multisectorial emergency response projects
  • Essential : Knowledge and experience working with ECHO projects
  • Essential : At least 2 years of senior project management position working in consortia, partnership, or equivalent structures with responsibility for programming in a humanitarian/protracted crisis or development context
  • Essential : Proven experience in assessing, designing, implementing and monitoring activities in multi-sectorial programmes in emergencies
  • Essential : Experience working in a complex / volatile context, conflict or protracted crisis situation
  • Essential : Experience in management of logistic, finance and budget monitoring and risk management

  • Desirable: Previous work experience in response to the Syrian Crisis

  • Desirable: Previous work experience in response in the Middle East

Technical skills and knowledge:

  • Essential : Strategic thinking skills and interest in working and coordinating with different actors to achieve an efficient response
  • Essential : Ability to represent the Consortium at a strategic level and engage and influence key stakeholders at national level

  • Essential : Capacity to provide leadership and be a unifying force;

Soft skills and spirit:

  • Essential : Highly diplomatic with excellent political awareness and understanding

  • Essential : Highly sensitive to a Humanitarian needs-based programming approach

  • Essential : Strong oral and written communication skills

Languages:

  • Essential : Fully fluent English: speaking, reading and writing skills;
  • Desirable: Spoken Arabic

Others:

  • Commitment to the fundamental principles of SI’s charter and ethics

SI WILL OFFER YOU:

A salaried post: according to experience from 3000 euros gross per month, plus 10% annual leave allowance paid monthly, and a monthly per diem of 750 USD.

This is an accompanied position in a family duty station.

Vacation: during the assignment, a system of alternation between work and time off is implemented at the rate of one break every three months. For a one-year assignment, the expatriate will have a 7-day break during the 3rd and the 9th month (with 500 euros allocated by Solidarités). He or she will also be entitled to go back to his or her home country for a 14-day period after six months spent on the mission (Solidarités will cover travel costs).

Social and medical cover: Expatriates benefit from an insurance package which reimburses all healthcare expenses (including medical and surgical expenses, dental care and ophthalmological expenses, repatriation) and a welfare system including war risks. Essential vaccination and antimalarial treatment costs are refunded.

For further information about Solidarités International, please consult our website: http://www.solidarites.org/en/

Living conditions :

In Beirut, the guesthouses and the office are located in the same block, in new buildings in Sodeco neighbourhood, close by the French Embassy. The guesthouses total 9 bedrooms used by the coordination team based in Beirut and visitors from bases. A hotel is located nearby as well if needed. The buildings have a generator and Wi-Fi is available at SI premises.

Beirut is a very modern city, where you can find all kind of restaurants, shops, international libraries, bars, night clubs, cinemas, etc. Lebanon offers multiple occasions for moving around in the weekends.

Security:

The political and security situation in Lebanon is complex and volatile. Reflective of divisions within Lebanese society, the situation of Syrian refugees is becoming increasingly precarious. There is currently no curfew in place on the Lebanon mission and international staff can move around without too many restrictions even though Akkar and Beqaa valley are areas with restriction of movements. The security measures in place could be upgraded depending on the context evolution.

Desired start date: ASAP - Subject to official funding approval from ECHO
Duration of the mission: 12 months (extension to be discussed depending on funding)
Location: Beyrouth

HOW TO APPLY:

Does this description fit you? Please send us your CV and Cover letter in English. CV only applications will not be considered.

https://emea3.recruitmentplatform.com/syndicated/private/syd_apply.cfm?I...

NB: The vacancy may close before the deadline. Thank you for your comprehension

Contact : Florent Turc, Recruitment and Follow-up officer