Head of Mission - Lebanon

WORK CONTEXT

Cesvi has been working in Lebanon since 2001 in different areas: North Lebanon (Tripoli, Halba); South Lebanon (Sidon); Mount Lebanon (Chouf); Nabatîyé (Nabatîyé); Beqaa (Zahlé); Beirut (Beirut). All the Cesvi projects – funded by institutional donors and private foundations – in the livelihood sector, food security and emergency assistance have a crosscutting component in protection.

Since 2013 Cesvi has been responding to the spill over of the Syrian Crisis working in Livelihood and Protection sectors in close collaboration with local partners, CSOs, local authorities and other stakeholders.

Since 2015, Cesvi is an active member of the interagency Social Stability and Livelihoods Mount Lebanon WG and the national Social Stability & Livelihoods WG (chaired by UNDP). Moreover it is part of the Protection working group (chaired by UNHCR) and member of Lebanon Humanitarian INGO Forum (LHIF).

Current projects are funded by AICS (Livelihood recovery and CFW) and EU (Livelihood – private sectors).

The mission intends to keep working on the two sectors with a recovery approach. In the livelihood sectors Cesvi aims to support the access to income-generation opportunities through education and decent work opportunities. Special focus is devoted to enable youth-led CSOs, social enterprises to develop and upscale innovative business initiatives through enhanced capacities, increased access to finance and active participation into multi-stakeholder dialogues on inclusive growth and sustainable development.

JOB DESCRIPTION 

The collaboration will start by the mid of March 2021.

The main duty station will be the Country Office in Beirut, with frequent field visits country-wide (Lebanon), if the security conditions allow it. The Head of Mission will report to the Desk Officer at HQ.

Coordination and overall supervision of Country’s programmes and procedures

1. Supervising projects and giving support to the staff in reaching foreseen objectives in a timely manner, in respect of deadlines and by an efficient use of resources.
2. Monitoring activities, both technical and at administrative level, in coordination with the Desk Officer and according to the established timetable
3. Coordination of staff to guarantee (ongoing and new) projects activities and implementation reports, submission of financial reports to donors in coordination with the Desk Officer
4. Supervising the administration and application of the Cesvi internal procedures for the Country
5. Collaboration with the Country Administrator for the accounting and expenses verifications of the projects;

Management of Cesvi offices, goods, documentation and procurement

1. Efficient supervision of Cesvi offices
2. Means and goods supervision
3. Managing procurement procedures in collaboration with Country Administrator
4. Supervision of correct filing and conservation of projects’ documentation
5. Supervision and coordination of potential opening of new offices (in coordination with the Desk Officer and Security Manager) if necessary to guarantee operations in the country
6. Supervision the monitoring of field operational offices, proceeding, in accordance with the Project Managers and Administrators, to their organization and ensuring their full operation
7. Supervising administration and application of the Cesvi internal procedures for the Country

Human Resources management

• Supervision and management of expatriate staff, in coordination with the Desk Officer, including supporting them in compliance with the legal framework related to their presence in the country
• Supervision on all local human resources about the contract, ensuring compliance of operations with local employment law including NGO law, tax, employment, Health and Safety, Insurance and any other applicable law. Conduct and record periodical meeting with staff to verify activities implementation, problems and getting solutions
• Ensuring that Cesvi HR policies, terms and conditions are applied
• Organizing and supervising capacity building and development of national staff, in collaboration with the Project Managers
• Taking part in the final session of the selection for expatriate staff, when necessary
• Informing and training local staff through appropriate training courses in the principles set out in the following policies, and all other Policies or formal provisions that will be developed and shared by Cesvi: Human Resources Policy; Cesvi Staff Code of Conduct and Code of Conduct of the destination country (if any); Safeguarding Policies; Policy to Prevent Corruption and Fraud; Cesvi Ethical Code; Conflict resolution and complaints management

Implementation of Safeguarding policies –Adult at risk/Child Safeguarding/PSEA: 

• Ensuring Safeguarding measures are implemented within his area of responsibility;
• Ensuring safeguarding measures are in place and staff, associates and other key stakeholders are made aware of and supported in implementing these measures;
• Ensuring Safeguarding measures are integrated with existing processes and systems (strategic planning, budgeting, recruitment, programme cycle management, performance management, procurement, partner agreements etc.);
• Follow up and address Safeguarding issues appropriately.

Lead in the definition and development of Lebanon Programme strategy

• Contributing to the definition of a Country Strategy Paper in collaboration with the Desk Officer
• Identifying the main intervention sectors, areas and needs in the Country in coordination with the Desk Officer and in collaboration with the Project Managers
• Update of Country Strategy Paper and application of related Recommendations, in coordination with Desk Officer and in collaboration with the Project Managers
• Adhering to the Country Strategic Plan
• Keep regularly informed the HQ on risks regarding the implementation of the country strategy or the need to review the strategy itself
• Develop, in coordination with the Desk Officer, new programme initiatives and actively lead the current emergency operations towards a long/medium term integrated and regional programme
• Support the evaluation of the activities carried out in the country and the capitalization and dissemination of achievements and best practices within Cesvi

Coordination and representation with stakeholders

• Management and coordination of relations with local and international partners, particularly with Alliance 2015 members
• Participating in networking meetings on behalf of Cesvi
• Promoting and organizing meeting with donors, institutions, NGOs, local government and international agencies, in close collaboration with the Project Manager.

Writing and submitting new proposals, donors acquisition

• Monitoring of calls for proposal for Lebanon
• Liaising with potential donors, writing and submitting new proposals in collaboration with the Project Managers
• Donors’ relations and promotion of Cesvi’s Programmes, both through active participation to forums and workshops and through the organization of ad hoc meetings
• Develop new project proposals in the country referring to Cesvi’s sector of specialization and in strict cooperation with the country team through assessments realized both at the national level or in close countries if necessary and requested by HQ.
• Participation and supervision of the entire writing process of project proposals in close collaboration with the Project Managers, under the guidance of the Desk Officer and in coordination with the PCM Advisor.
• Follow up on project proposals submitted to/being negotiated with different donors

Act in accordance with national legislation

• Check and monitor the respect of national legislation regarding registration of Cesvi in Lebanon and any other legal provisions affecting NGOs’ work
• Ensure compliance to local regulations and local labour law.

Security Management

• Guaranteeing the respect of Cesvi Security Plan and other rules and regulations on security, in close collaboration with the Security Advisor
• Having constant contact with the Desk Officer and the Security Advisor to coordinate actions to be undertaken
• Timely information sharing with staff in the country
• Participating actively in security coordination mechanisms present in the Country
• Setting, in coordination with HQ and the Security Advisor, potential rules and regulations to strengthen security for Cesvi staff, means and goods
• Keep communication with key informants, in coordination with Security Advisor

Strengthen and promote Cesvi image in the Country

• Cooperation with the Communication and Fund Raising HQ Offices for all communication, awareness and fundraising activities implemented in and for the country
• In coordination with the Desk Officer and the Communication Department, participate to visibility and communication activities and give interviews in person or by phone
• Send to communication department updates, news or success stories from the field
• Defining the visibility plan for new proposals drafting in coordination with the Communication Department and in close collaboration with the Head of Program and the Desk Officer
• In case of emergencies, prompt sending of pictures and updates, coordination skype calls with HQ and phone interviews with the press
• In collaboration with the Advocacy and Desk Officer, produce and review talking points/policy papers and advocacy material at large.

 In coordination with Desk Officer and HQ team, manage the organization of journalists’ and testimonials’ missions on the field and operational management of missions in the agreed periods.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• University degree or post graduate degree, preferably in economy

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in the NGO environment in management, administration and implementation of programs
• Extensive experience of working within a senior management role within a complex country programme in a recovery and response or fragile state
• Experience of managing multi-donor and multi-site programmes
• Previous experience with the management of Programme based Mission
• Familiarity with the following sectors: livelihood, development of MSMEs - private public partnership or education
• Experience of working in protracted crises
• Knowledge of effective financial and budgetary planning and control, review and evaluation
• Knowledge of main Donors (EU-DEVCO, Italian MFA, UN, etc.)
• Experience of building personal networks at a senior level, resulting in securing new opportunities for the organization
• Excellent project writing skills and capacity to develop policies, plans, and strategies for implementation, if needed
• Ability to produce timely project proposals and high-quality narrative reports
• Proven leadership and management experience with a multi-disciplinary team in a cross-cultural setting, including active mentoring and coaching
• Effective team membership integration ability
• Skills in developing, delivering and evaluating training for staff members
• Good communication and leadership skills
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills
• Strategic thinking and innovation
• Solid diplomatic skills: the ability to manage a variety of internal and external relationships, especially with partners.
• Self-motivated, able to take initiative, resilient and able to work independently.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work cooperatively
• Highly result-oriented with the ability to manage workload and stress
• Flexible and with a positive attitude
• High level of IT skills (Office package)
• Fluency in English (written and spoken)

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS

• Prior professional experience in the Middle East
• Knowledge of Arabic

SAFEGUARDING

Cesvi has a zero-tolerance approach to any harm to, or exploitation of, a child or a vulnerable adult by any of our staff, related persons or partners.
Cesvi commitment to being a safe organization begins with the staff recruitment process which includes meticulous checks, such as criminal records checks or check disclosure of previous convictions, to ensure children and vulnerable people are safeguarded and abuse is prevented. Safeguarding checks are part of the selection process performance.

Please note: due to the high number of applications we receive we are unable to provide feedback if unsuccessful at applicant stage. Only short-listed candidates will be updated on the status of their application.