Background/IRC Summary:
Background/IRC Summary: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.
Job Overview/Summary:
The Economic Recovery and Development (ERD) Coordinator will provide overall strategic direction for the IRC program in Lebanon. This role will manage continued growth, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of livelihoods and basic needs programs in Lebanon. The portfolio includes direct implementation alongside proactively continue to expand partnerships with Lebanese NGOs, private sector and governmental bodies in accordance with IRC Lebanon ERD strategy. The IRC’s ERD programming relies on a market-based approaches to the greatest extent possible. Main interventions include: job counselling, employment support and market-based skills training, conditional and unconditional cash assistance, and micro-enterprise and private sector development services. The ERD Coordinator will thus ensure continued relevance of these services to the evolving context in Lebanon and lead on required program adaption and integration of complementary activities to ensure basic needs and food security are met and clients are assisted in accessing livelihoods opportunities.
Working closely with the Deputy Director for Programs and other Sector Leads, the ERD Coordinator will oversee the implementation, adaptation, and growth of the ERD portfolio in line with the country IRC Lebanon Strategic Action Plan. The ERD Coordinator will have a strong emphasis on program development, management and implementation, team management, capacity building of staff, and technical support to partners to ensure successful and high-quality implementation of programmatic activities. The ERD Coordinator will also represent IRC in technical working groups and relevant external fora.
Major Responsibilities:
Program Management, Technical Quality, and Strategy
• Provide strategic direction, leadership and overall technical and management support to basic needs and livelihoods programming in Lebanon, ensuring it is needs-based, context-appropriate, responsive and operationally feasible
• Ensure smooth management, implementation and integration of project work plans and budgets (budget forecasting, development of spending plans and budget follow-up), ensuring best use of resources across activities
• Ensure projects and activities are of high technical quality, meet sector standards, mainstream protection, align with IRC’s quality frameworks, contextually adapted to current economic and market realities, and respond to community and monitoring feedback
• Routinely plan for and facilitate programmatic data reviews with ERD team and TU to identify successes, challenges, and make data-driven changes and programmatic improvements throughout the project lifecycle
• Remain apprised of all relevant changes to national policies, economic fluctuations, political developments, and any other changes to context that impacts IRC’s staff and clients, and plan for/oversee any required programmatic adaptations to ensure ERD programs support clients’ basic needs and food security are met and livelihoods are supported.
• Ensure that all internal and external reporting requirements are met, that reports are of a high quality and are submitted on time
• Ensure timely procurement of supplies and materials and cash payments to clients in compliance with donor and IRC rules and regulations through timely planning, specifications development and collaborative relations with Supply Chain and Finance colleagues
• Proactively identify, assess, monitor and implement measures to reduce or control risks that may impact program delivery, quality or compliance
• Engage and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders and coordination structures and locally including NGO, UN, technical and government actors
Program Development
• Proactively continue to grow the ERD portfolio through development of concept notes and proposals to existing and new donors, maintaining a coherent ERD strategy across IRC’s areas of intervention in Lebanon, and designed in line with IRC’s global Outcomes and Evidence Framework (OEF) and theories of change.
• Support the identification of opportunities for ERD programming initiatives in support of service delivery and/or through leadership in collaboration with country program senior management, business development staff and TU advisors.
• Proactively engage with Sector Leads to identify opportunities and jointly collaborate in the design of cross-sector opportunities that enhance program integration
• Collaborate with existing and new national partners (government, NGO, and private sector) on the identification of business development opportunities, and the design of new interventions.
• Responsible for maintaining an up-to-date database of private sector stakeholders, growth sectors, and opportunities for employment/entrepreneurship to be utilized for partner outreach and input into the design of new proposals
• In collaboration with the MEAL team, support ERD staff to develop relevant monitoring tools and adapt them to context.
Staff Performance Management, Learning & Development
• Plan, organize, recruit, supervise and develop the team and individuals needed to achieve program goals and maximize national ownership and leadership
• Hire, supervise, and build the capacity of ERD team members in relevant technical and management competencies.
• Coach, train, supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting annual performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
• Approve and manage all time, attendance and leave requests to ensure adequate departmental coverage; ensure monthly, accurate timesheet submission and carry out probationary reviews.
• Hold high-quality meetings with direct reports on a regular and predictable basis,
• As required identify staff performance issues and work with Human Resources to document and address these in accordance with the National Staff Employment Policies.
• Promote and monitor staff care and well-being. Model healthy work-life balance practices. Support appropriate interventions for staff care needs for national and international staff.
• Look for opportunities to support staff in their career growth, where appropriate.
• Anticipate, plan and manage programmatic and structural transitions.
• Adhere to and act in accordance with the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures and communicates through word and example a high standard of compliance with all applicable policies and regulations.
Research, Learning and Analysis
• Lead ERD assessments and context-appropriate research aimed at generating a strong evidence base for IRC Economic Wellbeing programming, as well as informing IRC advocacy.
• Support the greater sharing and use of research and learning within IRC’s program sectors, including by contributing to program development and design, to ensure interventions are responsive to needs and informed by a sound understanding of the environment(s) in Lebanon.
• Identify, monitor and report unmet needs. Explore the potential of the IRC to address those needs within the parameters of the Strategic Action Plan and sector priorities.
Coordination & Representation
• As needed and in coordination with other sector leads and country program management, represents IRC in inter-agency forums and discussions.
• Regularly coordinate with internal program and operational stakeholders, the Economic Recovery and Development and other IRC partners.
• Participate in relevant working groups both within and outside of the humanitarian coordination system
• Attend relevant donor meetings and present on ERD activities
• Lead responsibility for the strategic development and maintenance of partner relationships with Lebanese organizations.
Partner Management
• Works closely with the IRC's Partnerships Unit to ensure the IRC's Partnership Strategic objectives are achieved
• Oversees IRC's relationship with implementing partners
• Ensures regular performance monitoring of partners to achieve the set project's objectives; provide technical support and guidance as needed.
• Working closely with the IRC's Partnerships Unit and the relevant ERD Managers, drafts and/or reviews the ERD's annual Partnerships Strategy, Stakeholders Analysis, identifying, when needed, strategic partners to jointly achieve economic well-being outcomes for vulnerable populations
• Takes part in periodic Partnerships meetings, such as the Partnerships Working Group and/or Partnerships Review meetings
Kev Working Relationships:
Position Reports to: Deputy Director for Programs
Position directly supervises: Senior Livelihoods Manager, Conditional Cash Manager, Senior Program Support Officer, Senior Officer for Microenterprise Support Program, Senior Officer for M&E
Other Internal and/or external contacts:
Internal: Grants Department, ERD Technical Unit, Supply Chain, Finance, HR, Research Evaluation and Learning Technical Unit
External: Basic Assistance Working Group, Livelihoods Working Group, peer and partner agencies, donors
Job Requirements:
Education:
• BA/BS Degree in international development, economics, business or related field, and/or related certification required; MA/MS a plus.
Work Experience:
• Minimum of 5 years professional experience in humanitarian response, preferably with specific experience in market-based approaches and economic recovery and development.
• Demonstrated experience managing large teams, preferably across multiple project sites.
• Prior experience working in emergency settings or insecure environments preferred.
• Prior experience leading food security and/or cash and voucher programming preferred.
• Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:
• Strong technical and budget management skills, planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation skills Strong written and oral communication skills, effective in representation and liaison with external parties.
• INGO experience required; private sector experience desirable.
• Must be capable of applying their skills and knowledge in a range of capacities, including direct implementation, advisory functions, training and the transfer of technical knowledge and management skills to others.
• Personal qualities: Works well in and promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure well.
Language Skills:
• Fluency in English required, Arabic a distinct advantage.
This vacancy is archived.