National Project Manager, Resilience in Local Governance - Akkar, Lebanon

SKL International is looking for an experienced and results-driven Project Manager to lead the Lebanese component of a three-year project focused on strengthening resilience in local governance. At the moment the project is in an inception phase until August 2018. The project is financed by the Swedish Government as part of its regional support for the Syrian crisis. In Lebanon, the project will work with selected municipalities, Unions of Municipalities and other local actors in the Akkar governorate. The project will be managed by a national team through a local office in Halba, Akkar.

Overall project management is through a Stockholm-based project manager, who will also oversee a Turkish component.

The National Project Manager will be the senior project representative in Lebanon and be responsible for the planning, management, control and oversight of the project. The position will report to the Project Manager in Stockholm. The National Project Manager will work from the office in Halba with frequent travel in the Akkar governorate and on occasion within the country.

The National Project Manager will be responsible for:

- Contributing to overall project conceptualization and methodological approach

- Contributing to planning and reporting in cooperation with Stockholm project manager

- Leading, planning, managing, following up and reporting on project activities in Lebanon.

- This work will also include some budget-related planning and monitoring, although the main budget management responsibility is placed in Stockholm.

- Establishing and managing a local project office in Halba

- Leading and coordinating a small project team in Lebanon

- Identifying and leading local experts and consultants, including contributing to drafting Terms of References

- Supporting international experts and consultants during missions to Lebanon

- Overseeing gender and conflict analyses

- Engaging in dialogue with local and national project stakeholders. This includes leading meetings, workshops, seminars and other forms of consultation.

- Continuously monitoring and reporting on developments in-country, including the national policy and international donor environment, and implications on the effective implementation of the project

- Representing SKL International in meetings, and fostering strong networks and relationships with Lebanese and international stakeholders

- Carrying out other duties and responsibilities as agreed with SKL International. Profile and qualifications

The National Project Manager should be a Lebanese national with the following personal characteristics:

- Be proactive, structured and take responsibility for achieving results

- Have a high degree of initiative and self-motivation, with an ability to identify risks and opportunities and respond accordingly

- Be able to lead, motivate and organise teams as well as contribute as a team member within the SKL International context

- Have high professional and personal integrity

- Own strong analytical abilities

- Demonstrate flexibility, conflict sensitivity and good judgement, and be able to solve issues in consultation with others

- Have excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

The National Project Manager should meet the following formal requirements:

• Relevant academic education, minimum Bachelor´s degree, or practical experience proven to be equivalent.

• Minimum 5 years’ experience of project management and team leadership in an international development and/or local/regional government context.

• Experience from working with local governance and institutional systems development

• Proven experience of applying results-based management in project contexts´

• Proven experience of leading and managing teams

• Proven experience of applying gender and conflict analysis in project management

• Strong verbal and written command of English and in Arabic, French being an asset. Additional aspects considered a strong merit for the position include experience of working with:

• International development cooperation – for example, through consultancy work, foreign missions, international organisation or comparable institutions/organisations

• Subject areas such as municipal service delivery, organisational development, leadership & management, local economic development, strategic planning, gender, social stability issues, community mobilisation, citizen participation

• Experience working in Akkar.

The assignment is expected to start in April 2018. The National Project Manager will be engaged as a full-time consultant through a consulting contract. The contract will initially be until 31 August 2018 but is expected to be extended to 31 December 2020 subject to the Swedish Government’s approval of the project financing.