Expert

Background

With the support of the European Regional Development and Protection Programme for Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq (RDPP II), Oxfam and its partners Legal Agenda (LA) and Lebanese Observatory for Workers and Employees’ Rights (LOWER) are implementing a project titled “Promotion of decent work and sustainable business development in Bekaa, Lebanon.” In addition, the project will work very closely with the My Work, My Rights! Network, an informal group of local Civil Society Organisation (CSOs) that work on advancing decent working conditions in Lebanon.

The project aims to contribute to a decent and economically sustainable business environment for displacement-affected populations in the Bekaa by strengthening the linkage between the local civil society, the business development service (BDS) providers, and the MSMEs in Bekaa.

To achieve this overall objective, the project will implement activities under three main clusters:

• Cluster 1: Empower a local network of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to influence practices and policies related to decent work;
• Cluster 2: Convene an informal network of private business development organizations and professionals with strong decent work capacities in Bekaa;
• Cluster 3: Improve working conditions and accessible decent job opportunities in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Bekaa.

Objective

The main outcome of the required service is to improve working conditions and accessible decent job opportunities in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Bekaa by assessing the decent working conditions and deliver appropriate action plans for improvement accompanied by guidance and awareness. 

Expected Deliverables

• Analyze the decent work data collected through a survey, to identify the primary gaps.
• Review decent work plans of the MSMEs that were submitted.
• Analyze the conditions through an on-site follow-up assessment visit for each MSME (30 – 53), to highlight and plan for any additional violation that could be addressed through the coaching phase.
• For each MSME, and in coordination with the MSME owner, design a road-map (based on the 3 previous steps) to improve working conditions.
  The roadmap is to include support to improving working conditions through coaching actions and awareness sessions and monitoring the improvement based on the identified gaps. (Deliverable 1).
• Deliver mentoring, coaching, and awareness sessions for employers and employees on decent work standards and labor rights and obligations. Sessions should be accompanied by the distribution of the decent work tools developed (know your rights/decent work handbook). (Deliverable 2).
• Track improvements through an endline data collection, benchmarked with baseline data, to assess and report on improvement per MSME. (Deliverable 3)
  • working conditions are deemed to have “improved,” if at least 50% of the gaps identified were improved by the end of the intervention.
• Deliver final report with data and findings (Deliverable 4).

Consultancy duties and responsibilities/scope of work

• Prepare the questionnaire.
• Mentor and guide the team to complete of the 53 questionnaires covering the already identified MSMEs in Bekaa area.
• Lead the assessment field team and prepare the Analysis report on the identified gaps from the collected data.
• Lead the discussions held on the recommended actions that will be included in the action plans for the targeted MSMEs.
• Review the designed action plans based on identified gaps to strengthen decent working conditions & labor rights.
• Support in the coaching held for the MSMEs during the implementation of the approved action plan.
• Support in the preparation of the awareness sessions with the employers, workers, and employees that are aiming at promoting better knowledge on decent working conditions and labor rights.
• Follow the tracking tool for improvements with the baseline data collection tool and complete the endline data.
• Prepare the final report with data and findings.

Qualifications and required expertise

• Advanced university degree in economics, law, public administration, social sciences, development studies, or a related field.

Experience

• Experience in the field of decent working conditions principles, Lebanese legalizations, labor rights, & national social security fund, human rights, and any related field. 
• Previously participated in field surveys, quantitative and qualitative research. 
• Similar experience with NGOs is important.
• Capacity to write analytical reports 
• Experience in holding awareness sessions.
• Media background is a plus.

Timeframe

Timeframe envisioned is between February 1^st,2022, and June 30^th,2022.