AUB NGOi | AACSOD Regional Expert Consultants Call for Applications

ABOUT AUB NGOi

The Non-Governmental Organizations Initiative (NGOi) is an initiative of the American University of Beirut (AUB) that provides different bespoke services focused on development, institutional strengthening and capacity building to the NGO sector in the Middle East and North Africa Region.

ABOUT AACSOD

The Arab Alliance for CSO Development (AACSOD – أقصد)  is a 5-year flagship program established by NGOi in partnership with the Ford Foundation and the Asfari Foundation to provide services to civil society organizations (CSOs) in the Arab World. These services include tailored organizational development, capacity building, institutional strengthening, contextualization & arabization, knowledge sharing, and organizational certification.

Each year, three countries from the Arab World will be adopted for AACSOD implementation. In each of these three countries, five CSOs will be selected to receive the services of AACSOD and ideally reach its organizational targets through performance improvement and strengthened internal capacities. The selected CSOs will be enrolled in an organizational development track/process through which, several performance improvement planning sessions, and monitoring and evaluation visits take place.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for experienced professionals in the NGO field to serve as Regional Expert Consultants with AACSOD.

About the Role

The AACSOD Regional Expert Consultant will be responsible to oversee country-specific AACSOD operations. The Expert is expected to engage with the National Experts who will be assigned to work on organizational development and improvement with CSOs in the respective country assigned to the Regional Expert. The Regional Expert’s scope of work includes monitoring the performance of the National Expert, reporting any detected gaps in operations to the NGOi core team, and conducting systematic quality assurance checks. 

AACSOD National Experts and CSOs selected in the country assigned to the Regional Expert are expected to report to the Regional Expert, and resort to the latter in case of any conflict or concern. The Regional Expert is expected to report to the NGOi core team. 

Note: This is not a full-time position; the selected expert will enter into a consultancy agreement with the AUB Global Health Institute. The position may require travel (travel expenses will be covered by AUB NGOi).

Responsibilities

• The responsibilities of the Regional Expert include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Ensuring timelines are met with regards to the organizational development and institutional strengthening process in their country of assignment including deadlines for documents submissions by CSO, site visits scheduling and completion, and other relevant or required activities
• Reviewing and conducting quality assurance on visit reports, progress reports, evaluation reports, and others
• Conducting systematic audit visits for quality and compliance checks
• Resolving any arising conflict between the national experts and assigned CSOs
• Reporting to the NGOi Core Team on progress and issues in the assigned country through narrative country-specific progress reports
   

Required Skills and Experience 

• At least 5 years of experience in NGO management, project management, capacity building, consulting, organizational development, or other relevant fields
• Previous experience in working in Algeria, Qatar, or Kurdistan is a plus
• Understanding of the scope of operations of NGOs in the MENA region generally, and in Algeria, Qatar, or Kurdistan particularly as well as related policies, regulations, and laws
• Ability to work as part of a diverse team
• Excellent English and/or Arabic writing and communication skills, and the ability to present information logically and concisely. French language is a plus.