Project Coordinator

About Assabil:

Assabil is a non-governmental organization founded in 1997 to promote reading and free access to culture. By creating public libraries as non-sectarian and open spaces for cultural exchange and providing access to information and reading, Assabil filled a void in postwar Lebanon.

The 1998 municipal elections prompted Assabil to organize a national conference the following year to lobby for public reading and the creation of libraries in municipalities all over Lebanon – and to launch an effort to create a network of public libraries in the country.

In cooperation with Ile-de-France Region, Assabil reached a historic agreement with the Municipality of Beirut to establish a network of municipal public libraries. The first municipal public library of Beirut opened its doors in 2000 in Bachoura. It is surrounded by approximately 20 public schools that are located within a 10-minute walking distance. Assabil has also opened libraries in Geitawi (2004) and Monot (2008) and launched a mobile library in 2008 to serve primarily public schools and non-formal education centers in remote areas.

What We Do

We welcome people of all ages, religions, and socio-economic and educational backgrounds to enjoy our services that include:

• Free access to the three municipal public libraries of Beirut
• A network of 20 public libraries all around Lebanon
• Community outreach through a mobile library that visits public schools and NGOs serving underprivileged children
• Regular cultural and educational activities in Beirut
• Resource material and activity toolkits targeting librarians and educators
• A Resource and Training Center for professionals in public libraries, schools, cultural centers, and community-based organizations 
• Consultancy services for individuals and entities interested in establishing libraries 
• Context

The current patchwork of crises in Lebanon particularly affects Lebanese youth, limiting them from getting an education and jeopardizing their future. The economic crisis and the reduction in household purchasing power has led many young people to drop out of school, as they can no longer afford to pay school fees and books, and most of them have started working, mostly informally, to help support their households. UNICEF's Searching for Hope report indicates that 3 out of 10 young people have dropped out of school completely. Faced with the lack of prospects, young Lebanese prefer to leave the country, as explained by Suzanne Menhem, a researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences at the Lebanese University, who conducted a survey of 1,023 young people aged between 18 and 29. The survey revealed that 75.6% of young people surveyed wanted to leave Lebanon.

In such a context, the present project, funded by Secours Catholique – Caritas France (SCCF), aims to develop and implement an innovative and transferable model for strengthening local solidarity actors in a complex crisis context. This objective will be pursued through the support of six Lebanese organisations in the pursuit and consolidation of their respective actions in favour of education and youth. This support will lead to the implementation and testing of a multi-actor cooperation framework.

• Their involvement in education and youth ;
• Their commitment to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence;
• Their interest in the project and the multi-stakeholder framework it proposes;
• Their needs in terms of financial support and organisational and/or technical assistance;
• Their ability and willingness to be clearly and transparently accountable for the resources they will receive from the project;
• Their ability to continue in the communities they are assisting after this first pilot phase of the project in the event that funding from the SCCF ceases.

General description of the role of the Project Coordinator

The Project Coordinator facilitates the implementation and monitoring of the different components of the project's activities as well as the animation of the network dynamics taking place within its framework, for the indiscriminate benefit of all partners involved.

• He/she is responsible for the proper implementation of the different components of the project as well as for the coherence of their articulation. He/she ensures that the project pursues the objectives set for it in compliance with the requirements of its logical framework, its timetable and its budget. He/she supervises the operational implementation of the project in close coordination with the SCCF project officers, the Steering Committee (SC) members, the Project Focal Points and the training providers contributing to the technical and organisational support of the partner organisations.
• He/she contributes to the strategic thinking that accompanies the project throughout its implementation, in close coordination with the Steering Committee and the Project Focal Points.
• He/she reports on the progress of the project to all the members of the SC and keeps them informed of any difficulties that the project might encounter during its implementation.
• He/she ensures the proper allocation of the project's financial resources, in particular through close and continuous monitoring of its budget consumption and the implementation of a due diligence system.
• He/she ensures that the project is accountable to the SCCF as a donor organisation, but also to the partner organisations and the beneficiary communities.
• He/she ensures the development and proper application of a cross-cutting Do No Harm policy covering all aspects and stages of project implementation.
• He/she supervises the collection of data to inform the progress of the project and its impact on partner organisations and beneficiary communities.
• He/she leads the project reporting process by coordinating the drafting of the project's narrative and financial reports according to the set deadlines.
• He/she supports the process of learning and capitalising on the lessons learned and good practices of the project in order to strengthen the model proposed by the project.
• He/she participates in the dissemination of the key messages advocated by the project, particularly with regard to the localisation of humanitarian aid and development issues.
• He/she participates in the identification and/or solicitation of donors interested in the model and methodology advocated by the project in order to obtain funding or co-financing to extend the project in Lebanon.
• He/she is responsible for coordinating and liaising with relevant actors in Lebanon (national and local authorities; other humanitarian and development actors; civil society representatives).

The Project Coordinator bases his/her work on the following strategic documents

• The project presentation form;
• The Terms of Reference of the SC of the project.

General description of the tasks of the Project Coordinator

In the framework of this first pilot phase of the project (October 2022 - June 2024), the Project Coordinator will accompany the proper implementation of the activities planned within its framework in accordance with humanitarian principles and in a spirit of innovation, inclusion, horizontality, reciprocity, accountability and learning.

To this end, the Project Coordinator acts as a strategic and operational link between the SCCF and the project partner organisations, between the project stakeholders based in France and those based in Lebanon.

More specifically, the Project Coordinator will be assigned the following tasks

1. Coordination of the implementation of the different project components in an articulated and strategic manner

• Support for the preliminary implementation phase of the project
  • Development and finalisation of missing key project documents (relevant documents: timeline, Do No Harm cross-cutting strategy, MEAL plan, key messages document, budget monitoring tool) .
  • Support to the final review of the concept notes developed by the project partner organisations.
  • Identification and implementation of project feedback mechanisms based on ASSABIL mechanisms.

• Supervision and facilitation of the award of project support to project partner organisations
  • Validation of the amounts of the support awarded to the partner organisations on the basis of their respective activity proposals.
  • Facilitation of the procurement aspects for the partner organisations to implement their projects, with the support of ASSABIL Purchase Officer.
  • Development and implementation of a monitoring and accountability system for the use of grants awarded by partner organisations.

• Supervision and facilitation of the technical and organisational support of the project's partner organisations
  • Validation of the amounts of the support awarded to the partner organisations on the basis of their respective activity proposals.
  • Carrying out a diagnosis of each partner organisation (in the form of a self-diagnosis) in order to identify the support needs of each of them.
  • Co-development (with partner organisations) of personalised technical and organisational support plans.
  • Personalised support for partner organisations on the basis of the plans developed through the organisation of training, workshops and the development of appropriate tools and procedures (possible use of external service providers).

• Establishment and animation of a multi-actor cooperation framework allowing the coordination of actions enabled by the project and the emergence of mutual learning dynamics

• Organisation and facilitation of meetings, exchanges and visits between the different partner organisations of the project.
• Facilitation of the exchange of information, resources, data and good practice between the different partner organisations of the project.   

• Documentation of good practices and lessons learned identified during the implementation of the project
  • Development of a framework document and action plan to identify lessons learned and good practices throughout the project implementation period, involving partner organisations in a horizontal way.
  • Development of a final deliverable containing all lessons learned and best practices in a clear, concise and educational way.
  • Support to the dissemination of the recommendations contained in the final deliverable to the different clusters and relevant external actors (donors; think-tanks; humanitarian and development organisations).

• Support for the closure phase of the project
  • Supporting initiatives in the implementation of their respective exit strategies.
  • Participation in the recruitment process of the external agency/consultant in charge of conducting the final evaluation of the project.
  • Production of a toolkit on the project intervention methodology.

• Raising awareness of the project's partner organisations of the requirements of its governance framework and assisting them in fulfilling their commitments to the SCCF (particularly in terms of data collection and narrative and financial reporting).

1. Proactive participation in the good governance of the project throughout its implementation

• Facilitation of the work of the SC

• Organisation and facilitation of quarterly SC meetings.
• Organisation and facilitation of additional SC meetings convened on an ad hoc basis if and when deemed necessary.
• Presentation of the progress of the project to the members of the SC and possible obstacles encountered for possible collective decisions.
• Sharing of minutes of meetings and decisions taken

• Facilitation of the link and coordination between the different decision-making and implementing bodies of the programme and the partner organisations

• Supporting partner organisations in fulfilling their commitments to the SCCF (including do no harm, data collection and narrative and financial reporting).
• Drafting and sharing of narrative, financial and MEAL reports with the SCCF according to the project's timetable.
• Updating of key project documents (e.g. timetable, budget) in case of strategic adjustment (previously approved by the SC).

• Systematic and vigilant implementation of cross-cutting issues to ensure quality/accountability of activities

• Ensure the implementation and respect of the Do No Harm strategy, integrating the following cross-cutting elements: gender, protection of the most vulnerable, protection of the environment, promotion of the resilience of beneficiary communities, respect for humanitarian principles, participatory and horizontal nature of the project's decision-making processes, beneficiary accountability, coordination with the authorities and other actors in the sector.
• Follow the procedures to ensure the proper allocation of project resources (accountability and financial transparency).

Profile required

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in coordinating humanitarian and/or development projects required.
• Technical expertise in formal and/or informal education issues is highly desirable.
• MEAL experience is highly desirable, including learning and capitalisation processes.
• Proven experience in project reporting (narrative and financial).
• Experience in facilitating networks and/or multi-stakeholder implementation frameworks preferred.
• Demonstrated interest in issues related to the localisation of humanitarian aid and innovative learning approaches.
• Fluency in Levantine Arabic and English at a minimum, French is a plus.
• Proficiency in the use of MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) as well as web conferencing applications and information management systems.
• Autonomy, organisation and proactivity, ability to manage several priorities at once.
• Diplomatic spirit, ability to cooperate with different types of actors in a spirit of transparency and horizontality.  

 Application process

Please send your application (cover letter and resume) to [email protected]

Application deadline: January 29^th 2023.

Only short-listed applicants will receive a reply