Grievance Redressal Officer

Program Background

The Government of Lebanon, with support from the international community, is implementing the Reaching All Children with Education (RACE) initiative. First launched in 2013, RACE seeks to improve access to formal education for 460,000 Syrian refugee children and underprivileged Lebanese children in the country. Efforts under this new phase of RACE 2 are expected to minimize the short and medium-term costs of displacement for refugee families, while strengthening the long-term capacity of the Lebanese education system to prepare children for life and work once regional stability returns. MEHE, with the support of CERD, is responsible for implementing the S2R2 program.

Program Objectives

The Program Development Objective is to promote equitable access, enhance quality of learning, and strengthen the systems in Lebanon’s education sector in response to the protracted refugee crisis. The key results are as follows:

1. Increase in the proportion of school-aged Lebanese and non-Lebanese children (3–18) enrolled in formal education;
2. Increase in the proportion of students passing their grades, and transitioning to the next; and
3. Improvement in MEHE’s capacity to review, evaluate, and update Program implementation.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the S2R2 Program, the Center for Educational Research and Development (CERD) is looking for a Grievance Redressal Officer. Below are the main tasks and responsibilities:

1. Undertake a needs assessment for the Grievance Redressal Mechanism (GRM) and make recommendations on the management and structure of this new function.
2. Support in the development of a management system for categorizing grievances, together with clear workflows for processing complaints, to ensure complaints are forwarded to the appropriate members of staff, are followed up in a timely manner, and that all actions are logged formally.
3. Support in managing complaints and making sure they are directed to the right entities within CERD and that complainants get answers.
4. Advise and support in the development of a proposal for a fully-fledged digital information management system, including internal workflows, processes, follow up and reporting for discussion by the S2R2 Steering Committee.
5. Support the development of this system once approval has been obtained.
6. Co-construct and develop a medium-term action plan for the development of the GRMs, for inclusion in CERD’s broader action plans under S2R2. This will include an assessment of all resources needed to develop and rollout the GRMs.
7. Develop and implement a capacity building plan for relevant staff who are responsible for answering calls to the hotline and for processing complaints.
8. Raise public awareness and deliver training sessions as required to support this plan, and the rollout of the GRM approach.
9. Develop a communication plan to ensure the GRMs are widely publicized within CERD headquarters and regional centers as well as in schools and public communities, while emphasizing confidentiality.
10. Develop the relevant periodical GRM reports.
11. Coordinate with the MEHE to ensure that the processes and forms used in collecting information, responding to complainants, disseminating and educating potential complainants about the GRM, and analyzing and reporting on grievances and their resolution are compatible.
12. Perform other tasks related to the program objectives as assigned by CERD President or S2R2 Steering Committee.

Previous Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of experience working on development projects handling project monitoring or tracking of complaints.
• Proven experience with the education public sector is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in, knowledge of, and agility with new management information systems in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment.
• Experience coordinating with multi-sectoral teams and following up even if not in a position of authority.

Behavioral Skills      

• Strong inter-personal skills and ability to resolve conflict.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical and presentation skills.
• Ability to prioritize workloads, cope with pressure and mitigate challenges.
• Ability to convey complex information in a structured manner.
• Ability to get along with co-workers and deal with the general public tactfully, courteously and professionally.
• Outstanding project management and organization skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and properly handle sensitive data.

Technical and Computer Skills

• Strong knowledge of the Lebanese Education Sector.
• Strong capacity building and coaching skills.
• Effective knowledge and use of technology.