Project Director, Lebanon Reforestation Initiative

 
Management and Engineering Technologies International, Inc. (METI), in collaboration with the US Forest Service, as a part of the US Agency for International Development’s bilateral programs in Lebanon, seeks a full-time project director to manage the Lebanon Reforestation Program from its offices in Beirut. As the project enters its second phase, the new director will help to orient the program toward broader community engagement and integration with the Lebanese private sector to leverage the socio-economic gains associated with reforestation.
 
Background
 
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Forest Service (USFS) jointly established the Lebanon Reforestation Initiative in 2010 to provide technical assistance and institutional support on sustainable forestry practices and wildfire management in economically depressed and environmentally degraded regions of Lebanon. The four-year, $11.9 million project, concluded in June 2015, introduced new technical practices and standards for native tree nursery production, assisted local communities throughout the country to restore communal forest lands, established the first web-based platform in Lebanon of reforestation and related biophysical data for reforestation practitioners, and introduced advanced reforestation and wildfire management practices to ensure sustainable landscape restoration.
 
The project has transformed the way native trees are grown in Lebanon and resulted in the planting of more than half-a-million trees, including cedar, pine, juniper, oak and many other native species, with survival rates after several planting seasons of more than 70-90% (from a previous average of about 25%). Notably, diverse sectarian communities in various parts of Lebanon – including Christian, Druze, Shia, Sunni and others of mixed denominations – have engaged with one another under the project to realize large-scale community tree planting that strengthens their communities, sharing best practices in the protection of native tree forests. Inter-community reforestation efforts bringing together neighboring Christian and Muslim communities in the Bekaa Valley have shown the powerful impact that can be realized through tree planting to support natural resource and watershed protection for vulnerable and underserved local populations. Perhaps just as important, such nonpolitical efforts improve livelihoods and promote stability for communities and regions previously torn apart by sectarian conflict and facing the increasing pressures of the Syrian refugee crisis.
 
With support and cooperation from USAID, the US Forest Service launched a second phase of LRI in July, 2015. This three-year effort will replicate the impact of LRI’s community-led landscape restoration by engaging communities in participatory reforestation, “twinning” with neighboring communities, and capacity building of civil society and municipalities. The second phase also aims to solidify institutions and financing necessary to sustain reforestation efforts in the future by working more closely with the private sector. While landscape-scale reforestation will remain the main entry point for the project, this second phase will aim to leverage the program’s socio-economic co-benefits, focusing on underserved areas of the country and in diverse sectarian communities, especially those hit hardest by the Syrian refugee crisis.  
 
Requirements
 

Experience managing USAID projects overseas, experience in the Lebanon or the Middle East preferred
Experience in community outreach and mobilization, and civil society strengthening
Experience in marketing, public relations, and/or communications desired
Experience in natural resources and forestry desired
Excellent communication and representation skills
English fluency required. Arabic and/or French fluency preferred
Proven ability to work well with multi-level stakeholders; strong interpersonal skills
Familiarity with USFS and USAID policies and procedures
Demonstrated leadership and management skills

 
Duties
The Project Director will manage LRI duties in the Beirut office in coordination with Washington, DC. As such, the Project Director will oversee implementation of activities with the LRI including outreach to target communities throughout Lebanon as well as the private sector, community relationship and program development, and technical activities including nursery/seed establishment, mapping and data services, and tree planting protocols.
The Project Director will report to the US Forest Service Africa and Middle East Region Program Coordinator and will plan, direct, coordinate, and control the financial and logistical management of the initiative in Beirut. The Project Director will advise and manage up to ten staff members in Beirut and partner with the Washington office, USAID, Lebanese governmental and non-governmental institutions, and local communities. The ability to efficiently plan, track, monitor, report, and communicate progress to all interested parties is essential.
The Project Director will travel to Washington, DC to meet with the USFS/IP Africa and Middle East team to consult on the initiative as necessary.  
 
 
Responsibilities
 
Responsibilities of the Project Director include, but are not limited to:
 

Provide strategic direction for community outreach and mobilization, private sector integration and fundraising, forest nursery development, reforestation, conservation, and sustainable financing
Provide reporting and program implementation information on a regular basis to USFS/IP Washington, USAID Lebanon, and local partners
Finalize work plans, budgets, and monitoring and evaluation frameworks
Hire and supervise personnel, both local hires, visitors, and short-term consultants as needed to implement program activities within Lebanon
Organize technical assistance missions for USFS/IP and USAID experts in support of program goals
Provide technical and logistical support to short-term USFS/IP detailers on technical assistance missions to Lebanon
Collaborate on reforestation activities with relevant international and local NGOs, GoL institutions, and donors

 
Oversight and Reporting:     The Project Director shall report to the Africa and Middle East Program Coordinator at the USFS/IP Middle East office and provide regular evaluation and guidance.
 
Location of Work: Beirut, Lebanon
 The successful applicant will be hired through a contractor.
Interested candidates should send a resume and letter of interest to the HR Department at METI to [email protected] with Lebanon Director in the subject line. METI is an Equal Opportunity Employer: M/F/V/D www.meticorp.com