Field Research Coordinator

All NRC employees are expected to work in accordance with the organization’s core values: dedication, innovation, inclusivity and accountability. These attitudes shall guide our actions and relationships. 

1. Role and responsibilities

CAMEALEON is an NGO led network conducting independent research and analysis of the World Food Programme’s multi-purpose cash (MPC) programme. It is part of an innovative donor-agency approach to delivering assistance to Syrian refugees in Lebanon. CAMEALEON began in December 2017 and is co-managed by NRC (grant holder), Oxfam and Solidarités International.

The CAMEALEON Field Coordinator will be responsible for supporting CAMEALEON’s research agenda through working with the team to develop relevant research concepts and methodologies, field level data collection and beneficiary engagement; community engagement through coordination with local actors, (L)NGOs, UN agencies and sector working groups; and by faciliting partner field research. This role and the team it manages is the primary mechanism for community consultation in order to collect feedback and evidence to inform CAMEALEON’s analysis and to make recommendations to the Steering Committee. 

Generic responsibilities

1. Coordinate and implement the CAMEALEON project according to strategy, proposals and plans;
2. Ensure adherence to NRC policies and donor requirements;
3. Develop annual activity and work plans;
4. Supervise, train and develop the field team;
5. Promote and share ideas for improvement and necessary changes in the activities;
6. Cooperate with relevant partners and local authorities;
7. Organize trainings for the field team, relevant partners and beneficiaries;
8. Write regular (monthly) activity and monitoring reports, as well as other reporting as required.

Specific responsibilities  

1. Ensure protection mainstreaming of all field activities, including considerations for people with special needs (e.g. women, disabled, elderly, children);
2. Plan and oversee field level activities while directly supervising the officers and working on their capacity building.
3. Provide support, guidance, and serve as focal point during project planning and reporting;
4. Support partners to conduct field research, such as with field coordination of data collection activities;
5. Collect feedback on the multi-purpose cash programme from Syrian refugees and other key stakeholders (e.g., key informant interviews, focus group discussion, market monitoring, and visits to beneficiary sites);
6. Identify monitoring and research needs and support the development of terms of references
7. Build relationships with consortium organisations and cash actors across the Bekaa;
8. Attend Basic Assistance and other sector coordination meetings as relevant (e.g. protection);
9. Identify and monitor risks, constraints, technical issues and escalate issues related to cash based on evaluations, field visits and periodic reports for timely leadership action;
10. Keep Beirut-based team informed and updated on activities, trends and beneficiary feedback.

Critical interfaces

By interfaces, NRC means processes and projects that are interlinked with other departments/units or persons. Relevant interfaces for this position are:

• Managed by Cash Specialist
• Manages Field Officers
• Regular collaboration with the MEAL Coordinator and IM Coordinator regarding data collection and the safe housing of data

1. Competencies

Competencies are important in order for the employee and the organisation to deliver desired results. They are relevant for all staff and are divided into the following two categories:

 1. Professional competencies

Generic professional competencies for this position:

• Bachelor degree in related or relevant field
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Applications including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
• At least 3 years of experience in working with communities in humanitarian or development contexts
• Strong communication, coordination, representative and interpersonal skills (verbal and written)
• Commitment to a rights-based approach, gender equality and protection
• Previous experience from working in complex contexts
• Ability to mediate in high-stress scenarios with competing interests
• Experience managing teams and working in team settings
• Fluency in English and Arabic, both written and verbal

Context/Specific skills, knowledge and experience:

• Good knowledge of developing and implementing monitoring systems to track the effectiveness of programmes
• Experience working with cash-based assistance is desirable
• Experience in building the capacity of the team internally
• Proven team leadership and ability to work independently as required
• Experience in using participatory research and assessment methodologies
• Experience with field level data collection
• Good understanding of protection and protection mainstreaming
• Excellent understanding of local context

2. Behavioral competencies (max 6)

These are personal qualities that influence how successful people are in their job. The following are essential for this position:

• Planning and delivering results
• Influencing
• Handling insecure enviroments
• Managing performance and development
• Empowering and building trust
• Communicating with impact and respect