Senior Project Officer

About Oxfam

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

Oxfam GB is a member of the international confederation Oxfam.

Our Team

Oxfam in Lebanon is responding to the Beirut explosion with a two-phased response; first line emergency aid for the first 3-6 months, aimed at the most vulnerable groups in the city such as LGBTQ communities, refugees, migrant workers, GBV survivors and the extreme poor. This phase will be followed by recovery and rehabilitation work, with strong civil society and advocacy components, and support to small businesses (SMEs), for the remaining 9 – 12 months. The response will be largely implemented with partners, with some temporary cash assistance provided directly by Oxfam.

Under the guidance of the Oxfam Projects Manager, the Senior Project Officer will work with a range of local actors who partner with Oxfam, on the day to day implementation and follow up on agreed activities as part of the Beirut explosion response.

The dedicated team consists of a Response Coordinator who is the lead in strategic coordination, donor liaison, affiliate and regional office links; sector engagement and oversight of the different components of the response and recovery strategy. The other key role is that of  Projects Manager who is responsible for the relationship building and engagement with all local civil society partners, including the capacity and organisational strengthening components, liaising with support functions such as  Finance and Logistics and MEAL to ensure the timely implementation, monitoring, reporting and follow up of all project activities undertaken by partners with a focus on programme quality, principled partnering practice, learning and impact; managing risk safely; adherence to sector standards and guidance and alignment to country and response strategies.

Job Purpose

The Senior Project Officer works within the Beirut Response Pillar of Oxfam’s Country Program, and will be based in Beirut. The purpose of the role is to provide technical support to the partners in the implementation of their projects. The role will involve regular liaison, communication and coordination (both internally and externally) with local civil society actors and a range of functions within Oxfam. The role will include guiding established and new partners through the project management cycle to ensure quality assurance of partner deliverables; timely and accurate monitoring and reporting; budget planning and expenditure monitoring; support in risk management; alignment to sector guidance and standards; and support in documenting impact (through case studies), and learning.

Core Details:

Location: Beirut

Internal Grade: D1

Job Family: Programme

This role reports to: Project Manager, with matrix management/ technical support from the Response Coordinator who are based in Beirut

Staff reporting to this post: None

Annual budget for the post: No direct budget holder responsibility but contribute to budget planning and monitoring.

Key relationships/interactions: Project Manager, Response Coordinator, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Officer, Support Function (Logs, Finance and HR Manager) and Sectoral Advisors

Screening checks: All successful candidates will be screened through Refinitiv World-Check One to comply with counter terrorism and financial sanctions regulations.

Key Responsibilities

Project Quality Management:

• Promote monitoring, evaluation and programme quality, by supporting the MEAL Officer with the design and adaptation of monitoring frameworks, monitoring tools;
• Review and follow-up on findings of monitoring activities, support learning reviews and evaluations, ensuring that learning from monitoring and evaluation informs continuous quality improvement of Oxfam’s humanitarian programme;
• Contribute to donor reporting, ensuring that learning and adaptations are reflected, and review project reports submitted by partners, and provide feedback for continuous improvement.
• Contribute to situation reports (sitreps), and other internal and external reports, as needed.
• Regularly support to partner staff in the delivery of training sessions in field activities, monitor quality and ensure continuous quality improvement and documentation of lessons learned;

Working with Partners

Under the supervision of the Project Manager, support partners to:

• Develop project workplans and regularly monitor work plans
• Develop and monitor supply/procurement plans
• Carryout budget revisions and spending forecasts, so as to ensure that project implementation is in line with Oxfam’s quality and accountability standards, donor requirements and sector standards;
• Monitor and ensure timely review and adherence to the workplans;
• Ensure that partners’ activities are implemented in line with Oxfam’s safe programming approach to ensure no harm is inflicted on communities we work with, partners and Oxfam;
• Support the engagement of partners in the design of projects, analysis reports, monitoring and evaluation activities.;
• Support in the assessment of partners’ capacity and develop capacity development plan;
• Support partners in participating actively and meaningfully in coordination mechanisms and other inter-agency coordination platforms, within the context of Beirut Response.

Project Reporting and Documentation

• In coordination with the Projects Manager and Advisors, ensure timely reporting by partners to Oxfam, in line with donor and sector guidelines;
• Review partner’s narrative and financial reports, giving feedback and supporting them to continue improving quality of reporting;
• Collating partner reports, ensuring coherence, consistency, clarity and precision in reporting by Oxfam to its donors;
• Support in the development of media, advocacy messaging around the need of the affected population by the blast with the communications team

Coordination (both internally and externally):

• Internally:
  • With Programme Team and Partners
    • Ensure the development of workplans and review of the workplans to ensure that the partners implementation is on track and regularly monitor work plans
    • Pick up challenges in the implementation and channel or coordinate with respective sector leads to address the challenges.
  • Support function (Logistics, Finance):
    • Work with the Logistics team to develop and review the partner project supply/procurement plans
    • Work with Partner, Project Manager and Advisors to carryout budget revisions and spending so as to ensure that project implementation in line with Oxfam’s quality and accountability standards, donor requirements and sector standards
    • Support the Project Manager in Carrying out review of the Beirut Response financial reports BVAs and documentation of actions from the meeting for consideration by Business Support Team;
    • Continuously identify risks within programmatic activities, communicate them to the project team and support with identifying risk mitigation strategies
• Externally: With the Project Manager - facilitate monthly good partner conversation with the partner to review progress, challenges and areas for continuous improvement for healthy partners.

Your commitment to Oxfam

• Required to adhere to Oxfam’s principles and values as well as the promotion of gender justice and women's rights
• Understanding of and commitment to adhere to equity, diversity, gender, child safety and staff health and wellbeing principles

Person Specification

Note to candidates: Shortlisted candidates will be assessed on our organisational values and attributes at the interview stage. The successful candidate(s) will be expected to adhere to our code of conduct. We encourage candidates to read and understand our code of conduct here.

Key Organisational Attributes

• Ability to demonstrate sensitivity to cultural differences and gender issues, as well as the commitment to equal opportunities.
• Ability to demonstrate an openness and willingness to learn about the application of Oxfam’s Partnerships Principles, gender/gender mainstreaming in partnerships, women’s rights, and diversity for all aspects of development work.
• Commitment to undertake Oxfam’s safeguarding training and adherence of relevant policies to ensure all people who come into contact with Oxfam are as safe as possible

Organisational Values

• Accountability – Our purpose-driven, results-focused approach means we take responsibility for our actions and hold ourselves accountable. We believe that others should also be held accountable for their actions

• Empowerment – Our approach means that everyone involved with Oxfam, from our staff and supporters to people living in poverty, should feel they can make change happen
• Inclusiveness – We are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences

Essential Experience, Knowledge, Qualifications & Competencies

• At least 3 years of experience in working with partners (in a humanitarian or recovery setting) within displaced or refugee populations and other vulnerable communities in Lebanon;

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to motivate, influence, and negotiate both internally and externally, with strong English and Arabic skills.
• Demonstrable experience and knowledge of working with civil society actors in partnership
• Sound knowledge and experience of the project management cycle, including monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and quality standards
• Experience in report writing for situation reports, donor reporting and liaison
• Knowledge of and commitment to feminist principles, the rights-based approach, the principles of do no harm, conflict sensitivity

Desirable

• Experience in Coordination (both technical) with civil society, INGOs and with local authorities
• Resilience and ability to cope with stress and competing demands in a dynamic humanitarian program
• Capacity to work and lead, and provide guidance to a team independently, with limited supervision

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.  In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.