Project Officer

We offer

The post of Project Officer (Local Agent Group 1) in the Delegation’s Cooperation Section (specific domain: Support to civil Society), with a focus on Social Cohesion and culture. The team consists of 25 people and there are occasional atypical working hours.
Under this post, the recruited person will be attributed functions depending on the needs of the Delegation, and on the changes of these needs. The successful candidate will serve under the supervision and responsibility of the Head of Cooperation Section and the Team Leader providing support, expertise and assistance in projects field.

The following main tasks and duties are currently required: 

Function Type:                  GENERAL PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT

Duties:

• Identify, analyze, negotiate and instruct proposals for programmes/projects, sector support, etc. in close co-operation with all relevant internal and external stakeholders;
• Prepare and present the programmes/projects for internal approval.

Function Type: PROCUREMENT and CONTRACT MANAGEMENT

Duties:

• Launch, manage and monitor calls for proposals/tenders, evaluation and selection of projects;
• Manage technical and financial aspects of contracts linked to the projects;
• Ensure the follow-up of the implementation of the projects and the performance of project managers and partners, monitor contractual obligations (via periodic reviews, audits, reporting and assistance, etc.) and gather and handle external expertise;
• Deal with horizontal activities, concertation and networking aspects of the programme and its projects;
• Takes responsibility for the quality of encoded data in all relevant management information systems for which he/she is responsible, even when the encoding of these data has been delegated to another agent;
• Supervise, co-ordinate and / or act as operational initiator of contracts;
• Monitor the financial expenditure as reported in cost statements and provide reasonable assurance that claimed costs correspond to the work accomplished;
• Validate payments requests;
• Verify that projects in Lebanon are managed in accordance with the rules set out by the Commission on financial and contractual management;
• Provide the necessary information for audit and control by the Commission services or the European Court of Auditors.

Function Type: EVALUATION and QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Duties:

• Organize and lead the various evaluations foreseen in the Regulations (ex-ante, mid-term, ex-post);
• Define evaluation methodologies and indicators for evaluation;
• Assess the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of the approved programmes/ projects and the Commission strategy;
• Analyze and follow up the results and recommendations of evaluation reports and audits. Ensure the “retro-feeding” of experiences;

Function Type: RELATIONS with MEMBER STATES and CIVIL SOCIETY

Duties:

• Organize, set-up and/or participate, as deemed relevant, in EU Member States Coordination groups, sectoral donor coordination mechanisms and civil society networks meetings in Lebanon;
• Liaise with specialized networks and Member States organizations.

Function Type: POLICY ANALYSIS

Duties:

• Support policy dialogue with all relevant ministries, agencies, donors and other relevant stakeholders in support to civil society in various sectors, including social cohesion and culture;
• Contribute to sector analysis and to the definition of sector strategies for the EU.

Other tasks:

• Observe, monitor and report regularly and in timely fashion (including early warnings on potential disputes) to Headquarters on sectoral issues, as well as in response to any specific requests;
• Maintain good and effective contacts with national and local stakeholders, such as national authorities and institutions, diplomatic missions of the Member States, international donors and agencies, NGOs and other local actors;
• Prepare and assist in missions from Headquarters;
• Produce and disseminate best results of projects at workshops, seminars, conferences and other public events;
• Extract and disseminate best practices and facilitate exchange of experiences;
• Contribute to the production of publications and other communication material;
• Contribute to all tasks related to implementation of EUDEL Communication Strategy, related to sectors and programmes/projects under his/her responsibility;
• Monitor and ensure compliance of projects with EU visibility guidelines, in particular projects communication plans.

Fixed-term work agreement starting with a 3-months probationary period. The base salary will depend on relevant and verified employment experience; the exact salary range will be communicated upon finalizing the recruitment. There is a competitive benefits package, subject to certain conditions, including personal leave days and public holidays, health insurances and a retirement savings plan.

The anticipated start date will be on 15/09/2024. 

Minimum requirements / eligibility criteria (necessary for the application to be considered)

• BA degree in Social Sciences, Political Sciences, Arts or a related field. MA degree is an asset;
• At least three years of experience in national and/or international cooperation projects supporting civil society;  
• Medically fit to perform the required duties;
• Enjoys civil rights and permits for employment under local law.

Assets / selection criteria (basis for awarding points to select the best applicant)

• Experience in Project Management (identification, formulation, implementation);
• Experience in negotiation, advocacy and representation towards external stakeholders;
• Experience in contractual and financial management of services and/or grant contracts would be an asset;
• Experience in the preparation of communication materials would be an asset;
• Minimum: Fluency in English. Intermediate level in Arabic;
• Intermediate level in French would be an asset;
• Good computer skills on MS Word, PowerPoint, e-mail applications and other relevant software programmes;
• Strong ability to write and communicate orally in English, including excellent drafting skills;
• Ability to rapidly produce quality outputs and to work under tight deadlines;
• Knowledge of the European Union and EU Member States’ activities in Lebanon would be a strong asset.