Officer – Capacity Strengthening Facilitator

EF designs and implements cooperation projects addressing skills transfers between professionals. The agency also develops integrated offers, assembling public and private expertise to respond to the partner countries' needs. With a business volume of 148 million Euros, a portfolio of over 500 projects in 100 countries, and 63,000 days of expert missions every year, Expertise France promotes French and European development policy goals.

EF operates in various fields of development and institutional cooperation including safety and security reform, public health, human rights, strengthening of institutions and NGOs and governance. Carrying out large-scale, multi-stakeholder programmes, EF can ensure the cooperation between individuals, teams and institutions with very different statuses, cultures and specialties. EF has acquired a sound experience in administrative and financial management of large-scale international programmes. www.expertisefrance.fr.

Project background

The multiple crises that have impacted Lebanon for several years have led to a serious deterioration in the standard of living of the population and increased the risks of economic, social and political instability in the country. With the start of the Syrian crisis in March 2011, more than one million people had to seek refuge in Lebanon. This influx of refugees has had significant human, social, economic and political repercussions and has weakened the structures of assistance to fragile populations. The last two years have been marked by the collapse of the economy, the October 2019 protests, the COVID-19 pandemic and the explosion of the Port of Beirut. This accelerated succession of economic and social humanitarian crises has led to a dramatic increase in poverty levels among displaced populations and vulnerable host communities.

In the spring of 2021, the World Bank estimated that the economic and financial crisis hitting Lebanon would be among the ten, and probably the three most serious crises in the world since the middle of the 19th century. The banking sector has ceased lending operations and is no longer attracting deposits, and the Lebanese pound (L.L.) continues to lose value with soaring inflation.

Local NGOs play an essential role in crisis contexts in Lebanon, through their proximity to the most vulnerable populations and their presence in the most affected areasof the country. Their activities contribute to improving access to basic services in a context of saturation of public services. They also play a key role in strengthening social cohesion in the face of the growing risk of communal tensions.

Six years after the signing of the “Grand Bargain” on aid localization, aimed at repositioning local actors at the center of humanitarian action, the role of local NGOs in the aid ecosystem in Lebanon still needs to be strengthened, and strengthening their capacities remains a major lever for the sustainability of crisis response actions in the country. Lebanese NGOs must therefore be supported in strengthening their management capacities, technical skills and sectoral specialization to assert themselves as effective and relevant actors in the response to current crises.

The Shabake2 project

The Shabake 2 project is part of the Peace and Resilience Fund – Minka Middle East, which aims to contribute to the response to the consequences of the Syrian crisis, and to act on the prevention and management of the protracted crisis in Lebanon. In addition, the intervention with a dynamic and mature Lebanese civil society makes it possible to concretize the French commitments of "localization of aid" within the framework of the "Grand Bargain" of the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit. The project is also a continuation of the first phase conducted by Expertise France (EF), which supported 13 local NGOs, and conducted a study on the local associative fabric and a mid-term evaluation, the conclusions of which feed into phase 2.

Following the lessons learned in Phase 1, the Shabake 2 project rebalances the objectives with increased attention to the rapid and concrete effects that NGO grants will achieve on the ground. The overall objective of the project is to strengthen social cohesion and support peace and stability by accompanying local NGOs in their key crisis management role and providing sustainable support to vulnerable host communities and Syrian refugees.

It aims to strengthen purpose-driven, technically sound and locally rooted NGOs to support their abilities in weathering the crises as they arise, gaining greater financial autonomy and contributing to Lebanon's recovery. An emergency response component, funded by the Crisis Centre (CDCS) of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE), is included in the programme, which makes it possible to articulate different French emergency and development instruments as part of a comprehensive approach to support Lebanese CSOs.

The project is structured around three components:

1. Enable NGOs to be trusted partners in the implementation of vulnerability reduction projects and thematic actions
2. Support local NGOs in their efforts to respond effectively to ongoing emergencies and crises in Lebanon
3. Strengthen the technical and organizational capacities and the economic model of partner NGOs for a better localization of aid for the benefit of vulnerable populations.

Job Description / Assignment

The main role of the Officer is to oversee the planification, implementation and closure of Capacity Strengthening activities such as the coordination with local partners, Organizational Capacity Assessments, compiling information and data, and closely following up with consultants. Working under the authority of the Capacity Strengthening Specialist, he/she will take on several tasks to make sure activities under the Shabake II Component 3 are completed.

Please note that shortlisted applicants will be interviewed on a rolling basis so if you are interested in this position, we invite you to apply as soon as possible. Expertise France reserves the right to close applications before the indicated timeline, provided a suitable candidate has been identified

Responsibility 1: Capacity Strengthening

• Closely coordinate with the local partner regarding the implementation of the OCA (attendance, preparing the agenda, the data collection method, the presentation, etc.).
• Closely liaise with the Capacity Strengthening team regarding the implementation of OCAs (date, transportation, etc.).
• Lead on conducting the OCA process inception phase (leading meetings, taking notes, and briefing the CSS).
• Monitor the delivery of all capacity strengthening activities, including the validation of methodologies and modules to be delivered by CS experts and conducting quality checks and ensuring that activities are done according to the workplan.
• Lead on the full Organization Capacity Assessment process when needed from the initial phase to the end.
• Produce analytical organizational assessment reports based on the capacity assessment tool.
• Produce Terms of Reference for the recruitment of the experts based on the results of the OCA process.

Responsibility 2: Coordination and Networking

• Support the CSS by co-leading the formation of 3 Thematic and sector peer Communities of Practice (CoPs), allowing to promote exchange of good practices and information and collaboration among the project’s NGO partners
• Support on the drafting of a CoP report following each CoP session laying out the feedback provided by partners, recommendations and lessons learned.

Responsibility 3: Management and Support

• Provide information to the CSS to monitor and update Workplans and Tracking Tools (Consultants’ Payments, ToRs, OCAs Processes, Action Plans, etc.).
• Ensure with the team that logistical, administrative, and financial procedures linked to project implementation are followed according to EF requirements.
• Follow up and ensure that all administrative documents related to project implementation are up to date and stored.
• Participate in writing articles and creating and managing communication tools, in coordination with the Project Manager and Communication Team.

Qualifications

Education level

• University degree in Management, Political Science, Social Sciences, or related field.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years in the development field with NGOs/CSOs work experience, including small and medium sized organizations, specifically in the areas of organizational development (experience in project management is a plus)
• Knowledge of best practices in NGO organizational and technical development, and capacity strengthening methodologies.
• Knowledge and experience in workshop engineering and facilitation.
• Fluency in English and Arabic (written and spoken).
• Excellent computer skills: MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Excellent communication and reporting skills.
• Strong relationship skills and the ability to work effectively with local stakeholders.
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented.
• Previous experience work experience for international agencies would be an asset.