Country Manager – Lebanon Mission

Position’s mission:

Reporting to the Regional Director, the Country Manager contributes to the implementation of the mandate and 10-year strategy of Humanity & Inclusion in the country where s/he is based. S/he ensures optimal quality and the impact of the projects implemented in the country by means of a delegation system with appropriate oversight mechanisms. With all the other HI managers, s/he shares responsibility for the sound management and effective functioning of the global organization through paradigm changes. The country manager manages a team of project managers in his/her country.

The Lebanon mission is part of the Mashriq regional programme, which covers Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. HI implements a diverse portfolio of projects in the following sectors: mine action, inclusive education, physical rehabilitation, disability inclusion, inclusive sexual and reproductive health and rights, with a mix of emergency and development approaches. HI’s main country office is in Beirut, with a sub-base in Aley (Mount Lebanon) and partners in several locations.

Reports to: The Regional  Director

Interacts with:

• Internally: Lebanon Senior Management Team, regional Senior Management Team, HQ Institutional Partnership Officers, HQ Policy Analyst.
• Externally: The local authorities, donor representatives, local partner directors, CDs of other NGOs.

Missions / Responsibilities

Mission 1: Management

• Manager as a role model: embody HI's values on a daily basis, and be a role model.
• Manager as a coach for meaning: understand the strategy, make it explicit, translate it into operational objectives for his or her team, lead the necessary changes. Give meaning to each management action. Encourage inter and intra departmental exchanges of practice. Encourage innovation and risk-taking.
• Operational manager: organize the operational management of his or her team, structure the work around identified processes, steer performance and facilitate the resolution of problems.
• First HR & Coach: contribute to the development of his or her staff, creating the conditions for their commitment, professionalism and attachment to HI. Ensure compliance with the code of conduct and institutional policies, the mindset and expected individual and collective behavior.

Mission 2: Strategy and steering

Responsibility 1: Contribute to the development of the programme operational strategy, and to its implementation and annual monitoring in the country

• Contribute to the process of elaborating the StratOp of the programme and steer the operational aspects of the StratOp
• At least once a year, contribute, with his/her portfolio of projects and data, to the annual monitoring of the StratOp and to the following year’s programme planning (support missions and evaluations).
• In the event of a crisis/emergency, implement the framework and set-up decided by the HI Operations Director.
• Take part in the programme steering committee led by his/her line manager where required.

Responsibility 2: Implement the project part of the Programme’s Operational Strategy

• Size and plan necessary resources, recruit the project managers (ensuring a fit between skills and the projects’ challenges and ambitions), developing and monitoring their skills development plan, in conjunction with the corresponding profession sectors and with HR.
• Where relevant, develop regular contacts with current and potential donors at field level and liaise with their line manager to check coherence with institutional programming and fundraising strategy.
• Within the operational framework defined in the StratOp, identify and transform funding opportunities in his/her country of assignment. Undertake (or contribute to) the design and drafting of new projects, and institutional fundraising for major multi-country projects, based on the decisions taken by the Authority regarding the opportunities.

Responsibility 3: Contribute to organizational transformation, particularly through changes to managerial practices, continuous improvement, and contribute to the improvement of working processes

Mission 3: Standards and expertise

Ensure deployment and compliance with HI global frameworks, institutional policies and standards

• These include: the mandatory reference frameworks (such as HI Mission & Values or HI Theory of Change: Access to services), all HI's institutional policies (Security / Code of Conduct and Safeguarding / Anti-fraud, bribery and corruption / PME and Project Quality Framework / Age-Gender-Disability), all institutional directives and processes; delegation thresholds; security levels.

Mission 4: Operational implementation

Responsibility 1: Ensure the sound management and monitoring of projects under his/her responsibility

• In conjunction with the [Regional] Technical Unit and the [Regional] MEAL Unit, ensure that HI quality standards (including technical standards) are applied in the projects, and monitor the implementation of recommendations from support missions, evaluations and audits.
• Ensure compliance with project donors’ rules and adherence to contractual commitments: consolidation, oversight and reporting to his/her line manager operational and organizational information in his/her area (dashboards, corrective action, use of own funds, beneficiary data, etc.)
• In relation with the concerned departments, deploy all appropriate tools to enable projects monitoring (operational, financial, logistics, human resources and technical monitoring) respecting HI and donors’ financial framework and in compliance with HI’s policies and frameworks.
• Undertake expenditure and manage the project activity-specific budget lines according to the delegation he/she received based on the programme signature delegation table
• Facilitate audits (operational, financial and organizational), and ensure that their recommendations are implemented in their area of responsibility.

Responsibility 2: Keeping both potential opportunities and risks in mind, contribute to the monitoring and analysis done by the line manager, and propose mitigation measures where relevant

• In conjunction with the line manager, implement analysis and monitoring of risks & opportunities related to HI’s presence and activities; implement risk mitigation actions at his/her level; and ensure the implementation of a humanitarian watch and (when decided by the Regional Director) of an emergency preparedness plan in the area.

Responsibility 3: Act as the legal representative for the whole of HI internally and externally, and foster an excellent reputation and positive image of HI in the country. This includes:

• The responsibility of representing the employer and compliance with local labor laws.
• Communications on behalf of HI, working with the Regional Director.
• Representing HI to the local, national, traditional, political, military and diplomatic authorities and bodies.
• Representing HI to international organizations, and the coordination systems and mechanisms.
• Negotiation, signing and monitoring of partnerships, in conjunction with the Regional Director.

Responsibility 4: Develop HI’s external influence (forums, operational and strategic alliances, etc) and the external representation of the organisation (events, media) in the country.

• May represent HI to the local, national, traditional, political, military and diplomatic authorities and bodies; and international organizations and humanitarian mechanisms and coordination bodies.
• As part of his/her role, convey HI’s global advocacy messages to all the relevant external partners.

Responsibility 5: Coordinate the teams in the country

• Facilitate coordination meetings between his/her direct team of project managers and the support services located in the area when necessary.
• Follow up teams in his/her area in conjunction with their direct managers.
• Ensure that project managers and the support teams (shared and technical services, in particular) work well together in order to facilitate project implementation in the country; conduct regular project reviews with the project managers and relevant departments.

Responsibility 6: Support the Programme Director in monitoring security in the country and ensure adequate resources according to the context

• Monitor and analyze the security context in his/her area of responsibility on a regular basis (if required).
• In tandem with the Programme Director, take the decision to deploy or withdraw teams from sensitive areas.
• Report all incidents directly to the Programme Director.
• Develop a network of contacts with security staff from fellow NGOs, represent HI in access, security and safety meetings (at the request of the Programme Director).
• Provide feedback and give advice about security risks, as well as on the existence and use of security management resources, such as SOPS, and project proposals.
• Working with the Programme Director and Senior Management Team, update the security and contingency plans as and when the context develops.
• Support the Programme Director on exploratory mission assessments, identification of guesthouses, and the opening of new areas.
• Assist the Programme Director in raising the awareness of HI staff (national and international) about security risks and ensuring that security documents are understood and implemented.

Mission 5: Emergency Preparedness and Response

• Lead the emergency preparedness actions in his/her department and, in the event of an emergency, reorganize the priorities of his/her team according to the humanitarian priority, in order to ensure a quick and efficient response by HI.

Note that this job description must remain flexible, to respond to additional tasks or changes as identified by the line manager. Confidentiality is required in all these responsibilities.

Handicap International is an equal opportunity employer and particularly welcomes applications from woman and persons with disabilities.

Education:

• Essential: Bachelor degree in relevant fields
• Desirable: Master’s degree in relevant fields

Experience:

• Essential: At least 8 years of overall professional experience
• Essential: At least 2 years of experience as Country Manager, Operations Manager/Area Manager, TUM/THoP or Deputy Country Manager
• Essential: Proven experience in managing emergency response programs in active conflict areas.
• Essential: Proven experience in project inception/launch and in rapid scale up of activities.
• Desirable: Experience in managing mine action programs (including demining activities).

Computer skills:

• Essential: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PP, Outlook…

Language:

• Essential: English (high proficiency)
• Desirable: basic Arabic 

Other skills:

• Leadership and management skills;
• Good communication skills
• Negotiation skills and problem-solving attitude
• Being capable of helping team members to progress: developing his/her staff ‘s ability to work autonomously.
• Knowing how to position oneself so things can move forward.
• Knowing how to simplify and prioritize. 

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS:

HI workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in HI Code of conduct. In accordance with these values, HI operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child. Safeguarding, Anti-fraud, bribery, and corruption.

Basic Salary starting 4,000 USD according to the HI salary scale.

Closing date: 19/08/2024

Interested candidates send their CV to [email protected] with the subject “CM LEB 2024”. Application should include CV and motivation letter. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.