Education Project Manager - Lebanon

Background
NRC opened its office in Lebanon in 2006, initially responding to the need for humanitarian assistance including provision of shelter support to the displaced Lebanese population in Southern Lebanon. Since then NRC has gradually increased programme activities to include education provision including non-formal education for children and youth from Iraq and teacher training for school personnel in UNRWA supported schools. NRC has since June 2011 also expanded education programming to respond to education needs for Syrian refugees throughout Lebanon. Current project areas include: Northern Lebanon, Beirut, the Bekaa valley and Southern Lebanon. NRC is now seeking a Project Manager based in the north of Lebanon.

The Project Manager (PM) shall work under the guidance of the Area Manager (AM) to fulfill the objectives of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) as stated in a) the Programme of Principles, b) the Program and Education Policy, c) the Country Strategy, d) the Project Proposals and e) the running Activity Plans and budgets. Any changes from these plans shall be reported immediately to the AM. The PM is expected to follow NRC’s routines and guidelines for project governance applicable for the entire educationprogram. The PM is overall responsible for the development and implementation of the Education program and for achieving its expected results in Lebanon. The education program consists of all education projects plus related advocacy and coordination work. 

All NRC employees are expected to work in accordance with the organization’s core values: Dedication, Innovation, Inclusivity and Accountability. These attitudes and believes shall guide our actions and relationships.

1. Role and responsibilities

    

   Generic responsibilities:

1. Develop, coordinate and manage all education projects in line with proposals, strategies and donor requirements.
2. Manage, train and develop the education team
3. Ensure high technical quality and transparent processes
4. Adherence to Education tools and handbooks and other NRC policies
5. Represent Education in internal and external forums
6. Responsible for project documentation
7. Develop, manage and monitor the budget(s) according to Financial Handbook and donor requirements.
8. Transparent and cost efficient procurement of goods
9. Promote the rights of refugees/returnees and explore and asses new and better ways to assist
10. Implement project specific protection priorities

     

    Specific responsibilities:

     

1. Define adequate standards for education programmes, inclusion of cross cutting issues, geographical coverage and scale
2. Communicate and collaborate with national, regional and local authorities, including host community platforms and national level coordination mechanisms (such as Education Partners Meetings)
3. Cooperate with representatives from beneficiaries and host population to ensure continuous communication
4. Ensure that a structured system of collaboration is set up between the education and the youth program
5. Report to concerned partieson progress and spending
6. Improve and develop monitoring and reporting procedures and tools.
7. Develop formats and guidelines for outcome monitoring
8. Travel to project locations and education sites as required
9. Support the Education officers with all implementation related issues
10. Guide the education officers on the continuous re-adjustment of projects in order to meet the objectives of the education program
11. Document strategic decisions and changes for institutional memory and further planning
12. Document and discuss lessons learnt for institutional learning

     

    Critical Interfaces:

     

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

     

1. Education Specialist
2. Area operations and support
3. Other Core Competency Project Managers/Coordinators in the North

    

   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:

       

      These are skills, knowledge and experience that are important for effective performance.

       

      Generic Professional Competencies:

       

1. Minimum 3 years of experience as a Project Manager in a humanitarian/recovery context
2. Experience from working in complex contexts
3. Advance degree in education
4. Managing a team experience
5. Technical Education expertise
6. Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities
7. Fluency in English and Arabic, both written and verbal
8. Knowledge of the context in the Middle East
9. Experience with accelerated learning/catch-up programs

    

   1. Behavioral competencies

These are personal qualities that influence how successful people are in their job. NRC’s Competency Framework states 12 behavioural competencies, and the following are essential for this position:

1. Managing resources to optimize results
2. Managing performance and development
3. Empowering and building trust
4. Handling insecure environments