Emergency Programme Coordinator

SOS Children’s Villages (SOS CV) International is a dynamic social development organisation active in over 132 countries worldwide, to meet the needs and protect the interests and rights of orphaned and vulnerable children.

SOS CV International alongside with its member organisation SOS CV Lebanon, both with a mandate to provide humanitarian aid in Lebanon for Syrian refugees, are dedicated to provide emergency relief to those in need during the current Syrian crisis.

Following a number of smaller scale relief programmes in various areas of Lebanon, SOS CV Lebanon is in the process of scaling-up and expanding its humanitarian operations. To this end, we are looking for an Emergency Relief Programme Coordinator (ERPC) for an approximate duration of 12 months on a full-time basis to oversee the effective start-up and implementation of our humanitarian aid projects across various locations to support critical needs of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The ERPC will be responsible for a safe, efficient and accountable management of all aspects of operations throughout the humanitarian programme cycle. The incumbent will be reporting to the National Director of SOS CV Lebanon, and work alongside and in close cooperation with our Lebanese member organisation and the Regional Office Emergency Coordinator based in Casablanca, Morocco.

The working location is Beirut with frequent field visits at programme locations.

Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be short listed on a regular basis and we may offer this post before the closing date.

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

THE CHALLENGE
The Emergency Relief Programme Coordinator
 Represents the SOS Emergency Relief Programme (ERP) in Lebanon
 Assures implementation of the ERP in Lebanon in alignment with SOS internal regulations, procedures and policies, reporting regularly to the line manager and functional managers.
 Is responsible for security management and regular risk monitoring and assessment
 Mobilizes the material resources necessary for the programmes to run effectively and supervises the administration of these resources.
 Coordinates the project teams in place and ensures their security on the mission.
 Is responsible for the financial management of the various projects and overall financial reporting

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS
Coordination and Strategic Orientation:
 Monitor and analyse the humanitarian, political, cultural, social and economic context
 Operationalize the strategic aims of the ERP
 Define a plan of action for putting this strategy in place
 Propose new operational directions as contexts change

Operational Management:
 Guarantee the coordination, development, monitoring and evaluation of projects implemented as part of the ERP in line with the SOS Disaster Management Network directives and the legal framework of Syria
 Ensure the relevance, quality and consistency of projects in the ERP
 Ensure that all projects in the ERP put in place the necessary procedures to ensure accountability to beneficiaries and to donors
 Ensure SOS is integrated in partnerships and coordination teams in Child Protection and all Emergency relief sectors relevant to our ERP in Syria

Resource Management:
 Propose and manage field logistics and planning
 Ensure the financial resources and means necessary for the completion of projects are mobilized efficiently, effectively and transparently

Human Resource Management:
 Manage all aspects of HR in the ERP (recruitment, payroll, security of staff etc.)
 Ensure all staff are fully briefed and aware of their roles and responsibilities and the mission of SOS
 Provide strong leadership and support to all project co-workers and staff in the field
 Ensure that SOS HR policies and procedures are applied and adhered to
 Directly manage the project coordinators in the ERP

Security:
 Responsible for ensuring the security of all teams and property on the ERP, under the supervision of the line manager who has judicial responsibility
 Monitor and analyse the security situation and ensure that teams clearly understand it
 Ensure every new arrival on the mission receives a geopolitical, security and context-specific briefing
 Ensure that documents and procedures, such as risk assessment and security analysis, relating to security are regularly updated
 Ensure that everyone complies with security rules and procedures in the ERP

Donor relationships and reporting:
 Responsible for providing line manager and functional support with regular sit reps and reports for donors in accordance with donor requirements
 Strengthen relationships between SOS and financial donor representatives in the field

Internal and External Communication:
 Ensure that documents used for internal and external communication produced by the ERP are of good quality and adhere to internal SOS communication standards and procedures
 Organize and attend coordination meetings on a regular basis

Representation:
 Represent SOS ERP in Lebanon in all dealings with other aid workers, local political and administrative authorities, the civil society and the media
 Attend humanitarian forums and relevant coordination meetings as and when necessary for operations

PERSON SPECIFICATION
Competences
Skills and Qualifications (essential)
 Previous experience in the field of emergency relief in a coordination position
 Strong skills in PCM and the use of its processes and tools throughout the project life cycle, including in particular logical framework approach, budgeting, M&E and progress reporting to management and donors
 In-depth understanding of managing risks and changes in humanitarian projects
 An ability to analyse information quickly and accurately alongside good problem-solving skills in situation of crisis.
 Thorough knowledge of and able to apply the SPHERE minimum standards in emergencies and the Do-No-Harm (DNH) approach.
 Knowledge and experience of the national and international humanitarian sector, including policy implementation, funding and working within coordination systems such as OCHA.
 Sufficient knowledge of the region and ability to quickly understand local context.
 Extensive experience of managing teams in multiple locations and able to build positive rapport with people quickly.
 Strong communication skills with excellent written and spoken Arabic and English, as well as French ideally.
 Experience of liaising with governmental authorities, including drafting MoUs

Skills and Qualifications (desirable)
 Understanding of the causes, dynamics and consequences of conflict and emergencies
 Strong diplomacy, leadership, networking and negotiation skills.
 Knowledge of child safe-guarding and protection issues in emergencies.
 Knowledge of WASH, food security, nutrition and health sectors a strong asset
 Working knowledge of French an asset.

Experience
 Proven management ability, including ability to motivate and develop skills of others. Must be able to make sound management decisions in difficult situations and also be able to work in a participatory manner with colleagues.
 Minimum 4 years overseas experience working with an international humanitarian / development NGO, with strong programme management, team management and financial management experience.
 A relevant qualification (post graduate level) and previous experience within the region.

In accordance with the organisation’s child protection policy, all employment is subject to applicable background checks, including criminal record checks where possible.

How to apply:

Please send your full application, cover letter and CV, to soslib@dm.net.lb by October 31st 2013 at the latest