Header

Physical Rehabilitation Manager – Beirut – Lebanon

NGO PRESENTATION
Handicap International is an independent and impartial international aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. Working alongside persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, our action and testimony are focused on responding to their essential needs, improving their living conditions and promoting respect for their dignity and their fundamental rights.
Handicap International is a not-for-profit organisation with no religious or political affiliation. It operates as a federation made up of a network of associations that provide it with human and financial resources, manage its projects and implement its actions and social mission.
Through its Emergency Response Department (ERD), created in 2006 after the merge with Atlas Logistique, the organization is committed to:
  • Emergency livelihoods : Essential Household Items (EHI)/Non-food items (NFI) kits distribution and/or cash transfer programs
  • Management and distribution of humanitarian assistance (logistics platform) : land transportation, storage, post-shipment of essential items or food supplies;
  • Camp management (provision of aid to refugees and internally displaced persons – IDPs, setting up of transitional shelters) and arrangement of the voluntary repatriation of these people;
  • Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) : access to drinking water (catchment – treatment – storage – distribution), to sanitation (latrine construction, waste management …) and hygiene promotion (disease vector control, awareness-raising on good WASH practice, hygiene kits distribution);
  • Shelter and community construction: emergency shelter and settlement, accessible community infrastructure and individual transitional shelters construction/rehabilitation;
  • Functional and physical rehabilitation (rehabilitation, provision of technical aids, of Prosthetics & Orthotics devices …);
  • Psychosocial support (one-on-one sessions, support/focus groups, therapeutic mediation groups …);
  • Inclusion and accessibility (advocacy and direct actions) to ensure the needs of persons excluded from services, and in particular the needs of persons with disabilities (PwDs) or persons with injuries (PwIs), are better addressed in the provision of humanitarian assistance.
Directly linked to the Emergency Response Department of Handicap International France, the expatriate will be mandated for the following mission:
JOB CONTEXT
As of April 2014, the total count of registered refugees in the region stood at more than 2,500,000. According to OCHA, the IDP count is closer to 6.0 million.. Escalations in fighting have brought the death toll above 150,000 and increased fragmentation amongst opposition forces, most notably the derivation of the Islamic Alliance on 24 September, suggests that tensions are on the rise. The recent UNSC Presidential Statement broke ground on the staging of a few awaited changes and the humanitarian community is keen to see how these ideals will be put into practice.
REGIONAL RESPONSE OVERVIEW
Handicap International’s Emergency Response Division is present in Syria since January 2013, as well as in Jordan and Lebanon since May 2012, and is supported by ECHO, CIDA, DFID and Swiss cooperation agencies and other private donors. With over 350 emergency team members in the region, Handicap International has reached over 56,000 beneficiaries to date.
Handicap International’s initial intervention aimed at supporting persons with injuries and other extremely vulnerable groups (including persons with disabilities, elders, among others). Handicap International continues to be one of the few organizations explicitly addressing the specific needs of these groups through community outreach, and by collaborating with community representatives, local stakeholders, authorities, and other implementing organizations in the field.
Handicap International is working in Northern Syria with a tactful focus on acute emergency health activities (post operatory care, psychological first aid).
Simultaneously, after a first round of risk education activities in Jordan, the organization started projects en Syria.
HI regional strategy
HI decided to develop and strengthen a regional strategy along 5 central points:
1.Disability and Vulnerability Focal Point
2.Physical rehabilitation
3.Basic Needs/ Livelihood
4.Inclusion
5.Risk Education Activities
Presence in the region
Handicap International has been present in the Middle East since 1987. The organization currently operates in 7 countries in the region: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian Territories and Yemen through development and emergency programs.
Handicap International's operations are adapted to each country's specific situation. These operations are therefore just as likely to include mine clearance, capacity building of Disabled People Organizations, and mine risk education programs as rehabilitation initiatives. The organization also provides support to the disability movement at the regional, national, and local levels, and provides emergency relief in contexts of conflict. In a region beset by chronic crises and political instability, Handicap International promotes the participation of people with disabilities in the social and political life of the region, and supports access for all to appropriate services, whatever the context.
Activitiesin Lebanon
The violence in Syria has caused the death of more than 100,000 people and more than 6 million Syrians fled their homes. Syria has become "a disgraceful humanitarian calamity with suffering and displacement unparalleled in recent history”[1]. Up to April 2014, more than 1,000,000 refugees[2] have fled into Lebanon seeking shelter and security.
  1. The needs
Post-surgery follow-up is almost non-existent. Persons with injuries, together with persons with disabilities, are presenting complications that, without appropriate rehabilitation care, can lead to permanent impairments and long-term disability.
Psychosocial distress: MHPSS is not appropriately addressed until now.
Basic needs coverage: Limited resources coupled with the challenging operational context jeopardize the adequate coverage of basic needs of conflict-affected populations in Lebanon.
Shelter and coping with winter season: The severe conditions in Lebanon during winter can brutally affect Syrian refugees living in ITS and poorly equipped houses.
  1. HI response
Disability and Vulnerability Focal Point:
· Identification and assessment of vulnerable persons including persons with injuries and/or disabilities.
· Provision of out-patient rehabilitation sessions
· Provision of psychosocial support
· Provision of P/O and mobility devices for injured and disabled people.
· Provision of specific health services and supplies at hospital and community levels.
· Referral and follow-up
Non-food items coverage
· Distribution of NFI kits for new comers (persons arrived in Lebanon for less than 1 month) completed per cash assistance of 150 USD for the winter season.
Unconditional cash assistance
· Support to the basic need situation of the most vulnerable refugees through unconditional cash assistance for a period of 6 months.
Protection
· Coverage of the basic and specific needs for vulnerable people among through community outreach and community focal points.
· Referral to external organizations that have specific services that tackle their needs.
  1. Set-up of the mission
The Emergency Response Division in Lebanon was created in April 2012 to implement the above mention activities. Almost 2 years after the beginning of the mission, HI-Lebanon team has expanded significantly with 14 expatriates and 191 local staff.
The provision of support to health structure is provided directly by Handicap International physiotherapist and technical advisor. The identification, assessment of the needs, referral and direct provision of services is done trough 18 outreach teams (composed of one social worker as case manager and one physiotherapist supported by 4 psychologists and/or psychosocial workers) and trough 4 fixed points in the communities (in community centers to allow more efficiency reducing the time to reach the beneficiaries). An additional team in Bekaa and North Lebanon will be focusing on the community sensitization, training to humanitarian workers and the identification of potential local partners.
In Lebanon, the provision of household essential items including food, NFI and unconditional cash assistance to cover essential winter basic needs of the most vulnerable refugee newcomers will be done in HI area of intervention (54 villages in Central and West Bekaa) through current dedicated outreach teams and distribution teams.
The current donors are: ECHO, DFID, CIDA, ERF.
Challenges: The situation in Lebanon is quite unstable since the beginning of the crisis and deteriorated drastically in the last months. Security instability is not anymore limited geographically and in the last months, Tripoli, Akkar, North Bekaa and South Lebanon witnessed different kind of security incidents:
HI operations may be impacted negatively and movement restrictions and punctual activity closure may occur in almost all areas of intervention especially Tripoli, Northern Bekaa and border areas.
PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES
Under the supervision of the Head of the Technical Unit, his / her role is to guarantee the quality of HI rehabilitation activities in line with HI ERD emergency approach, and as part of the DVFP program:
· To support and build the capacity of the National Rehabilitation Supervisor
· To provide technical support for the design and implementation of the Rehabilitation strategy of intervention.
· To provide technical support to the Project Managers and Officers
· Provide, in close collaboration with the Inclusion and Advocacy Coordinator and the Specific Needs Technical Advisor, support to the design of mainstreaming disability strategy and activities. Participate in regular reports on activities and documents to ensure the capitalization of the project.
· Representation: Participation to technical working groups as per requested by the line manager
MAIN RESPONSABILITIES & MAIN TASKS OF THE EXPATRIATE
Based in Beirut, under the direct supervision of the Specific Needs Technical Advisor, you will be responsible:
1.To support and build the capacity of the National Rehabilitation Supervisor
· Strengthen the position of the National Rehabilitation Supervisor as the primary technical referent for the technical teams in the field through concerted and progressive delegation of tasks and ‘shadow’ supervision visits in the field
· Increase National Rehabilitation Supervisor’s ability to perform needs assessment and situational analyses for purposes of providing effective rehabilitation in the changing context.
· Assist in development of problem solving skills and ability to implement strategic changes in order to improve rehabilitation service delivery in an emergency setting.
· Provide guidance for improving communication from field teams to operations management to improve rehabilitation programs.
· Assist National Rehabilitation Supervisor in developing and adjusting strategies for rehabilitation delivery services in various contexts from mobile treatment teams to serfices in fixed points/clinics.
· Offer trainings, including on the job training, on Rehabilitation protocols, in particular Rehabilitation in Emergency settingsSupervise the work of the National Rehabilitation Supervisor.
2.To provide technical support for the design and implementation of the Rehabilitation strategy of intervention.
· Provide technical support to the Specific Needs advisor and Operations Coordinator in refocusing the rehabilitation strategy on HI’s ERD mandate, within the DVFP mechanism.
· Provide technical support in order to guarantee harmonized protocols and activities in the different areas of intervention of the DVFP program
· Identifying potential opportunities for activities development/evolution
· Contribute to the strategy writing with the line manager
· Participate to needs assessment and appropriate response sizing
· Contribute to the writing of the strategy, of proposals and participate in technical discussions
· Participate to external technical coordination if requested
3.Provide technical support for the DVFP (Disability and Vulnerability Focal Point) PMs andProject Officers
· Coordination of training of staff on rehabilitation technical aspects
· In close collaboration with the National Rehabilitation Supervisor, guaranteeing rehabilitation field intervention quality through on the job training, support and case discussion with HI rehabilitation staff
· In collaboration with logistics and PMs, designing clauses of procurement agreements with P&O suppliers related to quality and technical aspects (from measurement by professionals to follow-up modalities).
· Advising FCs and PMs on rehabilitation strategies
· Designing and providing tools, information leaflets, assessment forms, trainings (in collaboration with the HQ Specific Needs Referent)
· Support the Specific Needs technical Advisor and Operations Coordinator to define and set up pre and post surveys related to rehabilitation activities and impact survey related to the improvement of quality of life of beneficiaries
· Advising and suggesting rehabilitation related evolutions/initiatives in HI hospital support and DVFP activities
4.Provide, in close collaboration with the Inclusion and Advocacy Coordinator and the Specific Needs Technical Advisor, support to the design and implementation of mainstreaming disability strategy and activities.
· Participate to the review of the mainstreaming disability strategy as needed.
· Participate to the design and review of activities related to mainstreaming
· Training of local partners (especially health professionals) on rehabilitation aspects and specific rehabilitation topics (amputation, SCI, etc…)
5.Produce regular reports on activities and documents to ensure the capitalization of the project:
· Provide regular activity reports to the Specific Needs Technical Advisor, Operations Coordinator and to the HQ Specific Needs Technical Referent.
· Facilitate regular reporting on your activities to the Operations Coordinator upon his/her solicitation (coordination meetings, workshops, etc.)
· Participate to the monthly situation report (SITREP) by providing relevant data and qualitative information related to your position.
· Provide a technical report on a monthly basis to the Basic Needs Technical Advisor, Operations Coordinator and HQ SN Technical Referent.
· Capitalization of monitoring & evaluation of impact.
· In close collaboration with the DVFP Project Managers and the national Rehabilitation Supervisor, formalize all training/workshop documents.
6.Representation:
· Upon resquested by the Operations Coordinator and or Specific Need technical Advisor, represent Handicap International on issues related to disabilty in the projects areas with any relevant stakeholders, local, national and international partners; local and provincial authorities in order to facilitate the implementation of projects activities.
· On the Operations Coordinator’s request, to ensure ad hoc additional representation with other stakeholders, such as, cluster meetings
·
REQUIRED PROFILE
EDUCATION AND PROFESIONAL BACKGROUND
· Compulsory OT/PT degree
· At least 2 years of professional experience in the field of vulnerability / disability
· At least 2 years of professional experience in the field of rehabilitation
· Experience in emergency rehabilitation, preferably with Handicap International. Proven ability to advise on disability/vulnerability issues
· Masters of Public Health or related studies would be an asset
· Strong communication and reporting skills
· Strong interpersonal and intercultural skills
· Ability to work under high pressure and without constant supervision
· English mandatory (oral and written), French would be an asset
ETHIC AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
· Always respect of beneficiaries’ confidentiality.
· Respect and promote HI’s Policies and report to your line manager any non respect of HI’s policies amongst the teams or partners.
· Address needs and requests in a professional way.
· Report any incident or act that causes any harm to a beneficiary or to others.
PERSONAL QUALITIES
· Adaptation to specific working conditions
· Capacity to work in a team and autonomously
· Capacity to work in an multidisciplinary and multicultural team
· Dynamism, high level of motivation
· Flexibility and availability
· Willingness to learn new skills and/or approaches
· Good capacity to interact with members of the team and different communities
JOB ENVIRONMENT
-Working conditions: excellent
-No couple or family departure
-Advantages provided: social cover, repatriation insurance, housing, transport, R&R
EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS
-Status: salaried contract according to experience
-Remuneration: according to HI salary grid
-Start: 1st August 2014
-Duration: 7 months
-Living conditions: guesthouse shared with other expatriates (no charges)
-Security conditions: high level of insecurity
-Social insurance: 100% covered
HIERARQUICAL RELATIONSHIPS
Line manager: Specific Needs Technical Advisor
Line manager+1:Operations coordinator- Lebanon
Functional line manager: Head quarter’s technical referent
Note that this job description must remain flexible, to respond to additional tasks or changes as identified by the line manager.
[1] Declaration of UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guiterres, September 2nd, 2013
[2] According to UNHCR (registered refugees and pending registration)