Lebanon: Protection & Gender Coordinator

May 17, 2019 | Near East Foundation
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The Near East Foundation, formerly the American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief, then the American Committee for Relief in the Near East, and later Near East Relief, is a Syracuse, New York-based American international social and economic development organization.The Near East Foundation (NEF) is seeking candidates for a Protection & Gender Coordinator to be based in its Lebanon office in Beirut. For over 100 years, NEF has worked to build more sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive communities in the Middle East and Africa through education, governance, and economic development initiatives. Working through a network of country offices and local partners, NEF currently has approximately 250 staff members and programs in nine countries: Armenia, Jordan, Lebanon, Mali, Morocco, Palestine, Senegal, Sudan, and Syria. Its programs are organized around three themes: Peacebuilding through Economic Cooperation, Resilient Agriculture and Development, and Inclusive Economic Development/Microenterprise Development.

Position Description:

The Protection & Gender Coordinator is a member of the Near East Foundation Beirut team in Lebanon. The postholder has the responsibility to ensure protection and gender mainstreaming in all activities under NEF Lebanon’s livelihoods projects, and to coordinate the implementation of protection-based livelihoods activities. Project activities aim to reduce household economic vulnerability and reliance on harmful coping strategies by increasing access to livelihoods and protection information and coping skills.

The role will mainly require the postholder to: (a) coordinate gender-based violence (GBV) awareness and protection workshops with partners and participants; (b) ensure that community-based organizations (CBOs) have proper GBV and protection protocols in place; (c) ensure GBV awareness and protection are mainstreamed into programming; (d) ensure safe spaces for project participants are available within the CBOs and meet necessary standards; (e) develop a referral process in coordination with CBO partners to ensure vulnerable cases are received, handled and referred with necessary follow-up; (f) play a role in the identification and selection of vulnerable beneficiaries for livelihoods support, including examining cases of vulnerability in more detail as required; and (g) support the coordination and implementation of livelihoods activities. S/he is expected to establish and maintain effective working relationships with local partner organizations, key government departments and relevant local or international organizations.

Main Duties Include:

Implementation, Monitoring & Oversight

  • Ensure protection mainstreaming and gender inclusion in all components and activities through regular field monitoring, collaboration with staff, capacity building of partners, etc.
  • Continuously assess protection and gender contexts, assumptions and changes in the working environment (a) to ensure the project’s focus, strategies and activities related to protection and gender inclusion and GBV response remain relevant and (b) to propose adjustments when needed.
  • Maintain a robust and up-to-date referral system to receive and respond to protection cases in all locations.
  • Ensure smooth implementation of protection-related activities against targets and budget.

Reporting & Documentation

  • Ensure gender and protection strategies, SoPs, guidelines and frameworks are updated, explained and in place, to guide project implementation.
  • Develop quarterly and annual implementation plans for protection mainstreaming and gender inclusion mainstreaming, in coordination with project staff and local partner organizations.
  • Collate/compile field-generated information and provide required inputs into progress/final reports on a timely manner and in compliance with HQ/donor requirements.
  • Identify and draft relevant impact and success stories related to protection mainstreaming and gender inclusion.
  • Ensure proper documentation and data protection of vulnerable cases received and handled by protection focal points.

Training/Guidance/Capacity Building

  • Assess team’s capacities in protection mainstreaming and gender inclusion and develop individual and team capacity building plans.
  • Deliver needed training to NEF/CBO teams & provide regular refreshers.
  • Provide team/individual guidance and technical capacity through training, operational planning, daily interaction, regular team meetings, and learning and reflection events to implement gender, GBV and protection effectively and efficiently into project activities.
  • Provide training to beneficiaries on relevant protection/gender inclusion topics.

Representation & Coordination

  • Represent NEF in protection/GBV and basic assistance working groups at national and local levels, and other relevant interagency workshops or events in related sectors.
  • Share relevant project information and documents as it relates to protection and gender with project team, partners, HQ and other stakeholders.
  • In coordination with the Country Representative, identify areas for collaboration with UN agencies, international NGOs, local NGOs, government departments around protection and gender issues.

Program Development & Strategic Planning

  • Participate in internal strategic and planning meetings.
  • Contribute to the design of a protection strategy of the Lebanon operation.
  • Support/facilitate field assessments and discussions as required to identify new areas of intervention.

Other responsibilities

  • Ensure compliance with applicable donor rules and regulations on gender and protection.
  • Capacity to directly or indirectly supervise small teams.
  • Any other duties relating to the nature of the job as requested by the supervisor.

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in international human rights, law, sociology, social work, or other relevant field.
  • 3 years of relevant protection experience with a humanitarian and/or development organization.
  • 2 years of project management/coordination experience.
  • 2 years of experience working on livelihoods projects.
  • Experience working in the field, and leading/managing teams.
  • Understands rights and protection issues of refugees, children and women, including solid experience working with vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian communities.
  • Fluency in Arabic and English, both written and verbal.
  • Proven analytical and writing skills.
  • High-level of knowledge and practice with Word, Excel, Outlook, etc. required. 

Position Criteria:

  • Willingness and able to travel to field sites frequently.
  • Able to take initiative and very self-motivated, with a strong capacity to work within a team.
  • Able to work independently, with a strong work ethic and high level of professionalism.
  • Capable of maintaining confidentiality and ensuring others do as well.
  • Flexible, enthusiastic and willingness to learn from and support others.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
  • Ability to multi-task, prioritize tasks, and cope with competing demands under tight deadlines.
  • Ability to establish and maintain good working relationships with people from different backgrounds.
  • Strong commitment to humanitarian principles.