Lebanon: WASH/Shelter Manager

INTERSOS is an independent humanitarian organization that assists the victims of natural disasters, armed conflicts and exclusion. Its activities are based on the principles of solidarity, justice, human dignity, equality of rights and opportunities, respect for diversity and coexistence, paying special attention to the most vulnerable people.

1. Terms of reference

Job title: WASH/Shelter Manager

Duty Station: Beirut

Starting date: ASAP

Duration of contract: 2 months (renewable)

Reporting to: Project Manager – Head of Base Mount Lebanon

Supervision of: 9 national staff

1. General context of the project

The project aims at strengthening the coherence of various protection mechanisms, interventions and activities currently in place. In accordance with the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan, UNHCR and INTERSOS seek to orientate their intervention away from an assistance response to what is now considered to be a more protracted situation. Specifically, it sets out a strategy to further harmonize outreach and prevention, identification and response to protection challenges at the individual and community level by reducing duplication amongst actors and streamlining the provision of assistance and services. Doing so will not only improve the quality of response for individuals but ensure that the greatest number of persons will be able to benefit from increasingly limited resources.

The project wants reinforcing effective protection environment for Syrian refugees and other vulnerable communities in Mount Lebanon providing access to structured and quality services. These services will target persons with specific needs (PWSN), survivors of and at risk of SGBV and cases at risk or experiencing Child Protection concerns living in Beirut and the Mount-Lebanon governorate.

In addition, INTERSOS will identify needs and gaps in Shelter & WASH facilities and will provide shelter rehabilitation, improvement and maintenance and WASH assistance to households living in CSs, LSU, SSU and ISs through an integrated package of household-level support with WASH upgrades, in accordance with standard inter-agency approaches

1. General purpose of the position

The position is aimed at ensuring the WASH-Shelter technical expertise for a sound project implementation, while managing the WASH-Shelter component of the project.

The WASH-Shelter Manager will lead, coordinate and support the implementation of WASH/Shelter-related activities in areas of intervention.

The WASH-Shelter Manager will guarantee the correct and efficient implementation of the project’s WASH/Shelter-related activities in and the overall supervision of the project team on protection level.

The WASH-Shelter Manager ensures the proper and effective implementation of WASH-Shelter activities – in order to achieve the planned objectives and expected results – as well as technical support to the Mission and the UNHCR-funded project’s sub-component for WASH-Shelter, ensuring qualitative and timely planning, implementation as well as monitoring and evaluation of INTERSOS activities in compliance with relevant standard operating procedures, Sphere standards and good practices for WASH-Shelter programming, INTERSOS code of conduct and ethical values chart.

The WASH-Shelter Manager will report to the Project Manager of the relevant UNHCR-funded project to ensure the correct implementation of the WASH-Shelter component of the project. The WASH-Shelter Manager operates in strict coordination with the INTERSOS WASH Focal Point and under the supervision of the Project Manager with reference to project-related activities and management of the project’s WASH-Shelter component, and – in parallel – under the guidance of the Programme Coordinator with reference to Mission-related activities.

The WASH-Shelter Manager will coordinate with the Logistic Assistant, Admin and Finance Assistant and the Project Manager for financial and liquidity planning, weekly and monthly budget line allocation in the INTERSOS accounting spreadsheets (PN) and all procurement procedures. In particular and with reference to procurement processes, the WASH-Shelter Manager will coordinate them with relevant staff, as needed.

The WASH-Shelter Manager, will guarantee the correct and efficient implementation of the projects WASH/Shelter-related activities in and the overall supervision of the project team on WASH-Shelter level.

He/she will also support with is technical background the Bekaa WaSH team, in order to ensure common standards and procedures for all the UNHCR wash/shelter intervention at national level.

1. Tasks and responsibilities

Ensuring activities implementation

• Managing and regularly update the project’s sub-component work plan and related financial plan, ensuring timely and quality implementation in compliance with the project strategy as well as INTERSOS and donor guidelines.
• Undertaking a detailed technical assessment of WASH-Shelter needs and gaps for assistance in the project target areas and develop vulnerability evaluation tools, in order to define exact locations of intervention and beneficiaries.
• Ensuring that various technical Templates (including drawings, bill of quantities, bill of materials and reporting formats) are in place and well used.
• Reviewing the technical specifications, technical drawings and work schedules to ensure consistency with the most appropriate technology and existing ministry /sector standards.
• Reviewing the bill of quantities and bill of materials of the proposals to ensure the estimated costs are reasonable and comparable to the market rates.
• Ensuring that the WASH-Shelter activities are implemented with the set designs, BOQs and BOMs, and project budget lines are expended within approved limit as stipulated by individual donors’ guideline as far as construction work is concern.
• Ensuring that the construction project activities are well coordinated and implemented in an integral manner so as to ensure effective and efficient utilization of physical and human resource during implementation.
• Sharing and solving difficulties that may be encountered in implementation of the project’s activities.
• Periodically updating the WASH-Shelter situation analysis and informing INTERSOS WASH Focal Point and relevant colleagues accordingly.
• Support the Project Manager and the Programme Coordinator – as needed – in preparing the narrative and financial reports with reference to the project’s sub-component for WASH-Shelter, according to INTERSOS and donor requirements.
• Provide technical inputs and recommendations for new and ongoing interventions, and support the development of new proposals.

Ensuring financial management and procurement

• Coordinating with logistics, administration and finance staff to procure equipment, supplies and materials required to implement WASH-Shelter activities, ensuring cost efficiency and accountability in compliance with INTERSOS and donor regulations and procedures.
• Supporting the Project Manager in preparing the INTERSOS accounting spreadsheets (PN): verifying budget line allocations, budget expenditure status against actual delivery and the financial plan for the project implementation period.

Managing team and ensuring relevant capacity building and on-job coaching to the project staff

• Managing the WASH-Shelter national project staff.
• Ensuring regular performance evaluation of project staff (national and international, as needed).
• Coordinating WASH-Shelter Team to continuously assess WASH-Shelter needs of target populations in project areas.
• Conducting weekly and monthly meetings with relevant project staff to review the planning and discuss the main concerns.
• Undertaking weekly field visits to the project sites to provide technical guidance and supervision to the team as well as regularly monitoring the progress of WASH-Shelter activities.
• Training WASH-Shelter Team in the use of the various standards and the technical templates including bill of quantities, bill of materials, and technical reporting templates as well as on data entry and analysis.
• Working closely with relevant colleagues to ensure the integration of WASH-Shelter activities with other sectors.
• Supporting with technical advises Bekaa WaSH team working under UNHCR fund.

Reporting

• Ensuring quality reporting on achievements through short briefings, monthly and weekly planning presented against weekly and monthly performance reports containing clear quantitative and qualitative information related to the activities.
• Coordinating with WASH-Shelter Project’s staff in delivering timely, complete and qualitative monthly a comprehensive reporting for submission to the Project Manager.
• Coordinating with WASH-Shelter Project’s staff in delivering quality activities reporting, including the findings in terms of impact and changes at the level of individuals, households and communities. More specifically, preparing ad-hoc progress reporting as well as required interim and final reports.
• Holding final responsibility for all support documents (means of verification) and general project documents.

Monitoring and evaluation

• Ensuring monitoring and verification for targeting of beneficiaries.
• Ensuring relevant monitoring systems and ensuring that systems permit the appropriate implementation, including quick response to changing circumstances and erroneous assumptions in the project design.
• Applying a result-based management approach and monitoring the project outcomes, in addition to the outputs and activities, including changes at the household and community level achieved through the project.
• Coordinating the WASH-Shelter Project’s staff in assessing, analyzing and evaluating the impact of project activities and needs of the target populations in the project areas, periodically updating the situation analysis and proposing to the Head of Mission, the Programme Coordinator and the WASH Focal Point possible programme developments.

Coordination and representation

• Conducting regular meetings with donor representatives and facilitating field visits as needed.
• Establishing and maintaining excellent relationships with relevant stakeholders, local authorities and institutions.
• Helping to set programming strategies for INTERSOS Lebanon with reference to the WASH-Shelter sector.
• Proactively participating and representing INTERSOS in WASH & Shelter working groups at the regional and national level if required.
• Proactively engaging in bi-lateral meetings with other INGOs and NGOs active in relevant geographical areas to avoid duplication, ensure coordination and referral and work for complementary efforts.
• Ensuring systematic information and update sharing with the Project Manager, the WASH Focal point, the Programme Coordinator and relevant colleagues.

Human resources

• Supporting in recruitment and selection of WASH-Shelter staff**.**
• Training, coordinating and supervising WASH-Shelter staff and evaluating their performance.

Working relationships

• Establishing and maintain regular and collaborative relations with relevant donor officers, local authorities, partners, project stakeholders and other organizations working in the target areas.

• Proactively participating in protection and relevant inter-sectorial coordination meeting at field level, contributing to the development of guidelines, standards, tools and strategies.

• Required profile/experience

• A graduate degree in a relevant discipline (Engineering, Architecture…) A Master in related area (WaSH, Shelter, Water management…) will be an added advantage

• A minimum of 3 years of management experience in emergency and transitional wash-shelter programs

• Previous experience in emergency/recovery projects funded by UNHCR and knowledge of the Donor’s Procedures

• Previous working experience in Middle East with and solid understanding of the complexities of operating in Lebanon will be an added advantage

• Strong project management and planning skills: assessments, design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation; with good skills in managing related data analysis

• Knowledge of participatory approaches and tools to community planning, monitoring and evaluation

• Good understanding of key technical standards (SPHERE, HAP, gender mainstreaming, etc)

• Demonstrate ability in thinking creatively and practically to improve the quality of projects

• Strong capacity building, facilitation, and presentation skills

• Conversant in proposal writing with effective communication skills

• Fluency in English, spoken and written

• Arabic is an asset

• Perfect knowledge of all the phases of the PCM

• Self-motivated and able to work with a minimum of guidance

• Willingness and physical ability to perform field missions in rural areas if needed

• Ability to delegate and work in team

• Flexibility (will have to take on responsibilities that might not be directly on his/her JD)

• Adaptability to changing work environment and possible volatile security situation

• Stress management skills: ability to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines, with peaks of heavy workloads

• Good communication skills, both written and oral

• Good computing skills.

Qualified applicants are requested to submit their CV, motivation letter and 2 references to recruitment@intersos.org with subject line: “SR 34-171WASH/Shelter Manager – Lebanon”.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for the first interview.