Country Director

Job Description

Position:Country Director - LebanonLocation:Beirut, Lebanon ? with travel to field sites across Lebanon and other RI offices upon request (ie, regional meetings, workshops, etc)Reports to:Regional Director- Middle EastABOUT RI:Relief International (RI) is a leading nonprofit organization working in 15 countries to relieve poverty, ensure well-being and advance dignity. We specialize in fragile settings, responding to natural disasters, humanitarian crises and chronic poverty.Relief International combines humanitarian and development approaches to provide immediate services while laying the groundwork for long-term impact. Our signature approach ? which we call the RI Way?emphasizes local participation, an integration of services, strategic partnerships and a focus on civic skills. In this way, we empower communities to find, design and implement the solutions that work best for them.RI includes the four corporate members of the RI Alliance: RI-US, RI-UK, MRCA/RI-France and RI-Europe. Under our alliance agreement, we operate as a single, shared management structure.About the context and RI role:Relief International has been implementing programming in Lebanon since 2006, and are currently actively engaged in the response to the protracted complex crisis in Lebanon impacting vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian refugees across the country. Currently, Relief International?s multi-donor portfolio in Lebanon focuses on Health, Education and Livelihoods operating in North, Bekaa, Beirut/Mount Lebanon and South. Relief International also values coordination with other agencies and the government of Lebanon and takes leadership roles within the response as relevant.POSITION SUMMARY:Reporting to the Regional Director for the Middle East, the Country Director is responsible for the Lebanon mission overall, including high-level representation, fundraising and program development, strategic planning, risk management, program quality, administrative processes, security, and all other aspects of the mission vital to ensure the health of the mission. The Country Director must be dynamic, maintain the ability to work on both macro/ strategic and micro/ detail-oriented issues simultaneously, and have strong communication skills in order to work effectively with internal actors at all levels of the organization and external actorsincluding but not limited to donors, government institutions, U.N. agencies, partners and other key stakeholders.ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:Program Planning and DevelopmentDevelop, in cooperation with other staff, short, medium and long-range strategic plans maintaining program focus in areas congruent with RIs program objectivesMaintain effective communications with donors by tracking trends and anticipating the likelihood of funding opportunitiesSpot and forcefully pursue new opportunities for program growth and start-up which may include conducting full-scale assessments, in coordination with regional and global Programs and Program Development Team members.Assess other implementing organizations activities using all available means to identify gap areas and overlapIdentify and participate in forums and meetings for the NGO sector where a strategic benefit for the organization existsNegotiate contracts and agreements with donors and partners, in coordination with regional and global programs, program development as well as Grants and Contracts teamsMaintain effective communications with RIs regional and global support departments, regarding program development, funding agreements, security, staffing and other operational issuesIdentify, and where necessary, initiate and maintain program partnerships with external agencies.Program ManagementOversee project implementation, including allocation of resources, ensuring that appropriate controls are maintained at all levels, by working with program managersEnsure that team members are effective and efficient and contribute the necessary work to ensure their programs are a success. Provide feedback to staff to ensure optimal performance.Ensure all programs are completed within time, on budget and achieve their objectivesProvide adequate support to each program, including but not limited to strategic vision and technical input and adviceMonitor project implementation, communication and report both internally and externallyServe as a link between RI and all project counterparts through sector coordinationEnsure overall audit compliance, financial transparency though supervision and direction of financial and administrative staff.Ensure all program team members are trained on the PMF (RI?s program management tool), as well as project budget managementTeam ManagementProvide leadership and management of national and expatriate staff. Ensure timely and quality staff performance management of directly managed staff, making sure all program team follows best practices in this regardAssess international personnel requirements for all projects and programs within Lebanon in conjunction with regional and global support, and program managersProvide onboarding briefings to all incoming expatriate staff covering RI goals and objectives, country and program background, vision and future plans, policies and procedures and security or delegate these topicsEnsure that the hiring, promotion, firing and termination of compensation levels of national staff in accordance with local laws and practiceEnsure the continued safety of all personnel and establish and implement emergency security evacuation plans as appropriateIn collaboration with the HR team, address disciplinary, conflict and abuse issues within the program teamIn accordance with RI?s HR policy and in-line with RI?s staff care efforts, maintain a healthy work environment, with reasonable workloads and proper leaves. Work with the RHRM to assess and prevent risks of excessive stress and burnout in the workplaceSecurityServe as country security focal point or designate someone for that positionMake security policy and recommendations based on all available informationEnsure security guidelines are up to date and fully implementedRegularly report to GSO regarding safety and securityReporting and ControlProvide program reports and regular situation reports that are timely, meet information requirements and professionally written as needed by RI and as required by donorsEvaluate and monitor all country programs to determine the extent to which they are meeting goals and determine action needed to improve achievementsEnsure all programs are completed within time, on budget and achieve its objectivesExternal RepresentationMaintain a suitable image for RI in Lebanon and protect RIs interest and assetsAssign a deputy in country who can represent in the CD?s absenceEffectively liaise with donor governments and other lead agency representatives, as well as national government officials and counterparts within partner organizations, legal counsel, audit firms, etcRepresent RI at high level, routine meetings, and sector meetingsInitiate RIs response to disasters and emergencies when appropriateFacilitate donor visits to project sites as appropriateRepresent RI in INGOs forumsFinancial ManagementEnsure budget preparation and monitoring at country levelEnsure that the national office and sub-offices maintain complete, up-to-date and accurate financial records and that records are adequately reported and storedEnsure equitable allocation of shared national office operating costs to the various projects and donors as per an agreed formulaEnsure the timely preparation and accuracy of financial reports by working with financial accounting staff as required by RI and donorsAct as a signatory on bank accountsSafeguarding* Up

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