Regional Program Coordinator – Middle East At Bibliothèques Sans Frontières

ABOUT BSF

Founded in 2007 by the French historian Patrick Weil, Bibliothèques Sans Frontières (Libraries Without Borders) is an NGO that empowers vulnerable populations by sharing culture, education and information. It implements inclusive and innovative projects in 30+ countries, enabling people affected by crises and precarity to educate themselves, dream and (re)build their lives. Thanks to its innovative tools, library of contents and expertise in mediation, BSF and its partners tackle the major challenges of the 21st century such as education, culture, citizenship, community building, health, employment or entrepreneurship.

At BSF, recruitment decisions are only based on the applicant’s skills and qualities regarding its needs of recruitment within a respectful and inclusive process. BSF hires and employs individuals regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, cultural or ethnic background, or disability.

CONTEXT

BSF opened its mission in the Middle East in late 2015 in response to the Syrian crisis and the population displacement resulting from the war. Initially focused on Jordan and Iraq, BSF’s response evolved in the past 3 years through an AFD-funded program with the extension of activities toward Federal Iraq and Lebanon and more recently in Syria.

One of the key elements of BSF’s strategy to 2030 is to strengthen its presence and actions as close as possible to its beneficiaries and partners in Middle East. In this context, BSF is recruiting a Regional Program Coordinator based in Amman, Jordan, with the essential role of supporting the opening and structuration of the mission, while ensuring the proper deployment of the activities and supporting with the organization’s development in the region. Currently, BSF operates in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Northeastern Syria.

POSITION WITHIN THE ORGANISATION

Under the direct responsibility of the Middle East Regional Director, the Regional Program Coordinator is responsible for the development and proper implementation of BSF’s programs in the Middle East and primarily in Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine in collaboration with our partners in country.

KEY RESPONSABILITIES

The regional program coordinator who will play an essential role within our team to support the development of BSF operations in Middle East and to ensure a high-quality program implementation. He/she drives all stages of the programs’ implementation and ensures expected outcomes, in line with BSF’s strategy and procedures. He/she manages a team of 3 people (local staff).

1/ Program implementation

• Ensure timely and proper implementation of the program, meeting quality and accountability standards, and in line with the project documents & donor contracts.
• Manage partnerships at country-level, including by supporting the partners in their activity implementation.
• With HQ support, develop and oversee a monitoring and evaluation framework for the program.
• Leads the writing of narrative reports.
• Contribute to the budget monitoring of projects and the validation of financial reports in collaboration with HQ.

2/ Strategy & development

• Contribute actively to design the program strategy, to suggest new areas of intervention or partnerships.
• Prepare evolving operational plans and strategies to adjust the BSF intervention to the evolving context in Middle East.
• Represent BSF toward donors, partners and institutions.
• Participate and contribute to relevant sector working groups and coordination meetings (Education, Protection…).
• Contribute to project design and writing of funding requests (concept notes, proposals, budgets, etc.) for new partnerships.

3/ Management of BSF team in Middle East

• Set up the BSF programs team in the region: definition of needs and recruitment.
• Manage the BSF team, and in particular their evolving locations, roles and tasks (depending on projects, partners and needs).
• Liaise with HQ to ensure the proper support and training of BSF teams in the field.

QUALITIES AND QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (International Relations, Social Sciences, etc…).
• A previous significant and successful experience in a similar coordination position within an International NGO.
• Experience managing a team.
• Knowledge of main institutional donors and of the humanitarian sector.
• Good command of the project cycle and finance reporting.
• Languages: Fluent in English; French and/or Arabic would be a strong asset.

Skills

• Flexibility, adaptation and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage priorities.
• Thorough, organized, and reliable, with the ability to work autonomously.
• Excellent writing skills
• Strong interest for BSF’s mandate and vision
• Ability to withstand pressure.
• Interest for digital education and new technologies is appreciated.
• Great sense of humor and good team member!