The Project Manager will provide overall leadership and management of the MASAR project, ensuring timely, high-quality and compliant delivery of all project results across North Lebanon and Bekaa. The role is responsible for project cycle management, technical and operational coordination, budget and grant oversight, MEAL, donor reporting, risk management, stakeholder engagement and coordination across Oxfam teams and project locations.
The Project Manager will ensure that the work-based learning and MSME support components are implemented as an integrated market-driven intervention, with strong attention to decent work, gender equality, youth inclusion, disability inclusion, conflict sensitivity, safe programming and accountability to affected communities.
TEAM PURPOSE:
The Governance and Economic Justice team works to ensure that marginalised women and men, particularly youth and people affected by crisis, have greater access to decent work, productive economic resources and opportunities to strengthen their economic resilience and reduce aid dependency.
PROJECT CONTEXT:
The AICS-funded MASAR “Path” - Market-Driven Pathways to Employment and MSME Growth in North Lebanon and Bekaa project promotes inclusive economic recovery and resilience by improving employment opportunities for vulnerable and conflict-affected people and strengthening the growth and job-creation capacity of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The project focuses on agriculture and agri-food, renewable energy and ICT and combines market assessment, work-based learning, employment pathways, business development support, coaching and financial grants to enterprises.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (Technical, Leadership, People and Resource management)
Project Cycle Management & Programme Quality (40%)
- Lead the overall planning, implementation and delivery of the MASAR project in line with the AICS-approved proposal, logical framework, workplan, budget and contractual requirements.
- Develop and regularly update integrated workplans, spending plans, MEAL plans, procurement plans, grant-disbursement plans and risk/contingency plans across North Lebanon and Bekaa.
- Provide technical and managerial oversight of the rapid market assessment and ensure findings guide sector prioritisation, trainee placement, MSME selection and adaptive implementation.
- Oversee outreach, identification, vulnerability assessment, selection, matching and placement of around 100 on-the-job trainees, ensuring transparent processes and attention to women, youth, persons with disabilities and conflict-affected populations.
- Oversee identification and selection of suitable host enterprises and ensure placements provide safe, relevant and transferable skills linked to labour-market demand.
- Ensure regular follow-up on OJT completion, employment retention, referrals and employment pathways, and proactively address trainee or employer dropout risks.
- Lead implementation of the MSME component, including enterprise identification, business gap assessments, business planning, coaching/mentoring and market-linkage activities.
- Oversee the financial-support/grants component for eligible MSMEs, ensuring transparent selection, due diligence, grant agreements, appropriate technical review, disbursement follow-up and compliance with Oxfam and AICS requirements.
- Ensure programme quality, accountability, safe programming, gender equality, disability inclusion and conflict sensitivity are integrated throughout implementation.
- Ensure project risks are regularly reviewed and mitigation measures adapted to security developments, population movements, market disruption, price volatility and access constraints.
- Work closely with MEAL colleagues to monitor the results framework, data quality and disaggregation, analyse performance and ensure learning is used to adapt implementation.
- Ensure appropriate project visibility and communications in accordance with AICS and Oxfam requirements.
Budget, Grants & Financial Management (25%)
- Hold overall responsibility for sound management of the project budget and ensure expenditure is timely, eligible, properly forecast and aligned with approved activities and donor rules.
- Lead monthly financial reviews with Finance and programme teams; monitor actual expenditure against budget and spending forecasts; explain variances and agree corrective actions.
- Ensure donor contractual and financial requirements are understood and fulfilled throughout the project cycle, including requirements related to enterprise grants and supporting documentation.
- Oversee financial and programmatic monitoring of MSME grants, including staged disbursement, use of funds, financial documentation and follow-up on agreed business investments.
- Lead and coordinate procurement processes with Logistics/Procurement in line with approved plans, thresholds and Oxfam/AICS procedures.
- Ensure value for money, segregation of duties, fraud-risk mitigation and timely escalation of financial or compliance concerns.
Representation, Coordination & Stakeholder Engagement (20%)
- Serve as the operational focal point for the project with AICS and support senior management in donor engagement, project reviews, monitoring visits and communications.
- Develop and maintain effective relationships with the Ministry of Agriculture, Chambers of Commerce, municipalities, SDCs, TVET institutions, universities, employers, financial institutions and other relevant stakeholders.
- Ensure effective coordination between Bekaa and North Lebanon implementation teams and across Oxfam technical and support functions.
- Promote meaningful private-sector engagement and ensure project interventions remain responsive to labour-market and enterprise needs.
- Lead or support project events, including the national networking event bringing together businesses, private and public stakeholders, donors and civil-society actors.
- Coordinate donor, stakeholder and learning visits and ensure clear follow-up on agreed actions.
- Represent Oxfam in the Livelihoods Sector/working group at the sub-national level and in other relevant coordination platforms.
Reporting, Learning & Team Management (15%)
- Lead preparation of high-quality and timely narrative donor reports, management updates and other project documentation, working closely with Finance, MEAL, Funding and technical teams.
- Ensure reporting accurately reflects progress against indicators, challenges, adaptations, expenditure, risks, learning and results across both project locations.
- Establish clear communication, roles and accountability within the project team; provide regular supervision, coaching, performance management and workload planning for staff reporting to the role.
- Promote cross-area learning and documentation of good practice, employment outcomes, MSME results and lessons relevant to Oxfam economic justice programming.
- Ensure Oxfam programme-management systems and project records are complete, accurate and regularly updated.
CORE DIMENSIONS (see Standard Role Profiles)
- Commitment to Oxfam values, feminist principles and safeguarding standards.
- Strong leadership, judgement, diplomacy and negotiation skills.
- Ability to manage a complex, multi-location project and coordinate diverse technical and support functions.
- Strong interpersonal, influencing and communication skills and ability to build relationships with public, private and civil-society stakeholders.
- Demonstrated commitment to gender equality, inclusion, accountability and safe programming.
- Ability to work independently, prioritise competing demands and make timely decisions in a volatile operating context.
