Project Manager - Education and Livelihood
Danish Refugee Council
Location: Damascus, Syria
Last Date: June 22, 2008
Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is advertising the position as Project Manager in Syria. In close co-operation with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), the Ministry of Education (MoE), UNICEF and UNHCR, DRC has been implementing a program presently funded by Danida and UNHCR.
DRC IN SYRIA
Unlike other Arab countries, Syria has maintained an open border policy since the outbreak of the third Gulf War allowing Iraqis to enter Syria and to enjoy largely the access to services as the resident population. Relatively little precise qualitative and quantitative information is available about the refugee population in Syria, but it is clear that more than 100.000 individuals are in needs of immediate assistance. They generally have very limited resources to find proper shelter and provide the minimum requirements to their children and themselves. The needs extend for basic assistance within non-food items, access to clean water and food assistance, to improved access to education, health care, income opportunities, etc.
DRC is among the first organisations that has established a co-operation with the Syrian authorities and gained formal access to provide humanitarian assistance to Iraqi refugees in Syria and to the host communities sharing their needs. In co-ordination with SARC and UNHCR, DRC has chosen a two-pronged strategy in Syria which addresses the immediate subsistence needs among the most vulnerable segments and the more structural problems related to the exhausted communal services.
In close co-ordination with SARC and UNHCR, DRC is managing 6 community centres located in areas where the Iraqis are concentrated. These centres are providing services / activities for children, various referral services linked to education and health, identification of the most vulnerable families and various remedial education opportunities.
THE POSITION AS PROJECT MANAGER – EDUCATION AND LIVELIHOOD
In close co-ordination with the MoE and under the community centres, DRC wishes to strengthen alternative educational opportunities for children who cannot enter formal education. This will be done e.g. through vocational training combined with income generation / livelihood support. Furthermore, DRC will be working with the MoE on rehabilitating and increasing the capacity within primary and secondary schools.
The office presently consists of a Community Services Project Manager, the Country Director and a national team of support staff working in administration, finance, translation and logistics. More than 160 Iraqi volunteers are contributing to the DRC community services’ development. DRC Syria has its main office in Damascus and 6 branches in the community centres located in the rural Damascus.
GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES
The Project Manager will be responsible for the developing and managing activities education and livelihood support (including income generation). The project will be implemented in close co-ordination with MoE, SARC; UNICEF and UNHCR, and in close co-operation with the activities in the community centres. The Project Manager refers to the Country Director.
GENERAL TASKS
Schools’ rehabilitation:
• To take in charge as a priority the implementation of the schools’ rehabilitation project (in co-ordination with expatriate regional shelter expert)
• To pursue the monitoring/evaluation of the project, and the reporting to donors and partners
• To identify the needs in terms of rehabilitation/construction and contribute to the next project’s proposal
Livelihood:
• Simultaneously, to carry out a rapid needs assessment/feasibility study in terms of vocational training/income generation
• To implement a pilot vocation training/income generation scheme by contacting/contracting external training providers, recruiting the national team, identifying the beneficiaries in coordination with the CS manager, facilitating training sessions and tool kits purchasing/distribution, ensuring a proper follow up of beneficiaries, monitoring implementation and evaluating the impact
• To report to the management and donors
• To provide recommendations for future similar activities
Educational support:
• In coordination with the CS manager, to define the best way of supporting Iraqi children through formal and non-formal education activities like back-to-school program, remedial classes, summer schools, accelerated learning scheme
• To implement the selected activities in close coordination with donors and the MoE
• To monitor implementation and evaluate the impact
• To report to the management and donors
• To provide recommendations for future similar activities
QUALIFICATIONS
Applications should very concrete especially in terms of describing concrete experiences within the following issues as applications will be evaluated and judges from this:
• International experience working with an NGO that focuses on displacement
• Concrete experiences within the education and livelihood sectors including vocational training and income generation
• Experience in managing construction/rehabilitation projects (as a generalist)
• Concrete experience in working with Education authorities such as ministries, governorate authorities, etc.
• Practical experience at all levels of the programme cycle (undertaking assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring and documenting ones results)
• Experience within humanitarian work in a sensitive, diverse and politicised environment
• Good communication skills and team spirit
• Full proficiency in spoken and written English
• Experience with working in the Middle East or Syria and Arabic language skills a strong advantage
• Experience with UNHCR, UNICEF, ECHO guidelines and regulation an advantage
OUR CONDITIONS
Commencement: ASAP. Preferably during the month of July
Duty station: Syria, Damascus with extensive field visits in rural Damascus
Contract: 6 months, with a possibility of extension based on performance evaluation. The employment period is also subject to funding and registration.
Salary and conditions are in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council “Terms of Employment for Expatriates” (available at www.drc.dk under Vacancies). The Project Manager will be employed at level B3.
FURTHER INFORMATION
You are welcome to contact Programme Co-ordinator for the Middle East, Christian J. Hansen, phone: +45 33735036 / +45 28893373 for specific question about the job.
APPLICATION AND CV
Only motivated applications with a CV and letter of application that address the stipulated duties and meet the required qualifications will be considered.
CV-only applications will not be considered.
We do not operate with standard formats for applications or CVs for this position.
It is very important for us to know where you first saw this vacancy posted, so we kindly ask you to supply us with that information in your application. Thank you.
Please forward application, in English and marked “Syria Education PM“, by email no later than Sunday 22 June 2008 to job@drc.dk. Interviews are expected to take place in the following weeks.