Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) is looking for an exceptional Programme Director to lead on the strategic development and management of our programmes in Lebanon
Location: Remote working from Beirut, Lebanon.
Salary: USD 45,600-48,000 gross per annum.
Benefits: 4 wellbeing days per calendar year, plus annual leave, and public holidays entitlement.
Contract Details: 12-month fixed term contract, with possibility of extension subject to opportunities and funding. Hours Full time.
This is a Lebanon based role; therefore, applicants should only apply if they are eligible to work in Lebanon.
Occasional national and overseas travel to support programme implementation and/or oversee activities is required for the position.
Friendly, supportive, and engaging environment (working with people who are passionate about positive change and strengthening democracy around the world).
WFD is the UK public body dedicated to supporting democracy around the world. WFD is sponsored by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). During the last 30 years WFD has helped democracies grow stronger so that more people benefit from freedom and prosperity. Today our talented team of around 180 colleagues design and deliver programmes in over 40 countries and territories around the world.
Programme Director - Lebanon
WFDs programme in Lebanon entering its third and final year, supports increased engagement between the Lebanese parliament and youth civil society groups to strengthen youth inclusion in policymaking and legislative oversight.
The Programme Director (PD) leads WFD’s work in Lebanon. Reporting to the Head of Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the Programme Director is accountable for delivering high quality programmes and quality assurance in compliance with WFD and donor requirements. This involves planning and executing activity delivery in collaboration with the parliament and youth groups, monitoring of programme progress, internal and external communications work, and narrative and financial reporting/forecasting.
In addition, the Programme Director is responsible for providing WFD with a sound understanding of the donor landscape in Lebanon, of existing donor networks, and for identifying and attracting new funding streams.
The Programme Director is the senior-level representation for WFD in Lebanon.
- Engaging with high level stakeholders including senior officials in the Lebanese parliament, the British Embassy in Lebanon, donors, and peer organisations, amongst others.
- Building and managing key relationships and partnerships. They will use and develop their wide-ranging contacts across different groups of stakeholders to support understanding of the country context, and the ways in which WFD can contribute to positive outcomes and will draw on these to develop ideas and concepts for new programmes.
closing date 12th May 2024.
Skills
About You
We are looking for someone who brings exceptional understanding of the country’s governance challenges, political dynamics and political economy.
Substantial - minimum 5 years relevant working experience within a senior level representation position.
You will have direct experience as a practitioner and implementer, with the ability to deliver high-quality, adaptive, and politically informed programming, through the delivery of WFD’s youth inclusion programme.
A sound understanding of the donor landscape in Lebanon, as well as existing donor networks, and proven success attracting new funding.
A good communicator with the confidence and experience delivering keynote speeches and engaging audiences and stakeholders of various levels from senior officials in the Lebanese parliament to civil society and various interest groups.
In detail, it is essential to have the following.
- Educated to degree level with minimum 5 years of relevant working experience.
- Thorough knowledge of the political environment in Lebanon and recent developments in parliamentary affairs, governance and CSOs
- Direct demonstrable experience of implementing good governance and democracy strengthening programmes, ideally ones engaging parliaments, and/or working knowledge of Lebanese parliamentary dynamics and ways of working.
- Strong programme management experience, particularly relating to governance and democracy programmes.
- Experience in the identification and management of risk.
- Previous experience managing financial resources and budgets.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills and demonstrable experience of cultivating productive working relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders.
- Experience of representing and promoting an organisation amongst high-level external stakeholders, including strong public speaking skills.
- Excellent diplomatic and communication skills and ability to work closely with, influence and negotiate with senior officials, politicians, and representatives of international organisations and NGOs.
- Significant experience in designing and implementing governance/democratization support programmes.
- Flexibility to work in a fast-changing environment with the ability to manage and prioritise a range of strategic and operational responsibilities and risks.
- Ability to work independently and effectively, and drive to manage workload, working with international, remote teams and with limited supervision.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Arabic.