Country: Lebanon
Closing date: 31 Oct 2017
Project Assistant Job Description
Work Location: Beirut
Project Description: Talent Beyond Boundaries is an American NGO working to open a new pathway to help people forcefully displaced from their home countries find work and self-reliance through international employment opportunities. Talent Beyond Boundaries is linking with employers who can use work visas to bring talented refugees to fill skill gaps around the world. Although humanitarian leaders and academics increasingly recognize that labor mobility can help displaced individuals lead productive self-sufficient lives, to date there has been no effective effort to connect this talent pool to private sector employers who recruit globally. Talent Beyond Boundaries' goal is to create a viable labor migration pathway for refugees around the globe. Talent Beyond Boundaries is currently implementing its Pilot Project through a partnership with SPARK, drawing on their complementary knowledge and expertise.
Organization Description
SPARK’s mission is to develop higher education and entrepreneurship so that young ambitious people in post-conflict societies are empowered to lead their societies into prosperity. Founded in 1994, SPARK is an independent, not-for-profit international development organisation with sixteen offices around the world. SPARK’s activities take place in highly complex environments including fragile states and involve economic, social, and political change. SPARK’s mission is to develop entrepreneurship and higher education so that young ambitious people are empowered to lead their post-conflict societies into prosperity. SPARK works closely with a range of local partners including chambers of commerce, universities, vocational schools, governments (both local and foreign), business institutions and civil society organisations to build co-operative, locally-sustainable networks of support for promising entrepreneurs. In collaborating with local partners, SPARK listens directly to the demands of the community to pinpoint the needs and priorities of local beneficiaries. SPARK promotes local ownership of projects, which is essential for continuing support beyond SPARK's presence in that region and SPARK focuses on wide impact, linking local, regional and international partners to build strong networks of support, resources and services.
Position Summary: The Project Assistant will be a contracted employee of Spark, working solely on TBB’s pilot project, in close collaboration with both TBB and SPARK staff. The Project Assistant will primarily focus on providing administrative support to TBB’s program through coordinating logistics for meetings, collecting and organizing documentation, following up with candidates, scheduling candidates’ support activities and supporting with general case management. The Project Assistant will assist the TBB team to manage logistics and organization systems. The Project Assistant will report to both TBB and SPARK management and will work closely with both teams on this collaborative effort.
Supervisor: Lebanon Project/Strategy Manager
Start Date: As soon as possible
Hours: Full-time
Salary: Based on experience (range likely 800-1,000 USD/gross per month)
Candidate Requirements:
Education: A Bachelor's degree is highly desirable.
Experience: 1-2 years of professional experience, ideally related to administrative management. Development and/or humanitarian response experience is a plus.
Language Skills:
Fluency in spoken and written Arabic and English mandatory. No exceptions.
Competencies
● Passion for TBB’s goal
● Excellent communication skills, experience in professional communication via phone and email in both Arabic and English.
● Detail-oriented with a strong ability to time manage and coordinate schedules
● Solid organizational skills including respect for deadlines
● Experience working in a humanitarian context desired
● Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to establish effective and working relations with all the types of stakeholders.
● Adaptability and ability to re-prioritize according to the changing context.
● Able to work effectively and creatively independently and within a team.
● Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information.
● Analytical skills to be able to solve problems that may come up during a typical work day.
● Knowledge of case management or refugee protection is a plus.
Responsibilities & Tasks:
- Work dynamically with SPARK and TBB staff as a team player on the implementation of TBB’s pilot project.
- Support the TBB team in maintaining administrative and other processes for our organization and accountability.
- Coordinate meetings, including logistics, agendas, and taking notes.
- Develop and maintain an organized file system of paper and electronic documents.
- Support the coordination of logistics necessary to prepare refugees to move for international employment. This could include helping candidates prepare the necessary documents, take language and skills testing, prepare applications and CVs, and access information.
- Manage the schedule, financial tracking, and logistics of refugee intake sessions and follow up with individual candidates in the TBB program pipeline, in coordination with the TBB-SPARK team.
Disclaimer: TBB and Spark reserve the right to adapt this job description at any time during employment according to needs. Any extension of this contract is dependent on performance review, funding availability, and strategic planning
Working Environment: The Project Assistant will work in SPARK’s office in Beirut or Amman as an integrated member of SPARK’s team. The Project Assistant will also work closely with TBB’s Regional Program Coordinator and other team members from Spark and TBB both in the country and remotely. The position requires someone who works well with a small dynamic and dedicated team and also independently.
How to apply:
Please send a cover letter and resume to lebanon@talentbeyondboundaries.org by October 31 or sooner.