Organizational Development Lead

Position:  Organizational Development Lead

Location: IWPR – Beirut, Lebanon Office

Deadline for applications:  22 October 2023

About IWPR

The Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) is an international non-profit organisation founded in 1991, with charitable status in the US, UK and the Netherlands. We give voice to people at the frontlines of conflict, crisis and transition to help them drive change and build more stable, just and inclusive societies.

Drawing on three decades of experience in some of the world’s most challenging environments, we support media, civil society, democracy and governance, gender, and youth-focused projects in over 30 countries – promoting reliable information and responsible public debate and removing barriers to freedom of expression.

Etihad II is an intervention that aims to support 10 civil society organizations (CSOs) in 5 countries to uplift their performance by helping them develop internal structures that are more conducive to sustainable growth and compliant with international NGO standards of governance, financial management and strategic management. Etihad II will make available both expertise and financial support to it partners to achieve this goal.

The Role:

The Organizational Development lead will support 10 CSOs in the MENA region to be set on a trajectory of growth and maturity over the period of 20 months to fulfil their strategic potential. The ODL will work with the programme manager, experts and other team members to provide OD support to 10 civil society/human rights groups in the MENA region to improve their organizational performance by having the appropriate governance and management structures and mechanisms in place so they can comply with local regulations, international standards donor requirements and be placed on a trajectory of growth and maturity.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

General

• The OD Lead will perform a range of tasks to enable the delivery of project activities and build strong and mutually beneficial relationship with various internal and external stakeholders;
• Cultivate strong relationships with project partners to foster trust and gain an in-depth understanding of their internal structures, strengths, and challenges, identifying areas for development;
• Research and analyze generic challenges faced by human rights groups in the project countries, producing relevant research reports as needed;
• Explore and recommend state-of-the-art OD approaches applicable to the project's context, catering to the diverse needs of small and nascent CSOs, informal groups, and well-established organizations;
• Collaborate with the Program Manager and IWPR HR team to develop Terms of Reference (ToR) for specialist trainers and consultants and identifying experts to provide training and mentorship to partners as required;
• Guide consultants to deliver services according to project plans and agreements with partners;
• Produce monthly reports to document progress and results, adhering to both IWPR and donor requirements;
• Provide data and information to the Program Manager and Project Officer for Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) and reporting purposes, as needed;
• Travel internationally several times per year to lead or attend workshops and meetings.

OD Assessments and Development Plans:

• The ODL will conduct organizational assessments for the 10 CSOs partners and produce individual development plans and manage the implementation of these plans. By the end of the intervention, the CSOs will have achieved considerable levels of organizational maturity and are ready to tackle larger projects;
• Develop OD assessment approaches and tools to perform OD assessment for project partners;
• Conduct organizational assessments of 10 CSOs and produce individual reports containing findings and OD recommendations;
• Work with each partner and the PM to develop an individualized OD plan for each CSO;
• Manage the implementation of each plan by working closely with the Programme Manager, the partner CSOs, consultants and trainers and other IWPR team members as needed;
• Report on plan implementation progress on monthly basis to capture successes and identify challenges including security, hurdles that impede implementation of activities and any other challenges that may impact delivery.

OD Support and Mentorship to CSOs:

The ODL will provide ongoing support to partner CSOs to implement their individual development plans over an agreed timeframe. This will involve:

• Provide guidance to CSOs to develop internal policies and producers either directly or through consultants;
• Support CSOs to develop internal training and capacity building plans in accordance with their agreed development plans and help identify experts and specialists;
• Assist CSOs to develop project proposals to obtain a subaward to implement internal training plan;
• Monitor and evaluate the quality of training activities and OD support delivered by consultants;
• Report on progress as needed to the PM and the MEL team.

Material development:

Etihad II plans to produce a number of manuals that CSOs can potentially use in the long term on topics that will be agreed later on. The OD will lead on the drafting and production of these manuals/guides ensuring quality standards are met.

• Help select topics based on priorities agreed with partners;
• Identify the best approaches to produce these manuals/guides;
• Oversee the development of these manuals when carried out by external consultants or produces them based on existing training material developed under the project;
• Oversee the final production and publication of these manuals/guides.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

• A Post graduate degree in Organizational Development, social studies, business, management or similar field or a combination of academic qualifications and professional experience;

• Minimum of 10 Years of organizational development work experience in small to medium institutions to develop internal structures, policies and procedures or minimum of 10 years of non-profit work experience in leadership positions and involvement in OD work;

• Experience and knowledge of the NGO landscape in the MENA region;

• Experience in conducting organizational assessments and developing organizational development plans;

• Experience in identifying, recruiting, managing and working with experts to develop training plans, mentorship plans and conduct various professional activities;

• Experience in NGO governance including board development and leadership development;

• Experience in leadership positions in non-profits in the MENA region as an executive, senior manager or board member or working with boards of directors to provide mentorship, coaching and strategic advice;

• Experience as a mentor having extended such support to others during his/her/their career is a must for this position;

• Ability to travel internationally several times over the course of the project;

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Be a non-profit professional who is passionate about organizational development and have a proven track record helping civil society organizations develop internal structures, policies and plans to boost their performance and achieve strategic growth;
• Familiarity with the human rights movement in MENA is a plus;
• Experience working with LGBTQI+ CSOs in the MENA region is a huge plus;
• Fluent in Arabic and English;
• Fluency in French is a plus.

Principals only. No calls please. Only those who have been considered for an interview will be contacted.

IWPR is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, veteran status or pregnancy and maternity. IWPR will never ask for payment for recruitment.