Lebanon: New Program Targeting Child Labour

The Freedom Fund (www.freedomfund.org) is a leader in the global movement to end modern slavery. The Freedom Fund works to combat many different forms of extreme exploitation, including forced labour, sex trafficking, forced marriage, and the worst forms of child labour.

It:

• invests in those countries and sectors with the greatest incidence of modern slavery.
• analyses which interventions work best and shares that knowledge.
• brings together a community of activists committed to ending extreme exploitation and empowered by the knowledge of how best to do so.
• generates funding by demonstrating how effective interventions can protect those at risk of being exploited and free those in situations of exploitation.

Since it was founded in 2014, the Freedom Fund has supported over 140 organisations in Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, Indonesia, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Kenya and Thailand.

About the Position: 

The Freedom Fund is excited to offer a consultancy opportunity to an individual with in-depth knowledge of Lebanon and its civil society, as well as a robust understanding of the government systems and policies that respond to child labour and the complexities of the factors and systems that facilitate the exploitation of children.

This consultancy will accompany an inception year of programmatic development and strategy refinement, building on a feasibility study that was conducted last year on the issue of child labour in Lebanon. The feasibility study led to a high-level strategy with a broad set of objectives that contribute towards addressing the risks of child labour and reducing its prevalence in select areas of Beirut and the Bekaa Valley.

In order to help refine and finalise the programmatic strategy, the consultant will assist in identifying local community representatives and civil society organisations with whom the Freedom Fund could partner, collaborate, and co-design a programming framework to reduce the prevalence of child labour. The consultant will also help facilitate discussions with relevant government offices and representatives relevant to the scope of the strategy. This process will last approximately a year and will include pilot grants to organisations who have been identified as participants in the process.

The aim is to have a refined well-designed program strategy after one year, developed in collaboration with local partners. This strategy would then inform a possible implementation phase with the same and/or any new partners.

To ensure operational efficiency and compliance, the consultant will advise and assist in determining the best processes and systems for grant making to local organisations to help ensure funds can be effectively used. Furthermore, the consultant will assist in working with local partners to clarify operational risks and safety concerns in implementation of the strategy with accompanying mitigation measures detailed to address the concerns.

This is an exciting and demanding role for an outstanding individual with experience in grassroots and local civil society organisations in Lebanon, with excellent convening and facilitating skills for strategy /program design and with an understanding of child labour related issues.

The successful candidate will recommend local organisations in Lebanon to co-design the Freedom Fund strategy and its program framework on addressing child labour in Lebanon. The consultant will support the identification and selection of grantees and the co-creation of the hotspot strategy.

This position is expected to be a demanding assignment over the next 12 months.

Responsibilities: 

The consultant in Lebanon will lead the listed activities below on behalf of the Freedom Fund during the initial one-year program inception phase. The consultant will primarily work with a Freedom Fund Senior Program Manager based out of London, UK.

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Advise the Freedom Fund on the inception phase process so it works best in the context of Lebanon.
• Guided by the feasibility study findings, identify potential partners, and provide essential preparatory support to invite organisations for a formal co-creation phase, including dissemination of application materials, review of initial applications, short-listing of partners, and office and community visits.
• Lead the co-creation process as partners and other key stakeholder refine the child labour strategy and the programming framework as explained above. This will include the organisation of convenings of relevant stakeholders, facilitation of the refinement of the child labour strategy and design of the programming framework building on partners’ expertise and knowledge.
• In collaboration with local stakeholders and partners, finalise a programmatic framework, based on local expertise and best practices, that details the parameters by which organisations will then be able to submit project applications for a subsequent implementation phase.
• As necessary, represent the Freedom Fund in official meetings with government, international and national organisations, and networks.
• As necessary, coordinate logistics and facilitate necessary visits for Freedom Fund representative(s) or other consultants.
• Assist and lead in clarifying operational processes for grant making in Lebanon.
• In collaboration with the Freedom Fund team and local organisation, assess the risk of project implementation and identify relevant mitigation measures.
• Any other tasks, as assigned.

Qualifications and Experience: 

The Freedom Fund seeks a dedicated, self-motivated consultant, capable of working with limited supervision and of quickly establishing effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. The successful candidate will have experience in facilitating and designing program strategies, convening civil society organisations, and successful experience of program design and implementation ideally related to child labour issues.

Essential: 

• At least seven years of directly relevant experience.
• Experience convening and facilitating processes with civil society organisations.
• Experience designing program strategies and program interventions to address complex social issues.
• Grant making experience to local civil society organisations.
• Knowledge and experience of working on child labour, and/or forced labour, human rights, anti-human trafficking, or modern slavery initiatives; familiarity with child protection highly desirable.
• Experience in working with grassroot organisations and managing projects.
• Experience in conducting organisational capacity assessments.
• Ability to read and understand due diligence assessments and findings.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation of grants and programs.
• English and Arabic speaker.
• High proficiency with Microsoft Office tools (especially Word and Excel).
• Entitled to work in Lebanon, without work sponsorship from the Freedom Fund.
• Knowledge of government policy, structure and legal systems is desirable.

Personal Attributes: 

Essential: 

• Team player committed to the Freedom Fund’s values and passionate about human rights issues.
• Ability to build relationships with a wide range of individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to work independently, displaying strong initiative in solving day-to-day problems with limited direction.
• Outstanding oral and written English communication skills and ability to present information in compelling ways.
• Detail oriented, with ability to manage, track and organise data, including numerical data.
• Willingness and ability to travel, sometimes to remote communities, as required.

Compensation: 

The Freedom Fund will pay the consultant a daily fee at an agreed rate. Expected daily fee rate should be provided by the consultant in his/her cover letter. This will be further discussed as part of the interview and contractual process for the successful candidate.

How to Apply: 

Applications should be submitted in English and include a CV, cover letter (maximum two pages) and contact details of two professional references, one of which must be the applicant’s current/most recent line manager or current/ most recent Head of HR.

Please send applications by email in PDF format to jobs@freedomfund.org, including ‘Consultant – Lebanon’ in the subject line before 9.00am BST on 14th of August 2023. Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis.

Please note that only candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted. No phone calls please. No agencies please.

The Freedom Fund is an equal opportunities employer. In line with our values of respect, agility, and excellence, we value the strength of a diverse workforce and strongly encourage applications from people with disabilities, Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ and from different socio-economic backgrounds. Applicants must be eligible to work in Lebanon.

The Freedom Fund is committed to the importance of meaningful survivor inclusion and leadership. As such, particular consideration will be given to applicants with lived experience of trafficking and/or forced labour.

As part of our commitment to the protection of children and vulnerable people in our work, any offer of engagement with the Freedom Fund will be subject to satisfactory pre-engagement checks to ensure we work with only those who are suitable to work with children and vulnerable persons. These checks include proof of eligibility to work in the national location of this role and checks against the Office of Foreign Assets Control data list (OFAC] which highlights any connections to terrorism or trafficking. Any offer of consultancy with The Freedom Fund will only be made following successful background checks being conducted on the applicant. By submitting a formal application, you agree to the Freedom Fund carrying out these checks.