Plan is an international, child-focused development organization, without religious, political or governmental affiliation. We work with and for poor children and communities in 50 developing countries around the world, 14 of which are in Asia. Our vision is of a world in which all children realize their full potential in societies that respect people’s rights and dignity. Plan policies and procedures ensure that the welfare of children comes first.

Plan Asia Regional Office is looking for the following position to join our team. This is a local recruitment. The successful candidate will be offer package competitive to the local market. Please note that Plan will not be able to provide residential, visa and work permit.

Department & Location : Regional Disaster Risk Management (DRM)

Reports to : Regional Climate Change Specialist if based in Bangkok, ARO or Regional DRM Advisor if based in Philippines

Purpose : To work as a main project coordinator for the C2R2 project, the position will establish an coordination and monitoring system at regional office and target country levels for the 3 components of the C2R2 grant and liaising with regional DRM team, regional M&E unit, country office project staff, Plan USA office and the external research partner towards this end. This position will also ensure adherence to donor requirements and reporting.

Background:

Plan International is implementing a three year Child-Centered Recovery and Resilience (C2R2) project in Asia with funding from Margaret A. Cargill Foundation (MACF Foundation). The project seeks to address gaps in programming and the knowledge base related to child-centered, community-led Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) across the spectrum from immediate relief to longer-term recovery and resilience-building efforts, with a focus on Asia.  Three project components correspond to gaps in: A) immediate disaster responses focusing on underreported and underfunded humanitarian needs; B) longer-term recovery, using Safe Schools as a point of reference in Philippines and Bangladesh; and C) research and knowledge generation to build a stronger evidence basis for resilience-building approaches.

Dimensions of Role:

• The Coordination and Learning Officer will work full time for the MACF funded C2R2 project to ensure effective coordination and monitoring of project activities across the three components of the C2R2 project. The position will be the key focal point to coordinate with project country offices and liaison with Plan USA and donor office to ensure timely and high quality consolidated reporting process.
  
• The position will work with the project external research partner, the Asia Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC), and country and regional M&E and technical staff to ensure effective monitoring, evaluation and learning systems are in place and functioning effectively to assess and document the evidence basis for child centered response and resilience-building approaches.
• The position will support the Regional DRM Specialist in monitoring disaster situations in the Asia region and support country offices in accessing the C2R2 emergency response fund.
• The position will represent the C2R2 project and ARO DRM team within relevant learning networks, as needed and in coordination with the Plan ARO DRM team and the MER unit.
• Staff who report to this position: no direct supervision but coordination role at different levels
• Project Budget managed by this position: The total C2R2 project budget is 3,25 Mio USD, of which USD 226,000 will be managed directly by this position in the regional office. The remaining budget will be managed by the country offices and US office but the C2R2 coordinator will support budget monitoring and reporting

 Key Responsibilities: 

Project Coordination and Management:

• As main project coordinator for the C2R2 project, the project coordination will lead regional activities and liaison between the country office project personnel, the research partner ADPC, the regional DRM team, and Plan USA office, to ensure timely planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting across the three project components.
• Generally provide on-going regular coordination/updates and support effective communication via Skype, Email, Phone and field visits as needed
• Manage regional level activities of the project such as the mid-term exchange visit and workshop
• Manage and monitor the C2R2 programme budget regularly and effectively with support from the ARO grants coordinator. Identify and communicate any variances to relevant stakeholders as required.
• In coordination with the Regional DRM Specialists, monitor disaster situations in the region and support country offices to ensure timely access to the C2R2 Emergency response fund.

Program Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning:

• Coordinate with ADPC and country project staff to implement a comprehensive monitoring, evaluation and learning system for all C2R2 activities. Conduct in-country monitoring visit to PHL and BLG at least once a year.
• Work with Country Office MER teams to effectively integrate the C2R2 M&E framework with existing CO MER systems and enable the flow of required information to all relevant stakeholders, including USNO and donors. Ensure all evaluation and  research activities comply with Plan’s global Evaluation and Research Standards
• Coordinate mid-term learning exchange visit with country offices and ADPC
• Provide support and oversight of ADPC in designing the mid-term review and final evaluation survey and other data collection tools of the safe school component as well as the emergency response fund in coordination with regional technical advisors and country office project and M&E team.
• Ensure adherence to donor requirements and support Country Offices in the preparation of timely progress reports and compile high quality consolidated reporting to donors
• Provide regular updates to Plan USA and the donor organization MACF regarding M&E developments, progress and/or concerns/challenges and how to best mitigate these
• Produce, analyse and use programme information from varied and diverse sources to provide in-depth analysis as well as short communication advocacy material to demonstrate the results and impact of C2R2 project. This involves collaboration with the research partner ADPC, country program managers, and the regional Safe School specialist, to document and disseminate lessons learned, challenges and best practices from programming. Produce newsletter on Safe Schools and Child centered resilience from across the Asia region at least quarterly and develop case studies for external audiences and donors.

Capacity building and training 

• In close coordination with ADPC and regional technical experts, develop the capacity of relevant staff within the target countries and their partners. More specifically:
  
  • Provide in-country support/training to relevant country M&E staff and partners in use of the data collection and monitoring tools introduced by ADPC
  • Support Country Office project staff and partners to increase their technical capacity in the areas of monitoring, evaluation and learning, including in participatory research
  • In coordination with regional technical advisors, assess evolving capacity needs of project staff and organize trainings as required for example on safe schools or child centered resilience.

 Dealing with Problems: 

Complexity of problems handled & the degree of investigation, analysis, & creative thinking required to solve them

• Capable of managing efficient, coordinated processes for program monitoring, evaluation and learning involving different staff located in different parts of the organization (Plan USA, Plan Asia’s Regional Office, Country Offices, ADPC, MACF) and with different individual responsibilities.
  
• Effective decision-making regarding the most appropriate, effective and efficient approaches to ensure quality M&E of major projects, ensuring maximum alignment between donor and Plan program requirements, country capacities and Plan’s program effectiveness framework.
  
• Capacity to influence different project managers, partners and senior management in order that timely and effective decisions are made regarding project implementation based on the results of the M&E
• Capacity to work and communicate effectively with others in a diverse and long distance environment
• Capacity to work and communicate with staff from different cultures and in different languages
• Capacity to provide effective training at regional and country levels

 Communications and Working Relationships: 

Internal

• Regional Office: The position will involve working closely with the ARO DRM team and MER advisor. The position will directly report to the Regional Climate Change Specialist, and coordinate with the two sub-regional DRM Specialists and Regional DRM Manager for the administration of the Emergency response fund; with the regional Safe School coordinator on the M&E for the Safe School component and with the regional Climate Change coordinator for the research and learning on child centred recovery and resilience building.  The position will be supported by the Monitioring and Evaluation (M&E) Unit of Plan Asia
• Country Office: The position will collaborate with C2R2 project coordinators, technical experts, and M & E staff in target countries (PHL and BLG) on the implementation of the Safe School projects (Component B) and with DRM managers in country offices in Southeast Asia and South Asia on the Emergency Response Fund
• National Office: the position will involve USNO focal points in all aspect of the planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of the project and ensure timely reporting to the donor 

External:

• Research partner: Asia Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) 
• Donor: Margareta A Cargill Foundation (MACF) 
• External consultants

Knowledge: 

• Strong knowledge of project management and coordination and good knowledge of monitoring, evaluation and learning system, preferable in an humanitarian and international development context specifically in Asia
• Advanced knowledge of disaster risk management, preferably with experience on the transitioning from response into recovery and development
• Understanding of humanitarian and longer-term development approaches, including Plan’s Child Centred Community Development approach.
• Demonstrable understanding of programme and community development issues, with experience of or ability to work directly with NGOs
• A working knowledge of varied donor requirements and formats pertaining to results frameworks, including  Results Based Management or other Logical Frameworks
• Good familiarity with participatory and gender sensitive monitoring tools and systems
• Good knowledge of statistical analysis, quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis and relevant software applications

Qualification 

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree and preferably a Master’s degree related to, planning, monitoring & evaluation, development studies, disaster risk management, social sciences or other relevant field, or equivalent through work experience
  
• At least 3 years of progressively responsible experience in planning, management, and monitoring of international development projects, preferably in disaster risk management, climate change, or in the area of child rights and inclusion

Skills: 

• Demonstrated capacity to work and communicate effectively with others especially in high intense situations and across distance environment
• Demonstrated capacity to coordinate well among various involved stakeholders
• Strong information gathering, analysis and presentation skills
• Demonstrated ability to review, synthesize information and produce quality reports
• Strong computer skills using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and Power Point) and internet use 
• Fluency in English with strong written and verbal communication skills is essential
• Experience in community based and child friendly monitoring and evaluation practices
• Proven analytical and problem solving skills
• Strong organizational, multi-tasking and time management skills

Behaviors: 

• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment, as well as independently, especially under distance management
• Demonstrates clear respect to all, especially children and women, without discrimination
• Acts as a team player, willing to get the best outcome overall, adjusting own priorities if necessary
• Remains calm and positive under pressure

Experience: 

• Proven experience in coordinating large and complex projects involving multiple stakeholders
• Experience in the field of disaster risk management, preferable in Safe School projects or emergency response and recovery
• Strong track record of implementing effective monitoring, evaluation and learning systems, including experience in quantitative and qualitative data collection and management

Physical Environment and Demands:

• A valid passport and ability to travel frequently internationally within the Asia region (Southeast and South Asia)

 Level of Contact with Children: 

Low contact : Medium to very low frequency of interaction

Closing date :  Friday, 4 September 2015

Application Process :

Please send your CV and a covering letter explain why you should be offered this job to PlanAsia.JobVacancies@plan-international.org by 5.00 pm local time Bangkok on Friday 4 September. Please state clearly in the subject title of the E-mail the job you are applying for.

All applications are kept as a strictly confidential matter 

(Thai or Filipino nationals only)