Back Humanitarian Project Coordinator

Job Title: Humanitarian Project Coordinator

Location: Lashio, Shan State (North), Myanmar (with travel to other field offices in Rakhine and Yangon)

Reports to: Country Director

Duration: 1 year based on satisfactory performance and budget availability.

About RI:

Relief International is a leading nonprofit organization working in 20 countries to relieve poverty, ensure well-being and advance dignity. We specialize in fragile settings, responding to natural disasters, humanitarian crises and chronic poverty. Relief International is dedicated to reducing human suffering and is non-political and non-sectarian in its mission.

Relief International combines humanitarian and development approaches to provide immediate services while laying the groundwork for long-term impact. Our signature approach — which we call the RI Way—emphasizes local participation, an integration of services, strategic partnerships, and a focus on civic skills. In this way, we empower communities to find, design and implement the solutions that work best for them.

Relief International began work in Myanmar in 2008 and is now supporting conflict-affected communities in Rakhine and Shan States. Relief International Myanmar currently employs over 200 national, 9 international staff and operates out of nine offices, with its main office in Yangon. At present, key RI donors include EC, ECHO, USAID, OFDA, UNICEF, UNFPA, MHF, HARP-f and LIFT.

Position Summary:

Relief International Myanmar is delivering a range of both humanitarian and early recovery projects in Shan and Rakhine States responding to the needs of the local population. Projects include working with IDP populations in WASH, Health, Protection, Livelihoods as well as community dialogue with conflict-affected communities.

The Humanitarian Project Coordinator will be responsible for start-up and overall program management, supervision, administration and implementation of RI’s humanitarian response in northern Shan State and Rakhine State. Specifically, the Coordinator will support the start-up of a new USAID/OFDA-funded project, a 12-month, multi-sector intervention to support communities affected by ongoing conflict in 9 townships in northern Shan State and Rakhine State.

In northern Shan State, RI proposed a comprehensive program of activities to strengthen humanitarian and protection response and to mitigate the risk to communities during displacement by improving preparedness strategies.

In Rakhine state, RI focuses on an integrated intervention focused on strengthening psychosocial and protection capacity, continuing with provisions of critical and life-sustaining WASH and Child Protection services and reducing gaps in household needs in Mrauk U and Myebon townships.

The project recognizes the importance and role of the local CSOs in providing immediate assistance to conflict affected communities. Supporting training and mentoring to strengthen their organizational and technical capacity is therefore prioritized. Specifically, CSOs will be trained in NFI distribution and psychosocial support strategies for communities affected by conflict.

The Humanitarian Project Coordinator will be a key liaison between all project staff (Shan and Rakhine) and the RI support team. The Coordinator will represent Relief International at project related inter-agency meetings in Northern Shan in close coordination with the Northern Shan Program Manager. Additionally, regular coordination and support will be given to Rakhine state portion of project operations, in close coordination with the Head of Programs Rakhine and Rakhine Humanitarian Project Coordinator. The Project Coordinator is expected to, as feasible, contribute to and assist with identifying, designing, and developing new program opportunities.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

• The Coordinator will provide overall project leadership and technical support for the start-up of the USAID-OFDA funded project, including internal and external inter-agency coordination, local networking, analyzing emergency assessments and supporting the design and drafting of proposals as appropriate.
• Recruit and provide timely and expert advice to emergency response team and local partners on implementation of various components of the emergency response program.
• Identify, initiate and maintain program partnerships with national agencies and CSOs.
• Support further development and documenting of appropriate mechanism for cash transfers, ensuring that transfers adhere to the RI’s policies and procedures and that effective, transparent accounting procedures are in place.
• Establish project monitoring plans and post distribution monitoring (PDM) systems to track indicators and work on developing processes/procedures to support timely implementation and inform learning.
• Facilitate collaborative learning events among project staff and partners to reflect on challenges and opportunities and identify strategies for taking the project forward
• Coordinate closely with the management of RI’s HARP/DFID and EUD -funded projects in Mrauk U District, to ensure synergies, complementarity and co-funding support;
• In coordination with other project managers support the design and the start of the training and mentoring scheme to strengthen the organizational and technical capacity of the local CSOs in Rakhine; Adapt and support similar process for northern Shan.
• In coordination with project staff ensure the preparation of timely progress and donor reports on project activities in compliance with internal RI requirements and any relevant donor requirements.
• Specifically, coordinate efforts between all project components/sectors/sites, for streamlined reporting and timely collection of data for reporting and project development purposes.
• In coordination with the Operations teams, oversee effective functioning of project logistics systems to procure, store and distribute stock, supplies and services for the timely delivery of project objectives.
• Ensure the project is well coordinated with relevant government authorities. Support negotiations for humanitarian space in an extremely complex context with various interlocutors.
• Any other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Skills, Experience, Knowledge:

• Master’s degree in relevant discipline: degree in humanitarian aid, international development, public administration, social science or other relevant area or equivalent professional experience.
• This position demands a dynamic individual with a demonstrated ability to work hard and achieve results in a demanding, fast paced and often insecure environment.
• Minimum of 4 years’ experience working in management roles within a complex country program in a complex emergency response or fragile state. Previous experience in first phase emergency response is essential.
• Strong understanding of Cash Transfer Programs is preferred
• Strong understanding of UN and humanitarian coordination mechanisms.
• Experience of securing and managing complex donor projects (including USAID/OFDA, ECHO, DFID) in a first phase response.
• Experience working in Myanmar and in the current IDP context would be highly desirable.
• Experience working with CSOs and in training/capacity building of CSOs. Familiarity working with Myanmar CSOs is highly desirable.
• Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills.
• Experience of M&E and beneficiary accountability systems in large and complex programs
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy
• Ability to communicate effectively with, and build the capacity of, national staff.
• Ability to work under difficult and often stressful conditions with significant movement restrictions

Living Conditions:

Housing within RI compound in Lashio, northern Shan is provided. It includes adequate accommodation setup with running water, equipped kitchen, electricity and internet provided. Five days of R&R is provided every two months. This post is unaccompanied.

RI Values:

We uphold the Humanitarian Principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and operational independence. We affirmatively engage the most vulnerable communities.

We value:

• Inclusiveness
• Transparency and Accountability
• Agility and Innovation
• Collaboration
• Sustainability