Global Position Description

                                                           

Global Position Description Position Title:        Inclusion Project: Partnership and Grants Coordinator Supervisor:           Inclusion Project Manager Location:              Phnom Penh, Cambodia Contract Type:      Fixed Term, 3 years Category:              D1 Date:                    As soon as possible

Context:

Oxfam’s Mekong Regional Water Governance Program is led by Oxfam Australia and jointly implemented with Oxfam NOVIB (ON), Oxfam America and Mekong country teams. The program contributes to the East Asia Joint Regional Analysis and Strategy. The Inclusion Project is one of a number of sub-projects within this program.

The Inclusion Project is a 3.5 year AUD $6million project funded by DFAT

as one of 4 pillars in the Australian Government’s Mekong Water Resources Program (AMWRP) 2014-17. Oxfam's program objective is to enable communities and civil society to be better able to realise sustainable livelihoods in the Mekong and Salween river basins. Our objectives are that we will achieve this by facilitating i). increased civil society participation and engagement in water resource governance; and ii).  promoting more open, inclusive, accountable and effective water resource governance. The program engages at regional scale, with partnerships and collaborations at country, regional and institutional levels.  It is managed by the cross sectional Mekong team.

The aim of this project is to improve participation by civil society in water management. With a focus on women’s leadership and involvement in water management the project will contribute to Oxfam’s goal of fair sharing of Natural Resources. The three Inclusion components will see Oxfam and its partners:

building the capacity of civil society to engage in water management;

focus on an improved consideration of gender in water management and hydropower development, and fostering women’s leadership; and

convene and join in opportunities for policy dialogue and influence on better water management and governance of water.

This work seeks to influence changes at the community and civil society level, as well as changes in policies and practices at the national and transboundary level.

Purpose:       

           

The position is responsible for the management of all the inclusion project partnerships and grants and is a member of the Inclusion Project  team, working closely with Oxfam Australia and Oxfam Novib staff to support work across the three Inclusion component areas and contribute to the two objectives outlined above.

A key aspect of this role will be to ensure that Oxfam’s partner grant administration processes are both timely and responsive to the needs of partners, whilst ensuring that administrative requirements of Oxfam’s   systems are followed.

The position will support Oxfam program staff members to administer partner grants and ensure there is appropriate written documentation of meetings and discussions relating to partners. The position will also oversee the partnership/ granting budget and plans, as well as coordinate compliance checks on Partner finances and financial management and provide ongoing support to Oxfam teams to ensure our standards are met.

The position will also play a key role in scoping and processing new regional and project wide partnerships and ensuring current partners are contributing to and engaging with the Inclusion project.  The position will work closely with national staff managing Inclusion Project grants, as well as with the MEL and capacity building staff.

This position requires significant Mekong regional travel..

Core Responsibilities:

Project Specialty

·        Provide leadership in all aspects of project partner grant making including administration and compliance issues and with the project team, identify resources to support partners.

·        Coordinate with other Water Governance and Inclusion Project Staff to identify potential project partners and implement the  assessment of partners and proposals by providing  input on partner proposals, appraisals, working agreements, capacity assessments, reports and payments.

·        Ensure the responsive, and timely management of all administrative aspects of partner relationships, ensuring appropriate documentation and records are maintained in an easily accessible and logical way and there is a system to plan various aspects of partner support.

·        Identify and implement a tailored program with national grant making staff designed to strengthen partner capacities in finance and administration through both a formal training program  based on partner needs, and ongoing one-on-one support and feedback.

·        Manage a process for compliance checks and audits on partner financial reports to ensure they meet relevant internal and DFAT requirements.

·        Visit country offices in a systematic way and when reports are due, work with Oxfam teams to ensure speedy and efficient review of partner reports.

·        Compile collated partner profile and financial information for Oxfam and donor reports.

·        Provide guidance to program staff on requirements of the program management system.

·        Support program staff to ensure all steps of proposal-to-grant and review process have been followed and comply with Oxfam standards.

·        Work with other team members to ensure partners understand and have the skills and knowledge to implement particular standards i.e. gender and disability

·        Identify opportunities and contribute to regular high quality documentation of project learning and achievements for a variety of audiences and stakeholders.

·        Liaise and coordinate with stakeholders in the other pillars to ensure clarity if a partner is shared.

·        Ensure liaison with other affiliates at country level if a partner is shared.

Business Services

·        Champion and raise understanding amongst Oxfam Staff and partners of a clear set of policies & procedures for partner grant administration.

·        Ensure good filing systems for all partner related administration are maintained.

·        Work closely with Finance, national project and administrative staff to streamline internal systems and processes to ensure all grants are administered in a timely fashion.

·        Ensure all collated partner financial records are compliant with Oxfam and institutional donor requirements.

·        Provide and collate all necessary information for auditing, monitoring & reporting

·        Maintain oversight of grant disbursements and other contractual aspects of the program, and ensure narrative and financial reports meet Oxfam and donor requirements.  

·        Monitor the inter-affiliate agreement and recommend amendments to ensure its effectiveness

Management

·        Provide managerial oversight for all partner grant administration processes.

·        Develop and monitor effective tracking systems for partner proposals and grants.

·        Lead a coordinated team approach that is inclusive of partnership and grant making staff and Program Managers in each Oxfam country program.

·        Identify specific grantmaking capacity building requirements for teams and partners.

·        During contact with partners identify other capacity building needs and alert the capacity building coordinator to ensure plans are made to meet these needs .

·        Coordinate with line managers and matrix manage the partnership and grantmaking project staff in a manner consistent with Oxfam’s management standards

·        Coordinate delegated accountabilities for project risks and reports regularly.

·        Contribute to the implementation and compliance of Oxfam administrative, health, safety and security policies and frameworks.

·        Accountable to the Inclusion Project Manager

Representation and Relationships

·        Build and maintain effective working relationships with all internal stakeholders, with particular attention to supporting the program team realize their objectives.

·        Develop  working relationships with  partners at the appropriate level i.e. support to Oxfam staff who hold the partner relationship or direct relationships .

·        Develop and foster good working relationships with all key external stakeholders.

·        Represent Oxfam at relevant workshops and events.

·        Attend relevant Oxfam and external meetings and provide backstop support to the Mekong Regional Program manager on an as needs basis

·        Build networks and collaborate with local and international organizations working in the same scope of work.

·        Participate actively in wider organizational development and change processes and teams.

Professional Attributes:

All Staff Attributes:

·        Problem Solving:  Uses clear and innovative thinking to solve problems and ensures supervisors are made aware of any risks.

·        Continuous Learning:  Demonstrates a commitment to own professional development by actively participating in continuous learning. 

·        Self Awareness: Is aware of own strengths and development needs and seeks to improve style, skills and performance including cultural and gender sensitivities.

·        Adaptability:  Adjusts approach and thinking to work effectively in a variety of situations and with different people.

Skills and Experience:

·        High level capacity and experience in managing multiyear, large budget, complex projects

·        Knowledge of and experience in working with program management cycles, preferably with Oxfam’s Program Management .

·        Good coordination skills and an ability to work across teams to get work in motion

·        High level financial management skills with the ability to build the capacity of others in this area.

·        At least five years experience in the successful delivery of financial management services in an NGO environment.

·        Ability to work in a systematic and organised manner and within deadline

·        Solid understanding of the basic principles of accountability and transparency

·        Experience maintaining an orderly an up-to-date filing system

·        Good  understanding and commitment to Oxfam’s partnership approaches

·        Ability to communicate Inclusion project to diverse stakeholder group

·        Advanced computer skills, including excel, word and electronic mail.

·        Excellent written communication skills with experience preparing contracts and written correspondence; and excellent oral communication skills in English, Mekong language competency preferred.

·        University degree in a relevant field and/or substantial professional experience in administration, finance or related area in either in the private or non-profit sector

·        Excellent training needs assessment, facilitation, communication and coaching skills.

·        Proven analytical and decision making skills in a challenging context.

·        Experience working in environments with political sensitivities

·        An ability to undertake significant travel to support program teams and partners in multiple countries, and to join field based work.    

Travel

Participation and support for partner meetings and workshops will require frequent travel within the Mekong region and occasional travel outside the region.

Payment

The salary will be set according to the Oxfam Australia National remuneration

guidelines.

Applying

Send your applications for this position by email to Oxfam.aus_cambodia@oxfam.org.au  before the deadline on Monday 19^th May 2014, 5.00 pm Cambodian Time.

We would like to receive a cv and a cover letter stating your motivation for the application and an example of a report written by you. Don’t send copies of diploma’s/certificates, recommendation letter etc.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.