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Deputy Team Leader, Mekong Safeguards

Location: Thailand
Deadline: October 24, 2022

The Asia Foundation’s office in Thailand seeks a deputy team leader to support USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program (Mekong Safeguards) with expanded activity under an anticipated Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) funded initiative in Southeast Asia. The Deputy Team Leader is required to have extensive donor management experience, particularly with DFAT or USAID, and understand donor objectives on the sustainable infrastructure transition in Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The initial period of this role is 10 months, with the possibility of an extension.

The USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program is a five-year, $10.6 million project working with major banks, governments, and developers in Thailand, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Myanmar, and China on large energy and transportation infrastructure investments to strengthen environmental and social standards and adopt clean technologies in Southeast Asia’s Lower Mekong region. The program is an exciting opportunity to support new and improved ways governments, financiers, developers, and civil society organizations can invest and build sustainable energy and transportation infrastructure.

S/he will report directly to the Mekong Safeguards team leader/chief of party.

Responsibilities

The deputy team leader reports to and provides back-up and support to the team leader/chief of party and works in close coordination with deputy chief of party. S/he provides donor management, programmatic and financial reporting, communications and operational management, and administrative leadership and will work closely to ensure activities are designed and implemented in full compliance with rules and regulations and achieving program and monitoring and evaluation objectives. S/he will provide key day-to-day oversight of project operations and will collaborate across a team of programmatic, monitoring and evaluation, finance, and other relevant staff/consultants. The Deputy team leader will ensure that activities are implemented on schedule and within budget. The detailed scope of work includes:

  • Fully develop, edit, and proof all reporting deliverables related to Australia DFAT programmatic and financial reporting requirements and compliance. This includes but not limited to:
    • Semiannual and annual reports.
    • Required financial and investment reports.
    • Work plans and grant revisions.
    • PowerPoint presentations and presentation notes related to programmatic reviews and workshops.
    • Talking points and speeches for participating Australian officials and partners stakeholders at events.
    • Development of programmatically required documentation, potentially including monitoring and evaluation plans; communications plan(s); and activity concept notes.
    • Develop monitoring and evaluation reports, implement data collection and work in collaboration with the MEL Specialist and Team Leader/Chief of Party, as necessary, to understand and interpret activity impacts concerning monitoring and evaluation requirements.
    • Support donor management and program-related communications efforts, including developing marketing mass mail content, coordinating with partners, and representing the program with Australia DFAT officials when the chief of party/team leader is unavailable.
  • Lead oversight of program operations related to Australia DFAT funding, including but not limited to programmatic and financial reporting administration, logistics, grants and procurement, budgeting, financial, and property.
  • Oversee program management and operations related to the activity, including budget and personnel management, performance management, program planning, and implementation. Work with technical leads and overall project team to develop annual work plans, monthly and quarterly progress reports, manage projects, set realistic priorities, and plan for the successful implementation of activities.
  • Oversee project procurement, finance, accounting, and management of related project procedures in alignment with DFAT rules and regulations and The Asia Foundation policies.
  • Alongside senior technical team members, support in developing strategic partnerships with host country government ministries, other donor-funded projects, nongovernment organizations, the private sector, and other stakeholders.
  • Coordinate and work with external donors/clients on operational issues while serving as a representative for the organization.
  • Provide guidance, training, and mentorship to staff on different aspects related to their professional development and to achieve project goals.
  • Work closely with senior finance and administrative staff to ensure that activities are implemented on schedule and within budget.

Qualifications

  • Master’s degree in public administration, international development, education, economics, health, gender, or a related field from an accredited university.
  • Minimum of nine years of experience managing activities of a similar scale.
  • Superb English report writing, editing, formatting, and proofing skills.
  • Minimum of five years of relevant experience managing related areas of finance, operations, and/or administration on DFAT-funded projects of at least AUD 3.5 million, preferably in economic resilience, sustainability, gender equality and social inclusion, or environmental, social, and governance, or related space in successfully overseeing economic resilience and growth-related activities.
  • Demonstrated experience establishing and managing teams and project systems to maintain compliance with DFAT’s policies and procedures regarding human resources, financial management, financial reporting, procurement processes, systems, and grants management.
  • Demonstrated leadership and skills in program management, including budget and personnel management, motivating and supervising team efforts, excellent communications skills, and solid performance management, including work planning, implementation, and success in complex activities.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead a diverse and distributed team on activities of similar scale (similar budget size, staff size, the scope of activities, etc.)
  • Previous experience in Southeast Asia, including experience in at least one of the following target countries: Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam, or Cambodia.
  • Demonstrable proficiency in teleworking using cloud-based management tools, including Office 365, MS Teams, SharePoint, and others.
  • Fluency in English. Fluency or proficiency in Thai is desirable.

This recruitment is open to both Thai citizens as well as foreign nationals, though work permit/visa restrictions may apply to non-Thai citizens.

This job description summarizes the primary duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment. Management reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time. The Asia Foundation offers competitive compensation and a package of exceptional benefits.