Livelihood Coordinator Myanmar

Livelihood Coordinator Myanmar

Please note: 3 months position

Overall objective

Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is looking for an experienced and capable Livelihood Coordinator for the DRC program in Myanmar, based in Sittwe, Rakhine State.

Background

DRC has worked in Myanmar since 2009 providing humanitarian and infrastructure assistance to victims of cyclone Nargis in the Ayeyarwady delta in southern Myanmar. Following the opening of the Government towards international support, DRC expanded its activities to Rakhine and Kachin and recently initiated a new operation in South Eastern Myanmar. Following the escalation of violence in Rakhine and a temporary break of a ceasefire in Kachin, DRC moves its program more and more towards emergency response to the humanitarian crisis of IDPs in camps and camp like situations. The work includes hardware support as distribution of NFIs, construction of temporary shelter, WASH and livelihood support, but roots in a strong protection outreach with protection monitoring and camp profiling among other activities.

DRC Myanmar currently employs some 60 national and 12 international staff and operates from five operational offices. The main donors of DRC in Myanmar are DANIDA, Sida, ECHO, UNHCR and UNICEF. DRC currently maintains three field operations, all of them focusing to some degree on livelihood:

-       The program in Rakhine State is the biggest in size with a total of 4 expatriates and some 35 national staff. The interventions follow the needs of about 140.000 IDPs in different areas and displacement situations and covers shelter, WASH, NFI distributions, livelihood support, protection monitoring and CCCM. Livelihood support is identified as a major gap and a key strategic growth area for DRC in Rakhine, and the Livelihood Coordinator will play a crucial role in managing and developing DRC’s livelihood activities.

-       The progam in Kachin State has recently identified livelihoods as a programmatic sector to engage in, aiming at the provision of perspectives for over 80.000 displaced in the region. Working in direct implementation or through partners, livelihood interventions need to be designed according to the specific circumstances and connections of the IDP camps in Kachin and shall reflect the specific opportunities given by the peace process.

-       In Kayah State, DRC will support durable solutions to returnees and receiving communities. As part of an integrative community stabilization approach, livelihood interventions are expected to assume a key function, also by the provision of perspectives of mine victims.

The position – Duties & Responsibilities

Overall the Livelihood Coordinator is responsible for the following:

a) Program development and strategy

• Be a driving force in terms of developing and growing the livelihood programs within the DRC program objectives and feed into DRC Myanmar country-wide strategy development.
• Develop and lead needs assessments which propose concrete and feasible solutions for the IDPS and their surroundings in terms of livelihood and social cohesion.

b) Project Management 

• Assume direct responsibility for managing the Rakhine livelihood program in terms of high quality and timely deliveries, narrative reporting and financial overview, close cooperation with donors, Government counterparts and coordination mechanism on site and in synergy with other DRC interventions in the area.
• Line management of national staff members. This includes coaching, ensuring coordination among national staff, recruiting, and capacity development of staff.
• Long distance management of other livelihood interventions of DRC programs in Myanmar, including regular field visits for training and monitoring.

c) Finance and administration

• Provide overall budget monitoring, financial management and expenses control for the livelihood activities, including compliance with minimum DRC and donor requirements and ensuring that the necessary systems are in place.

d) Reporting

• Ensure compliance with internal and external reporting requirements including procurement.

e) Accountability

• Guided by the DRC Programme Handbook, continuously monitor and develop relevant accountability initiatives within Livelihood Program as well as strengthening the effort to document the impact of activities.

Supervision and reporting

The Livelihood Coordinator reports primarily to and works in close collaboration with the DRC Rakhine Programme Manager. When on mission to other programs the Livelihood Coordinator reports to the respective Program Manager of the Field Office.

Qualifications of the ideal candidate

Qualified applicants that match the requirements listed have extensive programmatic experience, and are very familiar with humanitarian principles and practices.

Minimum requirements:

• A minimum of 5 years’ project management experience in emergency and humanitarian response operations in displacement related contexts, preferably in camps and camp-like situations
• Strong experience in livelihood support, including small-business support and SME development
• Strong interpersonal communication and writing skills
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Cultural sensitivity and adaptability
• Professional fluency in English

We encourage all qualified candidates to apply, irrespective of nationality, race, gender or age.

Conditions

Duty Station: Sittwe, Rakhine State, Myanmar, with frequent field trips to DRC programs.

Availability: asap

Contract: 3 months

Salary and other conditions in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for Expatriates at level A12 (available at www.drc.dk under Vacancies)

Further information            

You are welcome to contact the Country Director for DRC Myanmar, Stephan Maurer, by email stephan.maurer@drc.dk or tel. +95 (0) 94 210 61416 for further information.

For general information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult www.drc.dk.

Application process

Only motivated applications that address the stipulated duties and meet the required qualifications, sent together with a CV, will be considered. CV-only applications will not be considered.Please provide references, but do not attach any written recommendations.

We only accept applications sent online via www.drc.dk under Vacancies > Current vacancies > Livelihood Coordinator – Myanmar, then click on “Apply” at the bottom of the window that opens.

Applications sent directly to Mr. Maurer will not be considered.

Please submit your application, in English and marked “Livelihood Coordinator - Myanmar” no later than 14 November 2013.

Please contact job@drc.dk if you have questions to the application process or experience problems with your online application.

Commitments

DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability commitments. All staff are required to contribute to the achievement of this framework: http://drc.dk/fileadmin/uploads/pdf/IA_PDF/HAP/Humanitarian%20Accountability%20Framework%20HQ%20Jan%202012%20without%20organogram.pdf

About DRCThe Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a private, independent, humanitarian organization working on all aspects of the refugee cause in more than twenty five countries throughout the world. The aim of DRC is to protect refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) against persecution and to promote durable solutions to the problems of forced migration, on the basis of humanitarian principles and human rights. DRC works in accordance with the UN Conventions on Refugees and the Code of Conduct for the ICRC and NGOs in Disaster Relief. The protection and assistance to conflict affected population is provided within a long-term, regional and rights-based approach in order to constitute a coherent and effective response to the challenges posed by today’s conflicts. Assistance consists of relief and other humanitarian aid, rehabilitation, support to return and repatriation as well as promotion of long-term solutions to displacement and its causes. In addition, support and capacity building of local and national authorities and NGOs form an integral part of DRC’s work.