Country: Thailand
Closing date: 23 Dec 2016
Position: Project Director
Project: Urban Education Project, Bangkok
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Reports to: Acting Country Director / Country Director, JRS Thailand
Starting date: 1 January 2017
Ending date: 31 December 2017
The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is an international non-governmental organisation with a mission to accompany, serve, and advocate for the rights of refugees and forcibly displaced people. The organisation was founded in November 1980 and has a presence in over 50 countries. JRS undertakes services at national and regional levels with the support of an international office in Rome. The style of JRS service is human and spiritual, working in situations of greatest need, seeking the long-term wellbeing of refugees and displaced persons, while not neglecting their immediate or urgent needs. JRS offers opportunities to a wide variety of staff, local and international, while maintaining a realistic and localised scheme of salary/stipend, insurance, etc.
In Thailand, JRS manages five programmes spread throughout urban and rural areas serving refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. JRS Thailand has field offices in Bangkok, Mae Hong Son, Mae Sot (Tak). The main areas of work include education, psycho-social services, livelihoods, emergency assistance, advocacy and protection. For more information about JRS in Asia Pacific and Thailand, visit: http://www.jrsap.org
Project description:
Since 1990, JRS has been one of the few humanitarian organizations responding to the needs of urban refugees and asylum seekers in Bangkok Metropolitan areas. Throughout the years, the program has evolved in response to the changing needs, approach, and government policies, and is currently focusing on supporting asylum seekers in the lengthy wait for refugee status determination as well as search for durable solutions. Emerging from service gaps and increasing needs of education for youth and adult refugees and asylum seekers within the urban context, the new JRS-Urban Education Project (UEP) focuses on assisting those who are out of existing education services through language and vocational training, scholarships, and educational guidance.
Role:
The Urban Education Project Director is responsible for the direction and implementation of a local JRS project and its staff. The responsibilities of this position include developing new initiatives and project proposals; implementation and evaluation of the approved proposal; administration of the project’s finances; and care for the JRS team and its relations with the local refugee population and with local authorities. The Project Director directly supervises; Education Officer and is under a supervision of the Acting Country Director / Country Director. The Project Director manages the overall project implementation such as planning, budgeting, setting up activities and reporting.
He / She must ensure success of the overall project activities; including the financial part; develop reports and proposals; set up network with existing and potential partners. He / She must be able to supervise the Education Officer on his/her tasks; facilitate and monitor the language; and/or vocational training program. The Project Director must provide information related to the Urban Education on refugees and asylum seeker related issues in Thailand to schools.
Key Responsibilities:
• To increase access to formal and non-formal education through information sharing and capacity building by offering educational guidance and counselling to the refugees’ communities, supporting basic language and vocational trainings, and scholarships to attend Thai/International schools
• To increase access to appropriate education opportunities through promoting capacity-building and fulfilment of rights to education through promoting capacity-building and fulfilment of rights to education by proving the formation and offering courses and scholarships.
• To strengthen advocacy efforts on rights to education through networking and storytelling by attending key inter-agency meetings and producing 3 publications on urban refugees’ education
• To safeguard the vision, identity, and unity of JRS at the project level.
• To know and understand well JRS policies and to implement them at the project level.
• To take new initiatives, and to develop project proposals for submission to the Acting Country Director / Country Director for approval.
• To implement all aspects of the project according to the approved proposal.
• To analyse the education needs of the asylum seekers and refugees and to suggest new initiatives to the Country Director.
• To facilitate reflection on and evaluation of the project by the JRS team.
• To represent JRS at meetings at field level and as requested by the Acting Country Director / Country Director.
• To maintain strong working relationships with partners, Thai authorities, INGO, CBOs and church groups working on urban refugee issues.
• To cooperate with the Country Office and Regional Office to ensure overall effective management and coordination of the project, including in the areas of project, Finance, and Advocacy/Communications.
• To coordinate project and site visits for donors, Country Office/Regional Office staff, and external visitors as approved.
Programmatic/Technical
• To implement the project according to the JRS annual project management cycle, including needs assessment, proposal development, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting of all project activities.
• To oversee JRS – Urban Education Officer on his/her role and responsibility and provide support as needed.
• To develop, implement and monitor an education program to identity vulnerable asylum seekers and arrange for appropriate assistance.
• To provide technical support and assist Education Officer, when necessary, to interview clients, conduct home assessment and determine their eligibility and needs for services.
• To provide social counselling to asylum-seekers, including information that can facilitate adaptation to life in Bangkok and appropriate decision-making about future options.
• To build and maintain strong relationships with asylum seeker and refugee communities in Bangkok.
• To make sure that the project has been implemented effectively according to the approved plan.
Policy/Advocacy
• To advocate to local Thai communities and Government Agencies for the rights to the education for the urban refugees population living in Bangkok. • To monitor policies affecting asylum-seekers and refugees in Bangkok, paying special attention to particularly vulnerable or marginalized groups.
Finance/Administration
• To develop and submit the annual budget to the Country Office in conjunction with the annual project proposal with the support of the Country Office.
• To administer the project’s finances, guaranteeing a proper accounting of all project expenses with the support of the Country Office.
• To monitor and maintain strong financial records and procedures as per the JRS Finance policy; approve all project expenses; ensure maintenance of all JRS assets; and ensure proper financial documentation of all activities.
Communication/Reporting
• To communicate regularly with the Acting Country Director / Country Director, reporting on all major issues and developments in the field and within the team.
• To meet with the Acting Country Director / Country Director on a regular basis.
• To submit monthly activity reports to the Acting Country Director / the Country Director.
• To submit minute of team meeting to the Acting Country Director / Country Director.
• To develop/complete project proposals and reports (6-month and annual) according to JRS format as well as write other project/situation reports as required together with the project team members.
Staff Care
• To support team members in their work including facilitation of regular team meetings and reflection.
• To implement an annual performance evaluation with staff under your supervision
• To make decisions regarding human resources for the project together with the Country Office.
Qualifications & Experience:
• Minimum Bachelor degree in social work, education, social science or related profession.
• Advanced university degree desirable.
• At least 3 years’ of direct case management experience.
• At least 3 years’ experience working with NGOs or humanitarian agencies.
• Strong management and teamwork skills, be able to handle crisis situation and staff in various cultural and background.
• Expertise in providing technical supervision on education issue to the public.
• Flexible and be able to response to changing circumstance.
• Compatible with the vision-mission of JRS.
• Prudent to maintain professional boundaries.
• Understanding of and empathy with migrant and refugee communities.
• Ability to remain calm in stressful situations.
• Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office.
How to apply:
This position offers a localized salary package with insurance, health and other benefits. Interested candidates must apply by sending cover letter and CV (including 3 references) and address how they satisfy the criteria described above. Applications are to be sent to “***job.uep_pd@jrs.or.th***” Applications close on 23 December 2016. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.