Bangladesh: NGO Platform Partnership Coordinator

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading international, non-profit, non-governmental organization with Headquarters in Denmark, providing relief, protection and resettlement services to refugees and displaced persons worldwide. The Danish Refugee Council (DRC), one of the world’s leading NGOs, with a focus on responding to displacement, has been registered in Bangladesh since 2013. In 2017, in response to the Rohingya influx, DRC launched an integrated program of support to the government in site management, shelter/NFI and protection. As a key part of this, DRC opened a main office in Cox’s Bazar, and a support/liaison office in Dhaka, to carry out its operations.

POSITION PROFILE

Overall purpose of the role:

Are you passionate about working for the most unprivileged populations in the world in complex crises? The Rohingya are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. The Rohingya in Bangladesh are a stateless population lacking legal status and some of their most basic rights, having survived abuses in Myanmar that the UN Fact Finding Mission judged to have been carried out with genocidal intent. Close to 1 million people have arrived in Bangladesh in several influxes in the last decades, with by far the largest and the fastest occurring in August 2017. The Rohingya are settled in one of the poorest districts of Bangladesh causing strains on the host community.

The Bangladesh Rohingya Response NGO Platform was established in mid-2018 and groups together over 100 local, national and international NGOs active in the humanitarian response in Cox’s Bazar. Its key functions comprise information sharing and coordination, humanitarian advocacy, representation, capacity strengthening and enhancing partnerships and accountability among NGOs. The Secretariat currently consist of one international and one national coordinator and is supported by the Steering Committee of three local/national and three international NGOs. Danish Refugee Council is the host of the NGO Platform.

The Secretariat is expanding to be able to deliver on the key functions of the Platform and make a meaningful improvement in the lives of the Rohingya and the affected communities. We endeavor to work through a strong and effective NGO voice working in both camps and host communities delivering life-saving assistance across all humanitarian sectors. So far, the Platform has mostly delivered on its formal start-up, information sharing, coordination and representation functions. The Secretariat is now looking for an experienced and enthusiastic team member who will lead the capacity strengthening and partnerships portfolio among its members: local, national and international NGOs.

The post holder will play a key role in strengthening principled partnerships in the Rohingya response, facilitate and coordinate the creation and implementation of a localization road map, help develop a capacity building plan and support the organization of relevant training for humanitarian workers. S/he will also support advocacy and communication initiatives of the NGO Platform, together with the Advocacy & Policy Specialist as well as an Information Management Officer.

Main Responsibilities:

Partnerships

• Lead the work of the Partnerships & Localization Working Group of the NGO Platform (comprising approx. 15 local, national and international NGOs);
• Promote principled partnerships in the Rohingya refugee response, particularly as relates to the commitments made in the Grand Bargain, Charter for Change and other such international agreements;
• Contribute to addressing perception, language and cultural gaps between international and national coordination mechanisms and locally-led response;
• Strengthen, where relevant, local leadership within the response to ensure long-term sustainability;
• Liaise with NGOs, UN, donors, government and other stakeholders to advance principled partnerships and the localization agenda;
• Contribute to the creation and implementation of a localization roadmap for Rohingya response through an inclusive and participatory process of NGOs.

Capacity strengthening

• Identify joint areas for capacity strengthening based on the needs of NGOs and affected populations and develop a capacity strengthening plan;
• Support the development of NGO-led capacity strengthening programmes and link these to other capacity building initiatives rendered by different stakeholders for building capacities of humanitarian staff and the Rohingya;
• Support the organization of relevant training for humanitarian workers and stakeholders in order to reinforce their capacity and meet operational needs.

Advocacy & Communication

Support advocacy & communication initiatives of the NGO Platform in close collaboration with the Advocacy & Policy Specialist.

• Develop key advocacy messages and communication products of NGO Platform on partnership and localization through an inclusive and participatory process of NGOs;
• Support Platform’s advocacy engagement with national offices of relevant stakeholders and media outlets to maintain a good understanding of issues and initiatives of interest to NGOs in Rohingya response and ensure that advocacy efforts and messages are coordinated and aligned at national level and informed by insights from NGO management staff.

Support to the Secretariat

Perform other duties as requested by the NGO Platform Manager.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Experience and technical competencies: (include years of experience)

• An excellent professional track record with a minimum of 5 years’ experience working in programme management and coordination related to developing partnerships, accountability, capacity building and localization in the humanitarian sector.
• Advanced degree in Public Policy, Development Studies, Humanitarian Action and/or related Social Sciences.
• Some experience in research, communications and advocacy work on humanitarian issues with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Understanding of NGO, UN and donor operations at country and regional level.
• Proven analytical skills and ability to work with others to develop strategy into action and communicating and influencing this to a wider audience.
• Demonstrated ability to work creatively, innovatively and effectively with limited direct supervision.
• Excellent organizational, problem-solving and negotiation skills. The ability to remain calm whilst dealing with conflicting priorities/work under pressure is important.
• High-level interpersonal and communications skills; with the ability to write clear, concise reports. Strong diplomatic and networking skills, ability to influence and liaise effectively with key stakeholders.
• S/he must be able to plan and manage her/his own time effectively. The holder must exercise a strong work ethic and take responsibility for his/her own actions.
• Commitment to humanitarian principles and actions.
• Experience in working in the Rohingya crisis highly desired. Experience in working in Myanmar or other South and Southeast Asian contexts will be an asset.
• Experience working in other NGO coordination fora an asset.

Education: (include certificates, licenses etc.)

• University or graduate degree in relevant field

Languages: (indicate fluency level)

• English – fluent
• Bangla – fluent

All employees are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: You act in line with DRC’s vision and values.

CONDITIONS OF HIRING

• Status: National, Non-Managerial
• Contract length: Full time, up to 31 March 2020 with possibility of extension
• Beginning/start date: As soon as possible
• Location: based in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
• Salary and benefits: Negotiable

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Councils Terms of Employment for National Staff in Bangladesh. DRC will provide training and professional development opportunities for the selected candidate.

All applicants must upload a Cover Letter and an updated CV,

1. Mentioning 3 references details with CV, where one must be supervisor from present or past employment (If Experienced) & another person can be your colleague, professor or respected person in the society.
2. The cover letter with CV must not be longer than four pages & must be in English.

Applications must be submitted through this page by clicking apply. Applications submitted by email or hard copy will not be considered. Due to the urgency of the position, DRC will review applications and candidates may be invited to test/interview.

Closing date for applications: 15 May 2019
DRC as an employer
By working in DRC, you will be joining a global workforce of around 8000 employees in 40 countries. We pride ourselves on our:

• Professionalism, impact & expertise
• Humanitarian approach & the work we do
• Purpose, meaningfulness & own contribution
• Culture, values & strong leadership
• Fair compensation & continuous development
  Read more here about what our employees say about working in DRC.

DRC’s capacity to ensure the protection of and assistance to refugees, IDP’s and other persons of concern depends on the ability of our staff to uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. DRC conducts thorough and comprehensive background checks as part of the recruitment process. Visit drc.ngo to read more about what we do to secure robust safeguarding mechanisms.

If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please visit drc.ngo/jobsupport.