Myanmar: Head of Mission - Myanmar

Work Context

Main focus of Cesvi interventions in Myanmar is Community Empowerment with integrated actions on Livelihood and Agriculture. Cesvi is currently working in Dry Zone at Regional, Township and Village level. Cesvi has one Country Office in Yangon, and one sub-office in Nyaung U.

Currently Cesvi has on-going the following program:

-Value Chain Development: Livelihood, Resilience and Rural Development, funded by AICS (Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development) in Magway Region (Dry- zone), Myanmar.

This projects aims at improving the economies of rural families and of small businesses that are part of the supply chains of sesame, peanut and bean (green mung) as the main crops and sources of income in the intervention areas.

-Sustainable cropland and forest management in priority agro-ecosystems of Myanmar: Livelyhood, Resilience and Rural development, funded by FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) in Central Dry Zone of Myanmar (Nyang-U and Kyaukpadaung Townships).

This project aims at improving the build capacity of farming and forestry stakeholders to mitigate climate change and improve land condition by adopting climate smart agriculture (CSA), improving Cropland management (ICLM) and sustainable land management (SLM), through the operationalization of 20 existing Farmer Field Schools (FFSs) and the establishment of 20 new model FFSs.

-Sustanaible Enterprises and Agricultural development (SEAD): Leveraging communication: Livelihood, Resilience and Rural development, funded by UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) in the Dry Zone of Myanmar (Myingyan and Nyang-U Townships).

This project aims at establishing an inclusive and sustainable rural development model, providing training on agriculture production, agricultural support package to vulnerable farming communities, connecting farmers to market and credit, using mobile applications.

The Head of mission has to coordinate effectively and efficiently the key staff in order to ensure quality and timely implementation. The ideal candidate will also have the capacity to boost Cesvi presence within the country. Main tasks will be: implement Cesvi strategy (under the HQ guidance), support and coordinate the project acquisition process (grants/tender and direct negotiations), maintain and reinforce the relations with partners, donors, Authorities and stakeholders.

Job Description

The collaboration will start in May 2020.

The main duty station will be the Country Office in Yangon, with regular field visits for all programs, and if requested by the HQ missions within the region.

The position is open to Myanmar nationals ONLY and/orcandidates that possess the legal permissionto regularly work in Myanmar.

The HoM will work under the direct supervision of Cesvi HQs Desk Officer.

Main tasks:

• S/He will represent Cesvi with Donors, partners (including Alliance2015), stakeholders, clusters and coordination body and fora, and any other appropriate network aiming at raising Cesvi profile within the country.
• S/He will contribute to and be responsible for the implementation of the strategic vision and direction of Cesvi in Myanmar in the most efficient and effective way and to secure the necessary resources to ensure its realization.
• S/He will coordinate with Program Managers (Nationals and Internationals) and support the Country Administrator in managing the administration unit (special attention has to be given to developing the capacities of national staff in order to build a group of skilled and committed personnel).
• S/He will undertake monitoring missions to project activities in the field and ensure that Cesvi principles and policies are respected.
• S/He will ensure operational excellence to achieve optimal efficiency and cost effectiveness in all functions and operations of the country office, whether quality/technical assistance, finance, material resource management, administration, information technology, audit, etc.
• S/He will work in close in collaboration with the Country Administrator and Program Manager in budgeting, forecast and control of financial flows.
• S/He will coordinate and actively participate in project proposal definition and preparation.
• S/He will guarantee that all the activities are in line with Donors’ and Cesvi procedures and rules.
• S/He will promote best practices.
• S/He will assume the role of security manager and Liaison with the UNION GoM

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• University degree in Political Science, International Development, Management or other relevant sectors;
• Minimum 10 years of proven management experience in leading the development of and ensuring successful delivery of programme strategy within a humanitarian and/or development context in Myanmar
• Experience/knowledge of main Donors (LIFT, Global Fund, Multi Donors’ Trust Funds, USAID, EU, ECHO, UN, Italian MFA)
• Proven capacity in managing Donors’ relations and in supporting and guiding the development of proposals and funds acquisition
• Experience in building relations of trust with Local Authorities and Government Officials, including high ranking officers
• Demonstrated experience in networking and building effective partnerships
• Proven experience in personnel management, and in capacity building of National/International staff
• Strong communication and diplomatic skills
• Strategic thinking and innovation
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills
• Strong leadership, organizational and interpersonal skills
• Highly flexible, team-player and motivated
• Highly result oriented
• Fluency in English (written and spoken)

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS

• Knowledge of Myanmar Dry Zone
• Knowledge of main donor’s procedures and regulation
• Strong experience in M&E
• Knowledge of Compliance and Best Practices for INGO Programmes
• Strong computer skills including Microsoft Word, Excel

SAFEGUARDING

Cesvi has a zero tolerance approach to any harm to, or exploitation of, a child or a vulnerable adult by any of our staff, representatives or partners. Short listed candidates will be requested to submit police clearance certificate.

Cesvi commitment to being a safe organization begins with the staff recruitment process which includes meticulous checks, such as criminal records check or check disclosure of previous convictions, to ensure children and vulnerable people are safeguarded and abuse is prevented. Safeguarding checks are part of the selection process performance.

Please note:due to the high number of applications we receive we are unable to provide feedback if unsuccessful at applicant stage. Only short-listed candidates will be updated on the status of their application.

TO APPLY: https://www.cesvi.eu/jobs/head-of-mission-myanmar/‎