Road Safety Project Coordinator

Country: Vietnam
City/Site: Bac Giang (50%), Hanoi (25%), Binh Thuan (25%)
Programs/Projects: 6 projects                   
Number of Employees: 35 National, 4 International
Title of Position: Road safety Project Coordinator
N + 1: Operations Coordinator
N+2: Country Director
Direct Team Management: 2 national project managers,
Indirect Team Mgmt: 3 national staffs
Budget Responsibility: Yes
Contract: 12 months
Expected Date of Arrival: June 1st  2012
Duration of Mission: 1 year
International Travel: Possibilities for conferences
Travel between Sites: Job is based in Bac Giang but will require regular travel to 1 other project site, Binh Thuan, and Hanoi for networking.
Possibility of a couple: Yes
Possibility of children: Yes
Specifics: No specific constraints or living conditions

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM AND THE PROJECTS
History, context and evolution of the job

Handicap International in Vietnam
With its economical growth, Vietnam belongs to this ‘Development’ contextual category. Since 1989 (registered in 1991), upon request from national partners (ministries or provincial institutions), Handicap International got involved as a technical advisor for the implementation of projects focusing on Prevention and Rehabilitation of disabilities due to war, accidents, congenital defects, or disabling diseases. The main concern is the long term sustainability, multiplying the impacts on beneficiaries after the end of the project, and not only a beneficiary approach during the few years of partnership.
For each project, Handicap International combines its expertise with partners’ experiences. These complementarities led to the elaboration of original concepts which are at the same time adapted to international standards and appropriate to the local context and available resources.
In a dynamic environment like in Vietnam, these concepts are rapidly implemented by the local institutions on their own, and reproduced for the long term impact on further beneficiaries. On the other hand, these concepts improve the expertise of Handicap International, and are made available for other countries.
Up to now, more than 30 projects have been implemented in the country.

In 2012, 6 projects are being implemented in 6 different sites, in the fields of Rehabilitation, Mother & Child’s health, Road Safety and Social and Economic Integration and HIV/AIDS response.

HI Vietnam is actually in a transition phase, with:
Nationalization process of the management: most of the projects are managed by junior coordinators;
Active fund-raising, inducing a multiplication of private donors;
Changes in the national policies regarding NGOs;
Integration of HI Belgium in HI Federation in 3 phases:
a) 2011-2012 work in close collaboration between the two entities and develop a strategic framework of integration,
b) 2012-2013 HI Belgium integrates HI Federation activities in Vietnam while entering the Federation,
c)2013… The program is managed under HI Federation.

For more information concerning the context of work in this country, please consult our websites www.handicapinternational.be  and www.handicapvietnam.org

Road Safety in Handicap International
Deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes are a major and growing public health concern. The World Health Organization has estimated that, worldwide, 1.27 million people are killed in road crashes every year and almost half of them are pedestrians, motorcycles and cyclist. In addition, road crashes cause between 20 million and 50 million non-fatal injuries and are an important cause of disability1.  Deaths from road traffic injuries account for around 25% of all deaths from injuries.

More than 90% of all road traffic deaths occur in low and middle income countries, while these countries only have 48% of the world’s vehicles. While road traffic death rates in many high-income countries have stabilized or declined in recent decades, research suggests road deaths are increasing in most regions of the world and that if trends continue unabated, they will rise to an estimated 2.4 million a year by 20302. Without appropriate action, road traffic injuries are predicted to be the fifth leading contributor to the global burden of disease and injury.

In 2000, the Physiotherapy Project in Lao PDR discovered that at least 80% of the patients needing physio-treatment had sustained their injuries from road traffic crashes.  Alarmed by this trend, HI started some awareness raising activities to alert the population on the danger on the road. A more comprehensive survey was commissioned by HI in 2002 in selected hospitals in the region (Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam) to understand better the causes of road traffic crashes. The survey revealed that there had been a significant increase of road crashes in the past decade, due to factors such as increased vehicle volume and lack of road safety knowledge among the region’s population. At the same time, HIB at the head office in Brussels also identified road crashes as one of the major public health issues and potential causes of disability. The fist road safety publication was disseminated by HIB Brussels, as a literature review3 on overall road safety issues in developing countries.

Following the results from the survey, as well as the realization of the global cost of road crashes, HIB launched pilot road safety project in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam in 2003. HIB’s initial projects focused on public awareness campaigns and education to prevent road traffic crashes and injuries, as well as lobbying and supporting the governments and several actors from civil society in the three countries to take more action on road safety. The pilot projects were successful, and based on these early experiences, all three country-level road safety programs expanded their scope of activities and geographical coverage.

In Vietnam a first project has been implemented in Ho Chi Minh City from 2004 to 2008. Based on the experience of this first phase, a second phase was designed with as objective the replication, extension and strengthening of the results of the initial project, to support and reinforce partners’ capacity and to improve HIB’s methodology and expertise in RS in Vietnam. Started in January 2008, for a 3 years period, the second phase of the Road Safety project was implemented in a rural area, in Dong Nai Province which is the centre of the commercial roads among Central regions, North of Viet Nam and Cuu Long Delta. The project focused on 5 main areas: Enforcement, Engineering, Education, Emergency preparedness (First Aid system), capacity building of local actors and authorities.

The project in Dong Nai is now over and HI is starting a 3rd phase in 2 new Provinces: Bac Giang and Binh Tuan. The objective of this third phase is to strengthen the best practices and develop a final ‘evidence-based’ model to be handed over at national level.

The 3rd phase will start in July with a new project called “Safe Roads 4 Youth” (SR4Y) in partnership with P.A.U Education. In this project the scope of intervention will be reduced and focused on one specific area: drink driving prevention among youth.
Safe Roads 4 Youth is a research-action project. This action research which will be carried out simultaneously in 3 countries (Vietnam, Argentina, South Africa) by 3 different organizations (Handicap International in Vietnam, GRSP in South Africa, Luchemos por la Vida in Argentina). Research will be an integral part of the project which will combine scientific research and field action. In addition, similar researches will be conducted, on a smaller scale, on the HI Road Safety Program in Lao PDR and Cambodia and exchanges will be fostered within the HI Road Safety program in the region.

The SR4Y is considered as one component of the HI Road Safety program/approach in Vietnam. If the scope of the project is at the moment restricted to drink driving prevention, all the other axes of intervention of HI’s expertise are meant to be developed and strengthened as well in a near future.

Safe Roads 4 Youth
Rational
The harmful use of alcohol is a very important determinant of motor vehicle collisions across the world.
According to the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), “in most high-income countries about 20% of fatally injured drivers have excess alcohol in their blood, i.e. blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in excess of the legal limit. Studies in low- and middle-income countries have shown that between 33% and 69% of fatally injured drivers and between 8% and 29% of non-fatally injured drivers had consumed alcohol before their crash”. Thus, it is clear that drink driving is a very serious problem, particularly in emerging countries.

However, it is hard to know the exact extent of the problem since few countries have sophisticated surveillance   systems to monitor the involvement of alcohol in all crashes and the definition of what constitutes drink-driving varies between countries.

In this context, The World Health Organization (WHO), in its “Strategies to reduce the harmful use of alcohol” insists on the need to obtain scientific evidence of the effectiveness, including cost-effectiveness, of different strategies and interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm. Among its priorities, the WHO highlights the importance of context (national, religious and cultural) when developing intervention strategies against alcohol and measuring their effectiveness. As recalled by GRSP, “further international research on alcohol-related harm and on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different strategies is needed, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries, in order to strengthen the evidence base regarding different cultural contexts.

The project:
The main objective of the project is to contribute to the better understanding of the impact of cultural context in the effectiveness and efficiency of drink driving preventive actions.
The SR4Y will address the following question: What types of community programs are effective in preventing drink driving and how does their effect vary across countries and cultures?

This three year project will carry out preventive interventions at community level aimed at mobilizing their citizens, better train local players and prevent drinking and driving in different communities starting with young adults. The actions and their effects will be evaluated in each case, in order to understand the influence of local culture and social representations on the actions´ effectiveness. 
The specific action plan for each community will be developed together with local stakeholders. The effect of actions will be evaluated in each case, in order to understand the influence of local culture and social representations and the effectiveness of their actions.

A central aspect of the approach proposed is the involvement of community stakeholders, especially youth, in the development of the actions and activities aimed at achieving change. Genuine participation is both a tool as well as a consequence of the proposed approach. Therefore special emphasize will be given to community participation and youth participation.

The project coordinator will be responsible for coordinating the implementation of the HI Road Safety project (the SR4Y Project) and to promote good practices with the National Road Safety Committee members. 

RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS:
Strategic Management
Participate in  discussions on global strategy definition in Road Safety of HI Vietnam
Communicate the HI Vietnam internal rules and procedures to the  project teams

Project management
1.General management
Represent the project to the local authorities and other RS stakeholders
Ensure respect of HI rules, procedures and mandate
Ensure respect of obligations stated in MOU and follow their implementation
Manage and coordinate the Local Promoting Group (local Stakeholders) involved in the SR4Y project in each community

2.Project planning
Coordinate the organization of planning workshops with Local Promoting Group, including local authorities and communities and define local action plan
Develop the Operational Plans (Ops) based on the BCC
Schedule the project milestones using appropriate tools
Review and revise planning whenever the needs occur

3.Project implementation
Implement project activities in the 2 projects’ sites after validation of OP by the Direction
Conduct regular participatory planning meetings with Local Promoting Groups  (local stakeholders)for quality control and adequacy of the project strategy.
Ensure good communication and coordination with partners, with the research team in country and in the region, with the RS technical reference
Select and disseminate technical communication between HI, NGOs, team and partners
Identify needs for further or specific training, equipment, external support, and elaborate terms of reference
Organize the training in Vietnam and abroad as defined by proposals, and organize the complementary if necessary

4.Project monitoring & reporting
Coordinate with the research team for data collection and updating the baseline
Coordinate the definition of appropriate monitoring system for the project with appropriate plan of  follow-up indicators
Update indicators, achievements, activities and results according to the project LogFrame
Follow up, spot check on-going activities for quality control
Organize operations monitoring and lessons learnt workshops if needed
Prepare and write reports: progress reports, donor reports, internal reports (annual reports, information for website, newsletter…)
Prepare weekly planning and updates to share within HIVN

5.Project Evaluation
Periodically evaluate project activities
Assess project progress together with Local Promoting Groups and local actors involved
Identify with partners the possible re-orientation of the project
Coordinate with technical referent for the mid-term review and final evaluation

6.Fund raising
Establish networking for possible fund raising
Develop ideas/key notes of potential new activities for fundraising
Contribute to proposal writing
Communication
1.Internal communication
Act as a link between the project and the HIVN Board of Direction, as well as with other HI administrative departments at Hanoi Office
Act as a link between other projects implemented by HIVN
Liaise with Local Promoting Groups  (stakeholders involved in SR4Y project)
Communicate with Technical Supportive Department at HQ and with SR4Y research team
Participate in regional dynamic within the HI Road Safety program exchanges

2.External communication
Communicate with mass media for publicity of HI-VN image
Represent HI and the SR4Y project in different seminars in the region
Make a link between projects at the same field in the region
Inform partners and potential partners about HI
Release project activities reports
Establish relationships and meetings with other NGOs

Team management
Participate in the recruitment of team members
Prepare job profiles for project staff and short term consultant
Validate the IAP of coordinator’s assistant and project consultants
Implement HIVN policy training
Prepare and lead the periodical internal office meetings
Manage the project team delegation of task and responsibilities (monitoring, supervision, evaluation)
Manage team communication to prevent and solve possible conflicts
Develop team building activities when appropriate and possible
Manage consultants

Financial management
Elaborate operational budget with comments and explanations: direct costs for the operations and functioning cost for the project office
Monitor the daily expenditure, monthly accountancy and bank follow-up (monthly forecast to HI VN office)
Monitor the project expenses, by using the HI follow-up tools, justify the variations.
Make sure all procedures are followed, according to both HI, Vietnamese rules and donors rules
Identify complementary local funding possibilities linking with Communication coordinator
Write intermediary and final financial reports

Logistics management
Initiate the purchasing of equipment according to Operational Plan (OP)
Supervise the purchasing process (14 steps) conducted by the project assistant
Conduct the handover process of equipment after purchasing
Coordinate with the Support office for necessary advice or support
Follow up on the use of equipment after handover
Supervise the maintenance of office and project inventory

WORKING ENVIRONMENT

The Project Coordinator will work under the supervision of the Operational Coordinator based in Hanoi and will manage 3 persons: 2 project coordinators +  3 project assistant/accoutant in Binh Thuan and Bac Giang. He/she will also coordinate with the HI Road Safety technical referent, in charge of guaranteeing the coherence of the RS approach in the region and the respect of HI RS guidelines.
Travel:
Regular trips to Binh Thuan to support the team and Hanoi to coordinate with National Road Safety stakeholders

PROFILE REQUIRED FOR THE JOB:
Knowledge
1/ Master Degree
Fields of studies:
Development
M&E
Community Development / Community participation
Youth participation
Pedagogy
2/ English is mandatory as all project documentation and reporting systems are in English; French and Vietnamese would be an asset.

Skills
1/ At least 5 years experience in his/her field and/or in coordination;
Experienced in working in INGO sector
Experienced in Asian context (particularly in Vietnam)
Experience in implementation of community based activities and community awareness raising/behaviour change communication
Experience in working with youth organizations
2/ Others
Strong coordination and management skills
Strong experience in project cycle management
Strong experience in community awareness activities
Experience of working within a multi-cultural environment
Experience in working with government, local and institutional partners
Knowledge in Road Safety is a strong asset
Computer literate (Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc.)

Personal qualities
Flexible in terms of mobility (based in central office in Bac Giang with field visits to projects areas)
Ability to adapt to a Vietnamese and Asian context
Mature, diplomatic and patient but with a strong will
Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with a variety of colleagues
Dynamic, flexible and creative
Able to integrate easily and to negotiate effectively with local partners
Committed to Handicap International mandate