Regional Program Coordinator,

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is the national voice of municipal governments, representing the interests of cities and communities with the federal government.
Position: Regional Program Coordinator, PMI-LED
Department: FCM International
Location: Vietnam
Salary scale: Competitive with local salaries in International NGO
Duration: 5-Year Contract

Background:

Since 1987, FCM has been working in partnership with the Government of Canada through DFATD (Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development) to share Canadian municipal expertise with developing countries in order to strengthen local governance, service delivery, and international municipal relations. FCM’s international department, FCM International, is responsible for managing the organization’s externally-funded international programs and coordinating its international relations.

The five-year (2015-20) Partners for Municipal Innovation in Local Economic Development (PMI-LED) program focuses on supporting sustainable and equitable economic development in selected developing countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Its specific purpose is to support local governments and local government associations (LGAs) in Vietnam, Cambodia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Nicaragua and Bolivia to render effective services that advance sustainable and equitable local economic development. PMI-LED also supports the engagement of program partners in a variety of areas such as local economic development leadership, inclusive economic development, and trade and regional economic development. PMI-LED partners will also contribute to regional knowledge sharing processes, global policy development and program coordination. The crosscutting themes of the program are environmental sustainability and equality between women and men.

Major Purpose:

Under the direction of PMI-LED’s Director and working in collaboration with the Thematic Program Managers and with the other members of the team, the Regional Program Coordinator (RPC) PMI-LED will be responsible for the coordination, implementation, and monitoring of program activities in the region of Asia. The RPC will maintain a productive partnership with local governments, private sector representatives, and other stakeholders in the region and ensure the successful implementation of program outcomes. The RPC, as a member of the FCMI team, protects its integrity, reputation and supports its role as a global leader in international cooperation aimed at strengthening local capacities and enhancing governance. S/he has a key role in designing meaningful opportunities for FCM members, including Canadian municipalities and provincial associations (LGAs), and mobilizing their expertise to benefit capacity development of overseas partners and to reach the objectives of the program.

Main responsibilities:

• Maintains an overview of the PMI-LED program as well as ongoing political, economic, environmental and social developments in the region, especially in the municipal sector.
• Works closely with the Thematic Program Managers and FCMI Senior Program Specialists to ensure the integrity, adaptation and due implementation of program strategies and activities that strengthens the capacity of local governments and civil society actors working on the delivery of the PMI-LED program;
• Contributes to the annual work-plans for the region in collaboration with the Thematic Program Managers, national Program staff, local governments and other relevant stakeholders;
• Coordinates the implementation of the PMI-LED program activities in the region as set out in Annual Work Plans using FCMI procedures, formats and templates;
• Establishes and maintains relationships and coordinates the contribution of government officials, private sector, civil society actors and other stakeholders in the region to ensure the successful achievement of project outcomes;
• Act as the FCM Employer representative in the region, recruiting competent staff when required and ensuring diligent supervision of all PMI-LED International staff according to FCM’s policies and procedures and the laws of the land.

Skills and experience:

• A Master’s degree in public administration, project management, municipal affairs, urban planning, international development or other related field.
• Five (5) – Seven (7) years’ experience in managing international development cooperation projects; prior experience in the thematic area would be an important asset.
• Experience in setting up office policies, procedures and operational systems to ensure an adequate management of the program;
• Strong leadership capabilities for directing, organizing, coaching, capacity-building, leading meetings and workshops;
• Proven skills in budgeting, work planning, results-based management approaches, including follow-ups and drafting of reports.
• Proven experience in team work, supervising staff, setting and monitoring employees performance;
• Very strong public relations and interpersonal skills, including strong sense of diplomacy.
• Understanding of the network of Canadian municipalities and of the expertise available within this network would be an asset.
• Excellent writing skills;
• Good computer skills: Microsoft Office Word, Excel, power Point, Internet, email.

Language requirements:

• An excellent knowledge of conversational and superior writing skills in English is essential.
• Vietnamese and Khmer and other language capacity would be considered as a strong asset.

Work environment:
This position requires regular travel to countries in the region and may also involve some travel to Canada and/or other regions involved in PMI-LED.

Please be sure to submit your cover letter, your resume and your salary expectations to the following link: careers.
and to Ms.Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, National Program Coordinator at [email protected]

For more information on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, please visit www.fcm.ca.

Deadline for applications is March 6, 2016.

We thank all candidates for their interest; however we will only contact those selected for an interview. All the applications will be kept on file for six months following the hiring.