Chief Executive Officer

Mekong Development Research Institute (MDRI) is an independent scientific research agency. At MDRI, we believe that research plays an indispensable role in social change and development.

Our key services focus on Poverty Reduction, Ethnic Minority, Agriculture and Rural Development, Labor and Immigration, Water and Sanitation, Education, Environment and Climate Change, Sector & Market Research and Trade, and Governance. Through our research and consulting work, MDRI researchers have brought forward meaningful and valuable research products, some of which have been published in internationally renowned journals including American Economic Journal, World Development, and Health Economic Journal. Others were available under forms of consulting reports, policy briefs and other materials used by the Government leaders, international donors and partners as well as CSOs, and presented at national and international conferences.

In order to meet the demands of our burgeoning portfolio of work, we are for the first time recruiting a Chief Executive Officer.

Reports to: Board of Directors

The Board delegates responsibility for management and day-to-day operations to the Executive Director, and s/he has the authority to carry out these responsibilities, in accordance with the direction and policies established by the Board.

Reporting to this position: Project leaders, Chief Accountant, Project Accountant, Administrator

Key responsibilities:

• Mission, policy, planning and governance
  
  • Supports the Board in strategic planning and determining MDRI’s values, mission, vision, and short- and long-term goals.
  • Helps the Board monitor and evaluate the execution of plans as per MDRI’s set strategy
  • Keeps the Board fully informed on the condition of MDRI and on all the important factors influencing it: opportunities, trends, issues, problems and activities in order to facilitate policy-making; recommends policy positions
  • Keeps informed of developments in research environment, development topics, not-for-profit management and governance, and funding opportunities development.
  • Helps the Board articulate its own role and accountabilities and helps evaluate performance regularly
  • Manages the Board’s due diligence process to assure timely attention to core issues, especially in academic quality control

• Management and administration
  
  • Provides general oversight of all activities, manages the day-to-day operations, and assures a smoothly functioning, efficient organization
  • Assures program quality and organizational stability through development and implementation of standards and controls, systems and procedures, and regular evaluation. The Board will provide support and additional oversight on academic quality of research work.
  • Assures a work environment that recruits, retains and supports quality staff and volunteers.
  • Assures process and procedures for selecting, development, motivating, and evaluating staff and volunteers
  • Recommends staffing and financing to the Board of Directors. In accordance with Board action, recruits personnel, negotiates professional contracts, and sees that appropriate salary structures are developed and maintained.

• Financing
  
  • Oversees the fiscal activities of the organization including budgeting, reporting and audits.
  • Works with Board to ensure financing to support short and long-term goals
  • Develops and assures an effective fund development plan, helps guide and enable the Board to participate actively in the fund development process
  • Participates actively in identifying, cultivating and soliciting donor, partnership, grant and funding prospects. Assures the availability of materials to support solicitation, including submission of proposals and administrating fundraising records and documentation

• Public Relations
  
  • Facilitates the integration of MDRI into the research for development community by using effective marketing and communications activities
  • Listens to clients, volunteers, donors, government and the community in order to improve services and generate stakeholder involvement
  • Serves as chief spokesperson for MDRI, assuring proper representation of MDRI to all relevant stakeholders, including top government officers
  • Initiates, develops, and maintains cooperative relationships with key constituencies

Qualifications

• Master Degree with at least 5 years of experience in a management position, preferably in a non-profit or research-oriented organizations
• Knowledge in the following areas is required: project management, proposal development, finance and personnel, oral and written communications, public relations, planning and evaluation, fundraising. Academic and technical knowledge in development topics is strongly preferred.
• Strong commitment to results: the executive director should possess systems thinking, be client-focused, opportunity seeking and goal driven
• Familiar with financial and tax regulation of Vietnam
• Strong leadership skills with motivating, influencing and persuasion capacities, as well as excellent change management capability
• Excellent communication, writing and analytical skills in both English and Vietnamese

Applications should be sent to MDRI at [email protected]

Deadline of submission: May 10th, 2017