Education Project Assistant

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is a US non-governmental organization that has been operating in Vietnam for nearly 20 years. CRS projects assist local counterparts to build capacity in the areas of Education, HIV/AIDS care and treatment, Disaster Risk Reduction and emergency preparedness and response. Reflecting our commitment to carry out quality programming to benefit the poor, we are now seeking a dynamic Vietnamese candidate for following position for our Program based in Quang Nam Province:

Title:        Education Project Assistant
Reports to:    Program Manager (Disability Network Capacity Strengthening and UXO Education)
Supervision:    N/A

PRIMARY FUNCTION

Work closely with the Inclusive Education Project Officer in Quang Nam and other staff to take responsibilities for the implementation of “Social inclusion of people with disabilities through civil society action” in Quang Nam province.

This project is funded by Irish Aid, Caritas Australia and CRS. It is a 3 year project (2012-2015) that aims for strengthening Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (DPOs) and parents associations and involves five key partners of Vietnam Federation of Persons with Disabilities (VFD), Hanoi DPO, Department of Labor Invalids and Social Affairs (DOLISA) of Quang Tri, Quang Nam DPO, Ninh Binh DPO and Phu Cat district in Binh Dinh province.

The position is required for period of May 2014 to Dec 2014, with possible renewable contract. The position is based in Quang Nam with at least 50% travel to project sites and to Hanoi office.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Internal:    

• Inclusive Education Project Officer in Quang Nam
• Program Manager (Disability Network Capacity Strengthening and UXO Education)
• Country Manager
• Education Program and other CRS staff
• CRS regional and HQ staff

External:    

• Provincial and district partners in Quang Nam
• Disability related network and organizations;
• Disability Working Group members 
• Project consultants
• Project donors as assigned by PM, and CR

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

Programming

• Project Planning: Work with the Inclusive Education project Officer and PM to support in activity planning of Quang Nam province, including programming activities and budget.  
• Project Implementation: Work with the project officer to facilitate the implementation of the project activities of DPO Quang Nam and Thang Binh, Dai Loc, Hiep Duc and Que Son districts   in line with the approved plans and CRS procedures and regulations, with a focus on strengthening capacity of DPOs at different levels and parents association to build on their own initiatives. Facilitate linkage between DPO and parents association to support PWDs in community. Support local partners with selecting consultants for the project activity implementation which include procedures for contract with consultants and quality of consultancy services 
• Project Quality Management and M&E: Work with the project officer and with Quang Nam DPO for the project quality with direction and overall facilitation of the program manager. Provide technical inputs to local partners for quality activity implementation, especially relating to inputs for DPOs and parents associations in developing their small grants or strategic plan.   
• Field Monitoring: Make regular field trips to project sites to meet with project counterparts and participants to monitor quality of activity implementation in conformity with work plan agreed in advance with  QN  project officer and PM.
• Reporting: Ensure regular recording of field trips and activity implementation relating to project implementation in Quang Nam. Collect inputs for the periodical reports to submit to the IE project officer and/or PM as required by donors and government agency.
• Documentation: Participate in compiling lessons learned, designing and implementing events for exchange of program experience. Ensure effective recording and dissemination of results of model of DPO capacity building. Contribute to designing system to compile and disseminate best practices within and outside CRS. Ensure clear and accurate documentation of meetings, field trips, and program activities. Participate in compiling lessons learned and success stories;
• Partner Relations: Communicate respectfully to the partners and guide/accompany them in every stages of project implementation.
• Networking and Advocacy: Maintain good relations with similar organizations in Disability working group and other minded organizations/programs in Quang Nam to share and learn from their activities to maximize the effectiveness in supporting PWDs.  Attend external meetings and networking activities related to disability related events in Quang Nam province as required by supervisors.
• Coordination at the Province level: provide support to the IE project officer in developing coordination mechanism with the  INGOs and NGOs working in in IE for CWD and Disability Inclusion  at the province level, especially with APHEDA and others, share the best practices, CRS learning materials and build their relationship with the  project partners. 

Finances

• Support to financial management and tracking: Supporting in requesting and maintaining all project financial documentation in a clear, accurate system of recording. This includes, but is not limited to support IE project officer for the liquidations for CRS implemented activity in Quang nam, and Payment Requests, and Consultant Contracts. Providing support in preparation of documents for Counterpart advance and liquidation; filing all Counterpart financial recording and reporting in an organized system of folders and files in coordination with POs.  Assist with project advance and liquidations with partners and troubleshooting any financial issues related to implementation. Ensure all vouchers are filed with necessary supporting documents.
• Other: To support the implementation of the project activities in other provinces as required and assigned by PM. Troubleshooting and other tasks as necessary, education program activities / projects as requested by supervisor.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:

1.Bachelor degree in Public health, social science or relevant discipline.
2.At least 2 years working experience for NGOs or international organization and sound knowledge in the disability support sector.
3.Demonstrated ability and skills in project management (planning, scheduling, organization, financial management, monitoring and reporting).
4.Experience in technical assistance for community based capacity building activities.
5.Fluency in spoken and written English and Vietnamese language
6.Independent, resourceful, self-motivated and a team builder.
7.Willingness to travel.
8.Live in Quang Nam or willing to live in Quang nam during the assignment

REQUIRED APPLICATION DOCUMENTS:

• Curriculum Vitae in English, with names and addresses of three references (preferably former supervisors)
• Application Letter in English
• Copies of diplomas, certificates

Please send completed applications to:

Ms. Tran Thi Thu Hang
Administrative Officer
CRS, No 1 Alley 7, Nguyen Hong Street, Ba Dinh District, Ha Noi.
Or email: [email protected]
Deadline for Applications: 18 May 2014

CRS is an equal-opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or HIV/AIDs.