Senior CSO Technical Support Coordinator (STSC) for National Position only At Norwegian People’s Aid

The position is based in Amuda, Syria with travel to operational areas in North East Syria (NES).

Requirements:

Minimum 5 years of experience in development work, with track record and relevant experience in capacity building and civil society development, peace building, governance and women empowerment type of programming in Syria.

· Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of civil society and development trends, as well as women rights and

· participation in Syria.

· Proven ability to conceptualize and develop capacity building approaches and tools and successfully deliver capacity building interventions for local civil society partners, including design of training material (modules, handouts, etc.)

· Excellent facilitation and trainings skills.

· Demonstrated experience in financial and monitoring and evaluation tools and excellent report writing skills (in English)

· Good understanding of local partnerships and capacity building to ensure quality implementation and minimize risk.

· Resourcefulness, initiative and ability to motivate others.

· Experience working with NGOs, INGOs, the UN agencies and understanding of the unique, complex operating environment in Syria.

· Knowledge and understanding or related political and peace processes and current negotiation frameworks in Syria.

· Understanding of community needs and civil society needs in Syria.

· Written and verbal proficiency in English essential, in addition to Arabic.

· Good interpersonal skills, good communication, organizational and analytical skills and ability to work well in a team.

· Able to work effectively under, and adapt to difficult conditions.

· University Degree and/or equivalent professional experience.

· Excellent computer skills.

· Willingness and ability to travel within NES.

General description:

The Senior CSO Technical Support Coordinator (STSC) will be responsible for leading and developing CSO capacity development strategy, planning and roll-out, including:

· Lead development of capacity building strategy for the projects detailing the approach, processes at each level, methodologies and quality assurance mechanism,

· Undertake capacity assessment, as and when needed,

· Lead development of approaches, materials, training courses and curriculums for institutional and thematic strengthening and capacity building of CSOs partners,

· Lead development and finalization of training materials in consultation with subject matter experts and other team members, as required.

S/he will be the principal assistant of the Programme and Project Managers in assessing, designing, implementation and tracking progress of all capacity development initiatives. The STCS will take the lead in implementing, and with capacity building and other staff coordinate CSO Capacity Development Plans. S/he will conduct organizational capacity assessments with NPA partners, organize capacity building activities, take charge of maintaining partner information and participate in the preparation of capacity building activities reports as well as capacity development plans and follow up on the progress. The STCS is also responsible for ensuring that the NPA Partnership Principles are understood and applied in the program that also involves non-funding partnerships with local stakeholders, including other civil society and community-based organizations.

Specific duties:

· Develop and refine the existing tools for CSO development assessment for NPA partners and other assessments as required, identifying gaps in capacity and development needs;

· Lead the process and plans for the institutional capacity of selected CSOs to strengthen their capabilities and interface with local stakeholders, including development of tailor made individual CSO capacity development plans;

· Lead the development of tools and manage implementation of an intensive capacity development programme and technical assistance including general institutional skills, thematic skills and in coordination with other staff also financial, management, administrative and operational capacity.

· Ensure ongoing follow up on the capacity development plans and lead the development of practical tools to measure progress and establish capacity development index.

· Create an effective monitoring mechanism for tracking training progress and coverage of trainees and a training pre and post evaluation system.

· Establish a quality assurance mechanism and ensure compliance as per established criteria.

· Strengthen NPA partner networks and coalitions to share information, exchange best practices and lessons learned, and achieve shared objectives.

· Facilitate documentation of the training activities.

· Prepare, present and submit training reports as per project requirements.

· Contribute to preparing work plans, monitoring and evaluation plans, and technical and administrative reports.

· Lead coaching, mentoring and regular follow up on the ongoing process of partners’ capacity building with capacity development and other staff.

· Attend partners activities and ensure the feedback is included in enhancing planning and implementation of other activities in coordination with partners and management.

· Represent NPA in formal events such as conferences and meetings conducted by stakeholders.

· Develop and maintain proper soft and hard copy archiving for all activities under his/her responsibility.

· Supervise and guide capacity development staff.

Undertake other tasks, as assigned by the supervisor, for accomplishment of the project objectives.

Authority/ Decisions:

Typical decisions the holder of the positions makes

Reference is made to the NPA Regulation for Delegation of Authority, Quality Management and Guidelines for the NPA Office.

Required qualifications:

Education:

Must have:

· Relevant university degree or relevant equivalent experience.

· Proficiency in English language skills and Arabic, both written and verbal.

· Good understanding of ICT systems and experience with MS Office applications, including Excel.

Experience:

Must have:

· Minimum 5 years of experience in development work, with track record and relevant experience in capacity building and civil society development, peace building, governance and women empowerment type of programming in Syria.

· At least 2 – 3 years relevant experience of developing capacity building plans, designing training programs and building local civil society organizations capacity.

· Substantial knowledge of local governance and civil society structures, strategy development, and structure and CSO development.

· Knowledge in program development and design.

· Excellence in training development and facilitation.

· Good communication and training skills.

· Strong knowledge of cultural and political contexts in Syria.

Other qualifications:

· Can work well in highly stressful environment, prioritize deliverables and meet reasonable deadlines

· Willing to travel within NES.

Personal Competencies:

· Self-driven with integrity, initiative and ability to think and work independently

· Strong communication, networking and interpersonal skills**

Additional Considerations:

· Staff is to abide by the policies and personal code of conduct by the Norwegian People’s Aid and represent the organisation in a loyal and responsible manner.

· All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks including vetting and due delegence.