Partnerships and Localization Advisor At ActionAid

People4Change

Job Description for Advisors

Recruiting AA office

ActionAid Myanmar

Job title

Partnerships and Localization Advisor (PLA)

Advisor operating level

National Level Advisor

Location of placement

Yangon, Myanmar

Strategic Objective as per Partnership Agreement

Drive the process of localization in line with AAM CSP and SPA2 objectives to create quality partnerships of national actors in human rights, democracy, climate change and community participation. The capacities of these national actors are built, convergences are created, and they become visible through their actions to reclaim the civil society space that is diminishing and protect the rights of the marginalized, ethnic and minority communities. This function would collaborate with Advisor – Social movements and innovation and other programme leads to drive the agenda of localization into AAM programmes.

Name of the partners, if any

PLA will assess the capacity gaps of SPA programme partners identified and will develop an action plan to work towards strengthening the capacities of these organization. PLA shall play a key role in developing collaboration platforms between various AAM partners and also provide inputs to SMT on larger country level localization agenda. PLA shall work closely with SPA programme team of AAM towards strengthening youth led/involving networks, platforms, movements, alliances, CSOs, CBOs and forums across the programme priorities.

Duration of contract

1 year contract and extended annually

1.PARTNER AND PLACEMENT DATA

Purpose of placement

Map out strategic community-based organisations and youth platforms that have potential to become voice of the communities that they represent. AAM has been working with national actors for the last one decade and especially focusing on youth platforms, CBOs from ethnic minorities to build their capacities and be the actors of social change.

Advisor will have a laser focus on enhancing the engagement of organisations and movements on climate justice, SDGs, shrinking space and supporting the nexus programming approaches. Additionally, Advisors will play a key role in strengthening social movements through support within areas such as organizing, activism and digital security.

PLA is expected to play an important role in identifying, mentoring and nurturing these organisations in line with the CSP of AAM and prepare a strategy of engagement for AAM with these national actors. PLA also works with fellows and their organisations and acts as a mentor to these entities and prepares sustainable organizational plans along with identifying technical resources and funding opportunities.

Brief description of partners, alliances and/or networks to be supported

AAM has been working with CBOs/CSOs for over a decade in Myanmar. Fellows who have worked with AAM have formed Fellow organisations or Youth platforms that are active at village and township level depending on their membership and organizational structures. There are other organizations that are a network of community collective of locals CSOs. These groups are being supported by AAM for their organizational development and in emergency response. They have played a crucial role in Covid-19 relief response. AAM is aggressively working towards localization with an ambition to create national actors and national institutions that are sustainable and organize themselves at village, township, state and national level. Currently there are 11 youth platforms and 7 strategic partners that AAM works with. AAM would want to work with these agencies under SPA and other grants to build their capacities, create strategic road map and nurture them.

Main capacity gaps identified during the needs assessment

The CBOs/CSOs and Youth platforms need handholding supporting in designing programmes and in implementation. There is also a Need to identify and strengthen strategic partners for implementation of the strategic interventions on capacity strengthening and movement building in line with SPAII overall theory of change and results framework.

Local youth platforms and partners require support to put in place relevant frameworks for leadership, coordination and technical assistance to deliver capacity strengthening and movement building interventions including, training, mentoring and peer-to-peer learning for increased understanding of women rights, human rights, HRBA and community participation within communities.

Need to build evidence for a strong and enabling environment for donors to allocate resources to local organizations and institutions for sustained work with community-based activists, organizations and networks, to support and strengthen effective movement leadership, alliances, and strategies.

Over 30% of the CBOs are gradually becoming non-functional due to lack of capacity and funding sources.

The current political context in the country that is impacting civil society demands the need for conflict sensitivity, peace & reconciliation to inform GRPS programming and other related areas of work.

Partners/CBOs based outside of Yangon to be able to scale up ongoing initiatives / advocacy initiatives through targeted skills development on advocacy, legislation, etc.

Support to networks to facilitate linkages with regional/national and international allies and processes.

Who will receive capacity support by the Advisor:

AA staff:

• Senior management team

• Extended management team

• Relevant programme staff

Youth platforms:

• Development of capacity development plans, contextualized manuals, facilitation guidelines, etc to address HRBA, GRPS, Women rights, human rights, social cohesion, inclusivity and related topics.

• Support the identification of youth led/focused alliances and networks engaged in community development initiatives at State/Regional and International Levels.

Partners:

• Strengthening capacity of partners to increase awareness and understanding of key concepts and issues around HRBA, localisation, human rights women rights, GRPS, social accountability and social cohesion, as well as, building alliances and networks at all levels

With increased armed conflict across most states and regions in the country, its important that the Advisor understands the socio economic, cultural, and political sensitivities through the evolving context of the country. As such, the challenge/task on its own is to be able to understand the context and find methods/tools and techniques to address the issues through an inclusion lens.

2.JOB PROFILE

Outcome/Change:

Output/performance:

Activities:

Work at national level – 85%

Myanmar is currently riddled by conflict and political crisis. There is an increase in armed conflicts across all townships of the country and large levels of displacement. Increasing polarization in the society is impacting social harmony, and co-existence. There is a greater need for programmes on conflict sensitivity and peace building.

All staff members including youth platforms, CBOs have strengthened their capacity on community participation, GRPS, HRBA, conflict sensitivity and peace building. There will be a focus on public services and the role of these trained resources in ensuring public service prioritizes GRPS and other vulnerable populations.

AA Myanmar is able to deliver on building capacities of the local organisations and form their networks/collectives at regional and national levels and these community institutions sustainable with resource generation plan.

Women rights, HRBA, human rights, Social cohesion and conflict prevention elements can be streamlined across GRPS programming.

Increased coordination of project conceptualisation and planning with other programmes and projects, with a particular focus on young women and men.

Build capacity of strategic partners of AAM and community organisations – Youth platforms and CBOS on Women rights, HRBA, human rights, Social cohesion and conflict prevention elements can be streamlined across GRPS programming.

Build capacities of AAM staff and provide support to EMT and SMT on greater participation of the community organisations and YPs/CSOs and their networks in AAM programmes.

Supports programme and project teams to identify strategic local partners.

Design and develop training modules for the organisations on their capacity building on programme delivery and technical support in women rights, human rights and HRBA.

Support capacity building for context analysis and indepth programming and strategy review through a conflict sensitive lens.

Youth platforms supports the capacity development of staff to ensure that projects activities are formulated according to AAM programme strategy with full involvement of all relevant counterparts and partners in area of focus.

Provide effective advisory services and technical support to programme portfolio and project implementation with a focus on linkages/synergies across the country portfolio and external partners.

Support programme and project teams and with key partners with the development of relevant, high-impact advocacy campaigns.

Staff can conduct monitoring, conflict analysis, and extract learning with a particular focus on GRPS to continuously improve programming.

Knowledge building and crossprogrammatic results and implementation synergies are strengthened, with a particular focus on young women and men.

Provide day to day technical and advisory support to all projects operating within the country portfolio including supporting field-based monitoring and field-based implementation as well as training of staff, counterparts and partners.

Support and build capacity of relevant staff on reporting and monitoring within the portfolio to provide country office with quarterly and annual reporting on the progress of the national actors.

Ensure provision of high quality advisory / technical services and facilitation of knowledge building and management.

AA Myanmar strengthens its strategic and organizational ability to work on localisation with a particular focus on young women and men led organisations. Create national level networks and regional associations.

Support the capacity building initiatives of young men and women led networks and platforms and build training framework for periodic monitoring of the progress. Identifying the training needs and regularly adapting the training frameworks to incorporate the emerging needs.

Support the senior management team by regular participation in senior management team meetings to contribute to the strategic direction, delivery and decision making and ensure that awareness of functional matters on localisation are brought to the attention of SMT members.

Provide high level technical advisory services to the SMT including in design and development of new programming, on specific thematic topics, such as localisation, HRBA, human rights, women rights political transitions; peace infrastructures; security; reconciliation engaging youth in peacebuilding; conflict and natural resource governance and others.

Identify and synthesizes best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme country policy goals.

Engage with existing national and regional networks of relevance to localisation and create pathways of engagement for AAM partners and YPs/CBOs.

AA Myanmar strengthens its strategic partnerships on local, national and international levels, with a particular focus on young women and men.

Build capacity of key staff and provide support to establish and maintain strategic partnerships.

Assist the programme lead in helping build strategic alliances and partnerships for peace and development related interventions with government, non-state actors, IFI’s, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, private sector,donors, UN agencies and civil society.

Build capacities of partners, including young women and man, at local and national level.

Strengthen partnerships for information sharing with relevant partners.

Support the establishment of advocacy networks at national level and linked to international networks.

Supporting cross-country learning processes, learning networks and international working groups – 15 %

AA Myanmar can contribute to Federation wide knowledge sharing and learning on localisation, community participation and YPs/CBOs network building.

Support Programme Team´s contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

Support cross country learning activities and international knowledge creation and curation on localization.

Participate in networks, conferences and other opportunities to improve own and organisational learning.

3.ADVISOR PROFILE

Desired Skills

• Excellent understanding on Myanmar country CSO landscape.
• Demonstrated experience of working with social networks, community institutions and fellows
• Sound understanding and capability to empower and develop the capacity of national staff.
• Good understanding of change management in the context of programme.
• Proven ability to work in multi-cultural teams.
• Requisite skills in effective fundraising, resources mobilization and donor relations.

Professional experience:

• Minimum of 7 years of progressively advancing experience institutional capacity development, networking, partnership development and adapting localisation approach in partner selection and their capacity development.
• Proven experience in partnership building and networking. At least 7 years’ experience leading and designing and implementing rights-based development programmes with poor and excluded communities including evaluation, learning and knowledge management with the focus on measuring shifts in power.
• Proven programmatic management experience with sound knowledge human rights based approach to development and of all aspects of the project cycle (design, implementation, monitoring & evaluation).
• Proven experience in the use of social accountability tools and its use for advocacy.
• Experience in working at the country level and in countries in transition.
• Experience working with youth
• Experience with the UN system is an asset

Proposed formal education:

At least bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in Development Studies with focus on conflict and peace, or Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding, Human Rights or related field.

Personal qualifications

• Adhering to Principles and Values
• Relating and Networking
• Presenting and Communicating Information
• Writing and Reporting
• Applying Expertise and Technology
• Formulating Strategies and Concepts
• Planning and organizing
• Adapting and Responding to Change
• Coping with Pressures and Setbacks
• Achieving Personal Work Goals and Objectives

Language requirements:

Comprehensible communication skills, both written and spoken, in Myanmar and English. Fluency in Rakhine or Karen or Chin is an advantage.