Deputy Unit Director, RECOFTC Main Office At The Center for People and Forests (RECOFTC)

Deadline for application: 31August 2024

RECOFTC is an international nonprofit organization working towards a future where resilient communities with respected rights thrive in forest landscapes that they manage sustainably and equitably. We take a long-term, landscape-based and inclusive approach in supporting local communities to secure their land and resource rights, stop deforestation, find alternative livelihoods and foster gender equality. We have more than 37 years of experience working with people and forests and have built trusting relationships with partners at all levels. As a trusted, honest broker, we occupy a distinct position as an international organization that supports, informs and brings together governments, communities, businesses, academia and civil society organizations. Our innovations, knowledge and initiatives enable countries to foster good forest governance, mitigate and adapt to climate change and achieve the UN Global Goals.

RECOFTC operates in the Asia-Pacific region, with country program offices in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Viet Nam.

RECOFTC is currently seeking a Deputy Unit Director for its Program Coordination and Technical Services Unit at the Main Office in Bangkok. The role is open to external candidates. The selected candidate will be offered a 24-month contract with the possibility of an extension, contingent on funding availability and satisfactory performance.

Tasks and duties

The Deputy Unit Director will be a member of RECOFTC’s Program Coordination and Technical Services (PCTS) Unit and report directly to the unit director. The key responsibilities include overseeing staff, thematic programs, and projects; developing, reviewing, and refining proposals, budgets, and reports; and contributing to and enhancing RECOFTC’s knowledge management systems.

The Deputy Director-PCTS, as a senior member of the PCTS unit, provides guidance and support to the PCTS team and other units in carrying out RECOFTC’s overall strategic plan through the development and execution of the organization’s large project portfolio. The Deputy Director-PCTS promotes project management best practices and serves as a project manager for select projects.

Specific tasks and duties include:

1. Supporting the overall management and development of the PCTS Unit

Program planning, monitoring, and management

• Provide coordination support and technical inputs to RECOFTC’s overall program through participation in strategic planning, annual work planning, program review exercises and regular coordination with other units and teams
• Work closely with teams representing RECOFTCs for main goals to ensure coordination, synergies and the application of cross-cutting considerations
• Support the unit director in leveraging established information processes and products to monitor progress against programmatic targets and implement adaptive management corrections when needed

Staff supervision, capacity building, and staff development

• Supervise one or more PCTS staff at the request of the Unit Director ensuring the establishment of clear expectations, mutual reflection on performance and opportunities for professional development.
• Provide oversight, guidance, review of reporting, and other support to project managers to ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope and within budget
• Identify and provide opportunities for training and development (especially in project management), offer constructive feedback, and support career advancement to help team members grow individually and contribute more effectively to the team’s success

Team management and resource allocation

• Assist in coordinating and facilitating regular PCTS team meetings
• Understand the skills and strengths of each team member and assist the PCTS Unit Director in assigning roles and responsibilities that align with staff interests and abilities, ensuring optimal team performance and personal growth
• Monitor the overall PCTS budget on at least a quarterly basis and coordinate adaptive management to ensure that projects remain on track
• Support effective resource allocation across the PCTS project portfolio, ensuring that resources are allocated and utilized based on project priorities and organizational goals

Communications, networking, and knowledge management

• Represent RECOFTC at the highest levels with donors, partners and relevant stakeholders at multilateral and bilateral meetings, conferences and donor events
• Contribute to RECOFTC’s overall knowledge management processes to effectively capture, share, and leverage project insights, lessons learned and project management best practices across the organization
• Contribute to the design of and maintenance of knowledge management systems for the storage, organization, and retrieval of project-related information, documents, templates and lessons learned

Business Development

• Assist in screening opportunities for their potential to contribute to RECOFTC’s committed strategic targets and for RECOFTC’s ability to effectively resource and execute each potential opportunity
• In close coordination with the Business Development team, provide technical leadership and/or support in the development of proposals for new projects or inputs to project consortia including developing relevant theories of change, logical frameworks or other conceptual frameworks as appropriate to and required by the opportunity
• Assist the Business Development and Grants Officer in transitioning projects from a proposal stage to the project start-up phase

2. Supporting the consistent application of project development and management best practices

• Promote RECOFTC Project Management Standards to ensure consistency, efficiency and alignment with organizational goals and strategic priorities
• Understand and promote the effective and efficient use of project management-related tools and systems to support all aspects of project management
• Support project managers in the effective implementation of projects including in all areas enumerated in the “Project management” section below.
• Support the Unit Director in monitoring individual project progress and status on a frequent basis to ensure that project workplans and activities remain on track
• Lead in reviewing, refining, and, where necessary, identifying new tools and processes to support effective application of project management best practices

3. Managing projects

• Manage one or more projects at a time from project initiation to project closure at the discretion of the Unit Director
• Develop comprehensive project work plans, schedules and budgets
• Ensure all elements of RECOFTC’s project initiation process are completed during the project initiation phase
• Apply project planning, risk management, adaptive management and quality assurance processes to ensure successful project execution
• Provide leadership and oversight for the effective delivery of project outcomes, outputs and activities according to plan—applying an adaptive management approach to resources, tasks, and timelines
• Coordinate resource allocation and utilization, including personnel, budget and equipment to ensure optimal resource utilization and alignment with project objectives and priorities
• Identify project stakeholders and establish effective communication channels to ensure alignment, manage expectations and foster collaboration throughout the project lifecycle
• Ensure project implementation and administration strictly follow donor and all other relevant regulatory requirements including securing appropriate national permissions
• Establish and enforce quality standards and processes to ensure that project deliverables meet or exceed expectations
• Proactively monitor project progress, identify potential risks and roadblocks, and take appropriate and timely actions to keep the project on track and within scope, budget and timeline constraints
• Prepare progress reports, annual reports and financial reports of the project together with relevant RECOFTC staff from different units, country programs and partner organizations
• In close coordination with the Knowledge Management, Information Technology, and Strategic Communication (KMITSC) team, lead the development of project communication plans that include establishing and maintaining project information on the web and other media and producing strategic communication products in relevant languages
• Facilitate meetings or provide project presentations to stakeholders, highlighting achievements, challenges, risks and other information as needed and appropriate
• Understand and provide regular inputs into RECOFTC’s monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) systems and processes
• Engage and manage the work of consultants as and when needed to support project delivery

4. Other

• Support the execution of specific projects at the Main Office and Country Offices as needed and assigned by the Unit Director
• Provide technical inputs to relevant projects based on project needs and areas of expertise and experience
• Act as Unit Director during times that the Director is traveling or on leave
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Unit Director

Qualifications and experience

The Deputy Unit Director should have the following essential qualifications and experience:

Essential

• A master’s degree or higher in international development, social development, natural resource management or related field
• A minimum of 10 years of experience managing international development projects focusing on natural resource management and stakeholder engagement covering multiple countries and partners
• Experience supervising staff and managing a team
• Experience in project management including project planning and reporting, funding/financial management and monitoring, resource allocation and management, and partner coordination
• Experience assessing capacity and coordinating appropriate capacity development processes and events
• Experience working collaboratively with professional communication teams in similar project contexts
• Familiarity with monitoring, evaluation and learning systems and principles
• Champions gender equity and social inclusion
• Strong team building, leadership, problem solving and networking skills
• Strong work ethic
• Fluent written and spoken English
• Willingness to work in the RECOFTC main office in Bangkok
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally
• Commitment to practicing and promoting RECOFTC’s core values

Desirable

• Formal project management certification
• Good training and facilitation skills, especially encouraging participatory processes with adult learning
• Familiarity with engagement, knowledge management and communication concepts, processes, and technologies
• Experience working in cross-cultural environments
• Work experience in Southeast and/or South Asia
• Knowledge of an Asian language

RECOFTC’s core values

At RECOFTC, our core values are the foundation of our culture and guide all our work. In addition to job-specific skills and experience, the applicant should possess the following characteristics, attitudes and skills:

• Embrace innovation
• Adapt to and learn from challenges
• Nurture commitment, responsibility and ownership
• Collaborate with partners and stakeholders
• Commit to sustainability
• Cultivate participation, gender equality and social inclusion
• Prioritize well-being