Asia Foundation Jobs July 2012

Ministry of Women’s Affairs Organizational Restructuring and Empowerment (MORE), Afghanistan

The Asia Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, and open Asia-Pacific region, is seeking qualified, long-term advisors for a program to provide capacity building and organizational restructuring services to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in Afghanistan. The Foundation seeks advisors to serve as Chief of Party (COP), Deputy Chief of Party/Finance, Administration and Compliance (DCOP), Gender Specialist, Policy Specialist and Organizational Development Specialist for an upcoming project in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Candidates should be development professionals with specific sectoral expertise, including but not limited to: activities aimed at women’s and gender issues in an Islamic context, working with women’s organizations, working with institutions focused on women’s affairs, capacity building, change management, and organizational development.

Qualifications

All Positions

· Candidates must have an advanced degree (or a Bachelor’s degree with 6-8 years of experience) in a field relevant to the intended position.

· At least 6 years of relevant technical experience in the region.

· At least 6 years of experience relevant to the proposed position on similar international donor-funded programs. Experience working with US government-funded programs is highly desirable.

· At least 6 years of relevant experience working with women’s organizations. Experience working with formal ministerial institutions focused on women’s affairs is highly desirable.

· Demonstrated familiarity with women and gender issues in Afghanistan or in a similar context.

· At least 6 years of progressively responsible experience managing staff in a conflict-affected environment.

· Fluent oral and strong analytical, written English communications skills. Dari and Pashto highly desirable.

· Demonstrated interpersonal skills including diplomacy, tact and the ability to negotiate and influence.

· Strong computer skills, including ease and skill in using MS Office and Windows applications.

· Experience training local staff is highly desirable

Chief of Party

• Chief of Party candidates must have a relevant advanced degree in management, international development, social science, organizational change, public policy, or a related field of study.
• A minimum of 10 years professional experience in international development, with at least 6 years in a developing country, and at least 6 years of senior managerial level experience in a developing country.
• Strong professional credibility and technical knowledge of gender and women’s issues.
• Demonstrated capabilities in high-level strategic visioning and leadership, and experience in working effectively with senior government officials/agencies, civil society, local and national government authorities, and with USAID or other development partners and donors.
• Proven technical and managerial experience and skills, preferably in Afghanistan or other conflict-affected environments.
• Demonstrated leadership and administrative skills in program management, including budget and personnel oversight. Motivating, mentoring, and supervising team efforts and achieving success in complex activities are required.
• Candidates must have experience developing and managing multi-sectoral projects, leading and supervising multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary teams, and working with donor communities.
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills required. Proven effectiveness in relationships with counterparts, partners and clients is required.
• Previous experience managing US Government funding preferred.

Deputy Chief of Party/Finance, Administration and Compliance (DCOP)

• Demonstrated experience with fiscal, budget, and administrative management of international development projects, US Government preferred.
• Practical experience establishing and administering international, donor-funded programs and monitoring compliance.
• Past experience ensuring compliance with agreement financial requirements including audit requirements, spending projections, variance analysis, and other financial specifications.
• Experience in managing teams, work plans, and budgets.
• Ability to lead and direct a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary project team.

Candidates for Gender Specialist, Policy Specialist and Organizational Development Specialist must possess in-depth knowledge and practical experience in their specific areas of expertise.

Interested applicants should email a cover letter and resume to consultantssf@asiafound.org. Please clearly indicate “MORE” and the specific position of interest in the subject line. The Asia Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. Women and people of color are encouraged to apply. The application deadline is August 6, 2012.