Civil Society Coordinator Swedish Committee for Afghanistan

Swedish Committee for Afghanistan is looking for

Civil Society Coordinator

Posted at Kabul Management Office, Kabul, Afghanistan

Background

Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) is a non-governmental development organisation working to assist in the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan. Operations started in Afghanistan in 1982 on an emergency basis, which subsequently evolved into long-term development programmes. SCA today works in the sectors of Health, Education, Disability and Rural Development, with vulnerable groups in rural underserved areas as primary beneficiaries. With around 6 000 staff, SCA is one of the largest non-governmental organisations in the country. Through its activities, SCA aims to fight poverty, support economic and social development and strengthen democratic development and gender equality & human rights.

SCA is a major Swedish NGO established in 1980 working with fundraising, information and advocacy alongside with the activities in Afghanistan. In Sweden SCA works as a membership association based on popular commitment and support, making effort to affect the public opinion by providing knowledgeable and reliable information about Afghanistan in order to increase sustainable cooperation and assistance in a spirit of solidarity.

Civil Society Unit

The Civil Society Unit (CSU) a methodology unit that is to contribute to enhanced effectiveness in achieving SCA’s development objectives. CSU broadly aims to ensure that SCA’s programmes work in partnership with and strive to strengthen the capacity of Afghan civil society and local communities in order to increase participation and local ownership of the development process, to strengthen participatory decision making processes and improve intra and inter-sector cooperation for improved development outcomes. For these, CSU is developing and mainstreaming strategies, methods, and tools:

(i) for the growth and advancement of a vibrant Afghan civil society

(ii) to increase and strengthen partnerships between SCA programmes and relevant national Civil Society (CS) Partners

(iii) to support organisational development of CS partners

CSU’s work can be divided in three components:

1. capacity developing support to Afghan civil society and local communities
2. improve internal cooperation to mainstreamingSCA approaches working with civil society
3. support and contribute to strengthen networking and advocacy of Afghan civil society

Scope of Work

The Civil Society Coordinator manages SCA’s Civil Society Unit (CSU) and its funding scheme for capacity developing support to Afghan Civil Society Organstions. SCA is supporting both the ‘modern/formal’ part of CS and the ‘traditional/informal/semi-formal’ parts of CS (e.g. village Shuras, Community Development Councils, Community Based Organisations). She/he oversees reviews, assessments, evaluation and monitoring of activities of SCA’s CS-support to SCA’s programmes and Civil Society partners, within the fields of health, education, disability, rural development, Human Rights, Gender, and civil society strengthening The post-holder will develop results- and rights-oriented strategies, proposals, budgets and reports and design and mainstream policies, methods and tools for capacity developing support to SCA and its Civil Society partners. Furthermore she/he will contribute to the development of Afghan CS networks, represent SCA in international and national coordinating forums and liaise with relevant authorities, donors and CSOs.

Entry Requirements

Qualifications:

• Master Degree, or equivalent, in relevant professional field. Preferably in Political Sciences, Development Studies, Social Sciences, International Relations or Economics
• Knowledge of practices and current theories about civil society, capacity development and results-based management
• Excellent command of English

Experience:

• At least five years of relevant work experience with a civil society profile and a sound understanding of capacity developing support to CS-actors, mainstreaming and results-based management
• At least two years of working at managerial level within an international NGO or similar organisation
• Sound understanding of proposal development, monitoring and evaluation and reporting
• Sound understanding of strategy, policy and method development to strengthen emerging civil society groups
• Experience of financial and administrative management is a merit
• Experience from work in a post-conflict environment and in Muslim countries is an advantage

Others:

• Demonstrated leadership/management skills
• Being a team-builder and being able to adapt to a cross-cultural context
• Ability to prioritise, delegate, handle multiple tasks and meet deadlines
• Ability to travel frequently to project offices within Afghanistan and adjust to difficult and basic living conditions
• Ability to work in a capacity developing role, including respect for diversity, sound communication, mentoring and coaching skills
• Knowledge of Dari and/or Pashto is a merit

Responsibilities

Method development and mainstreaming

• Provide and lead technical direction / technical assistance in design and planning for capacity related programmes and activities for (i) growth of a vibrant Afghan CS, (ii) partnerships between SCA programmes and relevant national CSOs, (iii) community mobilization (iv) and organisational development of CS partners
• Work closely with the CSU team to ensure adequate capacity is built in technical and organizational area to support local civil society partners
• With the CSU team, manage all Civil Society Strengthening (CSS) activities and provide advice and guidance to other programmes for capacity development of CSS components
• Work with Programme Implementation Unit (PID) to mainstream, systematize and document SCA policies, procedures and overall strategy for working with national CSO partners.

Planning and reporting

• Develop rights- and results-based plans, concept notes, proposals, budgets and reports

Capacity development

• Overall advisory of SCA relationship with CS partners and coordination of capacity development support to civil society partners
• Oversee capacity developing trainings and workshops for SCA’s staff members and CS partners
• Provide capacity developing feedback and support to CSU staff members for SCA’s civil society partners during different stages of rights- and results-based project management cycles
• Supervise, backstop and guide all CSU team members

Staff Development

• Work with Human Resources Management Unit to identify CSU staff capacity development needs and address those needs in a systematic manner
• Work with the Capacity Development Advisor to design and carry out capacity building interventions for the areas of civil society strengthening and community mobilization to improve the overall capacity (implementation and technical) of CSU and programme unit staff with an emphasis on field based staff working directly with partners.

Grants Management

• Coordinate the development of annual programme implementation plans – in line with the SCA policy, strategic plan and SCA work plan
• Oversee the SCA’s capacity developing funding schemes for Afghan CSOs
• Oversee the monitoring, follow up and evaluation of projects that are implemented by SCA’s CS-partners

Advocacy

• Engage in and coordinate CS related advocacy issues

Internal Coordination

• Work with the Capacity Development Advisor and other unit and programme heads to maximize impact of capacity development, especially related to CSO organizational strengthening and ensure that any distinct CSS programme complements other SCA programmes.
• Work closely with the Programme Heads to ensure consistency in approach to working with partners
• Work with Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Unit (PMEU) to ensure appropriate data collection as well as programme staff and partner data reporting.

Tasks of relation with external agencies

• Represent SCA in related international and national coordinating forums
• Contribute to the development of Afghan CS networks and coordinating bodies and their linkages with international networks
• Coordinate and liaise with relevant CS actors, authorities, donors and UN agencies

Others

• Take on other tasks within her/his area of competency, as delegated by the Director of Policy and Quality Assurance

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Application information

Contract period: 2 years with an initial 6 months probationary period

Conditions: Non family posting. SCA offers a competitive salary, free housing, insurances and other benefits.

Duties to begin: November 2012

Last date for application: 16 September 2012

Apply here

Apply from http://www.swedishcommittee.org/about-sca/vacancies/expatriates where you find the ad for this position. Click on "Apply". Fill in the form and send a 1-page letter explaining why you are interested in this position and your key competencies, and CV (no more than 2 pages) in English.