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Plan International Thailand Job Advertisement:

OVOC Deputy Hub Coordinator  

Plan International is an international humanitarian, child-centered development organization, advancing children’s rights and equality for girls.

ROLE PURPOSE:

Plan International is a rights-based development and humanitarian organization working for equality for girls and better lives for all children. We are independent of governments and have no political or religious affiliation.

Our purpose is to strive for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 75 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.

In 2021, Plan International in partnership with four Co-applicant CSOs: Article 19, the Feminist Dalit Organisation (FEDO), Phayao Youth News Agency (PYNA), and Thailand Youth Institute (TYI) (collectively with Plan: the OVOC Consortium). successfully secured a grant from the European Union with the overall objective to support and empower civil society in protecting and promoting democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms worldwide by ensuring that young people and especially women and girls in target communities in Bangladesh, Nepal and Thailand (also the broader Asian region) enjoy fundamental human rights and are actively engaged in improving their lives and communities through inclusive, effective, pluralistic and representative civic participation with a focus on inclusive civic space. Inclusive civic space plays a central role in our action.

Our Voices Our Choices: Women and Youth for Democratic Space (OVOC) aims to address the needs and constraints of youth and women in all their diversity including Dalits, LGBTIQ+, persons with disabilities and other excluded groups, as they are often overlooked, suppressed and underestimated, and are not taking part in decision making. The genuine engagement of these often excluded youth/women groups empowers civil society to play a key role in democratic policy implementation at all levels. This, as well as their advocacy and ability to hold duty bearers to account, improves compliance with international human rights policies and law. The project intends to strengthen an enabling environment for youth/women-led civil society participation and engagement in the Asian region. It aims to facilitate CSOs and youth networks as independent actors who hold their governments to account, and to amplify the outcomes they seek in their societies.

Under the Project, Plan International’s Asia Pacific Regional Office (APAC) is committed to fulfill deliverables that involve regional influencing, partnership with organizations, organizing key events, and coordination with Plan International country offices in Thailand, Bangladesh, and Nepal. 

Dimensions of the Role

The OVOC Deputy Hub Lead will provide support to lead the co-creation of the project’s resource hub and report directly to the OVOC Consortium Lead / Hub Coordinator.  The position will be based in Bangkok, Thailand

Accountabilities

The OVOC Deputy Hub Lead position will:

OVOC Hub Co-Creation Group:

• Support the creation of a Hub for civil society networking, exchange of best practice and resource sharing in relation to civic space enlargement. The Hub will serve as an “amplifier” for campaigns created in implementing countries, thereby enlarge inclusive, civic, democratic and civil society space (collection of digital signatures, hosting digital tools i.e. training module, video, podcast, articles, etc);
• Establish OVOC Hub co-creation Group (Core) consisting of CSO Representatives, women and group representatives, regional advocacy specialist, and representatives from Plan offices in Thailand, Nepal and Bangladesh and local partners;
• Host virtual meetings and workshops to facilitate the design of a custom-built inclusive space that meets the groups (and those they represent) needs, determining appropriate platforms and governance;  
• Ensure inputs from target CSOs and project partners that establish safe and open civic space for dialogue of most pressing human rights concerns, especially for women and girls;
• Ensure awareness of respective cyber security legislation or polices in each of the project countries among Hub Co-creation group members;
• Encourage, monitor and adapt development and use of Hub platform for wider engagement among local civil society actors in each of the project countries;
• Collaborate with OVOC Steering Committee, together with the OVOC Consortium, local CSOs and project partners for sustainable use of the Hub platform for ongoing maintenance and stewardship of the Hub beyond the implementation period of the project;

OVOC Project support

• Provide support to the OVOC Consortium Lead with necessary communications, logistical and administrative tasks as needed towards achieving outcomes of the project; 
• Assist in the overall coordination, consolidating narrative reports and audits, monitoring progress and coordinating with PMERL (M&E) staff in-country, financial compliance at country level, ensuring safeguarding compliance, coordinating the communication and visibility strategy, and convening virtual meetings of the OVOC Consortium Coordination Team;
• Work closely and support with OVOC Regional Advocacy Project Specialist in coordinating with regional bodies such as the ASEAN, AICHR, SAARC, etc. to build relationships for advocacy and influencing;
• Assist Consortium Lead / Hub Coordinator to coordinate with other support functions in each of the OVOC countries to ensure donor contractual compliance under this project;
• Ensure that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures;
• Support other activities as may be required to achieve the outcomes of the project;
• Support relevant programmatic tasks such consolidating as project-wide workplans and associated budget planning.

Qualifications and experience

Essential

• University or advanced degree in development, communications, gender, politics, human rights or a relevant field;
• Strong understanding of human rights situation affecting youth and especially girls in South and Southeast Asia;  
• Excellent working knowledge of social media platforms for effective advocacy and influencing;   
• Solid understanding of the development and civil society sectors in South and Southeast Asia;
• Experience of working with international coalitions and civil society networks; 
• Demonstrated youth and youth group engagement skills;
• Strong support and commitment to children’s rights, gender equality, and social inclusion;
• Excellent communication skills;
• Ability to work under pressure and deadline requirements;
• Team-oriented;
• Strong working knowledge of spoken and written English.

Desirable

• Demonstrated understanding of South and Southeast Asian political contexts;
• Compliance regulations and policies for EU-funded projects

• Experience in developing and delivering advocacy strategies in development/humanitarian contexts;
• Knowledge and skills to create / adapt digital platforms that can be used across several countries in Asia; 
• General knowledge of respective cyber security laws or policy trends in Asian countries a plus.

How to apply:

Interested candidates who meet the above requirements are required to submit a     motivational letter, a comprehensive CV and details of at least 3 referees via E-mail only to: preedee.ittipong@plan-international.org  

Closing date for applications:   2 MAY 2022

Reference & background checks will be performed for successful candidates including clearances on child related offences in conformity with Plan’s Child Safeguarding Policy. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.