ThaiNGO

Job Description

Project Officer

Education Development Center
Founded in 1958, EDC is an international non-governmental organization that works to build bridges between educational research, policy and practice. EDC’s headquarters is located in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA, with additional offices in New York City, Washington, DC, Nairobi, and Bangkok. EDC manages 250 projects in 35 countries with more than 1,350 employees worldwide.

EDC is committed to diversity in the workplace.

The USAID-funded Connecting the Mekong through Education and Training (COMET) project will help universities and vocational centers to increase the number of skilled workers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, Accounting and Tourism (STEM+AT) fields in the Lower Mekong countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.  COMET seeks to bridge the gap between the private sector, universities and vocational centers in order to ensure the supply of skilled workers meets the demands from local businesses. The project will rely on mobile technology, online learning, and traditional in-person workshops to promote regional networking in ASEAN and to help people from rural and marginalized areas access educational services.

Over the course of the five-year project, vocational centers and universities will be strengthened so that they can help future leaders develop the skills needed to catalyze job growth in high demand industries in the sub-region. This project will ultimately empower the Lower Mekong countries with a workforce that can bridge the development gap within ASEAN and take advantage of the benefits under the ASEAN Economic Community. 

Title:  Project Officer

Report to: Program Manager

Summary:  Reporting to the Program Manager, the Project Officer will provide support to the project team and senior management in management and implementation of USAID COMET project activities, including communications activities. S/he is expected to work independently and effectively with clients, consultants, collaborators, press and media, co-workers, field sites and funders.

Job Responsibilities

• With guidance from the Program Manager and technical team, manage and coordinate assigned project activities, including working closely with the project team, communications team and Operations to plan, manage and provide programmatic and administrative support to the activities;
• Coordinate and participate in meetings and work with project partners, collaborators, government officials, consultants, and donor on planning, coordinating and implementing the project activities;
• Monitor and report on achievements and lessons learned from the activities in periodic progress reports, success stories, publication, and other communications channels as needed;

• Work closely with communications team both in Bangkok and at EDC Home Office on communications strategy and messages for print and non-print (video/audio) materials, including progress reports, publication, success stories, and key messages that will be disseminated through a range of communications channels including websites, web portals, mobile technologies, mass media, press releases and press conferences;
• Assist in contacting and coordinating with local and international press, mass media, and online media for publicizing project activities, key events, publication, success stories, project-related information and provide support to press release or press conference working closely with donor, Mekong Learning Centers and the  communications team;

• Contribute to developing and maintaining strong partnerships with USAID COMET partners, including Mekong Learning Centers, private sector, media partners, government officials, and donors;
• Prepare requests or provide required information on project activities and budget for Home Office approval and donor approval;
• Regularly communicate with project team members, relevant Home Office staff, project partners and collaborators and engage all potential stakeholders and network with other organizations where and when appropriate;

• Contribute to project workplan development, project management, budgeting, monitoring and reporting as required; and

• Perform other tasks as assigned.

Essential Functions

The Project Officer should have experience in project management, coordination, implementation, monitoring and reporting. S/he is required to have excellent English verbal and written skills. In addition, s/he is expected to develop and maintain positive relationships with clients, consultants, collaborators, co-workers, and donors; and to work respectfully with EDC colleagues. The job requires adherence to EDC policies & procedures.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in social science, liberal arts, public administration, communications, or similar field with 6-7 years of relevant experience;

• Experience working on USAID-funded projects or communications activities or experience working with local and/or international press and media is a plus;

• Fast learning, self-motivated and creative individual who can work independently and as part of a team;
• Can work effectively under tight deadlines;
• Fluency in English, with excellent verbal and written communication skills;
• Proficiency in other relevant languages a plus.

This is a local hire position and is open to Thai citizens and non-citizens with valid work authorization. A competitive benefits package and salary will be provided in local currency. This is a full-time position for 12 months with the possibility of extension based on availability of funding.

Interested qualified candidates are requested to submit their CV and cover letter to COMET_Jobs@edc.org by September 30, 2016. To ensure the timely review of your credentials, please insert “Project Officer” in the subject line of the email.  Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.