Thailand

Job Description

Partnerships Specialist

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 (USAID 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.  USAID 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: Partnerships Specialist

Report to: Chief of Party

Summary: 

The Partnerships Specialist will be responsible for supporting the development of the project’s partnerships with the public and private sectors, and strengthening the linkages between the industry and post-secondary education institutions in the Lower Mekong region and greater ASEAN. The Partnerships Specialist will work closely with the Chief of Party, the Senior Partnerships Manager, and other technical advisors to enhance private sector engagement and public-private partnership activities on behalf of the USAID COMET project. S/he is expected to work as part of the USAID COMET team and collaborate effectively with partners and stakeholders in the Lower Mekong partner countries on all matters related to the project activities.

Job Responsibilities:

• Support the Chief of Party and Senior Partnerships Manager in the identification of private sector partners and other potential partnership opportunities;
• Assist with the implementation of outreach strategies for the key industries (both in private and public sectors);
• Maintain close relationships and communications with the project partners and coordinate effectively with these partners on project activity implementation, monitoring and evaluation;
• Assist with the development, implementation and monitoring of work plans related to existing partnerships and potential partnership opportunities;
• Support and assist with the coordination of work-based learning activities (short term work exposures and experiences and internship programs) at the Mekong Learning Centers;
• Work closely with the Training Manager and other technical staff to support the Mekong Learning Centers in the application of the MekongSkills2Work Sourcebook Toolkits related to partnerships, work-based learning and linking curriculum to industry needs;
• Work closely with the Country Managers and Mekong Learning Centers’ management to improve relationships with local industry partners in order to increase the number and quality of internships;
• Support the process of identifying, selecting and generating contact and linkages with the private and public sectors within the Lower Mekong region as well as with USAID bilateral and regional projects;
• Contribute to project reports, particularly on partnerships initiatives and activities;

• Represent USAID COMET in partner meetings, program meetings and donor meetings as required.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Essential Functions

Reporting to Chief of Party, the Partnerships Specialist will provide ongoing support to the Senior Partnerships Manager, and take lead in coordinating work-based learning and partnership activities at Mekong Learning Centers (partner technical colleges and universities). The Partnerships Specialist will work with the Chief of Party the Senior Partnerships Manager, and technical advisors to strengthen USAID COMET partnerships with the private and public sectors within the Lower Mekong region. The Partnerships Specialist will work closely with the Country Managers and Mekong Learning Centers’ management to improve relationships with local industry partners in order to increase the number and quality of internships. S/he will coordinate effectively with the partners and/or stakeholders on project activity implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The Partnerships Specialist must be able to communicate clearly and courteously, develop and maintain positive relationships with partners, co-workers, field staff, and donor, and to work respectfully with USAID COMET colleagues.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and 5 to 6 years of relevant experience working on public-private partnerships in ASEAN, preferably on youth and workforce development initiatives;
• Experience in organizing and coordinating industry visits, industry linkages, and internships (preferred);
• Possess good knowledge of youth issues, including workforce development, and economic development in the Lower Mekong region and/or ASEAN;
• Good interpersonal and team work skills;
• Ability to communicate professionally in fluent English.
• Can travel to Lower Mekong Countries as needed.

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 February 28, 2017. To ensure the timely review of your credentials, please insert “Partnerships Specialist” in the subject line of the email.  Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.