Deputy Executive Director

POSITION SUMMARY

The Executive Office’s Deputy Executive Director is a senior position at The Center for People and Forests - RECOFTC. As a Deputy Executive Director, s/he is responsible for the development and management of all aspects of programme implementation, coordination and synergies, especially the Country Programme Offices in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Viet Nam but also in China where the Center has a strategic relationship without a Country Office. Reporting to the Executive Director, s/he shall implement the policies determined by the Board to ensure effective programming and implementation of the Center’s operations, projects and activities across seven country offices and the broader Asia-Pacific region.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

The position reports directly to the Executive Director and works closely with the three other Unit Directors — for Programme Coordination and Technical Services (PCTS), Corporate Services (CS) and Knowledge Management and Strategic Communications (KMSC). The main responsibility of Deputy Executive Director is to ensure that a sound and integrated programme and country office operations is in place and operating well for the effective and efficient implementation of the Center’s work at both regional and country levels.

Overall:

• Lead country programme teams to achieve goal and outcomes set under current Strategic Plan (2018-23), and be responsible for the programme, finance and human resources management of  country program teams;
• Coordinate and strengthen synergies among the four units of Executive Office, PCTS, KMSC and CS to ensure successful implementation of the Center’s programmes and activities;
• Maintain financial sustainability of all country programme offices; 
• Work closely with Corporate Services Director to develop and effectively implement organization policy and best practices in response to the changing needs and requirements of donors;
• Along with Corporate Services Director,  develop standards of procedures for operations of Country Programme Offices;
• Engage in strategic organization issues, both in the regional office and country programme offices;
• Ensure organization compliance with local related laws and legislation in Country Programme Offices; 
• Responsible for the producing of programme plan and annual workplan;
• Along with those within the Executive Office, take responsibility for the preparation of project proposals to ensure a sustainable funding base for the Center;
• Advise the Executive Director, the Executive Committee and report to the Standing Committee on matters relating to the programme works and ensure the decisions and recommendations made by the Board of Trustee relating to the area of programme work are effectively implemented;
• Upon the request of Executive Director, serve as Acting Executive Director;
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the Executive Director

Program Coordination and Operations:

The Deputy Executive Director will be responsible for the development of a sound and efficient programme coordination, strategy and guideline that promote the successful coordination and implementation of the Center’s work and activities. S/he will:

• Oversee the preparation of programme plan and annual workplan, budgets and statements of expenditure, and the submission of programme/project progress and other periodic reports to funding agencies, other concerned authorities and strategic partners;
• Ensure the coordination among all units to identify demand and opportunities for the development of new capacity-building programmes, products and technical services for the PCTS Unit to design, deliver and/or implement;
• Supervise, review and report regularly to the Executive Director on the performance of the Center’s Strategic and Programme Plan implementation;

• Liaise with key stakeholders and develop sound partnerships to ensure that the vision, mission and programmes of the Center remain relevant to the evolving needs of community forestry and devolved forest management in the Asia-Pacific Region;

• Recommend and operationalize an appropriate monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) method for the Center’s operations;

Country Programme Office Operations:

Through the direct line management of the Country Directors, the Deputy Executive Director will be responsible for overseeing the development of a sound country programmes strategy, guideline and implementation that meets the requirements of the Center in its Strategic Plan (2018-2023). S/he will:

• Advise Country Directors in Country Programme development and implementation;
• Oversee the management and successful operations of Country Programme Offices in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Viet Nam;
• Ensure effective coordination of regional projects in the Country Programmes;
• Work with Business Development Team and Country Directors to secure financial sustainability of the Country Offices;
• Together with HR team, ensure the recruitment and management of qualified and experienced individuals in all seven Country Programmes;
• Communicate relevant experiences, success story and lessons learned from Country Programmes within the Center;

The Deputy Executive Director will also be required to ensure the Center’s Policies and Procedures, its Code of Conduct, Gender Policy, maintain and track staff performance and contracts as well as all collaborative agreements with partners/subcontractors, especially those operating at the Country Programme level. The Center has clauses and statements condemning any form of conflicts of interest, corruption and sexual harassment and/or abuse at work place. Any such practices may be grounds for immediate termination of contracts and agreements. Condemned practices include, but are not limited to, abuse of position for personal gain or advantage; accepting directly or indirectly any sum of money for unauthorized commission; offering preferential treatment or promise in consideration of any act, decision or services connected with the discharge of the employee’s official work; and using the Center’s name in private transaction or business for personal profit.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

The Deputy Executive Director will have the following essential qualifications and experience:

• Advanced degree in forestry or natural resource management with formal training and/or work experience in monitoring and evaluation. Alternatively, advanced degree in development studies with formal training in MEL and/or natural resource management
• At least 15 years of progressively responsible experience in programme development and  coordination, including five years of international experience in a senior position
• Ability to create and manage an effective monitoring and evaluation system to ensure that the programme is delivered efficiently
• Proven record in developing team synergy and MEL systems
• Experience in leading a multicultural, international institution or programme of strategic importance, including programme design, implementation, management, MEL and reporting
• Excellent inter-personal and verbal/written communications skills in English. Skills in other regional languages will be an advantage
• Ability to work and lead in a team, with demonstrated success in strengthening both human and financial resources
• Well-developed skills and proven expertise in fundraising strategies, specifically, but not exclusively, from public agencies
• Willingness and ability to travel approximately 40% of time within the region and to other international destinations as needed
• Familiarity with principles of social inclusion and gender equity

General:

In addition to job specific skills and experience, all of the Center’s staff should possess the following characteristics (including attitudes and skills):

• Initiative and ability to embrace social inclusion and gender equity principles and willingness to make decisions based upon principled fairness, openness and transparency
• Interpersonal communication skills and the ability to work as an active member of teams. This implies flexibility and open-mindedness
• Initiative and ability to make informed independent judgments but commitment to team work
• Ability to work in a variety of cultural and institutional contexts