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Microenterprise Development (MED) Lead Coordinator

POSITION TITLE:Micro Enterprise Development (MED) Lead Coordinator**
DATE:April 11, 2014
HQ DEPARTMENT or COUNTRY PROGRAM:Thailand
RESPONSIBLE TO:Field Coordinator
**STATUS:
Full-Time
SUPERVISORY CAPACITY:MED Coordinator, MED Agribusiness Program Assistant, and refugee staff in 3 refugee camps (Umpiem Mai, Nu Po, and Don Yang)
DEPARTMENT/COUNTRY PROGRAM DESCRIPTION/MISSION
ARC maintains and strengthens a healthy and safe environment for refugee women, children, and families. Services provided include: access to comprehensive, quality primary health care, Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention/response services, Micro Enterprise development (MED) and livelihood activities, and refugee/community capacity building and integration. The project focuses on: health and nutritional needs for pregnant women and children under 5; increasing community awareness, treatment and prevention of disease; strengthening GBV prevention; and providing access to economic opportunities through income generation activities to meet community and individual needs.
PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THE POSITION
The Ministry of Interior (MOI) has allowed livelihood projects within the camps, but these activities are restricted to the camps only. ARC supports MED and other livelihood interventions through village savings and loans, yarn banks, basic business training, basic agribusiness training, and income generation activities in each camp. This position is responsible for monitoring and evaluating current projects and the development, expansion and implementation of new projects as appropriate. The MED Lead Coordinator builds the technical capacity of national and refugee staff. This position is responsible for promoting cross-sectoral integration between ARC programs, mainstreaming livelihoods as a preventative, and empowerment intervention. It contributes to the goal of increasing income generation capacity to meet community and individual needs.
MAJOR AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY
PRIMARY DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES % OF TIME
MED, income generation, and training activities
  1. Apply business, marketing, and community development principles to concept development:
  2. Analyze refugee community sustainability, capacity, and interest: involve community-based organizations/refugees in the analysis
  3. Analyze market sustainability (within context of Thai market & distribution system)
  4. Coordinate and reach agreement on the plans/proposals with pertinent groups and agencies 2. Develop and evaluate plans and proposals:
  5. Feasibility
  6. Sustainability with local resources and capacity
  7. Practicality and realism in application
  8. Document plans and proposals 3. Conduct MED concept development training for MED staff and refugees:
  9. Integrate training with development of MED/income generation concepts: make development and trial of income generation, business, or marketing plans the focus of training
  10. Build the technical capacity of national staff on project cycle management (assessment, design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation)
  11. Build the capacity of national staff as trainers to conduct training of trainers
  12. Critically assess business plans and credit arrangements 4. Develop and train refugee staff as small business enterprise trainers and mentors. Integrate mentoring into programming.
    40%
    Planning, feasibility trials, and assessments
  13. Develop strategic plans and grant proposals to expand the MED programs.
  14. This may involve expanding operations outside current parameters
  15. Document plans and proposals
  16. Prepare grant proposals; follow up on any revisions and implementation planning 2. Conduct assessments and/or feasibility studies of income generation concepts:
  17. Apply and test concepts as requested by the donors
  18. Comply with the philosophy, concepts, and standards outlined in donor proposals
  19. Analyze current practices.
  20. Assess potential projects.
  21. Analyze and evaluate the results of trial projects critically.
  22. Document projects & best practices of trial projects. 3. Design and develop cross/multi-sectoral livelihood interventions with GBV, RCH, Wat/San, and Medical programs
    20%
    Management and Coordination
  23. Responsible for the overall management and development of MED projects
  24. Responsible for providing technical inputs and support such as national staff training on livelihoods/MED
  25. Act as lead coordinator and primary contact for the MED program.
  26. Compile and analyze reports and other documents.
  27. Act as final editor of reports and documents.
  28. Coordinate schedules, project plans, work plans, logframes, assessments, and other planning with other ARC staff.
  29. Communicate and establish liaison with community-based organizations, CCSDPT Livelihoods Working Group, local and national Thai ministries, camp committee, international NGOs, UN agencies, and local Thai businesses
  30. Keep minutes of regular meetings with ARC staff or major meetings with other agencies
  31. Complete reports or other documents punctually.
  32. Maintain file systems; establish record-keeping systems and databases as needed. 20%
    Supervision
  33. Supervise and evaluate other MED staff and refugee staff. 10%
    Miscellaneous
  34. Adhere to established safety/security policies and procedures.
  35. Adhere to prevention of sexual abuse and exploitation code of conduct, sexual misconduct policy, and consensual relationships policy.
  36. Other tasks as assigned by the field coordinator. 10%
EDUCATION, TECHNICAL SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED
  1. Education: Masters or post-graduate degree in international development, business, economics, or other related field; or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience as stated below.
  2. Work Experience: At least 3 years of developing country experience (e.g. refugee context or economic development)
  3. Technical Experience: At least 2 years experience in implementing livelihood interventions, income generation activities, micro-credit, or small business development training.
  4. Ability to develop programs from a community development approach. Experience with participatory methods in program design.
  5. Language skills: fluent in English
  6. Working conditions: regular travel to remote refugee camps on the Thailand-Myanmar border for project implementation, training, and monitoring and evaluation
    KEY BEHAVIORS & ABILITIES
  7. Requirement: provide overall proactive leadership of program and other staff.
  8. Requirement: ability to complete complex analysis and evaluation in fluent written and spoken English.
  9. Ability to train refugees and national staff.
  10. Ability to develop leadership skills in refugee supervisory staff.
  11. Ability to work with low technology projects.
  12. Ability to work in a team: excellent coordination and communication skills.
  13. Ability to work and live in uncomfortable conditions.
  14. Ability to work in ambiguous program conditions.
  15. Ability to create programs and work independently.