Asia Regional PME and Climate Change Adaptation Coordinator

Job Synopsis

MCC Asia is seeking an experienced person to assist country programs in securing grants from external donors, delivering quality project implementation and advise countries on climate change responsive programming. MCC Asia has programs in Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

Location Description

This position is open for an International Service Worker or National Staff. The position location is in Asia, but will depend on the nationality of the worker. A North American or non-Asia based applicant would likely be based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Challenges: Large geographical scope; Diverse group of stakeholders; Location requires digital communication

Qualifications

All MCC workers are expected to exhibit a commitment to: a personal Christian faith and discipleship; active participation in a Christian church or Christian community; and nonviolent peacemaking. MCC is an equal opportunity employer, committed to employment equity. MCC values diversity and invites all qualified candidates to apply.

• Bachelor’s degree required (Masters preferred), with a preferred focus in international development, program monitoring and evaluation, environmental studies, data management, participatory methods of research, and/or one of MCC Asia’s project focus areas (agriculture, climate change adaptation, public health, education/social work, and peace/restorative justice)
• 3-5 years of project management experience in intercultural settings — Asian experience preferred, MCC experience a plus
• Experience and knowledge of both qualitative and quantitative research and analytics
• Experience with Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA)/ Environmental Assessment with the capacity to support MCC teams in the process.
• Familiarity with the language and practices of Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation, and Disaster Risk Reduction.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, take initiative and be a self-starter
• Leadership skills and ability to work collaboratively with others from different education and cultural perspectives
• Creativity, flexibility and a passion for working with local organizations
• Flexibility and tenacity to get things done in fluid and unpredictable environments, and with limited resources
• Track record of obtaining grant funding
• English fluency is mandatory, as are strong communication skills, both written and verbal
• Willingness to travel; possession of a passport that allows for travel within Asia

​Invitations to serve with MCC are contingent on the successful outcome of criminal background check(s).

Key Responsibilities

MCC Asia works with a great diversity of local partners and government offices in a variety of countries. These partners and projects work in all of MCC’s sectors including sustainable livelihoods, peace, education, and health. Our country program staff have varied capacity in formal PME and project management systems. Partners are often highly skilled and experienced in their content area but may have difficulty connecting with and meeting the financial management, project design, monitoring, and evaluation expectations of international NGOs and funders. Knowledge in climate change adaptation programming is increasingly becoming necessary in our region as some of the most climate change vulnerable countries are in Asia. The Partner and Projects Coordinator will help country programs seek grants, facilitate training on planning, monitoring and evaluation (PME) for MCC partners and staff. They will also work to coordinate disaster responses in the region. The Coordinator will also advise countries on climate change responsive programming during project development and implementation processes.

The Coordinator will work side by side with country programs throughout Asia to improve program design, planning, monitoring and evaluation. The work will include assisting on planning specific projects as well as broader systems’ work to help partners improve their capacity and independence, secure grant funding, monitor and measure change, report accurately, and learn from each project iteration.

In order to ensure that Global MCC has a consistent, strategic approach to institutional funders, this position will consult with and obtain approval from Planning, Learning and Disaster Response (PLDR)’s external grants before contacting potential funders. The Coordinator will work closely with the PLDR department’s external grants coordinators in Canada and the U.S., to assist in finding external funds for MCC partners and projects in Asia. At times, this will mean visiting a country program to assist in writing grant proposals and reports. Many proposals require an Environmental Impact Assessment, which this Coordinator will lead.

The Coordinator will consult regularly with PLDR’s learning and evaluation coordinators and other PLDR staff to ensure that PME trainings and guidance on matters such as environmental assessments, climate change adaptation approaches, and disaster risk reduction are consistent with MCC global guidelines and approaches.

– This position serves to accompany MCC country programs both as they design, implement and evaluate MCC-supported programming, and to increase their capacity to do this work (30%)

– This position will work side by side with our program offices to improve each aspect of the design, planning, monitoring, and evaluation project process. Certain projects will require support to integrate climate change adaptation language and practices into programming (20%)

– The position will also collaborate with PLDR’s learning and evaluation coordinators to identify training priorities for specific country programs and for Asia as a whole. (10%)

– This position will also work in close partnership with the PLDR team in Akron/Winnipeg to seek external funding and help partners write project proposals. If disaster response is needed in the Asia region, this position will work with MCC staff to prepare disaster response plans, acting as MCC’s point person with PLDR and the country programs. (40%)

This position will be supervised by the Asia Area Directors based in Chiang Mai, Thailand and report directly to them.

Responsibilities will include:

1. Provide training and guidance to MCC staff and partners, on appropriate monitoring and evaluation strategies and tools;
2. Provide training and guidance to MCC staff and partners on EIAs and integrate appropriate climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction programming where needed;
2. Provide proactive and real-time feedback on project implementation and assist with proactive project modifications;
3. Work with country programs to develop appropriate/updated data management templates and formats for project activities and support project partners on data management systems;
4. Work with MCC staff and partners to develop project proposals and grant applications for external funds;
5. Travel to country programs and assist in writing project proposals for external grants.
6. Oversee and compile information for multiple country project grants that have been won.
7. Collaborate effectively with PLDR staff in North America.
8. Collaborate with MCC Asia staff, particularly the PME coordinators, Representatives, Advocacy & Communications Coordinator, Program Managers and Administrators;
9. Assist country programs when responding to natural disasters, as needed;
10. Be an active member of the PME network of MCC;
11. Function as an active member of the MCC team through regular reporting, team meetings and retreats, mutual care and support for other MCC team members, and participation in local community and church;
12. Take on other assigned regional duties as appropriate.