• Assistant Program Officer (Full-time) – Strengthening Rule of Law through Legal Aid Clinics in the Philippines (Legal Aid) Project

THE ASIA FOUNDATION PHILIPPINES

Position Description

TITLE: Assistant Program Officer UNIT: Law and Human Rights

REPORTS TO: Program Officer, Law and Human Rights SUPERVISES: N/A**

SUMMARY OF JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

The Assistant Program Officer (APO) shall provide support in the Strengthening Rule of Law through Legal Aid Clinics in the Philippines (Legal Aid) Project, a five-year project implemented by The Asia Foundation with the support from the Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. The project aims to help strengthen and promote rule of law in the Philippines by increasing access to free, quality legal services through legal aid clincs and pursuant to Revised Law Student Practice Rule 138-A.

The Legal Aid Project team works in partnership with the Supreme Court of the Philippines, the Legal Education Board (LEB), and the Philippine Association for Law Schools (PALS) in the enhancement of clinical legal education programs in law schools and in supporting law schools establish at least one law clinic.

The APO shall help manage activities of the Legal Aid Project. They will report to a Program Officer for project implementation and monitoring, as well as various tasks related to project budget, administration, and logistics.

Internal

· Interaction with the Senior Legal Advisor, Legal Aid Project Program Officers, the Law and Human Rights team and all The Asia Foundation (TAF) staff

· Coordinate closely with finance and grants staff of The Foundation for administrative matters and concerns related to the implementation of the Legal Aid Project

External

· Regular contact with the Foundation’s partners and project grantees for project implementation and monitoring purposes

· Coordination with Law Schools as regards their clinical legal education program and law clinic

REQUIREMENTS

Experience

At least 1-2 years relevant experience in project management.

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Other Requirement and Qualifications

· Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both English and Filipino

· Computer proficient in word processing, spreadsheets and database management

· Strong management skills and professional organizational abilities

· With initiative, strong attention to details and ability to multi-task

· Excellent interpersonal skills

· Able to take direction and work independently under general supervision

· Knowledge of USAID, Australia-DFAT or other international donor agency requirements and regulations an advantage

· Must comply with the organization’s Child Protection Policy, Code of Conduct and other Policies

Nature of Work:

· The APO shall be directly supervised by the project’s program officers.

· The work shall involve and in-depth knowledge and understanding of procurement processes including letter of contract and grants preparation. It shall also require external interaction with partners, consultants, funders, etc. at a limited and administrative capacity.

· Involves some partner management responsibilities

· No responsibility for budget, revenues and expenditures

Job Functions

The APO, under the supervision of the Project Officer and the Senior Legal Advisor, shall undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

General:

· Perform administrative, programmatic, and financial requirements of the project.

· Assist in the preparation and conduct of project activities such as, but not limited to, project related meetings and briefings, trainings, and consultations.

· Assist in monitoring status of implementation of the project activities and project related communication and information dissemination plans

Internal within the team and the Foundation:

· Collate, manage, and ensure proper custody of Memorandum of Agreement with Partner Law Schools, Quarterly Reports, and other project documents and records

· Assist in the preparation of contracts and sub-grants

· Draft letters of invites, activity briefers and activity reports

· Coordinate closely with finance and grants staff of The Foundation for administrative matters and concerns related to the implementation of the Legal Aid Project

o Assist in tracking flow of grants and proposals for the Law and Human Rights Team; monitor reporting due dates and follow up on delinquent reports

o Establish a monitoring system for tracking deliverables of sub-grantees and consultants

o Maintain a running tab of budget line items for each component, in coordination with program budget

· Schedule meetings within the team and with project partners while maintaining the calendar for the Legal Aid Project.

· Attend online and face-to-face meetings with partners and grantees as required by the Program Officers, draft meeting notes, and perform the necessary meeting documentation

· Generate and manage online meeting rooms

· Assist in the preparation of narrative reports and success stories for funding partners, as well as inputs to the Foundation’s annual report for the San Francisco office

In relation to external partners:

· Liaise with project partners and other key stakeholders throughout project implementation

· Coordinate with project partners in arranging seminars and conferences

· Manage and coordinate meetings for the project’s Mentorship program between the Foundation, the Foundation’s mentors, and the mentees

Other Responsibilities

The APO shall perform other functions as may be required by the Program Officers and the Senior Legal Advisor of the Legal Aid Project.