Head of Asia-Pacific Programme

Responsible to: Senior Director of Programmes
Responsible for: Asia-Pacific Programme staff and other fixed or short-term
staff/consultants of the Asia-Pacific Programme
Key relationships: Projects team, Finance team, Law and Policy team, Communications and Campaigns team, Fundraising team, Thematic Leads.
Contract: 1 year renewable
Working hours: Full time 37.5 hours per week
Special Conditions: Frequent travel in the region required
Salary: Circa USD 69,000 gross per annum
Location: In the South East Asia region, preferably in Thailand

ABOUT ARTICLE 19
Established in 1987, ARTICLE 19 works for a world where all people everywhere can freely express themselves and actively engage in public life without fear or discrimination. Our mission is to promote and defend the universal human rights of freedom of expression and information around the world, through international advocacy, legal analysis, and regional and national projects. Our Vision is for all people everywhere to be able to freely express themselves and actively engage in public life without fear of discrimination.

ROLE PURPOSE
As the Head of Asia-Pacific Programme you will lead ARTICLE 19’s work on freedom of expression and information in Asia-Pacific, focused on the South East Asia region, and in particular on Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand. As Head you will identify new strategic areas for ARTICLE 19’s consolidation and growth in the region, ensuring a cohesive and coordinated implementation of the programme of work in the region, and providing leadership to and management of ARTICLE 19’s staff and consultants. You will also provide input into organisational governance as well as contribute to strategic planning, fundraising development, wider policy discussions and campaigns.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic planning and implementation of the strategic priorities in the region

• Lead the identification of new areas for ARTICLE 19’s advocacy, growth and impact in the region, to implement the organisation’s strategy;
• Monitor freedom of expression and information trends in Asia-Pacific region and keep abreast of civil, political, economic, cultural and social developments in the region, to identify opportunities for ARTICLE 19;
• Develop new project proposals within global, regional and country strategies, aligned to the organization’s strategy.

Programme Management

• Ensure quality, cohesive and coordinated identification and implementation of the programme of work in the region;
• Develop and maintain collaboration and regular contact with ARTICLE 19 partners in the region, including national NGOs and CSOs, media, activists, government officials, and identify collaborative means of developing strategies and programmes to advance freedom of expression and information in the region;
• Provide expert advice to the organisation on freedom of expression and information issues across Asia-Pacific, in particular contributing to our global analysis on the region;
• Together with the relevant teams, develop strategic/operational plans and budgets for for the team, report and take action on variances;
• Lead in the development of operational plans for the team and take action to ensure implementation where necessary;
• Monitor and evaluate the work and impact of ARTICLE 19 in Asia-Pacific, using performance indicators and other outcome measures;
• Ensure compliance with internal reporting as per the annual and quarterly reports, as well as monitoring and evaluation of ARTICLE 19’s work.

Staff Management and Administration

• Provide high quality leadership to and management of ARTICLE 19 staff and consultants in the region;
• Build and grow a regional senior leadership team within members of the country offices that collectively can provide direction to the Asia-Pacific Team;
• Line manage team members including through review of work plans and objectives, providing guidance and support as necessary. Assess work through regular appraisal, and identification of individual development needs, and motivate individuals to higher levels of performance;
• Ensure the work of the team is organised in an efficient, effective and coordinated fashion to ensure delivery of agreed outputs within budget;
• Support as appropriate the recruitment of staff and consultants;
• Lead the regional implementation of ARTICLE 19’s Culture Review;
• Ensure best practice in the team’s administration, security and risk management.

Fundraising

• Lead in ensuring a sustainable funding for the programme in the region;
• Lead in the identification and response to fundraising opportunities that will enable ARTICLE19 to deliver the Asia-Pacific’s strategic outcomes, including by:
  • Maintaining current donor and partner relationships, using quality communications and reporting;
  • Monitoring fundraising opportunities, particular via partners and networks;
  • Developing new relationships with potential donors;
  • Scoping out and developing relationships with potential strategic partners and other stakeholders, including within the government, coordinating their input into ideas and proposals;
  • Leading in the drafting and full development of ideas, concept notes and full proposals, supported by ARTICLE 19 Fundraising and Business Development staff;
• Contribute to regional or global fundraising activities, ensuring inclusion of the AP’s strategic outcomes for Myanmar.

Communication

• Contribute and lead in the identification and delivery of ARTICLE 19’s global and regional external communication strategy in the region;
• Represent the organization in the region with media and partners, including at external meetings, as a regional spokesperson for ARTICLE 19;
• Ensure communications policies and guidance are followed and implemented;
• Engage on social media, actively communicating externally through key social media platforms;
• Collaborate with the International Office Communication and Campaigns Team on communications plans, ensuring high quality and targeted outputs achieve impact;
• Support in the drafting of written and other materials, reports, articles and other pieces covering the Asia-Pacific region;
• Ensure the digital communications covering the region are produced in alignment with the International Comms strategy;
• Develop and maintain ARTICLE 19 national, regional and international media contacts across the region and disseminate and publicise ARTICLE 19 work, outputs and impact;
• Respond to inquiries and provide information on the Asia-Pacific Programme as required.

Global Responsibilities

• Contribute to ARTICLE 19 global strategies, policy discussions and campaigns particularly through active membership of the Global Management Team, the production of the Annual Report and the Global Expression Report annually;
• Facilitate cross-learning and collaboration with other regional/thematic programmes of ARTICLE 19, and contribute to general ARTICLE 19 campaigns;
• Contribute to and influence overall ARTICLE 19 policies as well as strategies and programme development processes.

Other

• Undertake other duties commensurate with the role as may reasonably be assigned by the Senior Director of Programmes.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

ESSENTIAL

Education and Knowledge

• Educated to degree standard or equivalent
• Knowledge of human rights trends, particularly on freedom of expression and information, in the region
• Knowledge of international human rights law and awareness of mechanisms for the protection of human rights at international and regional level
• Knowledge of historical context and recent political, economic and social developments in the region

Experience

• Significant demonstrable experience of work in the field of human rights, especially freedom of expression/information
• Significant demonstrable experience of project development and management, including coordination of varied activities and budget management
• Significant demonstrable experience in driving team processes to identify and implement national and regional strategies
• Significant demonstrable experience successfully fundraising from institutional donors such as governments and large trusts
• Significant demonstrable experience in team building and line management of staff
• Experience in establishing and maintaining relations with donors
• Experience of advocacy at national and international level
• Experience in external communications to a broad of audiences, particularly in dealing with national and regional media
• Substantive experience in drafting written materials, including writing and/or editing materials for publication
• Involvement in strategy and policy development

Skills and abilities

• Ability to play a leadership role within an organisation
• Ability to lead a team and manage appraise, and motivate staff to higher performance
• Ability to line manage staff remotely
• Ability to propose changes in the staff structure and organisational processes to allow for a more efficient implementation of the work strategies
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent written and spoken fluency in English
• Ability to work effectively, often under pressure, to tight and demanding deadlines
• Good writing skills, including the ability to write materials suitable for a variety of audiences

Other

• Experience of living and working in the region
• Must already have or be able to obtain the right to work in the country of main base. Applicant has to retain the responsibility of obtaining the right to work and to provide the proof before engagement
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural work environment and commitment to equal opportunities and non-discrimination
• Willingness and availability for regular, and sometimes extended, overseas travel

DESIRABLE

• Knowledge of at least one other relevant Asian languages