Project Assistant

The Project Assistant will provide overall support to the implementation of the Mekong Think Tanks programme. This programme is supported by the Mekong-Australia Partnership – Water, Energy, Climate (MAP-WEC) programme, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Government of Australia. The over-arching goal of MAP-WEC is to achieve environmental resilience in the Mekong Region by improving water security, enhancing access to affordable clean energy, and taking action to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

The Project Assistant reports directly to Mekong Think Thanks Programme Manager and Director, and will be under overall supervision of the Centre Director.

Key duties and responsibilities include

The Project Assistant will support in the following tasks:

1. Serve as the focal person for day-to-day communications with the partners within and outside the network.
2. Assist the Programme Manager in operational aspects of the project, including, but not limited to, grant administration, contract management, financial management, event organization, recruitment and procurement of goods and services related to programme/project implementation.
3. Assist the respective Component Lead or Co-lead for the implementation of the component’s activities and events, especially with administrative support and logistics.
4. Assist in annual planning and budget preparation, as well as monitoring of project implementation and overall financial management.
5. In collaboration with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Expert, support and coordinate data collection and regular updates to information within the MEL system.
6. Assist in organizing meetings and other project-related events.
7. Assist in consolidating and analysing data and writing project reports.
8. Other tasks as assigned by the Programme Director/Manager.

Who you are

SEI Asia is looking for a Project Assistant to provide overall support for the tasks including but not limited to, grant administration, contract management, financial management, event organization, recruitment and procurement of goods and services for Mekong Think Tank programme and other projects related to environment and natural resources management in the Mekong countries.

Formal qualifications and knowledge

• A Masters’ degree in development management, business administration, financial management, natural resources management or other related fields.
• A minimum of 2 years of experience working in project management and coordination roles.
• Demonstrated knowledge on project cycle management, administration and finance.
• Proactive and independent working style.
• Able to work on multiple tasks at the same time, and meet deadlines.
• Team-player with experience working in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment.
• Good knowledge of software applications to support work, such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and familiar with email and virtual meeting tools.
• Strong proficiency in English for business purposes, both written and spoken.

Desirable qualifications

• Experience of international organizations, institutions or non-profit organizations, preferably in Asia in the Mekong Region.
• Experience of regional or international event organizations.
• Proficient in one of the Mekong country’s languages (Khmer, Lao, Myanmar, Thai, Vietnamese or Chinese).

Personal skills required in the position

• Teamwork and collaboration.
• Good planning, organizational and time management skills
• Fast learner with adaptable and flexible work ethics.