Program Officer and Program Assistant

Mercy Corps Indonesia Open Vacancy

Mercy Corps helps people turn the crises they confront into the opportunities they deserve. Driven by local needs, our programs provide communities in the world's toughest places with the tools and support they need to transform their own lives. Our worldwide team in 41 countries is improving the lives of 19 million people.

WEST SUMATERA

PROGRAM SUMMARY:

On 30 September at 5.15pm local time, a 7.6 Richter Scale (RS) earthquake (depth of 71km) struck off the coast of West Sumatra; a second 6.2 RS earthquake struck shortly afterwards at 5.38pm. The impact of the earthquakes on infrastructure and in terms of casualties has been devastating. Confirmed fatalities exceed 1,100 people. Over 100,000 homes were severely damaged, with another 100,000 suffering moderate or slight damage. Despite the severity of this event, science tells us that West Sumatra is still expecting another, larger earthquake in the near future.

In response to the housing damage described above, the Government of Indonesia implemented a reconstruction program to provide each damaged household with a monetary disbursement (grant) for reconstruction purposes. Humanitarian actors working in the shelter sector in West Sumatra have been working with the government to establish safe construction processes and training for both construction professionals and homeowners. The “Build Back Better” Campaign analysis (2011) which provides an analysis of the results of these training efforts found that respondents in West Sumatra remain uncommitted to earthquake safe building despite having acquired general knowledge on the subject. More than 2 out of 3 heads of household (68.4%) can name 3 correct ways to make a house more earthquake safe, but only 0.6% can provide correct technical information to build an earthquake safe house and only 0.4% has actually applied all these techniques. Further information in the above referenced study suggests that homeowners disregard the long term risks in favor of short term benefits (specifically, larger houses and lower costs).

The Resilient Villages: Safe House Construction Project contributes to the National Resilient Villages Program (Desa Tangguh) of BNPB. The Goal of the national program is: Indonesian Villages are Disaster Resilient

To achieve this goal, various component programs are currently being developed under the national program in the sectors of health, energy, and climate change. The proposed Resilient Villages: Safe House Construction project will contribute to the earthquake risk reduction component program, Rumah Aman Gempa (RAG) (Resilience in Mitigating Earthquake Risk). The intended outcome of this project is to provide the Government of Indonesia with a project model that can effectively encourage homeowners to follow the standards for earthquake-safe construction. This model will rely upon a variety of inputs (communication campaign, establishment of construction standards, tukang training, microfinance institutes, village level education and group processes) from a variety of partners to achieve the project goal.

1. Program Officer

The Program Officer is responsible for leadership and program implementation in a specific District (either Padang Pariaman or Kota Padang). The PO will be responsible for ensuring all timelines/workplans are developed with coordination of all partners and stakeholders. The PO is responsible for the day to day operations of the project within a specific district of West Sumatra (two villages). He/she will work directly with the program manager to ensure that all budgets, timelines and workplans are being developed and implemented responsibly. In addition the PO will provide oversight and direction to the M&E data collection to meet all project requirements. The PO must have excellent coordination and communication skills.

Qualifications:

· Bachelor Degree in a technical or related subject. Masters in related subject is an asset;

· Experience in/of Community Mobilization, Partner Collaboration. Preference for individuals with shelter sector experience in West Sumatra;

· Computer proficiency (Microsoft Excel and Word);

· Good English. High Standard of both reading and writing;

· Preference for those with Minang Language skills

2. Program Assistant

Program Assistant – RAGAM will be based in the province of West Sumatra and will be mainly responsible for providing administrative and logistical supports and assistance to program team members in implementing program activities and achieving program objectives. Close coordination with finance and operation units of Mercy Corps West Sumatra and Jakarta Office are critical.

Qualifications:

· 3 years of practical experiences in administration, management, logistics and other related fields;

· Good English – verbal and written;

· BA/S or equivalent in administration, management, public relation, or similar degree;

· Prior experience in West Sumatera, and knowledge of local language and culture is preferred.

Please send your CV with position applied on the email subject to: hrd@id.mercycorps.org

Vacancy will be closed 4 December 2011.

We look forward to hearing from those who are interested in taking this opportunity to grow and develop with us.