The Asia Foundation : Program Officer - Environmental Governance SETAPAK, based in Jakarta

POSITION INFORMATION

Position Title	: Program Officer – Environmental Governance  SETAPAK
Location	: Jakarta (Indonesia Office)
Job Type and duration of contract	: Full-Time, 1 year contract period
Closing Date	: January 18, 2018

PROGRAM BACKGROUND

With funding from the UK Climate Change Unit (UKCCU) in Indonesia, the Asia Foundation is implementing the SETAPAK (Selamatkan Hutan dan Lahan melalui Perbaikan Tata Kelola) program, a program on improving land and forest governance in Indonesia. This 33-month programme is under second phase of SETAPAK will improve local and national governance of land and forest in order to contribute to UKCCU’s goal of promoting sustainable low-carbon economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions reduction in Indonesia.  Land and forest governance challenges at the local level include lack of transparency on key processes like permitting; poorly-executed spatial planning; failure to comply with land and forest laws and regulations; ineffective mechanisms for handling complaints and disputes; collusion between local officials and business interests; lack of community consultation and participation; and lack of coordinated engagement among civil society groups. Reform thus requires both supply-side inputs to stimulate better government processes and performance, and demand-side inputs to galvanize stakeholder participation in, oversight of, and claims for justice in the land and forest sector. The program will issue subgrants to CSOs at national, provincial and district level to carry out program activities. The program contains a research component which will involve supporting NGOs or research institutes to conduct research on the political economy of environmental governance at the local level, as well as policy studies on land use and forestry. The SETAPAK 2 program is implementing the program in eight provinces: Aceh, West Sumatra, Riau, South Sumatra, East Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, North Kalimantan and Central Sulawesi. The new provinces will be Papua and West Papua.

SUMMARY OF JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

The Program Officer provides direct management and implementation of three components of the SETAPAK program – transparency and accountability, policy reform and the rule of law and build local CSO capacity to achieve outcomes agenda. S/he is responsible for the day-to-day management of partner programs within these three components, in close cooperation with the other Program Officers within the unit and with the Director and Deputy Director of Environmental Governance. S/he is responsible for program development and conceptualization, implementation, and reporting, and will contribute to monitoring/evaluation in cooperation with the Director and Deputy Director. S/he will be based in Jakarta.

RELATIONSHIP

INTERNAL

• Regular contact and communicate with all SETAPAK team member and TAF’s Jakarta staffs
• Maintain and develop communication and coordination.
• Support SETAPAK Director and Deputy Director
• Contact with other program and theme staff in the Foundation’s offices in the US and Asia.

EXTERNAL

• Develop and maintain contacts with other local and international NGOs working on environmental governance issues in Indonesia, ensure coordination, and raise the profile of the Foundation's research activities.
• Maintain and develop relationships with existing donors and funding agencies.
• Develop working relationships with government agencies, and local levels. Assist in developing and maintaining good public relations especially with senior government officer.
• Represent the Asia Foundation at conferences, events and donor coordination meetings as required. Public speaking and contributing to publications on our work may be required 

JOB FUNCTIONS

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT & ADMINISTRATION

• Contributing to day to day management of the Foundation’s SETAPAK program --including liaising and providing input to partners, developing themes for new programs, monitoring program implementation, reviewing all modules, books, or other items for publication, providing technical assistance where necessary by serving as facilitator, speaker, editor and such, for partner programs and products, and, along with the Director and Deputy Director, representing the programs to donors.
• Work with existing and prospective grantees to develop program activities; determine project feasibility; monitor and facilitate programs; obtain timely and useful reports; critically evaluate outcomes; review incoming proposals, manage proposal tracking system, and work with local organizations to refine proposals and program designs.
• Prepare proposal review forms, letters of agreement, budgets, and manage process of developing a program from proposal to issuance of Letter of Grant (LG) to monitoring and reporting on program to donors.
• Design and implement SETAPAK program work plans and contribute to the development and implementation of Monitoring and Evaluation measures.
• Provide technical assistance as needed to local partners to develop work plans and M&E measures.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of the research component of the program, including selection of topics for research, design of key studies, technical support and training to research partners, supervision of research activities, analytical and write-up phases, and dissemination activities. 
• Actively utilize the research outputs to improve program implementation, both within the Foundation and with program partners at the national and local levels.
• Prepare, along with other SETAPAK team members, donor reports. 
•  Coordinate with other units as needed to facilitate cross-fertilization and internal networking.
• Provide annual and semi report highlights and other information on Foundation programs.
• Assist the Director and Deputy Director to manage all aspects of funding source financial management.
• Assist the Director and Deputy Director to manage annual program budget, spending processes, and internal grant administration.

GENERAL

•  As a key member of program staff, participate in team meetings to contribute to ongoing program planning, problem-solving, and knowledge sharing.
•  Contribute to the dissemination of program activities and research results.
• Monitor important social, political and economic developments in-country.
• Understand and comply with requirements placed on the Foundation by our donors.
• Respond to periodic requests from the Foundation's San Francisco or Washington offices for program updates or examples of program impact.
• Other relevant tasks as required.

REQUIREMENTS

EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum of eight years’ work experience designing and implementing international development programs, with a strong background or specialization in governance and/or environmental issues;
•  Experience in managing the environmental governance issues in Papua and West Papua
• Experience in project management and strategic grant-making;
• Experience in developing and conducting training programs or capacity building programs
•  Knowledge of and experience with Indonesian government system and agencies Understanding of international or government funding agencies
• Knowledge of environmental governance issues at the local context and national level in Indonesia
• Strong experience in forestry or spatial planning is preferred.

EDUCATION

Advanced degree in public policy, social sciences (international relations, political science, gender, sociology), development studies, environmental sciences or law.

OTHER:

• Interest in the political-economy dimensions of environmental governance in Indonesia;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both English and Bahasa Indonesia
•  Strong written and analytical skills;
• Competency with standard word processing and spreadsheet programs;
• Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to maintain good relations with NGOs, government, donors, and colleagues;
• Professional organizational abilities;
• Good public speaker;
• Willingness to travel to remote regions across Indonesia

WORK BASE

•  Will be base in Jakarta

HOW TO APPLY

Please send your letter of Interest (motivation letter) and CV to The Asia Foundation by e-mail to hrd@tafindo.org by January 18, 2018 at 17.00 pm. Please write “PO - SETAPAK” on the Subject of the e-mail. The Asia Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.