DID District Coordinator – Inclusive Education – Bangladesh

Sightsavers implements projects in more than 30 countries in Africa and South Asia to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote the rights of people with disabilities. We are looking for a DID District Coordinator – Inclusive Education work closely with the Project Manager in the Bangladesh office.

Location: Narshingdi, Sirajgonj districts in Bangladesh

Contract: 18 month fixed term contract

Salary: Local terms and conditions apply

About the role

The District Coordinator will work with the Sightsavers team to coordinate and support implementing partner organizations in the successful implementation of approved activities. Maintain liaison with partners including effective planning, strengthen collaboration with district education officials, social services department and relevant authorities, advocate with respective authorities and on behalf of Sightsavers and oversee financial and asset management of implementing partners.

Job holder requirements:

District level program coordination (50%):

Coordinate district partner(s) to plan and execute all project activities in accordance with project design and work plan and be accountable for overall success/failure.

• Support partners in processing partnership agreement (e.g. PFA, PP, budget, roles and responsibilities, etc.) with Sightsavers.
• Support partner to organize training program with teachers from respective intervention schools, SMC, PTA training program.
• Maintaining appropriate guidance from the MEL team, the position will guide the partner to collect project-related data collection tools (registration, attendance, dropout, progress, disability allowance, disability card, etc.) from intervention schools.
• Monitor different levels of activities carried out by partner organizations such as sensitization meeting of parents, guardians and siblings to enable children to enroll and return to school, OPD coordination meeting, provide regular technical support, continuous capacity building and advice to partners for their organization and development.
• Support the partner to organize different training sessions involving government authorities, teachers, SLIP committee, reactivate the student council and maintain follow-up, post-training follow-up as explained in the project description.
• Support partner organization for meaningful DPO engagement in all areas of implementation, explore DPO partnership with implementing partner, with emphasis on DPO organizational development process.
• Promote shared learning and collaboration between partners by facilitating different meetings.
• Develop and sustain longer-term relationships with partners that extend beyond the duration of individual projects.

Financial planning and project execution (20%)

• Coordinate with Partner Finance Manager and Sightsavers finance colleagues on budget preparation, forecasts, advances, requests, adjustments and financial documentation.
• Ensure that partners submit accurate financial reports in a timely manner, and that they manage and use project resources (financial and human) according to the standard protocol established together.
• Support to partners on organizational development (e.g. governance issue, new policies/guidelines, legal issues, etc.)
• Monitor partners’ compliance with recommendations made during the MPC assessment/due diligence exercise/monitoring visits to their offices and activities.

Project advocacy and communication (20%)

• Liaison and coordination with DC Office, UN Office, District Education Officers, Department of Social Services (DSS), Local Government Authority (LGA) office as local representative from Sightsavers.
• As advised by the Sightsavers Advocacy and Communications Coordinator, support district partner(s) to carry out advocacy and campaigning for the project.
• Be proactive in providing good quality case studies, processing documentation, participating in district level meetings facilitated by government authorities to promote the Sightsavers portfolio.
• Take responsibility for ensuring donor and Sightsaver compliance during project implementation work at the district level.

Project monitoring and evaluation (10%)

• Regularly monitor partner project performance as directed by national and global Sightsavers colleagues.
• Contribute to the drafting of monthly and quarterly reports as well as the management of the participant database to ensure the quality and consistency of the activities proposed under the project.

This is a very varied and involved role and the above is not an exhaustive list of tasks or job skills required. Please consult the job description for all the details.

Essential:

• Commitment to inclusive development approaches based on Sightsavers values ​​and rights.
• Demonstrable experience of consistent programming/advocacy for marginalized communities with skills development and career transitions for youth with disabilities.
• Masters in Education, Development Studies, Social Welfare.
• Experience in project management, partnership management.
• Previous experience working with Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs), Self Help Groups (SHGs).
• Understanding and working knowledge of working with donor funded projects and donor compliance.
• Demonstrable experience in project monitoring, evaluation and learning.
• Experience in advocacy, communication and appropriate documentation.
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office products, especially Excel.
• Skills in building relationships with internal and external audiences.

Desirable:

• Master’s degree in the mentioned fields of study.
• People with disabilities with some level of flexibility in requirements.
• Experience working with government entities, e.g. Directorate of Primary Education (DPE), Office of the Deputy Commissioner, district level education authorities and Department of Social Services and with other relevant stakeholders.
• Good computer-assisted writing skills in Bengali and English.
• Strong verbal and written presentation, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Excellent computer skills, including familiarity with virtual meetings and e-learning platforms.
• Availability to travel regularly using public transport available locally.

Closing Date: November 13, 2022

Next steps

To apply for this exciting new opportunity, please complete an application through our recruitment portal. We are particularly interested in knowing your motivations for applying.

Due to project deadlines, we are keen to fulfill this role as quickly as possible so that applications are considered as soon as they are received.

As an equal opportunity employer, we actively encourage applications from all sections of the community. Sightsavers is a confident leader in disability and qualified people living with disabilities are particularly encouraged to apply.