Position Title Project Officer (full-time) – Sri Lanka
Starting Date As soon as possible / 22nd April 2019
Contract Period As soon as possible to the end of September 2019 with high possibility of extension
Background
Democracy Reporting International (DRI) is a non-partisan, independent, not-for-profit organisation registered in Berlin. DRI promotes political participation of citizens, accountability of state bodies and the development of democratic institutions world-wide. DRI helps support local ways of promoting the universal right of citizens to participate in the political life of their country, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
DRI is operating in Sri Lanka since 2016 and has implemented various democratic strengthening projects with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office, the European Union, and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. DRI has specifically worked on the promotion of human and labour rights under the GSP+ framework, generated broad stakeholder engagement around the country’s constitutional reform process and provided analysis at the nexus of democracy and technology with a focus on social media. For its work on the promotion of human and labour rights compliance, DRI is currently looking for a full-time Programme Officer.
Objectives and Role:
Under the overall supervision of the Project Manager, the Project Officer will support the delivery of high-quality activities at the national, regional, and local level. These activities will include workshops, conferences, trainings and discussion sessions with a variety of participants from civil society (local NGOs and CSOs, activists, trade unions, workers’ collectives etc.), businesses, government representatives, and international partners.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Support the Project Manager in the planning and implementation of activities in accordance with the project work plan and budget;
- Coordinate day-to-day logistics for activities, including procurement and administrative tasks;
- Ensure project Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), including the preparation of activity concept notes, reports, and the tracking of project outputs, ensuring that data is collected, filed and fed back to team members both in the Country Office and HQ for reflection on lessons learned;
- Coordinate the work of DRI’s local and international experts deployed to support project activities across Sri Lanka’s provinces;
- Monitor and conduct research on political and legal issues in Sri Lanka for context-tailored project implementation and project development;
- Review and edit written project outputs including reports, news stories etc.;
- Attend outward-facing meetings and build relationships with partners and relevant stakeholders;
- Act as MEL focal point for the Sri Lanka Country Office.
Qualifications
- At least three years of experience coordinating activities, such as workshops, conferences, trainings and discussion sessions, including logistical and administrative aspects of activity coordination;
- Proven experience in project cycle management, preferably as part of projects including multi-stakeholder initiatives;
- Understanding and experience of Monitoring and Evaluation methods;
- Understanding of political context and democratic reform process in Sri Lanka is highly desirable, especially with regards to the human and labour rights situation;
- University degree in Law, Political Science, or a related discipline;
- Strong networking and communication skills and experience working with a range of stakeholders including civil society (especially human rights actors as well as trade unions, workers’ collectives and labour CSOs/NGOs), government, and businesses;
- Excellent attention to detail and commitment to quality;
- Strong proficiency in English, fluency in Sinhala and/or Tamil;
- Ability to travel regularly across Sri Lanka.
Duration and Location
The Project Officer shall be based in DRI’s Country Office in Battaramulla with the ability to travel to all districts. The duration of the assignment is six months and shall commence as soon as possible until the end of September 2019 with high possibility of extension subject to funding.
DRI values diversity and aims to be an equal opportunities employer. Moreover, DRI offers flexible working hours. The successful candidate will be given an opportunity to go through a learning process with training opportunities on various aspects of project implementation at an international NGO.
If you are interested in this position, please send your application (cover letter and CV) to [email protected]. Please include “Sri Lanka Project Officer 2019” in the subject line. The deadline for applications is 3 April 2019, 23:59. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you are shortlisted, DRI interviews will take place over Skype.