Program background
- Over the last 15 years CSOs and NGOs in Indonesia have been among the key drivers of political, economic and social reform as part of Indonesia’s transition towards a democratic, middle-income country, including on issues such as women’s rights, corruption, and freedom of information. Indonesian civil society organisations have also made critical contributions to enhancing inclusive and sustainable development, ensuring that those most in need are able to live healthy and productive lives.
- NGOs in Indonesia operate in all DFAT – Australian Aid priority development areas and therefore the improved functioning of NGOs as organisations, and the NGO sector more broadly, would support significant development impacts.
- While the NGO sector in Indonesia has considerable strengths, it also has many challenges that cannot be addressed through donor programs that are focused solely on project outcomes. These challenges include dependence on donor funding, high staff turnover, poor use of research, limited documentation of work, lack of an effective intermediary and support sub-sector, and poor public accountability. Successfully addressing these challenges would lead to improved NGO efficiency and effectiveness, and in turn poverty reduction outcomes in Indonesia.
- In 2012 the DFAT – Australian aid Knowledge Sector and Tertiary Education Unit commissioned a study on the NGO Sector in Indonesia titled the ‘NGO Sector Review’. The review was divided into two phases. Phase 1 consisted of a structured desk review, media scanning, consultations with a wide range of stakeholders in and knowledgeable about the NGO sector and analysis and mapping of quantitative data. Phase 2 produced a review of the NGO Sector that proposed DFAT – Australian aid undertake further research and the design of a facility that aims to maximise the direct and indirect work of Indonesian NGO’s on poverty reduction.
- A project is underway to design a facility for the National NGO Study and Service Centre for Poverty Reduction and Development (NSSC). The facility will provide analytical and policy support to NGOs from across the country to action plan together and address challenges in and to the NGO sector. It is also expected that the NSSC can complement and reinforce DFAT and GOI’s ongoing programs of frontline service delivery, which will be the key feature of development cooperation between the two governments to address poverty and development issues in Indonesia for the years to come.
- A significant part of the design process is field- and desk-based research as well as ongoing consultations and several team-based and consultative workshops. When design drafting starts intensively in late 2014 there will be follow up information gathering, managing ongoing communications with stakeholders, development of case studies and policy reports, and planning and conducting workshops as well as inputs from throughout the design team directly into parts of the design document
Duties
The Senior Research
Assistant/Design Coordinator (Long Leave Replacement) will carry forward the
duties of the existing Senior Research Assistant for three months. (There is a
possibility the position will be extended.) The focus of the role during the
relevant time period will be on supporting follow up analysis of research
findings, information gathering and verification, and continuing updates with
NGO field partners from the field research that will have recently concluded.
It will also include providing support to the design team overall in carrying
out, participating directly in, and communicating substantively with outside
participants of several analysis and design workshops.
The SRA/DC (Long Leave
Replacement) will also continue to participate in analysis of DFAT data as well
as in desk research. Duties will include direct participation in drafting
research reports, case studies, and the design document. Other tasks supporting
the overall research and design process will be assigned; an important duty for
the person in the role is to be across and responsive to several parallel
activities ongoing to support the design.
Key Functions
- Direct participation in development of research and design outputs;
- Supporting the planning and implementation of several analysis and consultative workshops;
- Desk-based review of documents in support of the review of DFAT support for NGOs and, where required, communications with relevant DFAT and other donor programs as required;
- Any remaining coordination duties for field research components;
- Other desk-based research to support the NSSC research and design process as assigned;
- Coordination with and support to other core team members and advisers on a wide range of research- and design-related tasks they are undertaking;
- Formatting and light graphic design work as needed
Qualifications and
Experience
- The successful applicant will meet or exceed the following qualifications, experience and skills:
- Bachelor degree or higher in relevant field (management of nonprofits/NGOs, public policy, social work/social welfare, sociology, international development)
- Minimum 2 years of experience in a research or event coordination capacity. If related to the NGO sector and/or donor agencies, is a strong plus.
- Demonstrated capacities in coordinating and networking with a wide range of stakeholders, particularly Indonesian NGOs/CSOs and donor partners;
- Demonstrated ability to contribute effectively and efficiently to complex event planning processes;
- Demonstrated skills in desk research;
- Demonstrated flexibility and responsiveness;
- Ability to manage workload across several streams of work;
- Willingness and ability to make use of email, Skype, Dropbox and other online collaborative time and project management tools;
- Fluent Indonesian and strong English language skills (written and spoken)
The
following qualifications are desirable:
- Experience with coordinating events and travel taking place outside of Jakarta
- Knowledgeable on data sources and how to access targeted literature
- Experience or past contributions in design of a large development program
- Experience in database management.
Timing and
compensation
The position is to start in mid
October 2014 and finish at the end of January 2015. There is a possibility that
the position may be extended through September 2015..
How to apply
By no later than Sunday, 21
September 2014 midnight Jakarta time, please send a current resume or CV with a
concise cover letter describing the reasons that you are interested in the
position to info@nssc.or.id and emergingmarkets.jakarta@cardno.com. Make sure
at least 2 professional references who can speak to the qualifications listed
above, including phone number and email address, are listed in your application
materials. In your cover latter please indicate whether you are available
through September 2015, or only through January 2015.
Please use the subject line
“Senior Research Assistant/Design Coordinator (Long Leave Replacement)” to
ensure proper processing of your application.
Please note that unfortunately
due to the expected volume of applicants we will only be able to follow up with
those individuals selected for an interview.
