Regional Coordinator for South Asia

Background:

ECPAT International is a global network of civil society organisations working together to end the sexual exploitation of children in all its manifestations. It seeks to ensure that children everywhere enjoy their fundamental rights free and secure from all forms of sexual exploitation.

The ECPAT network currently has over 100 member organisations in more than 90 countries in all regions of the world. All members are independent organisations or coalitions working against the sexual exploitation of children (SEC). The Secretariat of the Network is based in Bangkok, Thailand. Currently there are 13 ECPAT member organisations in 6 countries in the South Asia region.

ECPAT’s capacity to accelerate progress against SEC requires a strong and effective Network, served by a responsive and unifying Secretariat. Successful network development links national, regional and international efforts, with synergies and clear accountability among the different parts of the organisation that bring positive results for children.

Job purpose:

The Regional Coordinator for South Asia is responsible for the coordination and for providing technical support towards ECPAT’s advocacy and programming work against the sexual exploitation of children (SEC) in the region. The Regional Coordinator will represent the ECPAT International Secretariat to regional entities, UN agencies and child rights NGOs in the region and support members in their relations with national governments. He/she will work towards achieving concrete results against SEC and towards strengthening ECPAT’s services to South Asia’s children. The Coordinator will foster partnership and mobilise support in the implementation of the regional/global commitments in protecting children from sexual exploitation. Based on the global Network Development Strategy, the Regional Coordinator will coordinate the development, formulation and implementation of a regional strategy to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of ECPAT’s presence in the region and ensure SEC remains a priority issue within the regional policy and programming frameworks. Network development includes support to the capacity building of member organisations and expansion of membership to new countries.

The ECPAT Coordinator for South Asia will be based in the region, preferably in her/his country of nationality. The position will report to Deputy Executive Director for Network Development who is based in Bangkok, Thailand.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Knowledge management:

• Ensure the SEC Situational Analysis for the region is regularly updated and reflective of the emerging trends and new manifestations of SEC through pro-active collection and analysis of information and incorporate and synthesize these in the Situational Analysis;
• Maintain an overview of issues relating to children, monitoring trends in the external environment and inputting to organizational strategy and planning processes;
• Provide technical support to conducting SEC Situational Analyses in new countries.
• Advocacy strategy and programme implementation
• Coordinate the development and implementation of the advocacy strategy for the South Asia region in cooperation with the ECPAT Secretariat and ECPAT member organisations with due consideration for regional and national opportunities and mechanisms, including identification of measurable indicators to monitor impact and progress;
• Contribute to the development of evidence based, high quality and effective advocacy tools (messages, documents and policy papers) especially on emerging issues such as Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism (SECTT) and Online Child Sexual Exploitation (OCSE);
• Promote coordination and collaboration between the ECPAT Network and UN agencies, INGOs and other stakeholders to maximize advocacy and programme opportunities against SEC in the region particularly in line with global and regional commitments, with special focus on SDGs;
• Facilitate that voices of children, especially victims and survivors, are heard in support of ECPAT’s advocacy work through incorporation of children’s participation/inputs in ECPAT’s advocacy strategy;
• Develop the Secretariat’s regional annual Work Plan with measurable indicators of progress based on Regional Strategy and funding commitments;
• Manage the implementation of regional based projects, monitor progress and ensure timely and quality donor reporting.
• Network development, coordination and support
• Facilitate the formulation of the ECPAT network development strategy for South Asia based on ECPAT’s global network strategy, which aims at a dynamic and effective network against SEC in the region;
• Assess ECPAT’s network presence in the region and monitor its functioning; identify potential new member organisations; liaise with the ECPAT Board Credentials Committee on membership in the region;
• Organise ECPAT network regional consultations with members and partners and support the implementation of follow-up actions/commitments;
• Provide technical support and training to ECPAT member organizations as needed;
• Coordinate network communication within and across the region and the Secretariat in close collaboration with the Regional Board Representative;
• Ensure that the regional section on the ECPAT Intranet Network HUB is up-to-date and promote active use of the Network HUB among regional members;
• Support members in their implementation of mechanisms to ensure that voices and perspectives of children, especially of victims and survivors of SEC, are taken into account in governance and decision-making processes.
• External relations and representation in coordination with the Secretariat
• With the approval and in consultation with the Secretariat, represent ECPAT externally, networking to promote ECPAT perspectives and build relationships that bring into ECPAT new insights and capacities to address SEC;
• Develop relationships with international and regional child focused organisations and experts;
• Represent ECPAT International in key events and forums in the region;
• Liaise with media on behalf of ECPAT as needed.
• Donor relations, proposal development, fundraising
• Responsible for donor relation management and grant management, including report writing and submission.
• Proactive assessment of fundraising opportunities and development of funding proposals.

Profile:

Qualifications:

• Advanced university degree in human rights, social work, international development, public policy, communication, advocacy or related field;
• Minimum of five years’ professional experience in advocacy and/or development programming;
• Demonstrated experience in policy advocacy work at the national and regional levels in South Asia;
• Demonstrated understanding of child rights instruments and monitoring processes.
• Competencies
• Demonstrated commitment to ECPAT’s vision, values and principles;
• Ability to initiate external contacts and network effectively in order to have influence on policy and practice agendas;
• Sound strategic thinking and planning skills, including the ability to think creatively, to innovate and to set priorities, create management work plans and evaluate progress;
• The ability to analyze complex and/or multi-sourced information and summarize it for a range of different audiences;
• Fluency in written and spoken English;
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills;
• Excellent negotiation and positive persuasion skills.

Salary and benefits:

ECPAT offers a competitive remuneration package and staff benefits.

TO APPLY:

Candidates interested in this position can download ECPAT’s Personal History Form at http://www.ecpat.org/about-ecpat/employment/

Please submit a completed Personal History Form and your cover letter to vacancy@ecpat.net
Mention your name and the title of the position in the email subject line.

ECPAT International is committed to keeping children safe. The selection process reflects our commitment to the safeguarding of children.

Job Email id: vacancy(at)ecpat.net