Asia Regional Representative

Asia Regional Representative
Full Time
Bangkok - Thailand, Bangkok, Nonthaburi, TH

Church World Service
Asia Regional Representative
Position Description
Reports to: Vice President Programs
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Level: 11

Background

Church World Service is a faith-based organization transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement, and disaster. CWS is a nonprofit organization with headquarters in the United States and regional offices around the globe. CWS has 75 years of experience assisting refugees, migrants and host communities in humanitarian emergencies, protracted displacement, resettlement, and mixed migration contexts. CWS has been present in Asia since the 1940s supporting migrants and refugees, sending cash, food and non-food items to populations in need, including victims of natural disasters and populations living in poverty.

Today in Southeast Asia, CWS focuses significantly on integrated community development for improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), nutrition and livelihood opportunities. Some country teams also lead programs to support community-based disaster risk reduction; others work for refugee protection and basic rights; for improving health care for marginalized people. CWS in Asia has programs in Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Timor Leste and Vietnam.

Our programmatic focus in the Asia region includes disaster preparation and response, humanitarian assistance, rural livelihoods development, WASH, refugee protection, and climate change adaptation. CWS also has historical relationships with organizations focused on migration and related issues such as the Thai Border Consortium (TBC) as well as the Christian Church of Thailand (CCT). CWS is a member of ACT Alliance globally as well as a member of ACT Alliance regional and country forums.

Primary Purpose

The CWS regional representative develops and guides CWS regional strategy in Asia to achieve global and regional objectives. The regional representative oversees all CWS operations in the Asia Region, identifies opportunities for program development and growth, provides program interpretation for external constituencies and audiences, seeks to add value to CWS member denomination and donor work in Asia, builds new and maintains key existing relationships with regional, program and country level partners, ecumenical and interfaith forums, governments, humanitarian and development actors, ACT Alliance forums and other partners.

Essential Duties

Strategic Leadership

• Leads the implementation of the annual regional strategic plan and workplan
• Monitors and supports CWS Asia country programs’ implementation of their annual country strategies and plans
• Develops strategic plans to further the overall mission and specific programs of CWS that meet the evolving needs and conditions in the region and focus countries.
• Develop and, in collaboration with country teams, lead the regional emergency and humanitarian response program rebuilding relationships, funding, and capacity in disaster/emergency response programs.
• Defines and implements strategies to improve and maintain CWS Asia (region and countries) technical capacity. 
• Ensure regional and country program staff have the technical skills and abilities to adequately implement their programs.
• Supervise country representatives in the region.

Partnerships Relationships and Advocacy

• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, UN agencies, USG agencies and other partners in the region and focus countries.
• Represents CWS LAC with partners, governments, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders as needed
• Host or travel with constituent groups and visits
• Ensures the development and implementation of regional advocacy strategy
• Works with CWS communications and advocacy to ensure implementation of program strategies and goals
• Represents CWS Asia in relevant networks and provide technical input to governments, international donor agencies and technical advisory groups pertinent to CWS programs in the region. 

Program Development and Leadership 

• Ensure effective project implementation and manage regional and program/project personnel to achieve the objectives agreed to in grants and contracts for the CWS regional program.
• Oversee development of materials to disseminate findings and lessons learned from CWS programs and projects for regional, country and global audiences.
• Define and implement the regional learning strategy (including program evaluation and research) and disseminate findings from CWS programs and projects. 
• Oversee research design, methodology and dissemination of information needed to monitor and evaluate programs and projects.

Business Development and Fundraising

• Develop and monitor the business development and program growth strategy of the region. 
• Oversee the generation of concept papers, proposals and other information as needed for submission to donors and others for fundraising purposes.
• Solicit funds and in-kind donations from corporations, foundations, governmental organizations, multilateral, and bilateral agencies in the region.
• Collaborate with CWS HQ fundraising efforts.

Financial and Administrative

In close collaboration with Regional staff, the regional representative will:

• Work with CWS HQ to manage the development of annual budgets for regional and country offices, projects and programs.
• Supervise the preparation of financial reports for the CWS HQ that comply with agency, grant or contract agreements.
• Ensure timely submission of financial reports within the guidelines established by the CWS HQ
• Authorize expenditures for grant or contract allocations for CWS projects and programs in the region.
• Ensure compliance with procedures required by grant or contract agreements for CWS projects and programs in the region.
• Hire and manage personnel for CWS projects and programs in the region in compliance with CWS policies and lead initiatives to develop staff capacity.

Liaison with HQ

• Serve as CWS focal point in Asia for emergency response, business development/fundraising, compliance, technical capacity and program development. 
• Be an integral part of the global CWS Programs leadership team

Other

• Perform other duties as required/necessary

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field is required; Master’s degree is preferred;
• A minimum of fifteen (15) years of relevant experience working in international development, humanitarian and emergency response, with demonstrated supervisory experience;
• Experience working in South Asia or South-East Asia Region and countries
• Experience working in sustainable development (WASH, food security, livelihoods), emergency response, refugees, migration, protection, gender inequality, and/or development and with a diverse population;
• Experience supporting national civil society partners in for project/program activities
• Understanding of ecumenical partnership in line with CWS mission and commitments
• Computer literacy, including use of Internet resources, word processing, presentation, spreadsheets, etc.
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge establishing systems and overseeing start-up under limited time constraints as well as program close-out;
• Financial management experience, including budgeting, financial management (tracking, reporting, and accounting), and procurement;
• Experience with activity design, development, and implementation, preferably in short-term and fast-paced programs;
• Strong management and leadership skills, including the ability to mentor staff;
• Past representational experience with host governments, regional organizations including bi-laterals and other donors, and civil society;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• Strong analytical capacity; 
• Excellent oral and written English 
• Ability and enthusiasm to travel extensively and often to remote project sites

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