About the Freedom Fund
The Freedom Fund (www.freedomfund.org) is a leader in the global movement to end modern slavery. It:
- invests in those countries and sectors with the greatest incidence of slavery.
- analyses which interventions work best and shares that knowledge.
- brings together a community of activists committed to ending slavery and empowered by the knowledge of how best to do so.
- generates funding by demonstrating how effective interventions can protect those at risk of being enslaved and free those in slavery.
The Freedom Fund works to combat many different forms of extreme exploitation, including forced labour, sex trafficking, forced marriage, and the worst forms of child labour. The Fund operates anti-slavery programs in Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Thailand and Myanmar and will open new programs in Brazil, Indonesia and Bangladesh in 2021.
About the position
The Freedom Fund is seeking an experienced Program Advisor to help establish a program in Bangladesh with the goal of reducing the prevalence of the commercial sexual exploitation of children in Dhaka. The program will build upon findings from a scoping study commissioned by one of the Freedom Fund’s donors in 2019. Although the exact scale of the problem is unknown, the study found that commercial sexual exploitation of children, especially girls, is a significant problem in Bangladesh and appears to be concentrated in brothels, hotels, private residences, streets and slums.
The successful candidate will assist the Freedom Fund to register its operations in Bangladesh and play a leading role in shaping our strategy for the program’s inception phase (2021-2023) . They will also work closely with the team at HQ to develop a multi-year strategy to scale up the program after the inception phase and significantly reduce the prevalence of CSEC in Dhaka.
The Program Advisor will have a wide range of responsibilities including: liasing with government, CSOs and at-risk communities, identifying prospective partners, managing grants to local partners, conducting site visits, supporting meetings among grant recipients, monitoring results, convening meetings and events for partners, government officials, and other stakeholders.
The consultant will be an independent contractor to the Freedom Fund and not an employee of the organisation. The consultant is not eligible for any employee-related benefits, plans or programs of the Freedom Fund, and the consultant is expected to provide their own workspace to successfully carry out the deliverables listed below.
Term of role: this is a fixed term 1-year contract with the possibility of renewal.
Responsibilities
The Program Advisor will help establish, manage and implement the Freedom Fund program in Bangladesh – which will include, but is not limited to, the following:
- Support the development of the Freedom Fund’s program strategy to combat CSEC in Dhaka.
- Coordinate with research partners to deepen our knowledge on the cause and manifestations of CSEC in Dhaka.
- Provide advice to the Freedom Fund to help establish a Program in Dhaka, working closely with local officials, community-based organisations and other key stakeholders.
- Support the Freedom Fund to register as an entity in Bangladesh, meeting with government officials and other stakeholders necessary to complete the registration process.
- Conduct a mapping exercise of all relevant stakeholders in the anti-slavery/child protection sector in Bangladesh and identify project intervention sites and prospective partners.
- Provide guidance and support to Freedom Fund partners in achieving goals and objectives.
- Conduct regular office and program site visits of grant recipients
- Facilitate reviews of grant recipients’ operations, processes, and policies.
- Manage processes to carry out due diligence, financial reviews and partner assessments to ensure compliance with the Freedom Fund’s mandatory standards.
- Provide assistance to grant recipients to ensure the completion of impact reports and narrative reports.
- Provide financial oversight of grant recipient budgets and ensure strong financial management and reporting of grant recipients.
- Identify, vet, manage relationships, and coordinate work with technical assistance providers to support the program and its partners.
- Coordinate various meetings for a diverse range of stakeholders, including grant recipients, government stakeholders, and CSO actors.
- Coordinate logistics and lead program site visits with Freedom Fund representatives and other donors.
- Contribute to the strategic planning for next stages of program development, as needed.
- Communicate progress, challenges, and lessons learned related to program deliverables with members of the the Freedom Fund team on a regular basis.
- Collaborate with other members of the Freedom Fund in other countries and headquarters, as needed.
- Carry out other relevant assignments on behalf of the Freedom Fund, as directed
Qualifications and experience
The Freedom Fund seeks a dedicated, self-motivated Program Advisor, capable of working with limited supervision and of quickly establishing effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. The successful candidate will have experience in successful program design and implementation.
Essential
- 10 years of experience in project management/coordination and community development in Bangladesh.
- Grant making experience on behalf of international organisations to local civil society organisations.
- Experience in monitoring and evaluation of grants and programs, including data collection, data management, and financial monitoring.
- Experience liaising with and hosting donors essential.
- Experience in engaging with government stakeholders.
- Experience working with vulnerable populations in a highly sensitive environment.
Desirable
- Knowledge and experience working on anti-human trafficking / child protection initiatives; experience in other areas such as sex workers’ rights, economic empowerment and mental and reproductive health would be an asset.
- Experience supporting NGO registration and liaising with the NGO Affairs Bureau in Bangladesh.
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Fluent in Bangla and English.
- High proficiency with Microsoft Office tools (especially Word and Excel).
- Ability to work closely with a diverse range of stakeholders: government, CSOs, vulnerable communities.
- Detail oriented with the ability to manage and track data across multiple grant recipients.
- Strong problem-solving, analytical, and organisational skills.
- Ability to manage multiple deadlines.
- A positive, team-centric attitude and willingness to support team members to meet short-term needs in a fast-paced environment.
- Proven experience working effectively in a cross-cultural team
- Ability to work independently, as the Freedom Fund’s representative in Bangladesh and proven experience working effectively in cross-cultural teams in different locations.
Compensation
- USD 2,500 – USD 3,000 per month, depending on experience.
- 33 days of annual leave, inclusive of national holidays.
- USD 500 per annum for health insurance.
How to apply
Applications should be submitted in English and include a CV, cover letter (maximum one page) and contact details of two professional referees, one of which must be the applicant’s current / most recent line manager or current / most recent Head of HR.
Please send applications by email in PDF format to [email protected], including ‘Program Advisor – Bangladesh’ in the subject line before 9am GMT on Monday 29th March 2021.
Please note that only candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted. No phone calls please. No agencies please.
The Freedom Fund is an equal opportunities employer. We value the strength of a diverse workforce and encourage applications from people with disabilities, Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds and the LGBT+ community. Applicants must be eligible to work in Bangladesh.
The Freedom Fund is committed to the importance of meaningful survivor inclusion and leadership. As such, particular consideration will be given to applicants with lived experience of trafficking and/or forced labour.
The Freedom Fund prioritises Safeguarding. As part of our commitment to the protection of children and vulnerable people in our work, any offer of employment with the Freedom Fund will be subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks to ensure we recruit only those who are suitable to work with children and vulnerable persons. These checks include Disclosure and Barring Service and/or International Criminal Records Checks, satisfactory references, proof of eligibility to work in the national location of this role and checks against the Office of Foreign Assets Control data list (OFAC] which highlights any connections to terrorism or trafficking. Any offer of employment or consultancy with The Freedom Fund will only be made following both successful background checks being conducted on the applicant and upon receipt of satisfactory pre-employment checks by former employers. Such checks may be updated periodically during the course of the period of employment or consultancy. By submitting a formal application, you agree to the Freedom Fund carrying out these checks.
To help us with our recruitment effort, please indicate in your email/cover letter where (ngotenders.net) you saw this job posting.