JOB DESCRIPTION
COUNTRY PROGRAM MANAGER
1.
BACKGROUND
Equal Playing Field (formerly Rugby League Against Violence) was founded in 2011
by Adam Everill and Jacqui Joseph. EPF’s vision is for ‘safe homes, happy families,
strong communities’ and a country free from violence against women. EPF uses sport
as a tool to engage and inspire children and young people to end gender based
violence. EPF is a not-for-profit organisation, registered with the Investment
Promotion Authority (IPA) in Papua New Guinea. EPF is supported by Plan
International Australia, one of Australia’s fastest growing international NGOs and a
global leader in the promotion of children’s rights.
Equal Playing Field’s flagship program is the EPF Schools Program, an eight-week
respectful relationships program that aims to prevent violence against women by
promoting gender equality and changing the attitudes and behaviours that enable
violence against women to occur. During the program, 13-15 year-old boys and girls
(Grades 7-8) take part in a mixed gender sports competition that combines
respectful relationship education with skills development and games. Each week of
the EPF Schools Program contains a different topic relating to respect and
relationships. These include understanding types of violence and abuse, gender
equality, developing support networks and knowing where to seek help, developing
empathy for others and managing anger and stress. All of the topics covered in the
EPF Schools Program correlate with the Papua New Guinean Years 7-10 personal
development and physical education curriculum.
In 2015 Equal Playing Field, in partnership with Plan International Australia, was
awarded a three-year grant from the Australian Government Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to expand the EPF Schools Program to eight schools in the
National Capital District (NCD), reaching over 4,200 young people. This represents a
period of significant growth for the organisation, which requires the support of an
exceptional leader with a passion for gender equality and ending violence against
women.
2.
POSITION SCOPE
Equal Playing Field is looking for an experienced and highly motivated Country
Program Manager to lead the organisation’s operations in Papua New Guinea. The
successful candidate will possess outstanding leadership potential, including the
ability to drive new initiatives and take advantage of emerging opportunities.
As the most senior person within the organisation, the Country Program Manager will
be expected to demonstrate initiative and have the ability to achieve results with
limited supervision. Excellent communications skills are essential to this role, including
the ability to develop trust and gain respect from anyone, from children to members
of parliament.
The PNG Country Program Manager will be a strong advocate for gender equality
and the elimination of violence against women in Papua New Guinea. While the
ability to play sport is not a requirement of this position, the belief in the power of
sport to change lives most certainly is.
3.
DELEGATIONS
Reports to: EPF Board of Directors.
Responsible for: Finance and administration officer, Senior Project Officer
4.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
This role will have the following key responsibilites:
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Program Delivery: Lead the development and delivery of EPF’s programs,
implement monitoring and evaluation frameworks and maintain a continuous
improvement across programs.
Team Management: Undertake line management, support and professional
development of in-country staff and volunteers.
Partnership and Contract Management: Develop and maintain good working
relationships with the organisation’s partners, including the Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and Plan International Australia.
Operations Management: Manage the end-to-end operations in country
including risk and issues management, financial management, office
management and administration and reporting to the Board of Directors.
Safety, Security and Well-Being: Develop, implement and manage the
country level safety and security plans for all operations and personnel to
ensure the physical and mental well-being of staff and volunteers.
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5.
Stakeholder Engagement: establish and manage existing strategic and
operational relationships with key partners and networks, including donors,
school staff and Government officials.
Representation: Represent EPF externally; ensuring that EPF’s vision, mission,
values and aims are communicated in a positive and compelling way.
Strategy Development: Work with the EPF Board, team of staff and volunteers
to develop and implement the country level strategy and action plans.
KEY RELATIONSHIPS
Maintain the following relationships will be central to this role:
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6.
EPF Staff and Volunteers: Including direct line management of all EPF staff
employed in the PNG Country Office.
Equal Playing Field Co-Founders: Have a close working relationship with the
EPF co-founders and technical advisors.
Equal Playing Field Board of Directors: Including preparing financial and
narrative reports for quarterly Board meetings.
Plan International Australia: Including providing regular progress reports
(financial and narrative) and facilitating all necessary site visits by Plan staff
and technical advisors.
Australian Government: Develop and manage relationships with key DFAT
personnel.
Government of PNG: Including working with key personnel from departments
such as the Ministry of Sport and Department of Education.
Media: Develop relationships with PNG and international media outlets and
personalities to promote the work of Equal Playing Field
SELECTION CRITERIA
Prospective applicants must address the following selection criteria in their
applications, providing specific examples of their previous work experience.
Applications that do not address these criteria will not be considered.
Essential
1.
2.
An undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. education,
international development, gender studies, business, public sector
management, political science etc.).
A minimum of five years experience within a not-for-profit organisation, such
as an international NGO, UN agency, working on issues affecting children
and young people and/or gender equality and women’s empowerment.
3.
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5.
6.
7.
Experience managing teams, including providing mentoring and support to
junior staff members and/or volunteers.
Demonstrated experience in all aspects of program management, including
design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation.
Demonstrated experience managing medium to large grants from donor
organisations (e.g. DFAT, EU, USAID, UN agencies etc.) including overseeing
expenditure and acquittal according to contractual requirements.
Excellent oral and written communications skills, including the ability to
communicate effectively with and gain the respect of people from all walks
of life.
A personal commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of
women.
Desirable
1. A postgraduate degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. Graduate Certificate,
Graduate Diploma, Masters Degree etc.)
As part of the recruitment process, the successful applicant must obtain a certified
police clearance. The cost of the police clearance will be covered by Equal Playing
Field.
8.
RENUMERATION PACKAGE
We are offering a competitive remuneration package ($65-74,000PGK) for the right
person, but will be negotiated depending on the successful candidate’s skills and
qualifications. There will also be an additional professional development fund
available.