Field Coordinator

Under the framework of the UN’s Joint Programme for Peace the project will provide assistance towards two peacebuilding priorities that tackle core grievances of the minority Tamil community. The interventions contribute towards the peacebuilding process, by helping to build trust and confidence amongst the Tamil community in the direction in which the country is moving.

The two interventions capitalise on existing work, and build on well-established partnerships between the UN and the government by supporting scaling-up ongoing livelihood support through engaging cooperatives and the private sector. It is part of a package of resettlement assistance designed to enable a dignified and sustainable return to lands released by the military; and kick-starting the process of working on a joined-up way on reconciliation, through the introduction of an innovative service tracking tool to monitor and incentivise improvements in ability of front-line institutions to deliver public services in Tamil.

Working with the Cooperatives Department, the ILO will deliver the component on livelihood support working in three of the seven resettlement areas newly released by the military, identified in coordination with the government.

The intervention will be led through a tri-partite partnership between the Ministry of National Integration, Official Languages, Social Progress and Hindu Religious Affairs and the Secretariat for Coordinating Reconciliation Mechanisms and the United Nations.

The Field Coordinator will work under the direct supervision the National Project Coordinator (NPC) and the overall guidance of the Chief Technical Advisor of the ILO JPR programme.

• Participate in the overall planning, implementation and monitoring of project activities with other technical specialists in the project.
• Facilitate to carry out participatory local economic development exercises in identified growth sectors as required in the target districts and facilitate to establish sustainable business partnerships

• Identify and assess the current roles of women, persons with disabilities and identify potential roles for poor and vulnerable in the value chains that will create decent jobs and enhance their economic and social positions
• Facilitate formation of small cooperative societies which ensure active involvement of poor and vulnerable, especially women and persons with disabilities, and their leadership.
• Together with the provincial Cooperatives Department, support the strengthening of the cooperative’s core capacities (i.e. managerial, financial etc.) and the mobilisation of new members with an emphasis on including more women, persons with disabilities, ethnic and religious minority groups and youths.
• Based on the needs identified, the cooperatives facilitate a series of capacity building trainings on governance, gender, management, accounting, and book-keeping among others.
• Support project NPC to institutionalise a tool to track delivery of public services in Sinhala and Tamil by key front-line institutions and in bilingual regional areas (Divisional Secretariat Divisions).
• Assist in the knowledge transfer to government officials to ensure the sustainability of the interventions as well as engaging in public-private partnership collaboration.

• Assist with the collection of quantitative and qualitative data in line with increase donor M&E reporting requirements

• Provide programming and administrative support to activities undertaken by the implementing partners and prepare briefs, periodical reports and statistical data on the status of project activities, to contribute to project progress reports.
• Draft relevant correspondence, faxes, memoranda on administrative matters in accordance with office procedures.
• Support administrative tasks, including logistical support to project personnel, travel arrangements.
• Assist the NPC in programming and preparation of budget estimates and expenditure forecasts by analyzing and monitoring project activities.
• Assist the NPC in maintaining project financial transaction and reporting systems in accordance with ILO financial rules. Prepare administrative and financial related briefing materials for the NPC for reporting purposes and keep abreast of progress reporting requirements and timetables to support the CTA for timely submissions

• Prepare briefs and periodic reports on status of project activities.
• Perform other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Completion of secondary school education, supplemented by technical or university level courses in a field related to the work of the organization.

Six years progressively responsible for programme/field coordination related activities.  Experience related to working in post-conflict environments would be an added advantage.

Good communication skills, both written and verbal in local language (Tamil) and English is necessary. Knowledge in other local languages (Sinhalese) would be an added advantage.

In addition to the ILO core competencies, this position requires:

• Good knowledge of programme planning, implementation and evaluation principles, practices and procedures. Ability to conceptualize, plan and organize work as part of holistic and team approach to work and development.
• Good knowledge of labour issues, MSMEs, Cooperatives and good knowledge of gender and international human rights.
• Ability to understand and effectively work with Government, workers and employers organizations, non-government organizations and UN agencies.
• Skills/ competencies in community mobilization.
• Ability to mainstream gender into project activities.
• Clear commitment to integrate persons with disabilities into project activities
• Ability to work in diversified environments.
• Knowledge of and ability to use computers, including Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.