Deputy Director

Position Description

The Deputy Director of Asylum Access Malaysia (AAM) works in close partnership with AAM’s Executive Director to ensure the ultimate success of Asylum Access’ mission and vision. The Deputy Director is a leader who is passionate about human rights and sustainable solutions, who is an experienced advocate, takes the initiative in all endeavors, and has experience in managing a dynamic, multicultural team.

This includes the responsibility to work with the Executive Director in:

• Ensuring that AAM achieves Asylum Access’ mission in Malaysia – to make human rights a reality in refugees’ daily lives, with the ultimate goal of empowering refugees to rebuild their lives in Malaysia;
• Overseeing and understanding all AAM programs, and managing staff so the team can collectively have an impact;
• Complying with all Asylum Access global requirements, including financial and programmatic reporting, donor accountability, and operational requirements to mitigate risk and ensure consistent quality.

Key Responsibilities

Organizational Leadership

• Provide leadership in the annual planning process; supporting the efforts of the organization to achieve its goals and ensuring alignment with the AAM strategic plan and theory of change;
• Serve as a key contact at AAM for monitoring and evaluation efforts; steward the organization towards greater impact by facilitating regular evaluation of progress and reflection on strategy;
• Support the Executive Director in cultivating relationships with both prospective and current donors, and support the production of high-quality grant proposals and reports;
• Support the Executive Director in advocacy efforts to policymakers and influencers;
• Promote systemic change focus in all of Asylum Access’ work, ensuring that programming at all levels is focused on improving the environment such that refugees can meaningfully access their rights.

Programming and Communications

• Support organizational programming and implement strategies to empower refugees to advocate for their rights and interests;
• Oversee and support AAM’s’ rights-based legal programming within refugee communities;
• Oversee and implement AAM’s communications strategy
• Develop and oversee data collection across different programmes, empowering program leaders with the information they need to make critical decisions
• Ensure that AAM lives the Asylum Access value of seeing and treating our clients as partners in all of our work.

Finance and Operations

• Finance: Oversight and supervision of AAM’s Finance Coordinator in the following areas:

                     ○Grant financial management, including allocations;

                Accounting quality; 

                     ○ Monitoring budgets and variances, including projections of future spending and learning from variances

                     ○ National audit management;

                     ○ Establish systems and structuring the accounting cycle

• Operations and Human Resources:

                    ○ Provide support to the Executive Director in developing an effective human resources strategy in areas such as salary scale, personnel                                     planning and other initiatives, as necessary;

                    ○ Work closely with the Global Human Resources Management to supervise the recruitment, hiring and integration processes of new staff;

                    ○ Ensure that the performance evaluation, training, and orientation systems are up-to-date and effective for Asylum Access Malaysia;

                    ○ Work closely with the Global Human Resources Management to develop and implement strategies focused on the Volunteer Program;

                    ○ Report unusual news and potential internal conflicts and conflicts of interest to the Asylum Access Global Human Resources Management;

                    ○ Provide guidance and guidance when personnel management issues arise;

                    ○ Identify and implement strategies to promote the health and well-being of AAM staff and volunteers;

                    ○ Create and maintain alliances with organizations, schools, and universities in order to ensure that AAM receives a constant group of applicants                         to the Volunteer Program;

                    ○ Manage organizational compliance with both local laws and Asylum Access HQ requirements;

                    ○ Lead all risk mitigation efforts and ensure the safety of all team members and clients.

Required Qualifications

• Graduate degree in the field of human rights, law, public policy, public administration or another relevant degree;
• Thorough understanding of the context for refugees in Malaysia, including both national and international legal frameworks;
• Demonstrated ability to understand and develop creative responses to frequently changing political and legal environments;
• Experience in program planning and strategy, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation;
• Experience in team management including both staff and volunteers;
• Interest in creating and maintaining organizational stability through strong operational practices;
• Strong planning skills and the ability to manage many disparate priorities simultaneously;
• Awareness of the impact of gender, nationality, sexual orientation, legal status, and other personal characteristics may have on access to rights and the ability to promote responsiveness;
• Familiarity and comfort working with a multicultural and international environment;
• Professional fluency in English.

Desired Qualifications

• 5 - 7 years of increasingly high-level experience in refugee response or related fields;
• Experience in operations, including but not limited to finance, human resources; technology or administration;
• Professional fluency in Malay;

Application Instructions

Send your resume and cover letter to apply@asylumaccess.org with the subject line “AAM Deputy Director”. In your cover letter, please describe your reasons for applying, relevant qualifications, and how you learned about the position. Only pre-selected candidates will be contacted for an interview. Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Asylum Access is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. For more information about our organization, visit www.asylumaccess.org .