Position Title: Regional Operations and Govt. Liaison Manager - Sundarbans/ Haor under Nature Based Adaptation towards Prosperous and Adept Lives & Livelihoods in Bangladesh (NABAPALLAB/ নবপল্লব)
Number of Positions: 01
Location: Based at Haor area under Moulavibazar Regional Office
Duration: Initial contract will be one year, contract may be extended subject to satisfactory performance

I.Job Summary:  
CARE is one of the world's leading international humanitarian and development organizations, committed to helping people in poor communities improve their lives and alleviate poverty. Founded in 1945, CARE is working over 121 countries to fight global poverty and marginalization. CARE has been active in Bangladesh since 1949 and is one of the largest programs in CARE confederation. Women and girls are at the core of all CARE programs because they represent half of the marginalized group and it is not possible to overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities. CARE Bangladesh works to implement programs with long-term impacts that result in sustainable changes for the extreme poor and marginalized communities.

CARE Bangladesh's Humanitarian and Climate Action Program is committed to provide people affected by disasters and conflicts with life-saving assistance, with a special focus on women and girls, who are disproportionately affected by disasters. Our action also includes preparedness and early action, emergency response and recovery, and resilience and adaptation to climate change and equitable development.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has selected a CARE Bangladesh led consortium to implement the project titled 'Nature Based Adaptation towards Prosperous and Adept Lives & Livelihoods in Bangladesh (NABAPALLAB/ নবপল্লব)' in two Ecologically Critical Areas (ECA) – Sundarbans and Hakaluki Haor. The other consortium members are CNRS, CordAid, C3ER-BRAC University, Dushtha Shasthya Kendra (DSK), Friendship, Humanity & Inclusion (HI), iDE, and Practical Action.  It is a key component of the Bangladesh-UK Accord on Climate Change and will deliver the adaptation outcome of the FCDO's flagship Bangladesh Climate and Environment Programme (BCEP). The programme will make a significant contribution in Bangladesh to progress against GoB's policies and priorities e.g., National Adaptation Plan (NAP), Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), commitments to biodiversity conservation, ongoing 8th Five Year Plan, etc. And it will also contribute to UK's commitment to International Climate Finance (ICF).
 
Due to environmental sensitivity and high anthropogenic pressures such as overharvesting, overfishing, pollution and illegal logging, the Sundarbans mangrove and the Hakaluki Hoar wetland are at a vulnerable stage with climate change exacerbating the current situation. FCDO's NABAPALLAB aims to engage biodiversity and natural resource-dependent communities to strengthen the climate resilience of the ECAs, conserve biodiversity, and at the same time, diversify and improve people's livelihood through innovative nature-based (NBS) and locally led adaptation solutions.  It will increase climate resilience of more than 250,000 vulnerable households and ecosystem-based protection and restoration of 5,000km2 area in, especially in the districts of Bagerhat, Satkhira and Khulna in the Sundarbans ECA, and Maulvibazar and Sylhet in Hakaluki Haor. To achieve FCD's NABAPALLAB goal, CARE and its partners   will work with different ministries specially , Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Department of Forest, Department of Environment (DoE), Ministry of Land, Local Government Engineering Department (LGED),  Bangladesh Water Development Board, Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) etc. of the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) at the national, regional and local levels, to implement the most appropriate NbS and Locally-led Adaptations (LLA) solutions for the Sundarbans and Hakaluki haor ecosystems.

The Regional Operations and Govt. Liaison Manager serves as the key focal of the program with Local Government Institutions; Regional, District & Upazila administration and relevant Government entities of Bangladesh in specific Sundarbans region. The key purpose of this position is to manage and/or ensure all major operational functions in the region, Moulvibazar and Sylhet Districts, including human resources (HR), logistics, procurement, administration, fleet, security and safety, information and communication technology (ICT) and donor and NGOAB policy compliance and audit requirements - in coordination with the CARE Bangladesh Dhaka Office (CBDO) to serve the goal of the project. The Regional Operations and Govt. Liaison Manager also ensures that programs are supported to effectively meet articulated needs, manage risk, and increase efficiency. S/he will also make sure that the program has the necessary systems in place and that applicable CARE and donor policies are consistently applied in arranging and providing these supports. S/he also will also support and oversee activities to strengthen the capacities of partners in these operational functions. S/he also is a member of the NABAPALLAB regional management team and plays a key role in supporting senior management decisions in making. S/he also will promote stewardship of resources, help ensure principled compliance, proactively identify risk issues. Regional Operations and Govt. The Liaison Manager has the responsibility of ensuring that the program advocacy and GoB engagement strategies are well formulated in line with current national policies and done in a coherent manner.

II. Responsibilities and Tasks:  

% of Time
Responsibility # 1: Leadership and Operational

40%
  • Strong leadership skills to motivate teams, make decisions, and guide the project teams and consortium members at regional level toward operational goals.
  • Improve operational management systems, processes, and best practices to enhance efficiency and effectiveness with a mindset focused on continuous improvement involves constantly seeking ways to enhance operational processes and outcomes.
  • Support Consortium Finance & Grant Manager analysing gaps, challenges in financial and grant management and proposing appropriate solutions for better strategic planning and decision.
  • Manage the provision of goods and services for offices and projects following established corporate procedures regarding sub-contract review and awarding of contracts, evaluate for cost-effectiveness and manage the negotiations in connection with eventual agreements; oversee procurement in COs;
  • Oversee the preparation of procurement plans in Reginal and field offices; participate/chair in local and regional Procurement Review Committees;
  • Oversee RO assets and liabilities and ensure proper inventory control.
  • Oversee the availability of required ICT systems;
  • Oversees all vehicles, drivers, and related assets, including their operations, conditions, external and internal policy compliance, and overall performance; will also ensure that vehicles and drivers are being utilized to their fullest potential in a safe and cost-effective manner.
  • Ensure arrangement of all logistics support for all training, event, program, meeting etc at the regional and field office level.
  • Manage strategic partnerships with suppliers and vendors, ensuring their compliance with CARE needs and demands.

 

Responsibility # 2: Financial Management and Project Resource Planning

25%
  • Ensure financial monitoring of partners, especially to ensure minimum risk and compliance with all applicable policies and standards. Oversee partner-level financial management, track utilization of partner grants, and provide management analysis to program in collaboration with the Regional Finance and Sub-Grant Manager and project leads.
  • Develop, monitor, and manage the organization's budget in collaboration with relevant departments and consortium partners and ensure that budgets are aligned with strategic goals and objectives.
  • Oversee the management of bank accounts: follow transfers, check balances, check authorized expenses and online transactions, and advise Team Leader on changes in project strategies.
  • As part of the financial management of consortium members, collect, verify and compile all financial reports from the consortium members and share them with the finance analyst in the Finance Department. All feedback from donors and CMP and CBDO finance will have to be communicated to partners for necessary action and compliance.
  • Ensure timely feedback to partners to encourage timely and quality financial reporting.
  • Ensure the preparation of regular financial reports, statements, and forecasts for the project's senior management and key stakeholders. Present financial information in a clear and comprehensible manner.

 

Responsibility # 3: Communication, Collaboration & Government Liaison

20%
  • through periodic systems checks, review and assessment of operations policies and procedures. Coordinate response to issues that emerge from internal and external audits and provide guidance to implement improvements.
  • Ensure compliance with local taxation and NGO registration laws, including developing necessary plans and approaches to comply and advising the Country Management. Ensuring compliance with NGO permits/authorizations, reporting, and all organizational requirements to District and  Upazila level government authorities regarding CARE activities in the region.
  • Work in close coordination with local partners and provide support, as needed, directly to partners to strengthen capacity and achieve agreed upon goals.
  • FD-6, FD-7 & FD-4 Documents preparation/revision, documentation; Ensure submition of monthly report to DC, UNO Office as per prescribed format and stoacktaking for CARE and partners. Responsible for local government certificate process.
  • Stocktaking and sharing all submitted documents with program and CBDO GAAM team.

 
Responsibility # 4: Staff supervision, Capacity Building
10%
  •  Ensure that CARE's PSHEA and Safety & security policies and procedures are applied to all program and staff operations.
  • Promote a culture of reflective learning and adaptation across the broad spectrum of partnerships and project teams. Effectively manage talent and supervise. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching, strategically tailor individual development plans, and complete performance management for direct reports. Monitor and assess performance to ensure adequate capacity for successful support of high-quality programming.
  • Lead recruitment of field staff/ Community Supervisor and ensure staff onboarding, orientation and training
  • Manage capacity development of programme staff, identify capacity gaps and regularly communicate operational issues to the Regional Programme Coordinator.

 
OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES AS ASSIGNED
5%
Responsibility: Responsibilities on Safety and Security, Gender and Inclusion and Safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults

As part of this role, the job holder must adhere to and support CARE Bangladesh’s Safety and Security policy and systems as part of their day-to-day duties and comply with safety & security protocols and directives, including reporting. Staff must maintain situational and self–awareness and be aware of the safety – security-related consequences of their actions upon themselves, their team, and the organization.

CARE is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behavior at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity, and financial misconduct, and expects staff to promote the welfare of children, young people, and adults always.  CARE expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our Code of Conduct.  We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate this commitment are recruited to work with us.

Gender equality and inclusion are fundamental at CARE, promoting equal rights and challenging discriminatory norms to achieve social justice. We foster an inclusive workplace respecting diverse gender identities, abilities, backgrounds, and experiences through dialogue, training, and diversity initiatives. All CARE staff must uphold ethical standards, following codes of conduct to prevent abuse, including sexual harassment, exploitation, and neglect. Regular monitoring ensures accountability to uphold these principles and support our mission of social justice and poverty alleviation.

III. Reporting to:  

Finance, Operations and Resources Coordinator

IV.          Working Conditions:  

Based at Haor area under Sylhet, with frequent field visits
V. Qualification:
  • 7 to 8 years' professional experience in disaster risk management, consortium management or project management with multiple partners.
  • 5 to 6 years professional experience in Operation, Liaison and Advocacy.
  • Master's in social sciences, development studies studies/Sociology/International Relation/Environmental science or any related discipline.
  • Strong knowledge of GoB systems, functions, and policies particularly MoEFCC and key conservation sensitive departments/ministries.
  • A good conceptual understanding of Conservation, Biodiversity, Ecosystem, Nature Based Solution (NbS), Locally Led Adaptation (LLA), Climate Change Adaptations and Resilient initiatives in Bangladesh.
  • Conceptually strong to understand and analyze program strategies and the underlying factors of political economy and blue economy including gender dimension.
  • Good networking and liaison skills with counterparts and partners.
  • A good understanding of FCDO rules and regulations.
  • Skills in networking, negotiation and persuasion and advocacy for mainstreaming new concepts and approaches.
  • Experience in writing concept notes, development of strategies and report writing.
  • Familiarity with the Anticipatory Action agenda will be considered a significant advantage.
  • Experience with donor accountability, managing diverse teams and coordinating partner organizations.
  • Experience in implementing and managing donor funded Consortium projects (ECHO experience will be a strong asset).
  • Experience of using gender and women empowerment as cross-cutting approach in development, DRR and resilience.
  • Experience in developing strong stakeholder relations with government, administration and civil society actors.
  • Must have a valid Motorcycle License and willing to drive motorcycle in field.
  • Experience in managing external consultants.
  • Excellent computer skills especially in PPT and friendly with communications channels and digital solutions.
  • Competent in working as a good team approach.
  • Good oral and written English skills.
  • Proficiency in both Bengali and English.
  • CARE Core Competencies as noted below:

Candidates need to be highly motivated and committed to CARE Bangladesh’s vision, mission, and long-term development work to significantly improve the lives of the most vulnerable and marginalized Candidates must be capable of displaying great learning agility, support and encourage knowledge sharing across projects, for the ultimate benefit of all of CARE’s mission wide initiatives.

Compensation

Monthly gross salary: BDT 111,768 (Negotiable). In addition, CARE offers Provident Fund, Gratuity, Festival Bonus, Leave Encashment, Life and Health Insurance, Working Mother Benefits etc.
 

Interested candidates meeting the above requirements should apply through CARE Bangladesh’s e-recruitment site: https://career.carebangladesh.org/ on or before November 09, 2024. 

Note:

  • CARE Bangladesh aims to attract and select a diverse workforce ensuring equal opportunity to everyone, irrespective of race, age, gender, HIV status, class, ethnicity, disability, location and religion.
  • Women are particularly encouraged to apply.
  • Any personal persuasion/phone-call will result in disqualification of candidature. We guarantee an interview to disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria.
  • CARE Bangladesh has a non-negotiable policy of ZERO TOLERANCE towards discrimination, harassment and abuse. All employees are expected to abide by the CARE International Safeguarding Policy.
  • Internal and external applicants shall be treated equally in the entire selection process.
  • To ensure transparent processes during recruitment, internal candidates should discuss potential applications with their Line Managers to ensure endorsement of their applications by respective Line Managers.
  • CARE Bangladesh participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we hereby request information from candidate’s previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the candidate left employment. All CARE Bangladesh’s offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.
  • THERE IS NO COST INVOLVED WITH APPLYING FOR POSITIONS WITH CARE BANGLADESH. ANY SOLICITATION OF JOB APPLICATION COSTS SHOULD BE REGARDED AS FRAUDULENT.