Senior Programme Officer - LCA, Start Bangladesh

Start Network
Start Network is made up of more than 90 aid agencies across five continents, ranging from large international organisations to national NGOs. Together, our aim is to transform humanitarian action through innovation, fast funding, early action, and locally led action.

Start Network’s vision is for a locally led humanitarian system that is accountable to people affected by and at risk of crises. It aims to achieve the vision by making system-level shifts in the way humanitarian support is approached and delivered. Start Network’s work focuses on three areas to change the system:

• shifting power, resources and decision making to locally led networks and organisations.
  
• creating a global humanitarian financing system that is focused on reducing risk, and on anticipating and acting ahead of predictable crises.
  
• support communities in developing innovative solutions to humanitarian problems – solutions that we can all learn from.

The Start Network is at a critical point in its journey. We have grown and diversified our membership over the past 10 years. We are now set to evolve into a decentralised “network of networks” by 2025. We are currently working with nine national and regional networks (hubs) in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, DRC, Somalia, South Sudan, Guatemala, India and the Pacific. They are developing locally owned ways of anticipating and responding to humanitarian crises. We aim to support the emergence and development of further Hubs in the coming years. Our ultimate ambition is to devolve leadership, membership, programming and decision making to the hubs, while the UK team transitions to provide services of support.

Start Bangladesh
Start Bangladesh is a national civil society owned network of local, national and international humanitarian organisations that is governed by transparent, neutral, collective decision making and responsive to humanitarian crisis in any parts of the country. Start Network programmes in Bangladesh are comprised of Start Fund Bangladesh (SFB), Disaster Risk Financing (DRF) and Organisational System Strengthening Initiatives (OSSI). These programmes are currently supported by several donors and development partners. Two of those programme streams i.e., DRF and OSSI are currently hosted by Eco-Social Development Organisation (ESDO), is a member of Start Network Bangladesh. The network is currently moving towards becoming an independent entity through Start Bangladesh Hub.
Share Trust/Local Coalition Accelerator

The Local Coalition Accelerator (LCA) initiative is part of the OSSI programme and is hosted by Eco-Social Development Organisation (ESDO) in Bangladesh. The Local Coalition Accelerator (LCA) is an initiative by The Share Trust (TST) to support Global South (GS) LNOs to lead in the design and execution of large-scale systems change and directly access the significant bilateral and multilateral financing that is currently channelled almost exclusively to and through UN or INGO vehicles. The LCA’s mission is to build the infrastructure to shift greater funding and power to local actors, while also changing donor processes and systems to be more conducive to localization.

Job Purpose
This project has completed its first phase (three years) that started from 2022, supported the development of more resilient, “disaster ready” communities in coastal Bangladesh. This initiative facilitated coalition building, consist of 16 LNGOs and CSOs, to demonstrate the strength of a locally rooted coalition as they lead programme design and delivery and receive direct funding from major donors.

The position “Senior Programme Officer – LCA” will provide intensive coalition strengthening support to all the coalition members, in collaboration with and support from the Coalition members, Start Bangladesh and the Share Trust. The key focus of this role is to strengthen governance and the secretariat, support the technical working committees, develop the coalition policies and guidelines, support advancing organizational development, and enhancing capacity in project management, MEAL and proposal development.

This is a Dhaka-based position, with extensive travel to Southwest region in Bangladesh. This position will be reporting to Start Bangladesh Secretariat and work in close partnership with Coalition leadership and The Share Trust to ensure the key deliverables.

Key Accountabilities

Support for Strengthening Coalition Governance

• Provide mentoring and coaching support to the Coalition Secretariat to strengthen governance, establish clear roles, and improve coordination among stakeholders.
  
• Facilitate the review and refinement of the Coalition Constitution and governance structures, ensuring clarity on roles, responsibilities, and decision-making mechanisms.
  
• Support the activation and effective functioning of Technical Working Committees (MEAL, Finance, Resource Mobilization, Advocacy) by developing TORs, policies, and tools.
  
• Ensure coalition members' participation in governance-related meetings, orientations, and workshops, tracking engagement and learning outcomes.
  
• Review the diagnostic results of the different assessments (e.g., due diligence, health checks); and chalk out potential technical support provisions for the Coalition.
  
• Establish a systematic documentation process for all governance meetings, decision-making, action points, and follow-up actions.
  
• Assist in fundraising efforts by writing proposals and providing relevant content and intelligence to the coalition secretariat for grant submissions.

Facilitate Training, Workshop and Capacity Strengthening

• Design and implement proposed structured trainings and workshops aligned with coalition needs, focusing on governance, project management, disaster preparedness, proposal development, and sustainability planning.
  
• Organize training sessions, orientations, and peer-learning exchanges on key topics such as governance, leadership, financial management, proposal development, and disaster resilience, tailored to coalition needs.
  
• Develop pre-training needs assessments, session plans, facilitation guides, and post-training evaluations to ensure continuous learning and improvement.
  
• Organize and facilitate thematic capacity-strengthening workshops, including leadership development, project monitoring, and financial compliance.
  
• Work with the Secretariat to identify emerging capacity gaps and coordinate additional need-based training based on coalition priorities and Health Check findings.
• Maintain a centralized knowledge repository to document training materials, session recordings, and key learnings for coalition members.

Design, implement, coordinate and monitor the Joint Action Plan (JAP)

• Design and facilitate workshop to engage Coalition members in the preparation of a joint action plan (JAP) for the Coalition.
  
• Support the Secretariat in developing a detailed JAP budget and implementation plan, ensuring feasibility and alignment with coalition priorities
  
• Oversee the Coalition Secretariat’s coordination efforts with Local Government, community leaders, and other relevant stakeholders during the design and implementation of the Joint Action Plan (JAP).
  
• Develop and facilitate a JAP monitoring system, ensuring structured tracking of implementation, reporting, and learning documentation.
  
• Conduct regular field visits to JAP sites to provide on-the-ground technical support, gather community feedback, and refine implementation strategies.
  
• Monitor the preparation and quality of JAP progress reports, ensuring they support evidence-based decision-making.

Coordination, communication and Stakeholders Engagement

• Act as the primary liaison between Start Fund Bangladesh and the Coalition and the hosting agency, ensuring smooth coordination and timely information flow between SFB and the Coalition. Support in developing the coalition communication protocol to enhance transparency, accountability, and stakeholder trust.
  
• Prepare event plans, schedules, and key updates, ensuring well-structured engagements and follow-ups.
  
• Support in developing membership engagement materials such as newsletters, coalition updates, and knowledge-sharing products to strengthen coalition visibility.
  
• Regular participation in weekly meetings, and any other coordination meetings as and when deemed appropriate to represent SFB as a technical partner.

Reporting, Documentation, and Knowledge Management

• Establish a structured documentation framework, ensuring systematic recording of discussions and decisions made by the Coalition Governance, training sessions, field visits, and JAP implementation progress.
  
• Develop half-yearly and annual progress reports, highlighting key achievements, challenges, and recommendations for coalition governance and capacity-building.
  
• Ensure training and workshop participant tracking, documenting pre/post-assessments, attendance records, and follow-up learning support.
  
• Ensure that the Coalition Secretariat maintains an updated database of coalition resources, including policies, toolkits, governance decisions, and impact stories.
  
• Facilitate the Coalition Health Check process, analysing findings to inform future capacity-building priorities and governance improvements.

Person Profile
We are seeking a dynamic professional with strong coordination and communication skills and knowledge and with sound knowledge on localisation, Organizational Development, DRR and resilience. This position will be responsible to coordinate all the orientations, training and workshops for the Coalition, its governance and joint action plan, in consultation and coordination with all the stakeholders including Coalition leadership team, Start Bangladesh Secretariat and The Share Trust.

• Post-graduate degree in relevant discipline (i.e., social science, disaster management, international development).
  
• More than three years of experiences in the development and humanitarian sectors in collaboration with L/National, and INGOs.
  
• Proficiency in both Bangla and English languages
  
• Proven experience in designing and facilitating trainings and workshops with diverse stakeholders, ensuring effective engagement and knowledge exchange.
  
• Proven experience of working in collaboration and partnership with local NGOs, CBOs to deliver community-led programmes.
  
• Strong understanding of emerging trends in the humanitarian sector i.e. locally led response, community based DRR, climate resilience, etc.
  
• Good understanding and experience of interagency collaboration and partnerships through localisation approach.
  
• Ability and confidence to multitask independently and effectively manage competing priorities across different time zones.

Key Competencies

• Partnership Brokering, leading and inspiring others
  
• Innovative and adaptive in delivering and evidencing results.
  
• Critical analysis in problem solving and rapid decision-making.
  
• Communication, Networking and knowledge management.

Essential Skills

The key soft skills for the success of this role, not all included, are:

• Advanced proficiency in ICT-based applications, including MS Office and online project management tools.
  
• Strong planning, foresight, and coordination abilities to drive efficient workflows.
  
• Excellent time management skills with a proactive and self-motivated approach.
  
• Critical thinking and creative problem-solving capabilities to navigate complex challenges.
  
• Ability to foster a culture of innovation and effectively collaborate with diverse stakeholders.
  
• Skilled in empowering and influencing teams without direct managerial authority.
  
• Flexibility and willingness to travel frequently to remote project locations.
  
• Strong presentation, writing, and documentation skills for project reporting and public communication.
  
• Strong sensibility towards the equity, diversity and inclusion issues

Start Network culture

• To carry out the responsibilities of the role in line with the Start Network Code of Conduct and with a commitment to safeguarding adults and children
  
• A commitment to the Start Network vision, principles, values and approach
  
• The Start Network team is an agile group of individuals who use their experience and skills across the network, so flexibility to work in and with different teams and functions is a part of our culture.

Our Offer to You

• Training and development opportunities for individuals and cross-organisationally
  
• National Government holidays

APPLICATION
In line with the host agency requirements

Closing date: 16 April 2025

Any offer of employment is subject to relevant checks. Please refer to our privacy statement and candidate privacy notice regarding treatment of your data.

Read Before Apply

ESDO has a Safeguarding & PSEAH policy to protect its employees and beneficiaries and any kind of discrimination, harassment, and abuse falls under ESDO “ZERO TOLERANCE” Policy. All employees are expected to abide by the PSEAH, Child Protection, Safeguarding, and Gender policy of ESDO.

ESDO does not tolerate any child & youth abuse. So, if you have any history of child & youth abuse in organization or personal life please abstains from apply here. After your selection or between the service periods if we found any misinformation, we will take legal action as per organization rules and county law.

ESDO does not tolerate any Safeguarding abuse. So if you have any history of gender abuse in organization or personal life please abstains from apply here. After your selection or between the service periods if we found any misinformation, we will take legal action as per organization rules and county law.

ESDO does not tolerate any kind of extremism/terrorism. So if you have any history of extremism/terrorism in organization or personal life please abstains from apply here. After your selection or between the service periods if we found any misinformation, we will take legal action as per organization rules and county law.

ESDO does not tolerate any corruption. So if you have any history of corruption in organization or personal life please abstains from apply here. After your selection or between the service periods if we found any misinformation, we will take legal action as per organization rules and county law.

*Photograph must be enclosed with the resume.

Apply Procedure

If you are passionate to improve lives of the people in the transforming climate context, courageous to bring positive impact through your proficiencies, confident to meet organization’s expectations and fulfil the above-mentioned requirements please visit the following link and apply.

Instructions for Hard Copy Application:
A cover letter along with a recent Passport size Photo, photocopy of all academic and experience certificates, NID card /Citizenship certificate including two references. Applications should reach within 16/04/2025 by 5.00PM by post or Currier or hand-to-hand delivery to: Head of HR, ESDO, Collegepara (Gobindanagar), Thakurgaon-5100, Bangladesh.

Instructions for Online Application:
Applications should submit within 16/04/2025 by 5.00PM through ESDO website online application link: https://career.esdo.net.bd/

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted and called for an interview.
Women are especially encouraged to apply.

Equal opportunity, and promoting women & children`s rights is the mandate of ESDO.

Application Deadline: 16 April 2025
Published On: 10 April 2025