POSITION DESCRIPTION: DMEL Coordinator - CAN DO Consortium

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Agency:Caritas Australia / Position Type:Full-time
37.5 hours per week
Team: International Programs / Position Status:Contract, 2 years
Group: Humanitarian Emergencies
Group / Date of Approval/ Revision: 01 June 2017
Location: Alexandria, NSW / Authorised by:Senior Manager,
People & Culture
Salary ScaleACBC Grade: 5 / Position No.: TBD

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Purpose of the position

The Design, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (DMEL) Coordinator ensures the Church Agencies Network Disaster Operations (CAN DO) program and projects are of the highest quality design with best practice monitoring, evaluation and learning to maximise disaster management and community resilience impact and results.

ORGANISATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

Caritas Australia is the Catholic agency for international humanitarian relief and development in Australia. Through effective relationships with the Church, partners and communities in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Pacific and Australia, Caritas Australia helps to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. Our programs promote the good of every person and of the whole person, regardless of peoples, religious, political or cultural beliefs. We envisage a world in which children, women and men most vulnerable to extreme poverty and injustice are agents of their own change and architects of their own development.

Caritas Australia is an agency established under the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. Our National Office is based in Sydney and we have offices in several capital cities throughout Australia. Almost half of our staff are based overseas.

Caritas is also the lead agency for CAN DO, a consortium of eight church agencies – Caritas Australia, Act for Peace, Adventist Relief and Development Agency, Anglican Board of Missions, Anglican Overseas Aid, Australian Lutheran World Service, Transform Aid International and Uniting World. The CAN DO Coordination Unit isfunded by consortium members, managed and hosted by Caritas, andfulfils a central coordination function for the consortium.

The position reports tothe Manager, CAN DO Coordination Unit.

In terms of impact, the position has primary responsibility for the coordination and facilitation of all design monitoring, evaluation and learning practices of the network, related to both disaster responseand the capacity development initiatives, in orderto maximize the disaster management results, learning and impact in communities, especially in the Pacific.

For more information about Caritas Australia and the CAN DO consortium go to

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

  1. In consultation with CAN DO members coordinate the development of a Theory of Change (ToC) and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) framework to maximize all program/project results, impact and learning.
  2. Ensure all project designs and monitoring frameworks are in alignment with the ToC and MEL framework and as required, support and train partners to meet the MEL needs.
  3. Participate in the DFAT Australian Humanitarian Partnership’s Support Unit (AHP SU) MEL Working Group to both influence their MEL frameworks and ensure CAN DO alignment with the new five year DFAT Pacific Capability Fund requirements.
  4. Coordinate the consortium’s annual planning and consolidate reporting of results and impact.
  5. Develop and or contribute to the development of high quality consortium proposals for submission, with a particular focus on design and MEL, and ensure quality reporting of results and impact to members and donors.
  6. Develop effective processes and systems for documenting and promoting best practice and learning. Coordinate and facilitate reflection processes and learning events, ensuring learning across the consortium is captured and factored into future initiatives.
  7. Coordinate CAN DO internal communications to ensure effective communication processes and learning among CAN DO members. Support the communications WG to develop and achieve our broader communications strategy.
  8. Develop and coordinate a CAN DO research and advocacy agenda, liaising and or partnering with relevant academic institutions to improve CAN DO partner disaster response and community resilience results and impact andcontribute to broader humanitarian learning.

KEY CHALLENGES & INFLUENCES

  1. Contributing to the development of DMEL frameworks and standards with eight Australian consortium partners with differing mandates while meeting donor expectation is made even more complex with a further set of partners in the countries where programs are implemented and results are expected.
  2. Achieving good results will be challenging and a long road given the church networks are essentially made of volunteers andlack resources and coordination.

Decision Making, Risk and Work Health and Safety

Decisions which are made by the Position Holder include:

  • Determining day to day work priorities.
  • Deciding the content of reports, submissions, policies, correspondence and briefs with limited direction from the supervisor.
  • How to facilitate effective coordination and communication with internal and external stakeholders to achieve results and manage stakeholder expectations.
  • Taking ownership for work, being flexible and adaptable, and making suggestions for new policies or processes to improve business performance or address advertising issues.

Decisions referred to a Supervisor may include:

  • Any decision that will substantially alter the agreed outcomes or timeframe for delivering the expected DMEL results.
  • Major policy issues that impact the achievement of the CAN DO strategy or agreed donor project outcomes.
  • Any major conflicts between consortium members or members not adhering to agreed protocols or standards.
  • Matters requiring a higher delegated authority such as approval for expenditure and/or travel.

The Position Holder must:

  • Observe safe work practices in accordance with training and instruction provided and report any risk to her/his immediate supervisor. Risks arising in the workplace may relate to financial, site, task or safety issues and practices.
  • Promote and implement work health and safety and risk mitigation processes in conjunction with her/his supervisor including identifying and reporting any hazards or safety issues within the workplace
  • Comply with ACBC and Caritas Australia work health and safety practices and procedures.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

WHO / WHY
Internal
Manager, CAN DO Coordination Unit / To escalate issues as required, keep informed on work in progress, receive advice, direction and feedback
Consortium Members in Australia / To coordinate and facilitate good DMEL practice and learning among consortium members
Humanitarian Emergencies Group, Caritas Australia / To ensure strong coordination of DMEL approaches with the consortium lead agency, Caritas Australia, which hosts the coordination unit
External
Consortium Partners Overseas / Liaise with partners on essential DMEL frameworks and requirements to ensure CAN DO program results and success.
Government, AHP SU and Non-Government agencies and stakeholders / Liaison on requests for information and documentation. Participate in working groups as required.
REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS: / Manager, CAN DO Coordination Unit
LEVELS TO CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER / 3
DIRECT REPORTS: / Staffing: While there are no direct or indirect reports
this role it is responsible for coordinating, facilitating
and leading working groups and networks with
CAN DO members and their Pacific partners, along with
representing the consortium in a DFAT monitoring
and evaluation working group.
  • Promotes a culture of integrity and professionalism and is able to work within the Christian ethos of the consortium.
  • Tertiary qualificationsand or relevantexperience in a development or humanitarian field.
  • 3-5 years demonstrated experience in DMEL with a solid understanding of humanitarian standards and their implementation,preferably in the Pacific.
  • Exceptional writing and communication skills with demonstrated experience developing successful tenders, narrative and financial reporting, and other internal and external communications, often at short notice within a humanitarian context.
  • Able to engage and motivate staff in order develop the capability and potential of a culturally diverse group of partners, leaders and teams.
  • Undertakes objective critical analysis to draw accurate conclusions that take into account contextual, cultural and local partnership issues.
  • Experience coordinating research and learning initiatives across organisations, academic institutions and networks.
  • Available to deploy to disasters on short notice.

Additional Information:

  • The successful candidate must have and maintain the right to work in Australia.
  • Ongoing appointment to this position is dependent on successful completion of a relevant Criminal History Record Check and a Working with Children Check if the role is designated as working with children.

Occupant:

Print Name:______

Signature:______

Date:______

Supervisor:

Print Name:______

Signature:______

Date:______

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