Country: Bangladesh
Closing date: 19 May 2019
The mission of Translators without Borders is to provide people with access to vital knowledge in their language. We do this by building language technology, increasing language translation capacity at a local level, providing language and simplification services that are culturally appropriate, accessible and open source, and raising awareness globally of language barriers.
Contract length: one year, with the possibility of extension
Hours: Full-time
Location: Cox’s Bazar - Bangladesh
Travel: minimal
Application deadline: 19 May 2019
Due to the urgency of the vacancy, screening and interviews will commence immediately and the candidate can be selected at any stage before the closing date.
Background
Extreme violence in Myanmar has driven more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees across the border into Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. This is one of the largest refugee crises in the world. This refugee population has distinct humanitarian needs such as food, shelter, and actionable information in a language they understand. The only language that everyone in this community speaks and understands is Rohingya; a language that has no written form and has, in the past, attracted very little research into terminology and structure.
To best respond to the Rohingya community’s acute information needs, TWB is working in consortium with BBC Media Action and Internews to generate research and create tools to assist humanitarian actors to communicate effectively, in the appropriate language.
The Role
Reporting to: Bangladesh Country Director
The Program Director (PD) is a member of the Country Management Team. S/he designs TWB’s response strategy and program plans, ensuring program quality and coherence. The PD is responsible for the timely and effective delivery of TWB’s program in Cox’s Bazar, including research and learning. S/he leads and performance manages the country program team to that effect. The PD will have overall responsibility for establishing and maintaining programmatic partnerships with aid organizations, donors, and other relevant actors.
The PD provides support and assistance to the CD in donor communication, reporting, liaison with government and external representation, and covers for the CD as needed.
Responsibilities
Fundraising, financial and human resources management
Develop project proposals, identify funding opportunities and network with partners and donors with a view to submitting funding proposals.
Proactively seek opportunities to expand the depth and breadth of the program in response to need, and relay information to crisis response team colleagues to that end.
Monitor and manage budgets in compliance with TWB and donor requirements.
Recruit and performance-manage team members.
Maintain open and professional relationships with the internal TWB team, TWB volunteers, partner agencies and donors.
Contribute to a positive, innovative and supportive work environment.
Design and implementation of program strategies and plans
Develop mutually beneficial partnerships/projects with humanitarian agencies to provide them with language services and advice.
Oversee the development of an innovative, scalable and collaborative multi-year program plan, in close cooperation with the Country Director.
Oversee the development, revision and adaptation of all project proposals.
Input into the design of a strategy for developing and maintaining a community of translators for the key languages of the response.
Oversee the delivery and monitoring of all program plans agreed with partners and donors.
Ensure monitoring, evidence, and impact gathering is an integral part of the program plans; flexibility and innovation being incorporated and embraced
Manage the program team to ensure that innovative research into language and communication issues is undertaken as part of the response.
Humanitarian liaison and coordination
Represent TWB, engage with humanitarian coordination and strategy development, using existing evidence to ensure that issues relating to language are taken on board in key decisions, including response planning and UN appeals.
Liaise with organizations to ensure they factor language their response plans, with TWB’s support.
Actively participate in humanitarian coordination forums.
Advocacy
Participate actively in NGO advocacy working groups and other groups to ensure that language issues are highlighted within the response
Develop and contribute to TWB’s advocacy and media efforts.
Reporting
Ensure TWB complies with donor reporting requirements, including writing narrative reports and working with the finance team to prepare financial reports.
Input into TWB’s overall crisis response reporting to the Humanitarian Innovation Fund.
Coordinate the drafting and circulating of regular situation reports for TWB’s internal audience.
Qualifications
The Program Director should be a creative self-starter with a strong sense of initiative, experienced in humanitarian programming and enthusiastic about the importance of increasing access to knowledge through language. The right candidate is an energetic team player who agrees with TWB´s basic beliefs and values and who can work virtually with team members based throughout the world.
Requirements
Relevant university degree
7+ years of project design and management experience, with at least 5 years in the humanitarian sector
Demonstrated experience of leading and managing high performing program teams
Demonstrated experience working in humanitarian projects focussed on language, communication and access to information
Demonstrated experience in effective fundraising
Demonstrated listening and advising skills
Excellent writing and presentation skills in English
Representation experience a plus
Knowledge of Rohingya, Myanmar and/or Bangla a plus
Training or research skills and experience a plus
Interpreting or translation experience a plus
Media or communications experience a plus
Core Values
Translators without Borders employees and volunteers are made of people who believe passionately about the value of this work and take personal responsibility for achieving the mission. Translators without Borders’ mission and organizational spirit embody the core values established in its strategic framework:
Excellence: As the leading voice for communicating humanitarian information in the right language, Translators without Borders is a leader in the translation industry and in the non-profit sector.
Integrity: Translators without Borders believes that every person, whether it is the people who we serve, our volunteers or our staff, has value, deserves respect and has inherent dignity.
Empowerment: Translators without Borders believes in using language to empower people around the world to control their own development and destiny.
Innovation: Translators without Borders recognizes and celebrates the power of innovation to address humanitarian and crisis issues around the world.
Sustainability: Translators without Borders recognizes that meeting our mission necessitates establishment and maintenance of a solid financial and organizational infrastructure.
Tolerance: Our staff and volunteers are highly knowledgeable and skilled; value each other, our partner and our recipients; create a supportive work environment; and, conduct themselves professionally at all times.
Translators without Borders is an equal-opportunity employer, committed to diversity and inclusion, and encourages qualified candidates of all genders and from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.
How to apply:
