Austria: Regional Coordinator for Eastern Europe

Vacancy Notice

Regional Coordinator for Eastern Europe

Duty station Vienna, Austria

Reports to: Deputy Executive Director/ Network Development

Duration of contract Two years

Starting date May 2018

Background

ECPAT International is a global network of civil society organisations working together to end the sexual exploitation of children. It seeks to ensure that children everywhere enjoy their fundamental rights free and secure from all forms of commercial sexual exploitation.

The ECPAT network currently has 103 member organisations in 93 countries in all regions of the world. All members are independent organisations or coalitions working against the sexual exploitation of children (SEC). The Secretariat of the Network is based in Bangkok, Thailand. Currently ECPAT has member groups in ten Eastern European countries.

ECPAT’s capacity to accelerate progress against CSEC requires a stronger and more effective Network, served by a more responsive and unifying Secretariat. The movement requires enhanced global and regional collaboration, greater shared understanding, clarity of direction and a focus on common goals. Successful network development links national, regional and international efforts, with synergies and clear accountability among the different parts of the organisation that bring positive results for children.

Currently ECPAT has regional coordinators in Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Recently ECPAT secured project funding specifically dedicated to regional coordination and network strengthening in Eastern Europe. This funding makes the establishment of a Regional Coordinator possible. During a two-year period, the project aims at initiating the development of a strategy to effectively fight SEC in the region and secure sustainable resources to implement the multiple-year strategy and secure a sustainable presence.

Job purpose

The Regional Coordinator for Eastern Europe is a new position and will be responsible for providing the strategic and technical leadership towards ECPAT’s advocacy and programming work against the sexual exploitation of children (SEC) in the region. The coordinator will implement different activities to increase coverage and development of skills of ECPAT Network members, establish a platform for advocacy and action in Eastern Europe linked to the existing global and regional initiatives, and strengthen the collective efforts of civil society and other stakeholders to effectively fight against SEC in the region. Network development includes support to the capacity building of member organisations and expansion to new countries. With the position based in Vienna, it is strategically located to interact with regional entities (such as OSCE) and with international bodies (UNODC). The ECPAT Network has currently member organisations in 18 countries in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region.

The position will be based in Vienna, Austria. The position will be hosted by our member organisation ECPAT Austria. The successful candidate will be contracted for employment with ECPAT Austria under Austrian law.

The position will report to Deputy Executive Director/ Network Development who is based in Bangkok, Thailand.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Knowledge management

· Ensure the SEC Regional Overview for the region is updated and reflective of the emerging trends and new manifestations of SEC through pro-active collection and analysis of information;

· Maintain an overview of issues relating to the sexual exploitation of children in the region, monitoring trends in the external environment and inputting to organizational strategy and planning processes;

· Provide technical support to conducting SEC Situational Analyses or SEC Country Overviews in new countries.

Advocacy strategy and programme implementation

· Coordinate the development and implementation of the advocacy strategy for the Eastern Europe region in collaboration with the ECPAT Secretariat and ECPAT member organisations with due consideration for regional and national opportunities and mechanisms, including identification of measurable indicators to monitor impact and progress;

· Contribute to the development of evidence based, high quality and effective advocacy tools (messages, documents and policy papers) especially on emerging issues such as sexual exploitation of children in Travel and Tourism and Online Child Sexual Exploitation;

· Promote coordination and collaboration among the ECPAT Network and UN agencies, INGOs and other stakeholders to maximize advocacy and programme opportunities against CSEC in the region particularly in line with global and regional commitments, with special focus on SDGs;

· Ensure that the voices and perspectives of children, especially victims and survivors, are taken into account in support of ECPAT’s advocacy work through incorporation of children’s participation/inputs in ECPAT’s advocacy strategy;

· Develop, support implementation and monitor the Secretariat’s regional annual Work Plan with measurable indicators of progress based on Regional Strategy and funding commitments;

· Manage the implementation of regional based projects, monitor progress and ensure timely and quality donor reporting.

Network development, coordination and support

· Facilitate the formulation of the ECPAT network development strategy for Eastern Europe based on ECPAT’s global network strategy, which aims at a dynamic and effective network against SEC in the region with tailored strategies for coalition members and for the alliances of national non-member groups in the region;

· Assess ECPAT’s network presence in the region and monitor its functioning; identify potential new member organisations; liaise with the ECPAT Board Credentials Committee on membership in the region;

· Organise ECPAT network regional consultations with members and partners and support the implementation of follow-up actions/commitments;

· Provide technical support and training to ECPAT member organizations as needed;

· Coordinate network communication within and across the region and the Secretariat in close collaboration with the Regional Board Representative;

· Ensure that the regional section on the ECPAT Intranet Network HUB is up-to-date and promote active use of the Network HUB among regional members;

· Support members of the region in mechanisms to ensure that the voice and perspective of children in taken into account in their decision making and governance, including through the ECPAT International Child and Youth Advisory Committee (EICYAC)

External relations and representation

· With the approval and in consultation with the Secretariat, represent ECPAT externally, networking to promote ECPAT perspectives and build relationships that bring into ECPAT new insights and capacities to address SEC;

· Develop and maintain relationships with international and regional child focused organisations and experts;

· Represent ECPAT International in key events and forums in the region and report on these events in a timely manner;

· Liaise with media on behalf of ECPAT as needed.

Grant management, proposal development, fundraising

· Responsible for grant management, including preparations of and contribution to grant reports;

· Proactive assessment of fundraising opportunities and development of funding proposals.

Profile

Qualifications

· Advanced university degree in human rights, social work, international development, public policy, communication, advocacy or related field;

· Minimum of five years relevant professional experience in advocacy and/or development programming;

· Demonstrated experience in policy advocacy work at the national and regional levels in Eastern Europe;

· Demonstrated understanding of child rights instruments and monitoring processes.

Competencies

· Demonstrated commitment to ECPAT’s vision, values and principles;

· Ability to initiate external contacts and network effectively in order to have influence on policy and practice agendas;

· Sound strategic thinking and planning skills, including the ability to think creatively, to innovate and to set priorities, create management work plans and evaluate progress;

· The ability to analyze complex and/or multi-sourced information and summarize it for a range of different audiences;

· Fluency in written and spoken English, Russian, and ideally another language of the region. Knowledge of German would be beneficial for duty station in Austria;

· Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills.

Frequent travel within the region and to Bangkok is required, often on short notice.

For employment in Austria, the candidate should have residency status in the European Union.

Candidates interested in this position can download ECPAT’s Personal History Form at http://www.ecpat.net/employment

Please submit a completed Personal History Form and your cover letter to vacancy@ecpat.net

Mention your name and the title of the position in the email subject line

Deadline: 31 March 2018

The employment contract will be concluded between the successful candidate and ECPAT Austria. Conditions will follow the human resource policies and standards of ECPAT Austria. Other arrangements will be established through a Memorandum of Understanding between ECPAT International and ECPAT Austria.

ECPAT International is committed to keeping children safe. The selection process reflects our commitment to the safeguarding of children.