1. Main purpose of the role
To lead the day-to-day running of PBI’s Southeast Asia Project Exploration. With the support of the Southeast Asia Project Exploration Committee (SEAPEC), you will develop activities and conduct research to establish the potential for forming a regionally PBI project in Southeast Asia. Based on the outcomes of the exploration, you will coordinate the SEAPEC’s recommendation to the General Assembly of PBI on whether, when and how to proceed with establishing the project and support its set-up if a new project is approved.
2. Position in the organisation
This is a consultancy position for a duration of approximately 18 months. As an independent consultant, you will be responsible for matters of taxation, insurances, social security and any other liabilities in the country in which you work. You will report to the SEAPEC and work in close collaboration with other PBI entities, particularly PBI Germany and the International Office (IO). On behalf of the SEAPEC, you will report regularly on the progress of the exploration and seek feedback from PBI’s International Council (IC) and International Operations Council (IOC). The exploration takes place within the framework of the German Civil Peace Service Program, which is financed through the Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ).
It is important to note that while support and oversight will be provided by the SEAPEC, this role will be significantly self-led and requires an independent self-starter.
3. Place of work
Work location is flexible and the consultant will be expected to work from home. Some international travel as required (less than 10% of work time). Consultants based within Southeast Asia are strongly encouraged to apply.
4. Organisation overview
Peace Brigades International (PBI) is a non-governmental organisation, registered in the USA, which protects human rights and promotes nonviolent conflict transformation. We provide protection, capacity development and other support for threatened organisations, defenders and communities pursuing social justice and defense of human rights in areas of violent conflict. PBI currently maintains field projects in Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Indonesia, Mexico, Nepal and Costa Rica/Nicaragua.
Project work is supported by a network of 13 country groups in Europe, North America and Australia, who carry out volunteer recruitment, advocacy and fundraising, and by a small International Office in Brussels, Belgium.
PBI uses a non-hierarchical model of organising and decisions are made by consensus. The General Assembly, which convenes every three years, is PBI’s highest decision-making body. In between, governance and operations are the responsibility of the international councils. The International Councils, Committees and Working Groups, together with the International Office constitute the International Secretariat (ISEC).
Further information about PBI can be found at www.peacebrigades.org.
5. The Southeast Asia Exploration
In recent years PBI has repeatedly been approached by human rights defenders (HRDs) and organizations in countries across Southeast Asia with requests for capacity development and wider support. In response to these requests, we have begun to evaluate how PBI could best contribute to improving the safety and well-being of HRDs in the region, complementing our existing projects in Indonesia and Nepal. In 2019, we conducted a scoping study looking at recent trends. We saw that gaps in the field of protection and well-being for HRDs exist and are insufficiently addressed at the regional level. PBI’s experience developing joint programs with local organizations and working in a format in which HRDs are accompanied through training and mentoring provides a solid foundation for work in the wider Southeast Asia region. A regional approach could also help to support HRDs in making spaces for peace and conflict transformation, while circumventing the barriers to operation which are present in many locations. This model might also offer an opportunity to address gaps in regional coordination and advocacy at the ASEAN level.
The exploration will focus on five key Southeast Asian nations: Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand. Additionally it will take into account the experience and existing work of the PBI Indonesia Project. It will combine in-depth research, input from human rights actors operating at local, national and regional levels, and pilot programmatic activities, to establish if and how PBI could best make a sustainable contribution to peace-building through the protection of HRDs, and how a regional approach could be structured to offer such support over the longer term.
The exploration is supported by the SEAPEC, which currently consists of nine volunteer members who bring a range of complementary competencies, including with regard to regional knowledge, human rights and conflict transformation, training and capacity development, project planning, research, budgeting and financial administration.
In order to facilitate the development of the exploration and an in-depth analysis of the findings, the SEAPEC meets regularly online, with the possibility of in-person meetings at key junctures in the exploration. Site visits and regional events will be executed by the Project Coordinator (consultant) and/or SEAPEC members. As necessary, the SEAPEC will recruit external consultants and/or local coordinators to fulfil key short-term objectives.
6. Person specification
We are especially interested in candidates with strong area expertise and/or in-country experience, related to one or more of the following countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand. Candidates from Southeast Asia are strongly encouraged to apply.
Desired skills and experience
- Minimum 3 years’ relevant work experience; experience working in Southeast Asia preferred
- Proven experience in project management, reporting, monitoring and evaluation
- Excellent organisational skills, experience organising/facilitating international workshops preferred
- Budgeting, financial oversight and management skills, experience in fundraising and grant writing/management desirable
- Excellent communication skills. The working language of the project is English; knowledge of Southeast Asian languages would be a considerable asset
- Strong background in one or more of the fields of human rights, peace building, conflict resolution and/or non-violent action
- Security awareness
- Comfortable working as part of a virtual team
- Intercultural sensitivity; familiar working with people of diverse backgrounds and experiences
- Committed to PBI’s mission and values and willing and able to work in consensus
7. Tasks and deliverables
- Develop workplan (to be agreed in communication with the SEAPEC)
- Conduct desk research and develop written outputs, e.g. context analyses, country fact sheets, risk assessments, actor and relationship maps, reports
- Convene and participate in regular twice-monthly SEAPEC calls
- Conduct meetings with key stakeholders, including local and regional actors; participate in conferences and seminars relevant to the exploration and for the purposes of network building
- Organise / conduct two to four site visits in selected countries (two in 2021, two in the first half of 2022)
- Organise and convene one to two workshops with HRDs from across the region (dates TBC)
- Arrange two to three in person SEAPEC meetings (possibly as side events to the workshops/site visits). (If international travel is not possible, online activities will substitute in-person meetings.)
- Maintain budget oversight, submit financial documentation and ensure compliance with funder requirements
- Submit regular written reports, plus a final evaluation report including recommendations
- Draft a funding proposal for the establishment of a project if recommended in the final evaluation
8. Remuneration
The maximum allocated budget for the consultancy is EUR 24.000 for the period August 2021-December 2022. Exact payment terms will be agreed in discussion with the consultant and in reference to the deliverables.
How to apply:
Please visit https://www.peacebrigades.org/en/jobs-with-pbi for full terms of reference and application instructions.