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Pacific Coordinator Good Return Tonga, Fiji

Good Return, an initiative of World Education Australia, is a social enterprise that allows members of the public to directly impact the lives of those in need by making one to one loans to individuals in Asia and the Pacific.

The goal of the Good Return program is to provide a sustainable means for low-income people in the Asia Pacific region to improve their lives through access to capital and skills development opportunities. It assists its partners by building their capacity to serve more and poorer members in a sustainable manner, and empower the poor to improve their lives through access to savings, credit and skill development opportunities.


Good Return is currently looking for a Pacific Coordinator who will work with the organization's MFI partner, SPBD, between Fiji and Tonga. S/he will coordinate partnership activities between Good Return and SPBD, manage the implementation of activities, and build SPBD's training capacity. The position would involve moving back and forth between the two countries, with approximately one to two months in each location at a time, depending on the projects' needs.


Tasks and Responsibilities:
•Coordinate partnership activities between Good Return and SPBD ?Liaise regularly with Good Return and SPBD staff to ensure effective communications and common understanding of activities, expectations and plans;
Coordinate the planning and implementation of all activities;
Monitor delivery and effectiveness of all activities, and facilitate reviews and evaluations where required;
Ensure collection of baseline, attendance, and end line data for all trainees / participants;
Prepare training reports and quarterly project progress reports and financial acquittals for each project and submit within 10 days of the end of each calendar quarter.


•Sustainable livelihoods project: Lead the establishment of a client training program at SPBD and build capacity of SPBD staff to perform this role ?Work with SPBD to guide the establishment of a client training unit within the MFI;
Develop a project design and work plan and identify resources required;
Support the recruitment and orientation of client training unit staff;
Train SPBD training staff in adult non formal education facilitation techniques;
Lead a training needs assessment exercise with SPBD clients and produce a TNA report;
Under guidance from the livelihoods program manager, design (or adapt) a curriculum and training materials for a financial literacy course and a small business management course;
Train trainers in how to deliver the financial literacy and small business management courses, and provide on the job mentoring and coaching;
Identify and commission external trainers to deliver sustainable agriculture skills training to SPBD clients;
Liaise with and work under the direction of the Good Return livelihoods program manager.


•MFI capacity building project: Support the strengthening of SPBD social and environmental performance management ?Coordinate with SPBD the delivery of support provided by Good Return’s triple bottom line (TBL) specialist;
Assist the TBL specialist in working with SPBD to incorporate environmental considerations into loan appraisal activities;
Conduct follow up activities as requested by the TBL specialist;
Assist SPBD to produce a quarterly Triple Bottom Line report, as required;
Liaise with and work under the direction of the Good Return microfinance program manager;
Assist SPBD in preparing materials that communicate financial, social and environmental achievements, which would appeal to lenders, donors and other stakeholders.


•Sustainable energy project: Support the promotion and uptake of renewable energy technology among SPBD clients ?Coordinate with SPBD the delivery of support provided by Good Return’s sustainable energy program manager;
Assist the sustainable energy program manager in working with SPBD to assess client demand for renewable energy technologies (RETs), then identify and establish a suitable business model for the ongoing supply of RETs to SPBD clients;
Liaise with product suppliers and facilitate communication and coordination with SPBD;
Conduct follow up activities as requested by the sustainable energy program manager;
Liaise with and work under the direction of the Good Return sustainable energy program manager.


•Good Return loans: Manage SPBD activity on the Good Return website
?Train and support SPBD staff to upload client photos and stories, and report loan repayments on a weekly basis;
Coach SPBD staff on how to improve stories and photos;
Coordinate visits by Good Return staff or volunteers;
Conduct random monitoring of Good Return loan clients;
Write stories from the field to be published on the Good Return website;
Liaise between GRSE staff in Australia and SPBD operations staff;
Liaise with and work under the direction of the Good Return microfinance program manager.


Qualifications:
•Undergraduate university degree in either Training/Education, Business, Economics, Environmental Science, Public Affairs, International Studies, Community Development or similar area of study;
•Extensive experience as a non-formal education trainer, preferably in small business management and/or financial literacy in a village context;
•Experience in agriculture, environmental awareness, microfinance and/or renewable energy will be advantageous;
•Experience working abroad and in the international development sector would be beneficial;
•Experience designing, monitoring and evaluating projects;
•Experience and success in managing a team of people;
•Passion for community development and training;
•Experience working in the South Pacific;
•Good written and spoken English language skills;
•Excellent interpersonal communication and negotiation skills, able to communicate easily with a wide range of people;
•Self motivated;
•Ability to initiate activities and work independently;
•Ability to communicate either in Fijian, Tongan (those two are preferable) and/or Hindi, Urdu.


Closing Date: 08 Mar 2012


How to Apply:
Interested candidates can send their resume and cover letter to
Celine@goodreturn.org Please mention "Pacific Coordinator" in the subject line.