Position: Democracy, Human Rights and Governance Short Term Senior Technical Advisor

 

Location: Remote (with potential travel to Laos)

Integra is an innovative international development firm established in 2010 to bring creative solutions to 21st century challenges.  Headquartered in Washington, DC we use academically grounded analytical tools and private sector partnerships to address key development challenges in the areas of economic growth, agriculture and food security, gender and women’s empowerment, climate and environment, and information and communication technology.  Our work has resulted in effective project implementation and policy reforms in over 30 countries and has leveraged over one billion dollars in public and private sector funding.

 

Position Description

The short term senior technical advisor will lead the design and drafting process for the new Democracy, Human Right and Governance – Strengthening the Oversight Capacity of Provincial Assembly (SOPA) program for USAID/Laos.  The advisor will support USAID/Laos in drafting the concept note and program description, including any supporting documentation required for the procurement package.  Additional responsibilities include organizing and facilitating stakeholder engagement and/or co-creation processes, as necessary.

 

Responsibilities

• Conduct preliminary review of the Government of Laos’ governance and parliamentary-related national policies, strategies, planning documents, and other relevant literature, as well as develop a list of stakeholders and key informants with whom to engage and consult.
• Facilitate stakeholder engagement activities, co-creation meetings with development partners and the Government of Laos, along with identifying and mapping development activities carried out by the National Assembly, donors, and non-governmental organization (NGO) partners.
• Lead drafting process with USAID/Laos for the concept note for the SOPA program.
• Prepare a Program Description/Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) or other relevant acquisition or assistance tool and supporting documentation for the procurement package.
• Hold weekly meetings with the Health and Governance Office, to review progress, resolve any issues and coordinate the writing process.
• Coordinate across design teams to ensure the completion of key deliverables.  This includes management of logistics, writing meeting agendas, leading discussions, among other tasks, in collaboration with USAID/Laos and technical support teams.
• Assist in presenting the Concept Note and/or Program Design to internal and external audiences.
• Conduct a Rapid Political Economy Assessment (RPEA) to contextualize the effects of the political landscape on related Mission programming.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in the technical design and writing of Local Governance and Parliamentary programs;
• Effective team leadership, coordination and facilitation skills and the ability to work effectively as a member of a multi-disciplinary governance sector team (decentralization, local governance, rule of law, parliamentary, for example);
• Advanced degree in governance preferred and strong analytical and communication (written and facilitation) skills.  The ideal candidate has employment history that demonstrates extensive writing experience, and an ability to craft information succinctly with a high degree of technical depth;
• Extensive knowledge of parliamentary systems, local governance, key global governance interventions and trends, and substantial extensive experience designing programs; and
• Extensive knowledge of USG governance programming and policies in Asia (preference for experience working on programs for Laos or similar settings in South East Asia).