PNDS - Training Specialist - Cardno - Dili, Timor Leste

Job Reference Number: EMR/PNDS/TS/T27

Job Type: International Development Assistance/Emerging Markets

Schedule: Contract

Job Location: Asia; Timor Leste; Dili

Job Summary

Cardno Emerging Markets is seeking energetic and enthusiastic candidates to assist the Government of Timor-Leste with the National Program for Suco Development (Programa Nasional Dezenvolvimentu Suku – PNDS). PNDS is an initiative of the Government of Timor-Leste, jointly managed by the Ministry of State Administration and Ministry of Finance, which aims to work with communities at the village level to help eliminate poverty by investing in community-driven basic infrastructure projects.

AusAID is assisting the government to develop the PNDS through the provision of support services managed by Cardno Emerging Markets.

 

PNDS will be rolled out nationally beginning in September 2013. The Government of Timor Leste, assisted by AusAID through Cardno Emerging Markets will prepare for program implementation during 2013. These preparations include finalisation of the PNDS Operational Manual, implementation of a pilot test of the program in 30 villages (May – December), and development of a training system to prepare PNDS field staff for the full roll-out in 2014.

 

PNDS will place small teams of community facilitators at the district and sub-district levels. These teams of facilitators will be trained in the fields of civil engineering, financial management and community mobilisation and will guide and mentor village communities through an annual cycle of participatory planning, project management and infrastructure maintenance. Direct grants of around $50,000 will be allocated to every village in Timor Leste.

Comprehensive training packages are being developed for the sub-district-level facilitators who are being recruited from local areas; these facilitators generally have minimal qualifications. However, the district facilitators already have significant skills and experience in their technical areas and will require shorter training that is focused on the PNDS program cycle and processes.

 

We currently have a vacancy for the position of Training Specialist. This position will lead the development and delivery of training materials for the district-level staff (engineers, accountants and program coordinators). Training resources will be based on the PNDS Operational Manual and existing materials developed for the sub-district facilitators.

Training materials should be competency based and sufficiently practically-oriented to produce graduates ready to undertake field work.

 

The objectives of this role are to develop and oversee the delivery of training materials that will prepare technical specialists to implement the newly-developed National Program for Suco Development (PNDS).

 

This position forms part of the PNDS Support Services Program. The successful applicant will be part of the Training Unit, a multi-disciplinary team that provides support to the Government of Timor-Leste, AusAID and Cardno in the planning and implementation of PNDS.

 

Reports to: Training Manager, Number of direct reports: up to four national trainers​

Key Responsibilities

 

1. Lead a small team comprising 2-4 experienced national trainers to develop, in consultation with the GoTL Ministry of State Administration, an orientation training program (duration approximately three weeks) for two groups of participants (a mix of program coordinators, engineers and accountants):
•  32 consultants selected to implement the pilot program; and
•  78 PNDS district supervisors (all three technical streams).
2. The Training Specialist would be required to advise on course structure, but modules should include, at a minimum, the following:
•  PNDS guiding principles (active community participation, gender equality, transparency, accountability and on-going capacity development).
•  PNDS-specific mechanisms and processes including participatory planning, detailed project preparation (technical design and budget), execution (procurement and construction), and operations and maintenance arrangements.
•  Program supervision, verification and reporting requirements.
•  Accountability measures and complaints handling system.
•  Management and mentoring skills (staff management and program management skills).
•  (Other members of the training team would assist with development and delivery of specific modules for each of the three technical streams).
3. Develop, with assistance from a Vocational Training Specialist, a framework and tools for continuous assessment of the participants during the three-week course.
4. Undertake limited pilot testing of key modules to test that they are pitched at an appropriate level and are easily digested by participants.
5. Supervise and mentor the national trainers in the delivery of the course, and, assisted by the Vocational Training Specialist, provide ongoing advice and coaching to the training team and make any necessary adjustments to the training materials.
6. Participate in a final evaluation workshop to assess the effectiveness of the course, and assist in revising the teaching materials to incorporate improvements and lessons learned.​

Other Requirements

 

1. Tertiary qualifications in a relevant field (education, ideally vocational or adult education; community development, management, etc.).
2. Minimum of ten years work experience developing and delivering training or adult education – ideally in developing countries and/or on community development programs.
3. Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly and simply to a range of audiences.
   Strong oral and written communication skills in English.
4. Ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, from senior government officials and international development partners to community leaders.
5. Ability to contribute to team goals and objectives, give and receive feedback and achieve agreed performance standards.
6. Experience teaching and/or training in low-capacity environments in developing countries, particularly Timor Leste.
7. Experience working on community-driven development or rural development programs.
8. Tetun and/or Indonesian language skills.

Deliverables:

1. Proposed course outline for the training course, briefly describing for each module the key competencies targeted and the number of hours/days required for delivery.
2. Detailed teaching and assessment guides for each agreed module, developed in consultation with the Vocational Training Specialist.
3. A resourcing schedule describing personnel and materials required to deliver the trainings.
4. A trained team of up to four national trainers to deliver the materials.
5. Draft ToRs for the pilot testing of key modules.
6. Brief reports on the pilot test describing the process and results of each (including explanations of any adjustments made).
7. A simple monitoring and evaluation framework to assess the effectiveness of the training, developed in consultation with the M&E and Vocational Training specialists.
8. A final evaluation report on the training, with recommendations for future improvements.

Position Duration :

Subject to final approval from AusAID, to be contracted for the period February – 31 May 2013, with possibility of extension.

 

Funding : AusAID Governance for Development Program

 

How to apply for this position

1. Response against each of the essential and desirable selection criteria.
2. Curriculum vitae/resume.
3. Name and contact details (phone and email) of three referees.

Applications that do not address all the requirements stated above will not be considered.

 

Submitting applications :

 

Email your application with the reference “PNDS – T27 Training Specialist” in the subject line to recruitment@gfd.tl.

 

 

Closing date: 5.00pm 3 February 2013.

Late applications will not be considered.

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Employee Benefits

Contact

For further information about this position:

Email recruitment@gfd.tl with the reference “PNDS - T27 Training Specialist” in the subject line.