Project Lead for the Philippines

Position: Project Lead

Contract Length: 12 months with possibility of extension

Country Programme: The Philippines

Base: Mindanao, The Philippines

Line Manager: Country Director

About the Philippines Programme of People in Need:

On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan (known in the Philippines as Yolanda) ravaged Eastern Samar, one of the poorest provinces of the country. The instant and large-scale emergency response provided by international organizations helped provide solutions to short-term problems and attended to the immediate needs of those affected. Now, we are focusing on the long-term recovery of the Philippines. We help revive and improve local markets and ensure new, alternative sources of livelihood for people. For instance, we introduced growing cacao, and connected poor farmers with customers and suppliers, without the interference of third parties and middlemen.

The Philippines also faces political and social conflicts, including disputes over exclusive land ownership, forced displacements, and ineffective governance. Therefore, we support local communities and human rights organizations protecting people’s right to land. These organizations also monitor land grabbing, organize awareness campaigns and public debates with politicians, and provide legal advice.

In 2017, hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes as a result of the Battle of Marawi, the longest urban war in the modern history of the Philippines. In cooperation with local partners, we helped young people affected by the conflict, distributed school uniforms, and provided legal advice and psychosocial support. We also provided sub-grants to local civil society organizations, and organized initiatives to empower the youth towards advocating for increased tolerance and respect for other religions and cultures.

Today, we are operating in some of the most impoverished and climate-vulnerable areas of the country such as Northern Samar and Northern Mindanao, to provide access to renewable energy capable of powering both households and livelihoods. Through this, we aim to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities and their ability to cope with the consequences of future disasters. We also support small local CSOs in Caraga region and BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao ) strengthening their role in public decision making processes. We aim to support governance and development processes in the Philippines to become more inclusive, transparent, and accountable to its citizens’ needs.

About the LEAP Project in BARMM:

The LEAP project, funded by the European Union, aims to support the economic development of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) by focusing on the coffee and seaweed value chains in the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi (BaSulTa). It is part of the Bangsamoro Agri Enterprise Programme (BAEP) of the EU in line with the EU's mandate and has been designed after conducting an internal assessment and interviews with various stakeholders. 

The project's objectives are to strengthen the resilience of Agri- and aqua-culture value chains, particularly coffee, seaweed, and their intercropping opportunities. This will be achieved through concrete interventions to improve access to inputs, extension services, financial products, and processing facilities. The project also emphasizes coordination among different actors in the value chains, with a focus on promoting the role of women, youth, and indigenous people.   

To achieve its goals, the project will use market value chain assessment methodologies and work closely with academia to map, analyze, and coordinate stakeholders within the coffee and seaweed value chains. It will also organize individual farmer and fisherfolk groups into clusters and provide tailored coaching, extension services, and nurseries to enhance input production quality and scaling. Access to financial services and technical support will be facilitated to further support this objective. 

Additionally, the project will focus on enhancing post-harvest processing facilities and ensuring they are halal certified. Climate services will also be made available to improve product quality and income generation. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to a peaceful, cohesive, secure, and inclusive development of Agri- and aqua-culture value chains in Bangsamoro, with a specific objective of improving coffee and seaweed production in terms of quality, diversity, consolidation, and market responsiveness. 

About the role:

Project Lead will have a key role in leading a project team, coordination with partners´ organizations, implementation and ensuring the overall quality of the “Leveraging and Expanding Agri-Aqua Production” or LEAP project in BaSulTa provinces in BARMM, the Philippines.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

The Project Lead shall work to:

•        Lead the project management cycle for the LEAP Project, focusing on improving the value chain of coffee and seaweed production in the provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi Tawi;
•        Provide technical expertise in rural development and agri-aqua value chain development;
•        Ensure quality implementation of the project and its activities in line with international best practices and standards;
•        Ensure adaptive management;
•        Promote staff capacity building and professional development;
•        Manage the performance of the team;
•        Manage the budget and assist in the development of cash-flow projections and budget forecasting;
•        Ensure all project activities, procurement and spending are compliant with People in Need and donor rules and regulations;
•        Ensure timely, relevant and quality project-related data collection;
•        Conduct regular field visits to monitor field activities, provide advisory support to team members and beneficiaries;
•        Ensure project activities are based on a detailed action plan, sound design principles utilizing PIN and donor required M&E systems and design a realistic M&E plan for the project;
•       Serve as main contact person for the project partners, donor, local stakeholders, other NGOs active in the field, local and government authorities;
•        Responsible for all donor reporting;
•        In coordination with the Country Director, responsible for the external communication of the project;
•        Identifying and pursuing fundraising opportunities in the sector of rural development; in cooperation with the Country Director and Head of Programmes
•        Perform other duties as may be assigned.

Main requirements:

Philippine nationals are highly encouraged to apply.

•        At least 3 years of professional experience within a development organization;
•        Experience in team management, project development and management;
•        Strong grasp of all stages of programme cycle management, quality standards and accountability mechanisms;
•        Strong organizational, critical analysis and problém-solving skills;
•        University degree in relevant field (masters or experience equivalent);
•        Preferable previous work-related experience from the Philippines and/or SE Asia region;
•        Experience in MSD (Market Systems Development) and VC (Value Chains) would be advantage.
•        Experience and passion in building the capacity of national teams;
•        Proficient communication and facilitation skills;
•        Proficient spoken and written English;
•        Knowledge of Tagalog or Visayan would be an asset;
•        Good networking, partnership and relationship building and representation skills.
•        Familiarity with local context (i.e. BARMM context) would be advantage
•        Dynamic and result-oriented with ability to organize and plan effectively, responsible and systematic;
•        Reliable and self-reliant personality with responsible and systematic approach to work;
•        Ability to work in difficult conditions and under pressure;
•        Cultural sensitivity;
•        Strong ability and willingness to transfer knowledge;
•        Willing to travel including to remote project sites;
•        Reliable and self-reliant. 

PIN Offers:

• Working environment in a well-established middle-sized and continuously growing humanitarian organization in a challenging context; in the largest INGO in Central and Eastern Europe;
• Salary and benefits according to PIN salary scale and HR policies; more detailed conditions will be shared with preselected candidates;
• Free access to e-learning sites, global PIN’s Induction Training, PIN Learning HUB, and individually tailored capacity-building opportunities; incl. HEAT training
• A supportive HQ that provides expertise and guidance on everything from finance and procurement to proposal development and strategic positioning;
• Personal and professional growth as a leader in the highly competitive development sector.

How to apply:

If you are interested in this position, send us your CV and short cover letter via our application form.

Please note only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Interviews will be conducted on rolling basis and the vacancy will be closed when filled.

People in Need staff are expected to perform job duties and responsibilities in accordance with People in Need Code of conduct and key policies (available at: https://www.peopleinneed.net/key-policies-4142gp).

People in Need is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behavior at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct and is committed to promoting the welfare of children and adults with whom People in Need involves. People in Need expects all staff to perform job duties and responsibilities in accordance with People in Need code of conduct and key policies (available at: https://www.peopleinneed.net/key-policies-4142gp). People in Need Staff will undertake the appropriate level of training.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organization and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.