Country Coordinator Full-Time Job Description

There is an immediate opening for a full-time position for Bangladesh Country Coordinator for Disability Rights Promotion International’s Asian Workplace Approach that Respects Equality (AWARE) project.

DRPI is a collaborative project working to establish a holistic and sustainable global system to monitor the human rights of people with disabilities. DRPI has begun a five-year employment project, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency. This employment project will identify and address the key labour market causes of chronic unemployment, underemployment and poverty of women and men with disabilities in three urban areas in three countries: Bangladesh (Dhaka); India (Hyderabad); and Nepal (Katmandu). DRPI’s International Coordination Centre is based at York University in Toronto, Canada.  With the support of Bangladesh Protibandhi Kallyan Somity (BPKS), DRPI is establishing a Country Office for Bangladesh in Dhaka.

The DRPI project is guided by the belief that people with all types of disabilities and their representative organizations should be actively involved in all aspects of disability rights monitoring. DRPI uses a holistic approach to monitoring disability rights, focusing on three inter-related areas: individual experiences (gathering information about the personal experiences of people with disabilities), systems (assessing laws, policies and programs impacting the rights of people with disabilities) and societal attitudes (examining the coverage and depiction of disability in the media). The AWARE project will use this holistic approach to expose the systemic barriers to employment faced by people with disabilities in the region. AWARE will provide awareness campaigns and trainings workshops to employers and policy-makers to influence systemic change, and develop inclusive employment strategies. It will also work to provide the skills people with disabilities need to be employed. The aim of this project will be to increase the opportunities and ability of people with disabilities to participate in the workforce. Further information may be found on the project website.

Duties

The position will involve working under the direction of DRPI’s Co-Director and the project’s Principle Investigator (Marcia Rioux), DRPI’s Project Coordinator (Paula Hearn), project partners located in Bangladesh, and other researchers to:

• Coordinate project activities in Bangladesh in collaboration with DRPI’s project personnel and partners;
• Coordinate training and information workshops, including the logistics of organizing the venue; participant travel, board and lodging; printing of materials, etc.;
• Plan and supervise disability rights monitoring interviews;
• Prepare workshop and monitoring reports;
• Prepare mid-year and annual narratives and financial reports in collaboration with project partners in Bangladesh;
• Offer support to various activity coordinators, to carry out project activities such as targeted information campaigns, and arranging work placements for persons with disabilities.
• Liaise with other Country Coordinators in both Nepal and India;
• Develop and foster partnerships between and among disability rights organizations, employers, and government officials in Bangladesh with a focus on Dhaka;
• Raise awareness of disability rights monitoring activities taking place in Bangladesh  (by, for example, coordinating media campaigns, writing content for the DRPI website and list serv, attending and presenting at relevant meetings, etc.)
• Other tasks, as required by DRPI’s Co-Director or their designate.

Qualifications

Required

1. Experience in project administration and management, including writing reports, and financial administration;
2. Experience in organizing events, and training workshops.
3. Experience in contributing to effective communication strategies including newsletters, reports, websites, etc;
4. Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, and at least one additional language spoken in Dhaka.
5. Understanding and experience of disability as a human rights issue. Understanding of local employment barriers for persons with disabilities;
6. Experience communicating and collaborating with various stakeholders, including employers, employers’ associations, government officials, and non-government organizations; and
7. Willing to travel within the region

Preferred

1. Citizen or resident of Bangladesh
2. A university degree in the area of law, social sciences or other related discipline
3. Experience with Nvivo software, and other research tools and methodologies
4. Personal experience of disability and/or working with people with disabilities
5. Fluency in other languages spoken in India, Bangladesh, or Nepal is a strong asset
6. Pan-Asian experience

Salary

Compensation will be commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate.

The Country Coordinator will work out of the office in Dhaka. Please note that it will not be possible to cover the cost of the successful candidate’s moving and/or relocation expenses. 

We encourage applications from persons with disabilities, women, ethnic minorities and other marginalized groups. 

Applications will be accepted until February 5, 2014 (at noon, Dhaka time).

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and their résumé in English to both of the following email address: drpi_aware@yorku.ca  AND asdulal@bpksbd.or.

Please state “Application - Bangladesh Country Co-Ordinator” in the subject line of the email. For further information about this posting, please contact:

Dr. Marcia Rioux or Paula Hearn
Disability Rights Promotion International (DRPI)

Telephone: +1  416 736 2100 extension 20718
Email: drpi_aware@yorku.ca