Deputy Director - Human Rights and Social Development

• Suva-based position (Fiji)
• Attractive expatriate package
• Join the principal development organization in the Pacific region

Description

The Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 27 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our organisation works across more than 25 sectors. We are known for our knowledge and innovation in such areas as fisheries science, public health, geoscience, and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The Human Rights and Social Development Division has a vision for just, equitable and resilient Pacific societies and it aims to achieve this by advancing human rights, equality and social inclusion for all Pacific people, grounded in cultural values and principles and driven by a people-centred approach. The work of this Division includes work previously undertaken by the Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT) in the area of human rights and the Social Development Programme (SDP) in the areas of gender equality and social inclusion, culture and youth development.

In line with its vision, the work of the Division will encompass the following focal areas:

• Objective 1: Pacific institutions are strong, transparent, and responsive for upholding and promoting human rights and implementing inclusive, gender sensitive and culturally respectful development.
• Objective 2: Pacific Civil Society understand and can advocate for their rights and uphold cultural values.
• Objective 3: Pacific culture is protected, preserved, and promoted and culturally relevant and appropriate knowledge and systems are integrated across all work.
• Objective 4: All PSC programs and operations are grounded in people centered approaches and consider the rights and cultural values of diverse groups including women, children, youth and persons with disabilities.
• Objective 5: HRSD Division teams work collectively, coherently, and efficiently and to a high standard to achieve shared success for Pacific societies.

The role – Deputy Director – Human Rights and Social Development will oversee the people, programmes and operations in the HRSD Division, covering the thematic areas of human rights, gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI), and culture for development. This involves: (a) providing high level leadership and management oversight: (b) ensuring technical and operational (including financial management) excellence across the thematic areas and functions of the programme; (c) ensuring integrated programming within and across HRSD and (as appropriate) HRSD and SPC; (d) ensuring effective planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning outcomes; and (e) supporting resource mobilisation. 

The key responsibilities of the role include:

Leadership and Management

• Provide people leadership, engagement, and operational guidance to contribute to the effective delivery of all projects within the technical programme.
• Design, implement and effectively deliver annual work plans and work plan reports for HRSD within budget and in accordance with established targets, results and outcomes.
• Develop guidance tools to enhance the project management capacity of the technical programme such as but not limited to communities of practice, participatory workshops, learning events, templates, implementation frameworks and strategies.
• Provide supervision of project level reporting and reviews to ensure programme/project activities and budgets are executed in accordance with contractual requirements and approved budgets.
• Ensuring that planning, monitoring, evaluation, reflection and learning (PMEL) activities and methods and are incorporated into project implementation and service delivery.

Technical excellence of functions and outcomes of the Division

• Lead, coordinate and facilitate multi-stakeholder consultative approaches and forums to develop, negotiate and later evaluate and reflect on strategic/programmatic areas of work including at a high level for regional and national priority areas.
• Drive awareness of this capability with members and donors ensuring regional coordination and collaboration.
• Develop and maintain an integrated divisional work programme that focuses on human rights, GDSI and culture for development priority areas of member countries and territories.
• Oversee and manage the outcomes of projects within the portfolio to deliver across the thematic and functional areas of HRSD.
• Ensure research services are coordinated, effective, forward looking and incorporated into project implementation and support technical teams.

Resource Mobilisation and Financial Management

• Contribute to mobilisation initiatives with funding agencies and advocate for long-term funding support for the work of the division among the donor community.
• Explore new work opportunities that align to new / emerging development priorities of PICTs.
• Budget allocations within areas of responsibility are managed with appropriate costings in place; the strategic direction of budget allocations is consistent with Divisional priorities.
• Work with the Director, Team Leader – Finance, Manager – Programmes (Pacific Women Lead) and other HRSD team members, to ensure budget development is accurate and budgets are executed, and that audit, risk, and procurement management are effectively managed.

Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

• Oversee the effective planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning of the HRSD work programme.
• Lead, coordinate and facilitate multi-stakeholder consultative approaches and forums to plan, monitor, evaluation and learn from and reflect on the implementation of the HRSD work programme.

Integrated Planning

• Contribute to a culture of collaboration, integrated programming, and shared successes.
• Learn from SPC ‘good practices’ to define programming approaches for the design, implementation and evaluation of programmes and projects that will contribute to long term development impact in the region.
• Investigate research and evaluate ‘good practice’ business processes to enable an integrated programming approach.
• Support and promote communities of practice, participatory workshops, learning events on programming policies to absorb the programming design approach into all potential opportunities across the technical programme.
• Work with the HRSD team and relevant SPC teams to monitor and evaluate division reviews, programmes and projects to establish the value and potential improvements, moving forward.

For a more detailed account of the key responsibilities, please refer to the online job description.

Key selection criteria

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree from a recognised institution (and/or equivalent work experience) in a discipline relevant to project/programme management, PMEL, human rights, GEDSI and/or culture.

Technical expertise

• At least 15 years in a public sector or development leadership and/or management position, ideally in the Pacific Islands region.
• Demonstrated experience in relationship building and working with a wide variety of donors and development partners with awareness of their policies and procedures.
• Proven history of successfully building and leading multi-disciplinary teams, including people of different national and cultural backgrounds, and demonstrated ability to manage professional, technical, and program support staff in a team environment, ensuring everyone’s role contributes to successful team outputs.
• Demonstrated experience of leading and coordinating high level strategic consultation processes for regional positioning across a relevant sectoral agenda.
• Proven ability to influence work collegially and in partnership with stakeholders and internal partners towards an agreed outcome.
• Demonstrated skills and experience in continuous improvement and facilitating innovation across teams.
• Proven ability in project design, management, and reporting.
• Ability to work constructively to resolve issues, concerns, or differences of opinion.       

Language skills

• Excellent English communication skills (oral and written) with a working knowledge of French being an advantage.

Interpersonal skills and cultural awareness

• Ability to work in a multicultural, inclusive and equitable environment.

Salary, terms and conditions

Contract Duration – Until 31 December 2026 – subject to renewal depending on funding and performance.

Remuneration – The Deputy Director – Human Rights and Social Development is a band 14 position in SPC’s 2024 salary scale, with a starting salary range of 4,784‒5,980 SDR (special drawing rights) per month, which currently converts to approximately FJD 14,255–17,820 (USD 6,362–7,953; EUR 5,930–7,412). An offer of appointment for an initial contract will normally be made in the lower half of this range, with due consideration given to experience and qualifications. Progression within the salary scale will be based on annual performance reviews. Remuneration of expatriate SPC staff members is not subject to income tax in Fiji; Fiji nationals employed by SPC in Fiji will be subject to income tax.

Benefits for international employees based in Fiji – SPC provides a housing allowance of FJD 1,350–3,000 per month. Establishment and repatriation grant, removal expenses, airfares, home leave travel, health and life and disability insurances and education allowances are available for eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Employees are entitled to 25 working days of annual leave per annum and other types of leave, and access to SPC’s Provident Fund (contributing 8% of salary, to which SPC adds a matching contribution).

Languages – SPC’s working languages are English and French.

Recruitment principles – SPC’s recruitment is based on merit and fairness, and candidates are competing in a selection process that is fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory. SPC is an equal-opportunity employer, and is committed to cultural and gender diversity, including bilingualism, and will seek to attract and appoint candidates who respect these values. Due attention is given to gender equity and the maintenance of strong representation from Pacific Island professionals. If two interviewed candidates are ranked equal by the selection panel, preference will be given to the Pacific Islander. Applicants will be assured of complete confidentiality in line with SPC’s Privacy Policy.

Application procedure

Closing Date: 11 February 2024 at 11:59pm (Fiji time)

Job Reference: JM000547

Applicants must apply online at http://careers.spc.int/

Hard copies of applications will not be accepted.

For your application to be considered, you must provide us with:

• an updated resume with contact details for three professional referees
• a cover letter detailing your skills, experience and interest in this position
• responses to all screening questions

Your application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed at shortlisting stage if all the above documents are not provided. Applicants should not attach copies of qualifications or letters of reference. Please ensure your documents are in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.

For international staff in Fiji, only one foreign national per family can be employed with an entity operating in Fiji at any one given time. SPC may assist on a case-by-case basis with submissions to Fiji Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their consideration and final approval. SPC cannot and does not make any guarantee whatsoever of approval for such applications to Fiji Ministry of Foreign Affairs and where an application is approved, the spouse or partner will subject to such terms and conditions as may be set from time to time by the Ministry.

SPC does not charge a fee to consider your application and will never ask for your banking or financial information during the recruitment process.

Screening Questions (maximum of 2,000 characters per question):

1. What do you see as HRSD Division’s most important role in the Pacific?
2. Describe how you have achieved good development outcomes in your work and with a team under your leadership?
3. What is integrated programming, what is its value, and how can it be applied in the context of the work of HRSD?