Myanmar: Senior EU Aid Volunteer - Urban Resilience and Land-Use Planning

Aug 10, 2020 | ActionAid Myanmar
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The EU Aid Volunteers is an initiative of the European Union. It brings together volunteers and organisations from different countries, providing practical support to humanitarian aid projects and contributing to strengthening the local capacity and resilience of disaster-affected communities. Participants in the EU Aid Volunteers initiative must be over 18 years of age and be a citizen of an EU Member State or a long-term resident in the EU.

Description

This is a 2 years deployment project implemented in 13 countries, involving 4 sending organizations (AAH, AADK, Alianza, WWGVC) and 15 hosting organizations (AA Myanmar, Nepal, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe – Alianza Colombia, Haiti, Jordan, Palestine, Mauritania – WWGVC Tunisia, Cambodia, Nepal, India – PPSA Cambodia). VOLEAD aims at improving the resilience capacities of vulnerable communities in disaster and crisis-affected areas in the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, North, Northwest and Southeast Africa, Central and South America. VOLEAD methodology on resilience building will be based on ActionAid’s HRBA and Humanitarian Signature, focusing on equal participation and leadership of women and youth in decision making related to DRR and LRRD, as well as on needs assessment results implemented by all HOs. Outputs, activities, and results to achieve the VOLEAD’s goals, 58 qualified EU Aid Volunteers (12 senior, 46 junior) and online volunteers will be deployed in the participating HOs. SO1’s deployment and capacity building activities will result in strengthening the resilience and response of vulnerable communities based on gendered and youth-oriented approaches in Asia; SO2 in Africa; and SO3 in Central and South America. SO4’s technical and capacity building activities will result in enhanced capacities of partners and local organizations on promoting women and youth leadership in resilience building, and complying with EUAV standards. Communication activities play a significant role in the project’s visibility results. IMPACT VOLEAD activities will involve at least 200 people and impact around 5000 beneficiaries from sending, hosting and local organizations, local communities, and volunteers, improving their capacities to better respond to future disasters and crises. 150000 citizens in the EU and third countries will be reached through communication activities, enhancing their awareness of the EU’s humanitarian aid work & principles.

Operational details & security context

Myanmar came out from under after decades of military rule in 2012. There are active conflicts in certain parts of the country still. AA has developed a security policy and all employees need to strictly adhere to that. This role is mainly based in Yangon and may require some travel to other parts of the country. However, any travel outside of Yangon requires travel authorisation which will be requested by ActionAid Myanmar.

ActionAid Myamar Risk Levels: OVERALL LOW

  • Political & social: medium
  • Crime: low
  • Conflict: medium
  • Travel: low
  • Terrorism: low
  • Hazards & Disasters: high
  • Communication, security, health infrastructure: medium

Tasks

Core

  • Scoping study: conduct a desk review of the literature on urban risk in South-East Asia region, and fieldwork in three cities of Myanmar: Yangon, Mandalay, Naypyitaw examining the hazards, vulnerabilities, local capacities, power imbalances and underlying risk drivers to identify strategies for enhancing resilience to disasters, climate change and conflict in urban environment of developing Myanmar. “What” (what are the most crucial vulnerabilities that need to be addressed urgently), “Where” (where should resilience be provided) and “How” (what should be the core components of the urban planning for resilience).
  • Natural Common: Assess a balance of ecosystem measures and land use options in the urban area to incorporate innovative land use services into infrastructure and resilience projects. This approach will help keep the city from being locked into financing oriented large-scale investments contribute to urban risks.
  • Evidence-based policy advocacy: Engage in research where appropriate to develop the evidence base on the position and condition of women relevant to urban resilience. Conduct policy analysis and program strategy recommendation for AAM and partners based on existing policies and practices on land-use and urban planning in Myanmar.
  • Crosscutting and integration: closely work with ActionAid Myanmar’s Women Rights team and Governance team to ensure urban resilience works are gender sensitive and promote women leadership and participation in policy influencing and implementation.
  • Connectedness: engage and work with township level platforms of local civil society organizations and facilitate linkages at sub-national, national, regional and global alliances on urban resilience and land-use planning.

Required competences

  • Strong desire to work for the equality and rights of women and marginalized community with an extensive analytical and practical understanding of policy and advocacy initiatives in a relevant area of work.
  • Minimum 5 years of experience in urban resilience, land-use planning, and in working with local/national partners.
  • Ability in strategic thinking, facilitating participatory discussions in workshop, training for related policy impact analysis and advocacy strategy development with local partners.
  • Fluent in written and spoken English.
  • Have a research background and knowledge of development policies and practices is desirable.
  • Experience in Myanmar or South-East Asian region will be considered an asset.

Personal skills:

This is mixed of internal and external engagement and the person needs to have excellent interpersonal skills, high-level relationship building, have the ability to motivate, inspire and work as part of the team, ability to take initiative and ability to discuss complex issues with cultural/conflict sensitivity.

Selection criteria

Applications are made directly within the sending organisation, please check out the how to apply section.

Eligibility and exception criteria

The candidate for EU Aid Volunteers must be a citizen of the EU or a third country national who is a long-term resident in an EU Member State, and must have a minimum age of 18 years.

AA is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate based on age, sexuality, gender etc.

Minimum Requirements

  • Masters’ degree in Urban Resilience or Development Studies or related fields.
  • At least 5 and above years working experience in enhancing resilience to disasters, climate change and conflict in the urban environment.
  • Sound knowledge of research, planning and implementing on Urban Resilience and Land use.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, facilitation, communication, negotiation, networking and knowledge of working through partnerships.
  • Excellent ability in written and verbal communication in English.
  • Coordinate to ensure standardization of methodologies and approaches across the different and/or interrelated programme of ActionAid Myanmar.
  • Ensure that the programme has a strong policy advocacy focus aimed at improving urban resilience.
  • Gender-sensitive and responsive.

Condition of service

Learning Opportunities

AAM works with several local CSOs and partners in a human rights-based approach in promoting feminist principle and practices.

  • The person will gather experience on how AAM and its partners work on resilience and climate change agenda at national, regional and global, especially for different initiatives around urban resilience.
  • The volunteer can also learn and exchange knowledge and capacity on different thematic areas of AAM especially women rights, resilience, governance and also conflict and humanitarian work.

Working and Living Conditions

  • The total working hours will not exceed 40h per week. The suggested working hours shall leave room for the EU Aid Volunteer's development time as established in their task assignment and performance objectives.
  • The volunteer might be absent from his task assignment for 2 days per month upon notice.
  • Absence of the volunteer more than 3 consecutive days has to be justified.
  • The volunteer is entitled to be absent in case of a funeral or medically certified serious illness of an ascending or descending direct relative, spouse or registered partner, or sibling.
  • The volunteer must follow ActionAid Myanmar’s value, policies, procedures and protocols.

Conditions of service during deployment:

  • A monthly Subsistence Lump Sum (546.76 Euro per month) intends to cover basic needs and local transport.
  • In addition, for each month of deployment 100 euro of post deployment resettlement allowance are foreseen.
  • Accommodation, Visa fees, insurance and airfares will be covered directly by sending and/or hosting organization.
  • The working calendar will be corresponding to the agenda and system established in the field.
  • For each month of voluntary activity two days of rest are foreseen, in addition to public holidays. It is highly recommended not to use the rest days during the first and the last month of deployment.

Conditions related to in-presence training:

  • If a candidate volunteer is working outside of the EU, travel costs will be fully covered if EU citizens legally reside in a non-EU country for long-term or forever (i.e. who live in that country);
  • EU citizens who are on a temporary assignment in a third country that lasts more than 18 months.
  • On the contrary, only travel costs from an EU country to the training venue shall be covered if:
  • EU citizens on a temporary assignment in a third country that lasts less than 18 months;
  • EU citizens selected by the same organization or affiliate with which they have an on-going assignment in the third country if this assignment is longer than 18 months;

Selection process

Shortlisting and Interviews

  • All the interviews will be done online. The interviews have the aim to explore both the competences and the motivations of the candidates;
  • The candidates selected for the training will be notified at least one month before the training. The date of the notification may vary according to the number of application received;
  • The selected candidate/s will attend an online and in-presence training, which are part of the selection process;
  • Please note that more than one candidate per position will attend the training;
  • The final decision about the candidate to be deployed will be taken by sending and hosting organization after the training.

Interview Process

  • All the interviews will be done online. The interviews have the aim to explore both the competences and the motivations of the candidates;
  • The candidates selected for the training will be notified at least one month before the training. The date of the notification may vary according to the number of application received;
  • The selected candidate/s will attend online and in-presence training, which are part of the selection process;
  • Please note that more than one candidate per position will attend the training;
  • The final decision about the candidate to be deployed will be taken by sending and hosting organization after the training.

Expected date decision on outcome: 31/08/2020