ThaiNGO

Vacancy Announcement

Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)

Regional Centre in Bangkok

Position title:                   Programme Assistant for ASEAN ESC Model Cities Programme    (1 position for Thai national)

Salary:                               Depending on experience

Contract:                          Initially one year contract with 3 months probationary period and possible extension

Work hours/days:           Full-time (7.5 hours/day),5 days per week except for Saturdays and Sundays

Place of work:                  IGES Regional Centre office in Patumwan, Bangkok

Background:

This project promotes ‘Environmentally Sustainable Cities’ (ESC) in ASEAN by helping highly innovative local governments to implement local sustainability practices/policies and learn from each other. Furthermore, it creates a multi-stakeholder regional platform/network (national governments, international development organisations, donors, academia, NGOs private sector etc.) to foster meaningful partnerships and increased assistance to local sustainability initiatives.

The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) is the main implementing agency, working in close collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Working Group on Environmentally Sustainable Cities (AWGESC). The project’s direct beneficiaries are: (i) Urban-related national government agencies and ‘frontrunner’ local governments (nominated as ‘Model Cities’) in ASEAN, as well as the citizens living within the participating cities. The indirect beneficiaries are: (i) organisations with substantial assistance programmes to support sustainable development in urban areas/cities.

Duties and responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Programme Manager, ASEAN ESC Model Cities Programme, the Programme Assistant will perform the following duties:

•          Conduct general administrative tasks to ensure the smooth operation of the ASEAN ESC Model Cities Programme and related projects;

•          Assist with processing staff travel and expenses reimbursement and preparing financial reports of projects;

•          Manage overall coordination and logistical responsibilities for programme events (i.e. meetings, regional seminars and workshops), including venue/hotel booking and travel arrangements for event participants.

•          Assist in logistical arrangements and implementing programme activities, especially those in Thailand;

•          Attend activities within Thailand in order to translate and/or interpret between Thai and English to facilitate stakeholder meetings, events, outreach/communications and research work;

•        Perform other related duties and back-up functions as assigned by the Director of IGES when required;

Qualifications and Competencies

Basic Requirements

Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in development, environment or related fields. At least three to five years of experience in administrative work in environmental projects.

Knowledgeable about environmental and development issues and experienced in working with a wide range of stakeholders;

Effective communication and interpersonal skills. Native-level Thai and strong command of English is a must in terms of speaking, writing and reading.

Ability to prioritise tasks and deliver assignments on time under limited supervision

Computer skills (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access database, etc.);

Willingness to travel regularly within ASEAN countries, especially Thailand.

Personality and working style:

Has initiative to constantly improve and optimize working methods and results;

Willing to take on new challenging tasks;

Cheerful, brings positive energy and genuinely enjoy working with people;

Meticulous and attentive to details.

The following attributes are optional and will be evaluated as ‘plus’ points:

Japanese language ability;

Experience of working in Japanese context;

Image editing, photography, graphic design and multimedia (especially video) skills;

Experienced with the working environment and culture of NGOs;

Reporting:

The Programme Assistant will report to the Programme Manager, and ultimately to the Director of IGES Regional Centre.

Term of Employment:

The term of this position is initially offered for one year with a possible extension subject to fund availability. Considering the time required for attaining a work permit for non-Thai nationals from the Thai authorities, an employment term of one year is usually initially offered. A probationary period of three months at the beginning of the term of employment will be also considered for applicants.

Place of Work:

The IGES Regional Centre office located in downtown Bangkok (604 SG Tower, 6th Floor 161/1 Soi Mahadlek Luang 3, Rajdamri Road, Patumwan, Bangkok 10330). 

Compensation:

Salary will conform to the IGES Regional Centre’s payment system. Relevant work experience and professional skills will be taken into account. Income tax withholding and other requirements will be complied with under Thai laws. 

Working conditions:

Annual paid leave and other holidays will conform to the practice in Thailand and in accordance with the relevant rules observed at IGES Regional Centre under Thai labour laws.

How to Apply:

A cover letter, recent CV (with photo), and salary history must be sent by email to the following address. The position is available now and will remain open until filled. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview. Reference letter(s) from your supervisor(s) in the past positions (latest preferred) may be requested for short-listed candidates. Additional materials may be also requested in time for the interview.

Send your application to: regionalcentre-HR@iges.or.jp

The application documents are not returnable.

About IGES and IGES Regional Centre:

Established in 1998, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) is an independent, non-profit environmental policy think-tank, with headquarters based in Japan that goes beyond research to provide practical ways to protect the earth's environment and to realise greater sustainability and equity in the global community. While the outlook of IGES is global, the principal geographical scope of its activities is the Asia-Pacific region. IGES activities include strategic research, outreach, networking/multi-stakeholder dialogue, and capacity development (http://www.iges.or.jp/).

Since 2003, IGES has been operating a project office in cooperation with the Regional Resources Centre for Asia and the Pacific (RRC.AP) of the Asian Institute for Technology (AIT), Pathumthani, Thailand. In 2011, the project office was upgraded to the IGES Regional Centre located in downtown Bangkok (Patumwan, Bangkok) to strengthen its functions and expand activities under the missions of IGES. IGES Regional Centre is a growing operation unit to respond to the needs of the institute as well as stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific region.   

The main role of the IGES Regional Centre is to manage three networks that IGES provides secretariat services for, including Asia Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN), Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network (AECEN), Network for Integrated Planning and Sustainable Development Strategies in Asia-Pacific Region (SDPlanNet-AP), conduct/implement various region-wide activities including those that each network above has planned and others (ADAPT Asia-Pacific project, etc.), and to coordinate collaborative research with international, regional and national organisations and research institutes in the Asia-Pacific region. (http://www.iges.or.jp/en/bangkok/index.html)