PCAsia is seeking an active and motivated candidate for Capacity Development Director Position to work with a high profile and dynamic organization.
PARLIAMENTARY CENTRE OF ASIA
The Parliamentary Centre of Asia (PCAsia), established in early 2021 in Phnom Penh, is the successor of the Parliamentary Institute of Cambodia (PIC) founded in 2011, a transition that reflects an expansion of activities with Parliaments across Southeast Asia. The mandate of PCAsia is therefore to contribute to the strengthening of Southeast Asian Parliaments through capacity building of their staff, based on the demands or requests of each Parliament within a framework of south-south and north-south cooperation. It draws on the expertise of national, regional, and international partners (Parliaments and research centres).
Role of department
The training of Parliamentary staff is at the core of PCAsia’s mission, and the Capacity Development (CD) department is responsible for carrying out this work. CD handles curriculum and syllabus design for the training programs, and its staff provides practical training according to their respective expertise for most of the many training programs. With the transition to blended learning and learning by distance, CD staff is also called to increasingly play a facilitation role, working with external experts to design and deliver content suitable for digital platforms, then working with trainees to complete the related assignments.
Other responsibilities include researching, the mentoring and quality control of research products produced by the trained parliamentary researchers, and providing quality control technical advice with regards to newly-trained parliamentary staff members when back working in their institutions of provenance in applying their newly-acquired skills.
Position description
The role of the Capacity Development Director, under the direction of PCAsia’s Executive Director is to lead the CD Department in the provision of effective and high-quality capacity development support for parliamentary clients. The Capacity Development Director is responsible for the oversight of all training and capacity development work, including the design and implementation of training curricula, oversight of training instructors, practical skills training and targeted interventions on request in specific subject matter where necessary. He/she is also responsible for ensuring that the knowledge resources needed for capacity development are managed effectively.
In addition, the CD Director is responsible for assessing the ability of the trainees who completed PCAsia’s training programs to determine their ability to effectively use what they have learned to assist parliamentary clients in their work. This also includes the development of a follow up program to mentor and coach the trainees when they return to their parliaments that meets the needs of the individual parliaments in the region. As part of the PCAsia’s regional initiative, the Capacity Development Director is also responsible for input into, and oversight of, the Training of Trainers Program (TOT) which is intended to create a pool of trainers from the regional parliaments who can deliver training to their colleagues in their own language.
The CD Director will act as the resource person to PCAsia’s Instructors, Trainees and External Experts. The CD Director is required to follow the PCAsia professional Code of Conduct and adhere to acceptable quality standards of PCAsia professional staff. He/she is accountable to the Executive Director of the PCAsia and is expected work with PCAsia colleagues in constructive and professional manner.
Main responsibilities and tasks
- Oversee the staff of the CCD (e.g., Program Managers, Supervisors – Quality Control/Technical Support, Instructors, Librarian et.al.,)
- Developing and updating curriculum to meet the needs of the trainees from Cambodia and the regional parliaments.
- Ensuring that training is delivered in the appropriate manner and that training programs are regularly assessed to ensure they meet the needs of the clients.
- Ensuring that the quality control standards and protocols for preparing research and training are adhered to.
- Selecting candidates from the region to attend PCAsia’s Regional Training Programs.
- Assess the needs of regional parliaments in terms of training and follow up programs.
- Develop a follow up program to ensure Fellows and interns receive adequate coaching and mentoring once they have completed training at the PCAsia.
- Identifying appropriate trainers, to deliver PCAsia training courses.
- Assessing the competency of the trainees after completion of the PCAsia’s Parliamentary Research Training Program and others for further training (e.g., TOT program).
- Identify and working with external experts/practitioners in developing and delivering PCAsia’s training programs.
- Leading the evaluation of capacity building and training program activities.
- Maintaining good professional relationships with PCAsia clients and presenting the work of PCAsia in a professional manner.
- Any other reasonable task requested by PCAsia’s senior management
Required qualifications, skills and experience
- Master’s Degree or higher (preferably doctoral thesis) from a recognized university (preferably from overseas) in law, public administration, economics, public finance, political science or related fields
- Minimum ten years of relevant professional experience in public administration, political science, law, research or related fields preferred
- Professional working experience in a parliamentary environment
- Proven ability to produce and oversee high quality research and training work
- Proven ability to manage and lead a research and training team
- Strong understanding of the roles and functions of parliament in the AIPA Member parliaments.
- Strong interpersonal skills for working in a team and multi-cultural environment
- Ability to develop working relationships with external partners, parliaments and experts
- Professional working experience with legal background is a plus
- Fluency in spoken and written English
APPLICATION INFORMATION
Interested applicants should send a cover letter and CV to [email protected] and indicate the salary expectation in the email message. The application deadline is opened until the position is filled. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.