COUNTRY SUPPORT OFFICER - MONGOLIA(M/F)

[VSI – international solidarity volunteer]
Would you like to work on projects that make sense and have a real impact?
Do you want to work towards a fair and sustainable energy transition? Then join us!
With the support of the Country Representative of Central Asia Regional Director, the Country Support Officer will temporarily support the country team and its daily activities. She/he will more specifically:
– Provide support to the SOAP project team in ensuring smooth implementation of activities, sound respect of the project cycle management as well as nurturing collaboration with all the implementing partners
– Provide support to the Country Representative in her/his duties

She/He will be further in close coordination with the in-country admin and finance manager and HQ counterpart.

The proposed mission is set for a duration of 1 year and aims at supporting temporarily the Geres Mongolia country team in filling all its duties and ensure qualitative management of its key project. Roles and duties might evolve pending arising needs and further identified gaps and will be agreed upon with the volunteer at the beginning and throughout her/his mission.

Set up in 1976, Geres is a French based international development NGO which works to improve the living conditions of the poorest and tackle climate change and its impacts. As a grassroots actor, Geres considers the energy transition as a major lever in all its actions. In order to drive societal change, Geres promotes the development and dissemination of innovative and local solutions, supports climate-energy policies and actions and encourages everyone to commit to Climate Solidarity by taking action and supporting vulnerable populations.

In Central Asia, Geres has been working mainly in the sphere of energy poverty and access thereof, energy efficiency in building, bioclimatic solutions in the agricultural sector & overall better (natural) resource management, following as much as possible inclusive market-based approaches and access to finance.

In Mongolia, Geres has a permanent representation office since 2010 and been working consistently in the fields of bioclimatic solutions (solar passive greenhouses and cellars) for the small-scale agriculture sector and in building energy efficiency (thermal retrofitting of individual houses in ger districts but also public buildings) in Ulaanbaatar but also Khentiy and Arkhangai provinces.

The current projects’ portfolio includes:

A strategic FSP-I pilot funded by the French Embassy in the agricultural sector of Selenge & Darkhan provinces aiming at characterising financing options for cooperatives to invest in bioclimatic solutions (cellars and passive greenhouses) and paving the way for larger replication of the mechanism in Mongolia.
The second phase of large project in a complex consortium with key national NGOs under the EU SWITCH-Asia programme, called “Switch off Air Pollution in Mongolian cities”, aiming at piloting a comprehensive delivery model to ensure thermal retrofitting of ger districts individual housing. The project intention is to design a functioning intermediation system between construction SMEs, material suppliers, auditing and labelling schemes, line agencies and most importantly end-clients and banks in the delivery of green loans (backed by a GCF funded project).
An expected AFD funded multi-country programme (July 2024 onwards) that will specifically aim in Mongolia at capitalising on the model for housing energy efficiency to duplicate, scale and spread the systems in selected African countries and for hot climate housing energy technologies.

Main donors are European Union, the AFD (French Agency for Development), French Embassy and its Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Foundation Abbé Pierre and other private foundations.

Geres, a committed organisation!

In accordance with our ethical charter, we apply the following principles:

Respect for the environment

Improving living conditions

Respect for cultures and ways of life

Respect for the principles of fairness and transparency

Respect for legality and employees’ rights

Principle of safety

In practice, we strive on a daily basis, and therefore also in our practices to:

Act to respect the environment by respecting the business travel policy in France, which excludes the use of planes, and by giving our employees the benefit of our Sustainable Mobility package for home-work journeys (carpooling, cycling, scootering).

Promoting respect for women’s rights and combating gender-based discrimination. We have also introduced an internal policy to combat sexist behaviour and sexual harassment.

Maintain and develop cohesion between our employees through social events organised by a dedicated committee and encourage collective breaks. .

Seek to improve and innovate, including in our administrative management .

Respect the law and employees’ rights: transparency in our recruitment process, company agreements, etc.

Mission

With the support of the Country Representative of Central Asia Regional Director, the Country Support Officer will temporarily support the country team and its daily activities. She/he will more specifically:

Provide support to the SOAP project team in ensuring smooth implementation of activities, sound respect of the project cycle management as well as nurturing collaboration with all the implementing partners
Provide support to the Country Representative in her/his duties

She/He will be further in close coordination with the in-country admin and finance manager and HQ counterpart.

activities

1/Oversee SWITCH-Asia SOAP Project Cycle Management

Plan, coordinate and follow-up implementation of activities together with project and team and partners
Coordinate the M&E process, including the methods, tools & studies so as to measure results and impacts of the project
Smoothly tackle implementation constraints and put in place the necessary corrective measures in consultation with stakeholders (including authorities, partners, and beneficiaries)
Organise and ensure compliance in the use of external service providers, internal support missions and other suppliers
Organise quality and timely preparation of internal and external reports
Ensure and maintain a knowledge management system, incl. archival and sharing
Ensure ownership and capacity building of the team across the entire project cycle management

2/Manage project partnerships

Monitor, assess and facilitate the work with the implementing partners. Understand their mandate and agendas, nurture their involvement in the project
Ensuring commitments of Geres towards its partners are dully filled and reciprocally, that project partners abide by their respective commitments towards Geres
Prevent and, if need be, solve issues and disputes with partners

3/Supervise administrative, logistical, and financial management of the project

Guarantee a framework of operations and responsibilities between the stakeholders in accordance with the rules of the financial partners
Supervise the planning and delivery of financial expenditures and accounting flows in collaboration with the Administrative and Finance Officer
Communicate to teams and ensure compliance with logistical, administrative, and financial procedures
Actively participate in co-funding research efforts

Ensure that project manager/team report to the HQ Admin/Finance department in timely manner

4/Project team management and animation

Perform functional management of relevant team members
Support planning and priorisation efforts of activities by the project team
Coordinate and animate the team around the objectives of the projects

5/Support to the Country Representative, her/his missions

Contribute to fundraising efforts such as identification of funding sources, partners mobilisation, proposal writing, etc.)
Upon request, represent Geres Mongolia in stakeholders’ meetings (donors, authorities, fora, etc.)
Contribute to internal/external communication work on behalf of Geres Mongolia, with the support of Comms officer and HQ Comms department
Based on needs, participate in recruitment processes
Any other meaningful and reasonable duty pending further discussion and agreement

PROFILE

Education

A relevant Master’s Degree, or equivalent experience required

Experience

2 year-minimum experience in project management required
Significant experience in the field of sustainable development and/or energy transition is an asset
Confirmed experience of representation towards local authorities, donors, national or international partners strongly expected

Skills

Commitment, dynamism, and strong enthusiasm for international development work
Proficiency in Project Cycle Management, Logical Framework Development, Theory of change, M&E systems
Capacity to adapt and adjust
Capacity to convince, negociation skills
Sense of diplomacy
Public speaking
Team player with capacity to work in a multicultural environment
Fluency in English both written and spoken is a must
Proficient with Microsoft Office SuiteConversant with energy, climate change and building energy efficiency themes
Capacity to build a strategic vision
Capacity to identify and formulate project proposals
Advanced knowledge of French both written and spoken Working knowledge of gender principles and main applied tools in the development sector

CONDITIONS

Status: VSI – Volontariat de Solidarité Internationale (International Solidarity Volunteer)
Full-time
12 months contract
Based in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Starting date: May 2024 with departure latest 1st June 2024
Monthly allowance (paid in France): 850€
Monthly subsistence allowance: +/- 377€
Visa costs covered
1 return flight covered (begin and end of mission)
Contribution to cost related to pre-departure training organized by La Guilde (Paris) as well as at Geres HQ before deployment
Contributin to post-mission debrief by La Guilde as well as at Geres HQ
Leave: min. 2 days/month + public holiday in Mongolia
Health and social coverage covered 100% by Geres and La Guilde: Health insurance, life/ invalidity insurance, retirement, repatriation