Terms of Reference for Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative Provincial Coordinator

DSWD Padayon Sustainable Livelihoods Program Graduation Approach in the Philippines

Terms of Reference for Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative Provincial Coordinator

Location: Bukidnon (National)

Dates of Assignment: June 2022-Oct 2022

Duration of Assignment: 5 months

About BRAC Ultra Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI)

Beginning in 2002, BRAC pioneered the Ultra-Poor Graduation approach in Bangladesh, a comprehensive, time-bound, and sequenced set of interventions designed to enable the most vulnerable and destitute households to progress along a pathway out of extreme poverty. BRAC established the Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI) to deliver technical assistance to agents of scale on how to adapt and implement the Graduation approach and other holistic economic inclusion and social protection strategies. For more than a decade, BRAC has served as a leading provider of global technical assistance and advisory services for the Graduation approach to governments, multilateral institutions, and NGOs worldwide.

Project Background

The Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) is a capability-building program for poor, vulnerable, and marginalized households and communities to help improve their socio-economic conditions through accessing and acquiring necessary assets to engage in and maintain thriving livelihoods.

Through Administrative Order 11 series of 2011, SLP was formally introduced as one of the core programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for poverty alleviation. As SLP gears toward its 10th year of implementation, SLP embarks on a new project to explore new strategies to enhance the Program’s implementation process and improve delivery of services to the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized households and communities.

DSWD, in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in Australia, is planning to integrate the Graduation approach into the current SLP process to holistically address the poverty challenges of SLP participants and ensure the sustainability of its interventions. This will begin through a series of Graduation pilots as part of the Padayon SLP program in the provinces of Iloilo, Bukidnon, and Sultan Kudarat. The program will provide a set of holistic interventions as an additional support mechanism for SLP participants. This will complement the Department’s efforts to strengthen delivery of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). In the post-COVID context, the integration of the Graduation approach will benefit and strengthen the resilience of the poor and vulnerable households whose employment and income have been adversely affected by the shut-down of most economic activities, travel restrictions, and social distancing requirements.

BRAC UPGI’s Technical Assistance Role

To support DSWD’s implementation of the Graduation approach, BRAC UPGI will deliver advisory support, building on the experience of prior projects that successfully utilized the Graduation approach to provide comprehensive support to households living in extreme poverty in the targeted provinces. BRAC UPGI’s technical assistance will focus on four key areas: 1) pre-implementation, 2) social preparation of Graduation participants, 3) resource mobilization, and 4) project implementation and monitoring.

Scope of Work

The Provincial Coordinator will manage the Padayon SLP Program Development Officers (SLP PDOs) and implementation of the Graduation project activities for Padayon SLP in the targeted barangays of his/her province. S/he will support all day-to-day activities and administrative aspects of the project under the supervision of the Field Manager. Specific responsibilities include:

• Manage the implementation of the project in the assigned province to ensure effective and timely implementation;
• Supervise and support training of the SLP PDOs in his/her province;
• Verify selection of eligible households with Field Manager and SLP during targeting;
• Identify basic services in the province including health, education, safety nets, and community support groups and facilitate linkages between them and the participants;
• Regularly review monitoring data, including conducting random household spot checks to ensure project implementation activities and participants’ progress are on track;
• Liaise regularly with SLP PDOs, Field Manager, and Monitoring & Data Officer about project progress, challenges, learning, and decisions;
• Organize engagement-related events, including Staff Training, Monitoring Field Visits and Workshops, and Operational Knowledge and Learning Sessions;
• Monitor program activities and submit regular reports to the Field Manager, SLP, ADB, and BRAC UPGI. Seek feedback from local government unit staff, barangay officials, SLP field offices, and SLP PDOs to ensure effective implementation;
• Lead procurement (if needed), coordinate distribution of assets to participants, and assess market conditions in the province to ensure that livelihoods remain viable;
• Serve as a representative of the project and liaise with local government unit staff, barangay officials, SLP field offices, and other service providers active in the province, encouraging their involvement, and ensuring sharing of information and transparency; and
• Manage any external technical consultants and partners based in the province to ensure high quality outputs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in social science, development studies, business or related field, master’s degree preferred;
• At least 5 years of experience in project management, operations, and/or monitoring, or at least 7 years of relevant experience without a master’s degree;
• Experience working on government programs required. Past work experience in DSWD program(s) preferred;
• Background in people and team management, project management, and leadership;
• Strong knowledge of the local context in terms of vulnerabilities and barriers faced by poor populations and basic services available;
• Demonstrated experience in programs related to poverty reduction, economic inclusion, livelihoods, community development or social protection;
• Excellent skills in oral and written communication, interpersonal, leadership, organization and time management.
• Excellent written and spoken English language and communication skills. Tagalog, Hiligaynon/ Ilonggo and Bisaya (as relevant to the province where the position is based) desirable.

How to Apply

Candidates are encouraged to apply by submitting the following:

• Resume
• Cover letter
• Three references

Please submit all documentation electronically to BRAC International no later than June 04, 2022. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Only soft copy applications will be considered, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.