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World YWCA-led RiseUp!

Program Coordinator in Asia and the Pacific

About World YWCA

The World YWCA has an ambitious goal: to reach 100 million young women and girls and transform power structures to end gender inequality by 2035. Established in 1855, the World YWCA is the world’s oldest women’s movement. With member associations in 109 countries, it works to fulfil human rights and make gender equality a reality. The World YWCA is a learning organization in which there is recognized mentorship across generations. Sixty percent of the members of the World Board are aged 30 and under. The purpose of the World YWCA is to develop the leadership and collective power of women and girls around the world to achieve justice, peace, health, human dignity, freedom and a sustainable environment for all people.

The World YWCA mobilizes and connects millions of young women around transformational change, and provides leadership opportunities in more than 100 countries around the world. It also actively works to influence policies, regulations and social and community norms which prevent the realization of rights and leadership potential of women. 

The World YWCA has three strategic priorities: 

  • Management and governance excellence towards Goal 2035
  • Strategic partnerships and communication towards Goal 2035
  • Engagement and mobilization of girls, young women and women towards Goal 2035

About the Role

The World YWCA is seeking a candidate passionate about program coordination, administration and overall ground implementation mechanisms and methods to serve as the Program Coordinator for the World YWCA-led RiseUp! Leadership Program in Asia and the Pacific, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of Australia. The coordinator is the primary contact for RiseUp! Young women lead in all implementing countries in the region, coordinating and providing support to each country while managing a pool of technical assistance. 

The position is a key part of how World YWCA and the RiseUp! Phase IV initiative will contribute to Goal 2035 of the World YWCA.

Purpose of the Role

The Program Coordinator is central to the in-region coordination of the program to facilitate the management of the technical functions of RiseUp! Young women lead and support addressing challenges with program implementation in the Asia-Pacific region. The position will co-lead region-wide engagement and learning and co-facilitate young women’s engagement in program-wide processes. They will build relationships and networks to co-facilitate young women’s networking, advocacy and policy engagement.  

The Program Coordinator will report to the Director of Global Engagement and Impact and work closely with the RiseUp! Program Manager, MEL specialist and the Research and Engagement Associate.

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Being a member of the RiseUp! Phase IV Core Team to provide whole-of-program strategy, oversight and coordination.
  • Develop an in-depth understanding of RiseUp! program scope (i.e., timeframes, risk plans, monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) frameworks, reporting requirements, in-country work plans and capacity needs and advocacy focuses etc.) as well as processes, policies, and documentation requirements to:
    • Collaborate closely and provide proactive support to in-country program staff and wider RiseUp! Core Team;
    • Maintain thorough program documentation, including program calendar/schedule, milestones, and relevant trackers;
    • Manage and facilitate the flow of project-related information to Young Women Leads, YWCA Member Associations and other partners;
    • Support regular program monitoring activities, including implementation, data collation, analysis and/or reporting;
    • Support monitoring of program updates and reporting to in-country teams. 

  • Coordinate the planning and logistics for Country visits, attendance at international forums/events, and running project events and workshops-in person and virtual as needed. 
  • Provide oversight and project management of capacity building and co-creation activities with YWCA Member Associations and other partners. 
  • Support with capacity building of YWCA Member associations, including training coordination and delivery.
  • Proactively and participatory identify challenges and risks and come up with positive solutions. 
  • Advice and support the MEL Specialist for evaluation of program/s, as required, including logistics and coordination of evaluation activities and collation of data. 
  • Facilitate monthly progress meetings with RiseUp! Young women leads and core team members to monitor progress, changes in context, risks, and strengths and challenges experienced and undertake follow-up actions to provide support and assistance.
  • Manage and coordinate a regional pool of technical assistance comprising RiseUp! Leads and short and long-term advisers. 
  • Lead the development of the new RiseUp! approaches, content and materials with the support of the Program Manager and the Director of Global Engagement and Impact. 
  • Manage and lead the engagement with RiseUp! Alumna in the region with the support of the Research and Engagement Associate. 
  • Support communications activities as required, including collecting data, case studies, photos and other collateral as defined and agreed with the Program Manager. 
  • Ensure good social media practices and coverage of the program, facilitating skill-building in the region and providing branding support to the implementing countries with the support of the World YWCA team. 
  • Support the Program Manager in developing standard processes and systems for operations. 
  • Co-create the RiseUp! Young women lead engagement plans and implement activities. 
  • Other duties and tasks are directed by the Director, Global Engagement and Impact and to other team members. 

Required Expertise

  • Relevant coordinating and implementing of not-for-profit programs underpinned by feminist, participatory approaches and appropriate for diverse, low-resource contexts nationally or regionally.
  • Strong organizational and project management skills with the capacity to respond to emerging needs. 
  • Excellent communication, analytical and problem-solving skills, including a demonstrated ability to communicate using clear, concise language to multiple stakeholders. 
  • Demonstrate an understanding of and keen interest in women, young women’s leadership (in all their diversities), and human rights-based approaches. 
  • Interest in co-creating mechanisms and approaches. 
  • Very good relationship-building skills with the ability to build strong, trusting relationships with people from varied cultural backgrounds. 
  • Experience and comfort in working under clear and non-negotiable deadlines. 
  • Possess personal and organizational approaches to effectively plan for and complete the defined deliverables of the position.  
  • Good interpersonal relationship communication and negotiation skills to ensure transparent and mutually accountable collaboration with internal and external colleagues.
  • Basic knowledge of socio-political reality in the Indo-Pacific region, sub-regions and implementing countries gained through living and working in the region. 
  • Leadership skills, including leading teams and movements through collaborative, participative approaches and in remote management contexts.
  • Ability to handle the basic budget. 

Skills and Experience

  • Information Technology Skills
  • Excellent command of Office tools (Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook), including Excel.
  • Knowledge or interest in using other platforms like Slack, Box, Zoom etc., for engagement and implementation. 
  • Experience and a keen interest in social media, storytelling platforms, and blog writing. 

Language Skills

  • High level of English proficiency (read, written, and verbal) as English is the common language among all partner organizations of RiseUp!

Personal Orientation

  • Commitment to the human rights of girls and women; enthusiasm about the mission of World YWCA. 
  • Commitment to feminist leadership principles; keen to work in a vibrant and mission-driven environment. 
  • Must be a team player, working closely with others in an agile, fast-paced environment. 
  • Willingness to work within a relatively small team (15) spread across different countries wherein ownership of individual (and non-redundant) deliverables requires high accountability.
  • Openness to learning and expanding skills.