Description Of The USAID Enhance Activity
The USAID Enhance Activity (Enhance) aims to strengthen citizen-centric local governance in Thailand. Interventions under this Activity will lead towards more accountable and responsive local governance, increasing partnership among local stakeholders and the Royal Thai Government (RTG) agencies in support of plans for innovation, and promote successful efforts to other localities.
Working in close coordination with USAID/RDMA, RTG agencies, and key partners, Enhance will accomplish this through three primary objectives:
- Strengthening capacity of local governments and non-governmental stakeholders in citizen-centric governance
- Strengthening communications, networking, and learning among government and non-governmental stakeholders to increase innovations that will amplify citizen voice and accountability in local governance; and
- Ensuring wider adoption and/or institutionalization of successful local innovations that support citizen-centric governance.
Position Description / Summary
The two Program Managers are responsible for supporting the Senior Program Manager in mainstreaming and implementing citizen-centric local governance, working with local government counterparts and non-governmental stakeholders in the design, overseeing the implementation, and monitoring of technical activities in the Deep South region of Thailand.
They will also be responsible for providing technical assistance to promote citizen and civil society involvement in local governance by effectively advocating needs and interests with local government authorities. The Program Managers will support work towards all activity objectives, and will report directly to the Senior Program Manager, based in Yala. This is anticipated to be a five-year assignment ending in August 2027.
Responsibilities
- Lead the implementation and monitoring of activities in the project’s target areas of the pilot and scale up phases of the project, including capacity building of local government staff and nongovernmental partners, and the youth citizen-centric lab model.
- Work with the Senior Program Manager on the process of constructive dialogue and engagement between local government, think tanks, academic institutions, media, civil society organizations, local communities, and the private sector stakeholders to build capacity and engage citizens in solving local issues.
- Serve as the project’s key focal point responsible for engaging and obtaining buy-in from relevant local government staff and community members.
- Oversee the technical administration of the grants program with local NGOs, working closely with other staff to define technical needs and with Grants Managers to ensure that grants awarded to NGOs are compliant with USAID regulations.
- Contribute to the project’s adaptive implementation approach in development of curriculums, activities, best practice models by providing insights relevant to the local context.
- Conduct program monitoring and contribute to reporting on program implementation
Qualifications
- Degree in social science, public administration, or related field
- 5+ years of relevant experience in local governance, civil society, community engagement, social inclusion
- Prior experience with development programming and citizen-centric governance strategies
- Experience working with minority and disadvantaged communities, such as women, youth, and people with disabilities
- Experience in working in the Deep South region preferred
- Experience in managing grants with local NGOs
- High degree of adaptability to varied working environments and good interpersonal and teamwork skills
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in Thai and working knowledge of English preferred
