Position Summary

The African Programming and Research Initiative to End Slavery (APRIES) at the University of Georgia’s Center on Human Trafficking Research & Outreach (CenHTRO) is seeking country liaisons for a project funded by the U.S. Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons on labor trafficking into the Republic of South Africa and other countries from Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe through 2028. The goals of this APRIES project are to establish baseline estimates of cross-border labor trafficking in the selected countries, contract with community agencies to administer randomized controlled trials programs targeted at at-risk youth and survivors, work closely with governments and task forces, conduct monitoring and evaluation of the programs, and conduct an endline study. Each country will have one coordinator.

The Country Coordinator will monitor the progress of subrecipient projects in the countries; communicate with APRIES stakeholders in the countries, including NGO, university, and government representatives, and provide pertinent information to the APRIES team about local developments and stakeholders. This is a full-time, well-paying independently contracted position that is not eligible for benefits. It requires a person who is mobile and adept at computing.

The project will be implementing a financial inclusion project that is situated within broader transformative research and implementation activities aimed at cross-border labor trafficking prevalence reduction. Therefore, a strong knowledge and/or experience in experimental designs and financial capability programs are highly desired for this position. In addition, some background in labor economics or cross-border labor trafficking are a plus.

Minimum Qualifications

Master’s degree or PhD, 3-5 years of project management experience with international NGOs, exceptional written and oral communication skills, and at least 5 years living and working in the country. Fluency in written and spoken English. Knowledge of NGO, government, and research intersections in development work.

Preferred Qualifications

5-7 years of experience managing subrecipient projects in international development settings. Extensive experience (10+ years) living and working in the country. Experience in anti human trafficking and/or anti cross-border labor trafficking work an added advantage. People with lived experiences are highly encouraged to apply.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and/or Competencies

· In-depth topical knowledge on human trafficking or demonstrated ability to learn quickly.

· Ability to communicate diplomatically, clearly, and effectively across cultural contexts.

· Ability to build relationships with a wide variety of individuals and groups, including community, NGO, university, and government stakeholders.

· Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills.

· Exceptional organizational skills and high level of initiative.

· Ability to work independently and with multiple partners and stakeholders.

· Ability to work as a team member with all project partners and staff.

· Ability to plan and implement required project responsibilities.

· Experience monitoring progress to ensure adherence to project needs and deadlines.

· Design, implementation, and evaluation of experimental designs and project effectiveness in providing evidence

Duties/Responsibilities

Monitor Subrecipient Projects

Build and maintain effective relationships with subrecipient organizations responsible for implementing anti-trafficking programs.

Become well-informed on subrecipients’ project goals, activities, and anticipated outcomes.
Monitor subrecipients’ progress towards project outcomes, including adherence to timeline.

Support and monitor timely project reporting.

Serve as primary liaison between subrecipients and the APRIES team, ensuring that subrecipients’ questions and feedback to APRIES receive responses, and vice versa.

Visit subrecipient sites regularly in order to conduct informal observations and assessments of project activities.

Support and monitor subrecipients’ communication and collaboration with stakeholders.

Identify activities out-of-sync with best practices or compliance according to subaward terms and conditions.
Identify current and prospective project risks and consider how best to address them in collaboration with implementing partners and the APRIES team.

Communicate with APRIES Stakeholders

Build and maintain effective relationships with APRIES stakeholders, including community, university, NGO, and government stakeholders.

Keep stakeholders informed of APRIES project developments, including both research and implementation.

Report pertinent information from stakeholder meetings to the APRIES team.

Monitor Local Context

Track national, regional, and local policy developments that may impact implementing partners’ ability to carry out their work and that are related to human trafficking.

Track national, regional, and local news related or adjacent to human trafficking, such as policy changes, other government actions, legal outcomes, and law enforcement actions.

Through stakeholder relationships with government and NGOs, monitor on-the-ground developments in the human trafficking landscape.

Report pertinent national, regional, and local updates as described above to the APRIES project team on a frequent basis.

Projected Start Date

October 2022