Project Officer
Position Circumstances
- Career Category: Business Administration, Admin / Supervisory, Economics, Banking / Finance, Law
- Schedule:Full-time
- Salary: Negotiable
Project: Citizen-Led Local Inclusive Planning & Services (CLIPS)
Reports To: Program Manager
Duty Station: Field-based, with regular travel to project-target sub-national areas and periodic travel to the Phnom Penh office
Job Purpose
The new initiative “Citizen-Led Local Inclusive Planning & Services” (CLIPS) project, currently in the proposal preparation stage and subject to approval and funding by YRDP’s engaging donor, is designed to promote fiscal decentralisation, including strengthening civic engagement in local public financial management (PFM) — from sub-national development and investment plan formulation through to monitoring, analysis, and advocacy. The project will work with sub-national authorities, local communities, schools, and related national institutions, with a particular focus on building the capacity of right holders and sub-national authorities in local PFM and advocating for greater fiscal decentralisation.
YRDP is seeking two (2) experienced Project Officers (PO) to lead project implementation. The Project Officers will ensure the delivery of high-quality outcomes, compliance with donor and YRDP requirements, and the building of trusted partnerships with local authorities, civil society, and related stakeholders. The role requires proven management and leadership skills in managing a medium-funding-size project, strong donor compliance, inclusive and conflict-sensitive approaches, and the ability to drive policy influence and sustainable systemic change.
Each Project Officer will work directly under the supervision of the Program Manager and will work closely with the Project Assistant and other relevant project team members.
Duties & Responsibilities:
- Project Planning & Implementation
- Lead the day-to-day planning, implementation, and coordination of CLIPS project activities in assigned target sub-national areas, in line with the approved project document, workplan, and budget.
- Translate the project's annual and quarterly workplans into detailed activity plans, ensuring timely and quality delivery of outputs against agreed indicators and milestones.
- Coordinate closely with the Project Assistant to organize logistics, materials, and participant arrangements for trainings, dialogues, and community-level activities.
- Identify implementation bottlenecks early and propose practical, timely solutions to the Program Manager.
- Local Public Financial Management (PFM) Capacity Building
- Design and deliver capacity-building activities (trainings, coaching, mentoring, learning exchanges) for right holders, community representatives, youth, and sub-national authorities on local PFM, including sub-national investment/development planning, budget literacy, budget monitoring, and social accountability tools.
- Support sub-national authorities and communities to strengthen participatory planning processes, from commune/district investment plan development through implementation monitoring.
- Develop or adapt training curricula, facilitation guides, and simplified PFM materials (in Khmer and, where relevant, English) tailored to the capacity levels of different right-holder groups, including youth and marginalized populations.
- Civic Engagement, Monitoring & Advocacy
- Facilitate citizen-led monitoring and analysis of local public investment and service delivery, supporting communities and youth groups to collect, verify, and interpret local PFM and budget data.
- Support the design and facilitation of multi-stakeholder dialogues, public forums, and feedback mechanisms that connect citizens, civil society, schools, and sub-national authorities on fiscal decentralization and local service delivery issues.
- Support the development of evidence-based advocacy messages, policy briefs, and campaign materials that translate community findings into actionable recommendations for greater fiscal decentralization.
- Build and maintain constructive engagement with sub-national authorities and relevant national institutions to advance policy dialogue and uptake of citizen recommendations.
- Partnership & Stakeholder Management
- Build and maintain trusted, conflict-sensitive relationships with sub-national authorities, schools, civil society organizations, community structures, and other relevant stakeholders in target areas.
- Represent YRDP and the CLIPS project in relevant local coordination meetings, technical working groups, and networking events, as delegated by the Program Manager.
- Support the identification and cultivation of local partnerships that strengthen project sustainability and local ownership of outcomes.
- Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL)
- Track activity- and output-level progress against the project's log frame/results framework, and maintain accurate, up-to-date activity records, attendance data, and case examples.
- Collect quantitative and qualitative data (including pre/post-test results, feedback surveys, and success stories) to feed into project MEAL systems and donor reporting.
- Contribute to periodic internal reviews, reflection workshops, and lessons-learned exercises, and apply adaptive learning to improve activity design.
- Support the establishment and proper use of community/stakeholder feedback and complaint-handling mechanisms in target areas.
- Reporting & Documentation
- Prepare high-quality, timely narrative inputs, activity reports, case studies, and statements of progress for internal and donor reporting, in line with YRDP and donor formats and deadlines.
- Document good practices, challenges, and lessons learned in a clear and evidence-based manner to support organizational learning and future proposal development.
- Maintain organized project files (financial, administrative, and technical) in compliance with YRDP's documentation standards and donor requirements.
- Financial & Donor Compliance
- Plan and manage activity-level budgets, ensuring efficient and compliant use of project resources in line with YRDP's financial policies and donor rules.
- Prepare accurate and timely financial and procurement requests, advances, and liquidations for activities under their responsibility.
- Ensure all project implementation complies with donor requirements, YRDP policies (including safeguarding, code of conduct, and anti-fraud policies), and applicable national regulations.
- Team Collaboration, Supervision & Safeguarding
- Provide day-to-day guidance and support to the Project Assistant, ensuring clear division of tasks, quality outputs, and on-the-job coaching.
- Work collaboratively with other YRDP project teams and partner organisations to ensure coherence and avoid duplication across related initiatives.
- Apply, promote, and uphold inclusive, gender-responsive, conflict-sensitive, and safeguarding standards in all project activities, ensuring the meaningful participation of women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other marginalised groups.
- Perform other duties as reasonably assigned by the Program Manager in support of CLIPS project objectives.
Expected Profile of Candidates
Languages:
- Khmer - Fluent is required
- English - Good
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree in Public Administration, Political Science, Development Studies, Economics, Finance, Law, or a related field
- Master's Degree is preferred
Work History:
- Progressive experience implementing development or civil society projects, preferably in local governance, public financial management, decentralisation, civic engagement, or youth empowerment programming for 3 to 5 years as a minimum
Skills & Knowledge:
General & Technical Skills
- Sector knowledge: Demonstrated understanding of Cambodia's sub-national administration, decentralisation and deconcentration (D&D) reform, and commune/district investment planning and budget processes.
- Donor compliance: Proven experience managing donor-funded project activities and budgets, with a solid grasp of donor compliance and reporting requirements (EU, UN, or similar institutional donors preferred).
- Facilitation skills: Demonstrated experience designing and facilitating trainings, workshops, or multi-stakeholder dialogues for diverse audiences, including local authorities and community members.
- Other: Willingness and ability to travel frequently to rural/sub-national target areas; valid driving licence (motorbike) preferred.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); familiarity with data collection tools (e.g., KoboToolbox) is an advantage.
- Strong project management skills, including workplanning, budgeting, and results-based monitoring.
- Language: Fluency in Khmer required; strong working proficiency in written and spoken English.
Soft Skills
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret budget and public investment data for non-technical audiences.
- Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage credibly and diplomatically with government officials, communities, and civil society partners.
- Strong written communication skills for report writing, case documentation, and advocacy material development.
- Sound judgement, integrity, and commitment to YRDP's values of civic engagement, inclusion, and democratic accountability.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a small field team under a medium-funding-size project.
DCEY_Project Assistant
Position Circumstances
- Career Category: Assistant, Social Work, Educate/Train/Teaching, Law, Community Development
- Schedule:Full-time
- Salary: Negotiable
The position is for Empowering Youth for an Equitable Society
Duties & Responsibilities:
- Assist in organizing training/workshop and the field practice of trained youth
- Being involved in the development of curriculums
- Develop topics and assist in producing online and radio talk shows
- Mobilize youth to attend the training/workshops and other activities of the project
- Write training/ activity reports in English
Expected Profile of Candidates
Languages:
- Khmer - Good
- English - Good
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree in related fields such as History, Law, Psychology, Political or Social Science, International Relations, Education, or Social Work
Work History:
- At Least experience working with NGOs as a full-time staff or volunteer for 1 year
Skills & Knowledge:
General & Technical Skills
- Good at writing and speaking both English and Khmer.
Soft Skills
- Demonstrate strong team spirit and high motivation to work with youth
- Good at interpersonal skills: communication, problem solving, facilitation, time and task management with high morale, and good characteristics
