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Regional Director - Asia Pacific Regional Office

Employer
Open Society Foundations
Location
Singapore
Salary
250,000 – 350,000 Singapore Dollars (approx. £134,000 - £188,500) + Excellent Benefits
Closing date
23 Sep 2021

Job Details

Do you want to help make the world a better place with your substantive experience in leading positive, social change in the Asia Pacific region? We’re seeking a Regional Director, Asia Pacific Regional Office (APRO) to be based in Singapore. The Regional Director, APRO is responsible for the design and implementation of strategies that promote and bolster human rights and expand inclusive democratic space in the Asia Pacific region, and for leading the dedicated team of APRO staff in this effort.

The Open Society Foundations works to build vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people. We are active in more than 120 countries, making us the world’s largest private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights.

The Asia Pacific Regional Office was created in 2014 to lead OSF’s Asia-wide initiatives including incubating new work, coordinating international advocacy efforts and supporting an array of national and regional civil society organizations, activists, and community groups. APRO integrates linkages at the regional and global level, concentrating its work through three major sub-regions.

In East Asia, APRO’s work focuses on shoring up civic activism, exposing abuses, and supporting those who support the rights of disadvantaged communities. In South Asia, APRO supports civic engagement around policy and institutional reforms for good governance and public accountability, efforts to promote rule of law and access to justice, and initiatives to diversify funding infrastructure and an enabling environment for civil society aligned with open society values. In Southeast Asia, the program’s work touches a wide range of countries and focuses on issues such as inclusive development, human rights, democratic participation in adverse contexts, and strengthening regional institutions.

OSF is currently undergoing an organizational transformation with the ambition of positioning the network at the vanguard of the fight to curtail increasing global threats to democratic governance and help shape a world that centers people’s rights and dignity at its heart. Increasing capacity amongst OSF’s six regional programs is one of the core tenets of this ambition to create further impact at scale, whilst remaining deeply rooted by local contexts. The Regional Director, APRO will combine excellent people management skills to lead the program through this time of transformation and beyond, with an exceptional substantive understanding of the dynamic geopolitical context in the region that will inform strategy design for the enlarged program. The position reports to OSF’s Executive Vice President, Programs, forms part of our Senior Leadership Group and leads a diverse, geographically dispersed team.

As Regional Director, APRO you will:

  • Provide a bold and comprehensive vision for APRO’s work that drives impactful programming at the national, sub-regional and regional level; contribute to the global vision for OSF’s work.
  • Lead strategy design for APRO’s work that incorporates a high-level analysis of the nuanced social, economic and political context across the region; remain current to shifting landscapes and ready to seize opportunities.
  • Ensure high-quality programming that achieves impact through consistent focus on monitoring, evaluation and learning in program planning and implementation.
  • Create an enabling working environment for APRO’s staff, maintaining open and professional relations with colleagues, promoting a strong team spirit and providing guidance, oversight and resources to enable staff to perform successfully.
  • Act as APRO’s principal external representative with a range of key donors, policy makers, governments, public and private partners, and news media.
  • Steward the use of program resources judiciously; ensure the program’s budget is well managed.

What we are looking for:

  • Personal and professional alignment to the core mission and values of OSF and in excess of 15 years’ progressively responsible in a field connected to the advancement of human rights and democratic practice in Asia.
  • Extensive knowledge of political and social dynamics across the Asia region; a passionate interest in and intellectual curiosity about global trends affecting the region.
  • Strong networks amongst civil society, governmental and private sector actors; demonstrated experience in effective coalition building and policy influence.
  • Experience at leadership level in the design of strategy and programs that amplify the capacity of civil society in Asia and/or strengthen mechanisms that protect democratic practice, justice and rights in the region.
  • Excellent writing, analytical, interpersonal, organizational and communication skills with sensitivity to cultural communication differences.
  • Ability to perform in an advisory role to senior management, including the President of OSF and Global Board.
  • Proven experience in the development and nurturing of teams, instinctive understanding of when to delegate or lead, empowers and enables staff to incorporate their perspectives in strategy development.
  • Experience in planning and managing budgets, maintaining high standards of fiscal governance.
  • Willingness to undertake frequent travel (when COVID-19 related policy and restrictions allow).
  • Commitment to continuous learning and growth in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism and social justice.
  • Commitment to listening and working with humility; ways of working that are respectful to all people; and that support space and voice for all diverse perspectives in our workplace.

Desirable (but not essential):

  • Experience operating at senior leadership level in a complex, matrixed organizational structure.
  • Fluency in additional languages of the region.

What we offer:

  • Ample opportunities to learn and grow, from annual professional development allowances to onsite trainings and brown bag lunches with visiting experts.
  • Top-notch benefits and perks designed for your well-being and a healthy work-life balance. With some variability according to location, this includes generous time off, flexible work arrangements, employer-paid health insurance, generous retirement savings plan, progressive paid parental leave, reproductive and family planning support, sabbatical opportunities, and much more.
  • A commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace that enables everyone to bring their full self to work and make a positive impact on the world.

If this sounds like the position you have been looking for, please submit your cover letter and CV; we look forward to learning more about you.

Closing date: 23 September 2021.

We aim to build an inclusive workforce that is reflective of the populations we support, and actively seek applications from those who are marginalized and underrepresented. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and colleagues with disabilities.

Company

Open Society Foundations

Website: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/

The Open Society Foundations work to build vibrant and tolerant societies whose governments are accountable and open to criticism, whose laws and policies are open to debate and correction, and whose political institutions are open to the participation of all people. We seek to strengthen justice and the rule of law; broaden respect for human rights, including the rights of minorities; encourage pluralism and a robust diversity of opinion; deepen democratic practice and participation; expand economic equity; support effective governance; and invest in individuals, public and private organizations, and social movements that advance these goals.

We are a global network of foundations committed to local knowledge and national expertise. Our network includes national foundations, regional foundations, and other geographic programs operating in more than one hundred countries. At the same time, many programs with global reach operate from our four headquarters in Europe and the United States, including programs on digital information, documentary photography, drug policy, early childhood, education, fellowships, fiscal governance, higher education, human rights, international migration, justice, public health, scholarships, think tanks, and women’s rights. In addition to making grants to organizations and individuals, the Open Society Foundations engage in policy advocacy, legal advocacy and litigation, program-related investing, and public communications, as well as providing direct assistance to governments. Most programs and foundations in the network are governed or advised by their own boards.

The Open Society Foundations are the global philanthropies of George Soros, who, as chairman, plays an active role in the work of the foundations.

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