Peace Brigades International: Indonesia Project Committee member

About PBI

Peace Brigades International (PBI) is an international grassroots NGO that has promoted nonviolence and protected human rights since 1981. PBI uses its international presence and global networks to protect, support and enable the work of human right defenders and local activists for peaceful social change. Our signature approach is international protective accompaniment. Besides this we support local actors in other ways as well, including through workshops, publications, international speaking tours, information-sharing, networking, contact-building, and other creative approaches developed by PBI’s field projects and a grassroots base of 16 country groups around the world.

For nearly 30 years, we have protected the lives of hundreds of activists, proving that the combination of accompaniment and international pressure deters violence and creates space for local activists to work for peace and human rights.

We are nonpartisan and do not interfere in the affairs of those we accompany, because we believe that a lasting peace cannot be imposed from outside but must come from the desires of local people.

PBI’s 2012-2017 global strategic plan recognizes the importance of expanding the reach of our work to protect and support human rights defenders, and the need for a broad presence in different regions or continents that will help raise PBI’s global profile and thus our overall capacity to protect. Asia and Africa are specifically named as areas for geographic expansion.

Salary        : expenses paid
Location    : All International
Job Type    : Voluntary
Category    : Project Management , Operations
Sectors       : Human Rights
Job Reference :

Job Description

PBI-IP Project Committee ToR

Peace Brigades International is seeking committee members for project implementation and monitoring in Indonesia

PBI in Indonesia

PBI worked in Indonesia for 11 years and over that period had project activities in East Timor, Aceh, Papua and Jakarta. Most recently, PBI had field offices in Jayapura and Wamena in Papua and a team working in Jakarta.

In September 2010, following a year of internal challenges and external constraints faced by the Indonesia Project (IP), a strategic review was undertaken. This resulted in a decision to end that phase of PBI’s work in Indonesia and explore new ways of supporting human rights defenders there.

Indonesia Project

In 2011, PBI created a volunteer Indonesia Project Exploratory Committee (IPEC) to reassess PBI’s potential impact and role in Indonesia. As a part of the evaluation, IPEC explored the full range of options open to PBI within its mandate to provide protection for Indonesian HRDs. The committee gave in-depth consideration to strategic issues and explored the feasibility of re-establishing a project in Indonesia. IPEC concluded that PBI should partner with a local Indonesian NGO to create and implement a protection and capacity building program for Papuan HRDs. The committee submitted a project proposal that was approved by PBI’s governance and operations councils.

PBI is currently implementing a joint HRD capacity building and protection project in partnership with Elsam (Lembaga Studi dan Advokasi Masyarakat). The aim is to provide extensive capacity building support to HRDs operating in Indonesia’s most marginalized regions in order to strengthen their ability to document, report and advocate on human rights abuses, and to mitigate the security challenges of human rights work in those areas. The project is based in Elsam’s office in Jakarta. Front line HRDs are sponsored on 1-year capacity building fellowships, six months of which will be spent in Elsam’s Jakarta office working alongside project staff. Upon completion of the 6-month training, fellows will return to their sponsoring organization to conduct field research using newly honed skills. Reports compiled by project fellows will be used for awareness raising and advocacy.

Responsibilities of the Project Committee

The Project Committee provides governance oversight to the project. This includes responsibility for the Indonesia Project’s legal, financial and personnel issues, as well as strategic decisions. These are the tasks that PBI’s International Committee (IC) has delegated to all Project Committees in support of their respective field projects, though the IC has ultimate responsibility to see that tasks have been carried out.

The Project Committee will be involved with two phases with an emphasis on project governance:

1. Project set-up and launch
2. Project governance

Project Committee Responsibilities (break-down by phase)

1. Project Set-up and Launch (approximately May 2014 – January 2015);

1. Ensure development of fundraising proposal and coordination of fundraising with PBI country groups
2. Support Project Coordinator, Training and Protection Coordinator and ELSAM staff to finalize HRD capacity building program
3. Liaise with coordinator to finalize project governance guidelines
4. Liaise with Elsam to ensure coordination and successful project launch
5. Manage logistics for deployment of in-country project staff to Jakarta

2. Project governance

1. Human Resources Management: Recruit, engage, train, deploy and supervise field staff
2. Financial Governance Responsibilities: Submit budgets annually for approval by the IC and monitor their implementation
3. Legal Oversight: Ensure the project acts in compliance with the laws of the country in which the project is operating including legal registration and tax obligations;  Report to the IOC and IC any serious potential risks to the personnel, integrity or reputation of PBI.
4. Strategic Guidance: Develop and ensure implementation of strategies and action plans that are in line with strategic directions and priorities of PBI’s Global Strategic Plan and General Assembly; Oversee planning and implementation of triennial external evaluation of the IP
5. International Level Work: Nomination of up to three representatives to the GA; Participation as needed in ISEC Working Groups.

Composition of Project Committee

• Eight experienced persons drawn from ex-project volunteers, other organs of PBI, and external experts on Indonesia and NGO governance. (Currently the PC is composed of four individuals plus the Project Coordinator and Training & Protection Coordinator)

Requirements for Project Committee Members

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

We are particularly seeking to recruit Committee members with skills and experience in capacity building, political risk analysis, fundraising, personnel management and financial governance; however, all committee members should demonstrate the following:

• Political awareness and familiarity with global issues relating to peace and human rights
• Skills and experience in the governance and management of NGOs.
• A sound understanding of strategic planning
• Ability to commit at least four hours a week to the work of the Project Committee and take part in monthly meetings by conference call
• Ability to serve on the Project Committee for 18 months
• Commitment to and understanding PBI’s principles, mandate and methods.
• Fluency in English, the working language of the Project

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Previous experience with a PBI field project or country group.
• Knowledge of the political and human rights situation in Indonesia.
• Experience of consensus decision-making.
• Basic Indonesian language skills.
• Previous experience of serving on a governance committee or board

Benefits

• What you will get out of being a member of the Indonesia Project Committee?
• Skills and experience in the governance and management of an international human rights organization
• An opportunity to contribute to the strategic direction of PBI’s work in Indonesia thereby contributing to the support and protection of human rights defenders
• The experience of working with a highly committed group of people dedicated to putting into practice the protection of human rights and promotion of nonviolence

Expenses

All reasonable communication, travel and other costs incurred while carrying out project committee work will be covered by PBI.

The client is happy to conduct telephone interviews for overseas candidates.

The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.