ABOUT GOOD RETURN

Good Return’s mission is to enable those living in poverty to achieve economic empowerment. We do this by working in partnerships that innovate and strengthen financial services and provide economic opportunities for those living in poverty across the Asia Pacific Region.

Our work focuses on promoting responsible inclusive finance, building financial capability & consumer empowerment, and developing smallholder agribusiness solutions. We also deliver interest free loan capital raised from the Australian public. Together these powerful tools empower people to create lasting change for themselves. 

Good Return is an initiative of World Education Australia, an international development agency accredited by Australian Aid and a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID). Good Return has no religious affiliations. Visit www.goodreturn.org.au for more information.

ABOUT OUR PARTNERS

We have been working in partnership with various Financial Service Providers across the Asia Pacific Region since 2010. Our current partners are located in Cambodia, Nepal, Laos, Philippines, Solomon Islands,  Fiji, Tonga & Samoa.

Our partnerships are based on a shared mission to provide responsible microfinance services to people living in poverty as well as build the financial capability of their clients. Our partners are committed to improving their social performance management systems, which includes implementing the seven client protection principles. For more information Social Performance Management & Client Protection:

• http://www.microfinancegateway.org/p/site/m/template.rc/1.11.48260/1.26.9231/
• http://www.smartcampaign.org/about-the-campaign/smart-microfinance-and-the-client-protection-principles

Please visit our website (www.goodreturn.org.au) for further information on our partners.

FSO Program Objectives

The objectives of the Field Support Officer (FSO) Volunteer Program are for FSOs to:

• Gain valuable experience living and working in a developing country as part of a professional team
• Assist with the implementation of Good Return and partner objectives and specific programs
• Strengthen relationships with partners by enhancing communication and coordination
• Support Good Return’s communications and marketing

The FSO Program has enabled previous volunteers to build their careers in the international development sector, with a number now in paid roles both in Australia and overseas.

Assignment Objectives

The assignment objectives of the Social Impact FSO role are to support Good Return across its three core program areas, Responsible Inclusive Finance, Financial Capability, and Impact Investment. You will play a project coordination role, supporting local partners across capacity building, project implementation and monitoring & evaluation. There may also be opportunities to support the development of new program opportunities throughout the placement.

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Responsible Inclusive Finance program support:

• Main partnership activities conducted with South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) Microfinance, supporting Network wide activities (http://www.spbdmicrofinance.com/)
• Build counterpart’s capacity to coordinate and monitor social performance activities
• Support development of staff training materials (incl. eLearning) and delivery of staff training
• Support the implementation of the Client Protection Principles
• Support the implementation of poverty measurement and tracking activities, e.g. implementing the Member Annual Profile (MAP)
• Support social performance on social inclusion areas including gender equality, disability, inclusion, and child protection

2. Partnership & program development Support:

• Support effective communications between the partner organisation and Good Return team in Australia
• Produce content for print and digital including, interviews & case studies for marketing & promotional materials, feature stories for e-newsletters, short blogs, photographs and video for Good Return website
• Research, identify and follow up on funding opportunities and support proposal writing

3. Financial Capability program support (as required):

• Support program development (e.g. partnership formulation)
• Support project coordination and reporting (including implementation, monitoring and evaluation) activities with local partners

4. Impact Investment program support (as required):

• Support scoping activities (e.g. identification of social businesses, technical partners, etc.)
• Support gender lens investing activities (e.g. gender analysis of financing products, gender value chain analysis, gender organisational self-assessments)
• Support collection of social impact data and monitor progress of social enterprises accessing financing through GR’s impact investment program

CITIZENSHIP

You must be an Australian citizen or have permanent residency to apply for this position. Applicants not meeting this requirement will not be considered.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• A degree in Economics, Finance/Business, Statistics, International Development, Education or similar is required
• At least 1 year of work experience (paid or unpaid) relevant to Good Return’s program areas, such as international development, finance/banking or adult education
• Independent living or travel experience, preferably in a developing country
• Willingness and ability to travel to the field
• Self-motivation and desire to learn
• Proactive and able to work under limited supervision
• Strong written & verbal communication skills, including report writing and ability to adapt communication style for various stakeholders (proposal writing experience highly desired
• Experience working in a cross-cultural context, especially in teams
• Experience in conducting monitoring and evaluation activities
• IT skills, particularly Microsoft Word and Excel

DESIRABLE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• A postgraduate degree in a relevant field (International Development, Economics, Education, etc.)
• Experience in coaching, training or mentoring
• Photography and digital media skills
• Experience conducting interviews including researching a subject and story
• Experience curating and producing content for social media platforms including Instagram
• Foreign language skills (especially Asia Pacific languages)

ESSENTIAL PERSONAL QUALITIES

• Independence and resilience
• Cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity
• Patience, tolerance and open-mindedness
• Responsible (for own actions, upholding integrity)
• Initiative and ability to adapt to isolated settings with limited resources
• A sense of humour!

ALLOWANCES AND SUPPORT

• Pre-departure:
• Induction training at Sydney office (4 days)
• Health check and vaccination expenses
• Visa expenses
• International airfares at the commencement and conclusion of the assignment

Settling in:

• Initial accommodation arranged; it is the responsibility of the FSO to secure long-term accommodation
• First 2 monthly allowance payments paid in advance to assist with set-up costs in-country
• Orientation support (negotiating lease agreements, shopping options, etc.)

During assignment:

• Support, monitoring and security guidance from Supervisor and Good Return regional & Sydney offices
• Monthly allowance (to cover living and accommodation expenses)
• Language allowance
• Travel insurance
• Professional development opportunities
• Debrief following conclusion of placement

The placement will commence in-country in July 2019. Applicants must be available for a four day induction course (held in May 2019 at Good Return’s Sydney office), prior to the commencement of their placement. Later commencement dates and/or periods of less than 12 months will not be considered.

Good Return will provide international airfares, certain pre-departure medical costs, visa expenses, insurance and a monthly living allowance (including accommodation costs).

How to apply:

Applications can be submitted by selecting the 'I'm interested' link below.

Applicants should provide a CV and a cover letter that clearly states your Australian citizenship/permanent residency status, and addresses the selection criteria listed in the full position description, along with your phone and Skype contact details. Cover letters can be included in the messages section or uploaded together with a CV file.

Please indicate in your cover letter which role/s you wish to be considered for, but apply only for your preferred role (you do not need to submit multiple applications).

We would love to hear how you heard about the position.

Enquiries can be directed via the Good Return website https://www.goodreturn.org.au/contact

Applications close: COB Monday 11 February 2019

Note: Interviews are expected to start late February/early March. It is still possible to apply after that date.

Note: Good Return is a child safe organisation. The successful candidate will be required to comply with our child protection policy and will be subject to pre-hire checks.