INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Project Assistant, Water is responsible for providing administrative and logistical support to the Water Unit team in Pakse, Lao PDR to strengthen communication with key stakeholders and to help deliver high-quality operational, coordination and other administrative services. This position will report to the Project Officer, Water, who leads the Water Unit in Pakse, and works closely with other Water Unit team members, in particular under the guidance of the Operations unit.

PURPOSE

The Project Assistant plays a vital role in supporting the team to implement KOICA Phase I and Phase II projects, carrying out administrative work related to the Water Unit in Pakse. The position emphasizes logistical and coordination services, financial administration at the activity and outcome level, stakeholder engagement and other administrative services. In particular:

• Support the team in arranging meetings with key stakeholders and development partners.
• Prepare documents, presentations, and reports to present information to a variety of audiences.
• Prepare administrative documents to facilitate work related travel and events.
• Ensures petty cash expenditures and controls related budget.
• Ensures liaison with Operations teams.
• Ensure strict compliance with administrative protocols.
• Assist in transversal tasks when needed.

ENGAGEMENT

• Coordinate tasks related to the “Wastewater and Solid Waste Treatment Capacity Building Project for City Environment Improvement in Lao PDR.” Phase I and Phase II on a day-to-day basis, under the supervision of the Project Officer, Water and other Water Unit team members.
• Collaborate with other units and divisions at GGGI, especially the GGGI Lao PDR Operations Unit and Solid Waste Unit, for problem solving and sharing lesson learned related to project delivery.
• Utilize and comply with GGGI’s internal systems and procedures, including information management, account management, and enterprise resource planning.
• Maintain a good working relationship and share relevant information with stakeholders, particularly government counterparts at an administrative level.
• Engage on other projects within the Water Unit’s portfolio as need arises.

DELIVERY

• Prepares activity budgets, including for events and local field travel, and manage associated administrative activities including preparation of receipts and event reports.
• Prepares participant lists, track participation and provide outreach support for active participation from key stakeholders.
• Undertakes desk and field research as needed to complement project activities, including collection of data from online sources, government counterparts and other stakeholders.
• Coordinates the delivery of events in the field, including trainings, meetings and community engagements and prepare event and meeting minutes.
• Supports the ongoing monitoring of project activities.

REQUIREMENTS

QUALIFICATIONS

• A minimum of bachelor’s degree in Environmental Management, Economics, Administration, Commerce, Business Management, Forestry, Agriculture, Urban Planning or other related environmental subjects.
• Knowledge and understanding of private and financial sector issues in sustainable development.
• Preferred at least 1 year of professional experience.
• Self-motivated, detail-oriented individual with good organizational skills.
• Excellent computer skills with experience in Microsoft Office.
• Excellent communication in English and Lao.
• Proven analytical and report writing skills are an advantage.

FUNCTIONAL

• Ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with GGGI partner institutions.
• Ability to work in an organized, systematic manner, and logical decision-making abilities.
• Ability to write concise and clear reports and meeting minutes and to file them effectively and develop and maintain the GGGI database accordingly.
• Ability to perform well in a fast-paced atmosphere and self-motivated to produce quality results in timely manner.
• Ability to be prompt, punctual, polite and at all times professional.
• Ability to communicate well with all stakeholders.

CORPORATE

• Understand and actively supports GGGI’s mission, vision and values.
• Promote the optimum use of public resources.
• Promote an organizational culture of trust, transparency, respect and partnership.
• Process and share information easily.
• Manage emotions and stress positively, builds rapport and resolves conflict easily.
• Promote creativity and innovation among staff.
• Be able to lead where needed and provide solutions to project-level challenge.

WORKING CONDITIONS

The Project Assistant, Water role is an X4 grade level in GGGI salary scale. Determination of base salary is subject to candidate’s experience, academic background and internal equity. GGGI provides 15% of base salary towards retirement plan/long-term savings, 27 days of annual leave, and private health insurance that covers dental and vision. This is a national position and does not include relocation benefits. GGGI will provide partial reimbursement to the housing expenses for this candidate being based in Pakse.

GGGI is committed to providing a work environment that is sufficiently flexible to accommodate diverse life-cycle challenges and assist Staff members to achieve a better balance between work and personal/family commitments, thus ensuring high performance, long-term productivity, and well-being of Staff members.

Child Protection

GGGI is committed to child protection, irrespective of whether any specific area of work involves direct contact with children. GGGI’s Child Protection Policy is written in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The GGGI Lao PDR program has been expanding rapidly in the areas of climate change, green cities and green investment mobilization. Since 2018, GGGI has been implementing a range of Readiness and Preparatory Support Program projects focused on building national capacity and policy for green finance, capacity building, climate modelling, energy efficiency, electric mobility and climate policy. GGGI has also undertaken a range of activities and projects to support Lao PDR’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). In addition, since 2019, GGGI has been implementing sanitation and fecal sludge treatment solutions in Pakse, Lao PDR, across interventions spanning infrastructure, policy, financing, regulation and capacity development. The country office has workspaces in the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport at central level, as well as the Vientiane Capital and Champasak Province governments.

GGGI Lao PDR’s Water Unit leads implementation of projects and outcomes related to water and wastewater policy and planning, water and wastewater infrastructure and technologies, and flood management and resilience at a national level. Key projects within the portfolio include Phase I of the KOICA-funded project “Wastewater and Solid Waste Treatment Capacity Building” through which GGGI is providing technical assistance for improved wastewater in Pakse City; Phase II of this project, also supported by KOICA, through which GGGI’s support in the wastewater sector will be extended to Kaysone, Savannakhet; and a new project “Nature-Based Solutions for Urban Adaptation” (NATURA), funded by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), aimed to increase the resilience of urban communities in Vientiane Capital through a range of interventions, including nature-based solutions, to improve urban wetland management for urban flood resilience. Along with project delivery, the Water Unit also engages in business development for the water and wastewater sectors, as well as water-related knowledge sharing and capacity development at the national and local levels. To support this work, GGGI is seeking a national Project Associate to join GGGI to support the work of the Water Unit in Pakse in relation with the above mentioned KOICA projects.