Program Assistant for 3 Pacific Islands fisheries campaigns

Position Opening: Part-Time Program Assistant  

 cChange, a regional non-profit organisation, seeks a Part-Time Program Assistant to support three Pacific Island country campaigns that aim to scale-up community-based fisheries management efforts in the region. 

 The position is based in Brisbane, Australia. The position is for 8 months, with a chance of extension depending on performance and funding availability. 

Organisation Overview: 

cChange is a non-profit organisation working to positively impact the lives of people of the Pacific through strategic communications and social marketing. cChange believes that solutions to society’s challenges, big and small, ultimately lie in changing the behaviour of individuals.  

cChange develops behaviour change communications initiatives for multi-partner initiatives, including designing foundational campaigns to catalyse movements in support of urgent social change. Our communications initiatives prioritise programs that empower grassroots leaders with context-appropriate information and training that builds capacity to create local dialogue and shift social norms in communities.  

cChange works in the environment, health and human rights sectors. Visit cChange4good.org for additional information. 

Position Summary: 

The Program Assistant will play a critical support role in the implementation of three Pacific Island campaigns that aim to upscale community-based fisheries management (CBFM) efforts in New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. 

The position is critical to providing core institutional support to contracted coordinators and grassroots civil society organisations (CSOs) to ensure donor funding can reach actors who can most benefit but lack internal processes to meet donor requirements. Supporting networks of grassroots actors is a key part of scaling CBFM in the region. 

 The Program Assistant will have two core areas of focus:  

1. Support sound and timely financial and narrative reporting for donor-funded campaigns in New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu by working with cChange contractors and Civil Society partners who are implementing campaign activities on the ground. This includes supporting Program Management to prepare budgets, expense reports, set up wires/transactions and review donor financial and narrative reports, and update program activity reporting.   
2. Working with cChange contractors and Civil Society partners, support the collection of content, including photos, video files and narrative details to support the creation of regular campaign social media posts. 

Please note applicants that have demonstrated experience/understanding of the Pacific Islands, and specifically Melanesia, are preferred, but not required.  

The individual must demonstrate attention to detail and possess the ability to work across multiple countries and cultures which can present a myriad of unexpected challenges over the life of the project. Patience and passion for supporting Pacific Islands communities is key. 

Key responsibilities:  

• Support cChange coordinators and Civil Society Organisation (CSO) partners in PNG, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to produce expense reports and narrative reports, including hands-on guidance on documenting expenses, scanning receipts, and producing complete reports, with all key details, from attendance to outcomes. 
• Engage contractors and COS partners to provide key information for donor reports.  
• Prepare monthly activity reports and support 4-monthly donor progress reporting and annual reporting. 
• Support cChange Executive Director to produce financial reports from contractors and CSOs for donor reimbursement. 
• Prepare international wires/payments for contractors, CSOs and related project expenses for authorisation by cChange Executive Director 
• Regularly engage/interview contracted coordinators and key CSO partners to document work, collect photos, videos, and other information, to support campaign updates for social media and for donor reports. 

Ideal Skills/Background: 

• Experience in tracking/producing expense reports for non-profit or similar organisation. 
• Community development, international relations, communications, and/or marketing 
• Experience in Pacific cultures, and developing nations 
• Strong attention to detail 
• Technology savvy, including effectively operating/communicate on multiple platforms with partners, such as WhatsApp, Viber, Messenger, Email, O365 Teams 
• Efficient at using Microsoft O365 
• Able to track project progress using Gantt charts or similar 
• Must have an understanding of working within a cross-cultural environment 
• Ideally some experience in creating content from reports 
• Thinks creatively  
• Positive attitude and problem solver  

Please send CV and cover letter to jobs@cchange4good.org. For salary inquiries, please email.  

Applications will close 30th April 2024. Position to commence in May through to October at minimum.