SOUTHEAST ASIA GBV PREVENTION PLATFORM SECRETARIAT

1. Background

The Southeast Asia Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention Platform (the Platform) is an AUD20 million investment over five years (2023-24 to 2028-29). The investment builds on Australia's leadership in GBV prevention and response, by addressing a need and demand for increased investment in, and coordination of, GBV prevention initiatives in the Southeast Asia region. The Platform’s guiding principles include: locally driven, evidence-based, intersectional, survivor-centred and trauma informed, adaptive, collaborative and catalysing, minimise harm, accessible and innovative. 

It will bring together partner governments, women’s rights organisations (WROs), civil society organisations (CSOs), donors, international organisations, and regional bodies, providing a convening platform for these stakeholders to collaborate to build capacity and evidence, and improve and accelerate action to prevent GBV. The Platform will utilise and build on global evidence and learning to support practitioners to strengthen and increase locally informed and led evidence-based policy and practice to prevent GBV within households, communities and countries across diverse settings. This includes both careful and high-quality adaptation of evidence-based models from other regions, support the capture and use of locally informed and led GBV prevention evidence and practice, as well as support to develop, strengthen and test new and innovative approaches to GBV prevention. The Platform will leverage Australian government partnerships with UN Women and UNFPA, and several complementary DFAT bilateral and regional investments. In addition, it will link Southeast Asian knowledge, capacity and practice to global, multilateral and Australian GBV prevention initiatives to extend and amplify program impacts and outcomes.

The Platform aims to achieve the following End of Program Outcomes under these three work Pillars: 

• Demonstrate Pillar: Evidence of what works to prevent GBV in Southeast Asia is accessible and applied by practitioners and policymakers in the region. 

• Advocate Pillar: Regional and bilateral multi-stakeholder collaboration on and commitment to GBV prevention are expanded. 

• Facilitate Pillar: Practitioners and policymakers have better capacity to design, implement and monitor high-quality, evidence-based GBV prevention policies and programmes

The Platform is led by a regionally based Secretariat, in collaboration with Cowater International, Social Development Direct and the Equality Institute (“the Collaborators”) which support organisational development and provide technical assistance.  

2. Overview of the role

Reporting to the Regional Director, working in close collaboration with the Operations Director and supported by the Collaborators, the Program Director will be responsible for overseeing and coordinating programming across the Platform, including Pillars, safeguarding, gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI), partnership/grants and intersectional/ cross-cutting issues. This role will ensure that the Platform as a whole is implemented in a coherent and efficient manner, aligning with Platform principles, ensuring Pillar work plans and activities are mutually reinforcing and contributing to end of program outcomes. The Program Director will also be responsible for managing the work of the Facilitate Pillar given its centrality to the identity and focus of the Platform.

3. Specific duties and responsibilities

• Overall Leadership on Learning: Lead the implementation of the GBV Prevention Platform’s learning strategy through cross-workstream collaboration, aimed at strengthening the capacity of key stakeholders to design, deliver and advocate for high-quality primary prevention programming. This includes raising the profile of the Platform as a learning focused program and supporting the maintenance and growth of the Platform’s learning community/working groups, alongside delivery of cross pillar learning strategies.

• Facilitate Pillar leadership: Manage planning, delivery and monitoring of outputs and activities under the Facilitate Pillar, ensuring timeliness and quality.

• Networks: Support network building, knowledge sharing and mutual learning among WROs, CSOs and practitioners in Southeast Asia, through strategic engagements with key stakeholders, identifying opportunities for learning exchange and building strategic alliances both regionally and globally.

• Work planning: Lead the annual work planning process, supporting Pillar Leads and program workstreams to develop coherent, feasible and aligned work plans that are mutually reinforcing, resource-effective, contribute to end-of-program outcomes, reflect Platform principles and strategic direction, and align with the MEL Framework.

• Oversight of implementation of work plans: Maintain oversight of program (Pillars, GEDSI, locally led development, safeguarding, partnership/grants and intersectional/cross-cutting issues) work plan implementation, ensuring activities are delivered efficiently, collaboratively, on time and within budget, while identifying opportunities for alignment, adaptation and improved ways of working across the Platform.

• Internal Learning and Reflection: Support the MEL Director to plan and implement internal learning and adaptation, including reflection and refocus workshops that enable adaptive management. Use learning generated to advise on future direction / strategic activities for the Platform over years 3-5, ensuring any decisions are evidence driven.

• Coordination and coherence: Work collaboratively with the Regional Director, Operations Director, MEL Director and other Platform leads to ensure programming is coherent, avoids duplication and siloing, and contributes to synergy across workstreams.

• Budget monitoring and adaptive management: Collaborate with the Operations Director to monitor budget usage, forecast activity delivery and expenditure, and support timely adjustments to ensure activities remain within projected timelines and budgets.

• GEDSI and safeguarding: Oversee GEDSI, Safeguarding and Locally Led Development (LLD) initiatives to support partners and Platform teams to integrate GEDSI, safeguarding, ethical standards and do-no-harm considerations across program design, implementation and adaptation.

• Risk management: Effectively manage program risks across the Platform by identifying emerging and changing risks, contributing mitigation and management strategies to the Platform’s overall risk management approach, coordinating with relevant staff to manage cross-cutting risks and contribute to risk tracking/reporting.

• Reporting: Contribute to high-quality program reporting by ensuring context, work plan progress, implementation issues, risks, learning and adaptations are captured and communicated clearly for internal management, governance and advisory bodies, DFAT reporting and other required deliverables.

• Human Resource Management: Manage the workload and performance of the Facilitate Pillar team, the technical leads (Pillars, GEDSI/LLD/Safeguarding) and Partnership/grant team, including appropriate task delegation, fostering an inclusive and supportive team environment in line with Platform principles, and leading recruitment of additional staff and short-term technical experts as required, including developing job descriptions, conducting interviews and agreeing candidate selections. 

   

4. Required qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in the following or related fields: social science, education, international development, business administration, etc. A post-graduate degree in a related field is desirable.

• At least five years’ experience in a senior leadership role overseeing contractor-led international development programs in Southeast Asia, with responsibility for mainstreaming gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI). Experience working in a multi-country setting, strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations and managing partnership or grant programs, particularly those funded by DFAT, is desirable.

• Understanding of GBV prevention, preferably complemented by knowledge of feminist movements in Southeast Asia and relevant networks within the region, is desirable.

• Experience shaping or strengthening an ecosystem or field—not only delivering projects—including building shared agendas, relationships, standards, and leadership.

• Experience building equitable strategic partnerships with WROs, CSOs, movements, OPDs, LGBTIQA+ organisations, research institutions, donors, governments and regional bodies.

• Proven ability to align diverse organisational functions and teams around a common strategy.

• Strong adaptive leadership, including the ability to make decisions based on evidence and learning, manage competing priorities and guide organisational change, to reach a coherent vision.

• Experience managing a diverse, geographically-dispersed team and coordinating work across individuals and workstreams effectively and efficiently.

• Expertise applying intersectionality and GEDSI approaches to program design and implementation.

• Experience implementing a risk-based approach to program management, including undertaking risk assessments and designing and implementing risk mitigation and management strategies.

• Demonstrated commitment to safeguarding policies and principles, do no harm, child protection and protection of vulnerable groups in all their work.

• High level interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to convey concepts clearly and concisely.

• Excellent communication in English language and at least one Southeast Asian language both written and oral.

   

5. Application process

This position is open for citizens of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam who are based in and legally authorised to work in those countries. We will not consider application from citizens of other regions/countries and will not be able to issue work visa for this purpose. 

Candidates are encouraged to apply by 30^th October 2026.

To make an application, please email collaborate@prevention-platform.org with the Subject as follows: Candidate Last Name, First Name, date, Title of the Position. Your application should include the following listed documents as attachments:

1. Up to date CV
2. Cover letter expressing your interest in and suitability for the role.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the values of gender equality and intersectionality. We strongly encourage applications from women in all their diversity, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and those from historically marginalised or underrepresented communities. If you require assistance in lodging your application, please inform us via email at collaborate@prevention-platform.org. 

Cowater International is an equal opportunity employer, basing employment on merit and qualifications as they relate to professional experience and position expectations. Cowater does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender identity, disability, age, or any other basis protected by law.