Participatory Practices Advisor

Role Overview
Working at VSO

VSO is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes volunteering as a powerful and practical way to tackle poverty and inequality. Our purpose is to create lasting change through volunteering.

At VSO, we believe in bringing about change, not by sending aid, but by working with volunteers and partners to empower people in some of the world's poorest and most fragile regions. We know that people in developing countries have the desire, power, courage and determination to shape their own futures.

Through our Volunteering for Development (VfD) approach, we put the most marginalised people first. Grounded in years of evidence and learning, this approach develops active citizens who drive local community-led change and deliver sustainable development goals long after a project or grant ends.

Role Overview Summary
The Participatory Practices Advisor
must be capable of working remotely while offering technical support to Civil Society Groups (CSGs) – strengthen their capacity to embed participatory practices to foster social inclusion, strengthen social accountability and build resilience using participatory tools such as Volunteer-led SEGA, Washington Group Questions, Intersectional Analysis & Community Scorecard and Resilience Risk Mitigation tools etc. As part of the global volunteer network, this volunteer role acts as a resource person, provides targeted and flexible technical supports to the in-country CSGs, offering regular coaching and mentoring and remote technical supports across countries. This role works alongside local accompanier volunteers, VSO team and partners to tailor support to each CSG's context, readiness, and common issues/priorities.

Ideal Applicant Summary

Competencies And Behaviour
Skilled in participatory practices and adapting tools like Volunteer-led SEGA, Washington Group Questions, Intersectional Analysis, and Community Scorecard. Experienced in building CSG capacity for rights-based, participatory approaches. Proficient in co-designing accessible resources for groups with varied literacy and digital access. Knowledgeable in social inclusion, gender, social accountability, resilience, and youth engagement. Strong in digital and data literacy, including citizen-generated data. Effective facilitator, coach, and mentor, creating inclusive spaces that empower marginalized voices.

Equal Opportunities:
VSO is an equal opportunity employer, welcoming applicants from all backgrounds and strongly encouraging qualified persons with disabilities to apply.

Equal Opportunities:
VSO promotes equal opportunities and values a diverse workforce.

VSO reserves the right to close this job early if we receive a sufficient number of applications.
Disclaimer:
VSO is committed to a fair, transparent and merit-based recruitment. VSO does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Any such request in VSO's name is fraudulent and should be disregarded. Please report suspicious requests to

Additional Information

Allowance
All Voluntary Workforce volunteers are compensated based on VSO's standard daily rates for days worked, with payment issued upon completion of the assignment and fulfillment of the agreed milestones.

VSO works with some of the poorest communities in the world which means accommodation varies and will be basic.

VSO is the world's leading development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty. We are unique in the way we bring people together to share their skills and experience, generate insights and ideas and, most of all, take action against poverty and exclusion. It's a highly effective approach that works, and today is helping millions of people in some of the world's poorest communities lift themselves out of poverty.