Market Forces is an affiliate project of Friends of the Earth Australia. We conduct and support campaigning and advocacy that shifts finance away from activities that cause major harm to the people and environment, redirecting it to activities that protect and enhance the environment.
We are actively supporting civil society and grassroots groups in South East Asian countries to resist major expansion plans of the coal fired power sector. We are tasked with preventing new coal fired power stations that will create an array of local environmental and social damage, all while worsening climate change.
This will be done two ways: project by project and systematically. Project-by-project work will focus on specific coal power plant proposals and find ways to prevent each from being financed. Systemic work will focus on the policies and practices of financial institutions that are influential to the coal sector in South East Asia and changing their policies and behavior over a short period of time to make them less inclined to invest in coal generally.
We are seeking 2-3 people based in South East Asia to help carry out this mission. The South East Asian campaigners will work on individual projects but also together as a team, and with the support of our Australian-based staff.
Below are listed the key responsibilities, duties and selection criteria. It is not expected that any one person will meet them all, but the 2-3 people we employ will be required to cover all of the below skills and responsibilities between them.
Key duties and responsibilities
- Work with local civil society organizations and grassroots groups in country to identify the risks and impacts resulting from proposed and existing coal power plants.
- Facilitate dialogue between financial institutions and affected communities, or represent the concerns of affected communities to financial institutions.
- Identify opportunities to increase the power and agency of affected communities and local civil society groups, in order to decrease the prospects for finance and investment into new coal power stations.
- Develop and deliver campaign strategies that prevent identified proposed coal power stations in South East Asia from reaching financial close.
- Develop and deliver campaign strategies that produce material changes in the behavior of banks, asset owners, asset managers, public investment vehicles and insurance companies, the result being decreasing appetite for investment in the coal sector in South East Asia.
- Represent Market Forces and its values, goals and views to the wider world through online publication, social and traditional media.
- Conduct field-based and desk-based research as required.
Key selection criteria
- Highly motivated by environmental causes.
- Very good communication and interpersonal skills.
- Capable of representing our organization and the views/issues of community groups we support to financial sector audiences.
- Strong English speaker and writer, and fluent in at least one of the following languages: Bahasa Indonesia, Vietnamese, Japanese, Mandarin, Korean.
- An understanding of campaigning, strategy and how power dynamics shape efforts to achieve lasting change. Ideally, successful candidates will have experience working in a change-making context and having delivered successful campaigns themselves.
- An understanding and working knowledge of how the finance sector operates is desired for at least one of the people employed in South East Asia.
- Ability to work across widely variable cultural contexts.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to work effectively with limited supervision.
Assessment and reporting
Each position will take responsibility for achieving objectives as determined through Market Forces’ planning process. Assessment of the performance of candidates will primarily be against their agreed objectives.
Successful candidates will report to the Executive Director of Market Forces unless the candidate and Executive Director agree on an alternative line of reporting and management.
Integration
South East Asian employees will be treated as much a part of the Market Forces team as possible, included in activities of the broader team and through regular videoconferencing. Australian-based staff will continue to regularly visit the region and work in person with South East Asia-based team members.
Applications
To apply, please complete the form at https://www.marketforces.org.au/get-involved/applications/se-asia-finance-campaigner
