Project Coordinator

Job Description

Title: Project Coordinator

Company Name: Bangladesh Labour Foundation (BLF)

Vacancy: --

Age: At least 25 years

Job Location: Anywhere in Bangladesh

Salary: Negotiable

Experience:

• 5 to 6 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): NGO, Development Agency

• Masters

• Master’s degree in Development Studies, Labour Studies, Law, International Relations, Sociology, Public Administration, or a related field of Studies.

• 5 to 6 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): NGO, Development Agency

• Age At least 25 years

• Minimum 5-6 years of progressive professional experience in project management, coordination, or policy advocacy within national/international NGOs or donor-funded projects in Bangladesh.

• Proven track record of managing or coordinating consortium projects and multi-stakeholder partnerships.

• Demonstrated in-depth experience working in Bangladesh's Ready-Made Garment (RMG) sector, formal/informal labour governance, trade unions, or labour rights initiatives.

• Sound familiarity with donor compliance and reporting mechanisms (experience with Mondiaal FNV, Dutch Ministry, EU, or UN agencies strongly preferred).

Skills and Competencies:

• Comprehensive understanding of the Bangladesh Labour Act (BLA), Bangladesh Labour Rules (BLR), international labour standards (ILO Conventions), and the national tripartite governance architecture.

• Working familiarity with emerging labour topics: Living Wage methodologies (Anker/AFW), Just Transition, Industry 4.0 automation risks, and Mandatory HREDD (e.g., EU CSDDD).

• Exceptional networking and negotiation skills with government bodies, trade union leadership, brand representatives, and industry associations.

• Strong facilitation and interpersonal skills, with the ability to lead multi-actor working groups and navigate complex institutional dynamics.

• High proficiency in written and spoken English and Bengali, with proven technical report-writing and policy-brief drafting skills.

• Strong organizational skills, problem-solving mindset, high integrity, and dedication to gender justice and worker dignity.

Bangladesh Labour Foundation (BLF) is a leading national organization working to promote and protect the rights of workers across both formal and informal sectors. Since its establishment, BLF has championed the cause of decent work, social justice, occupational safety and health (OSH), gender equality, freedom of association, and climate-resilient and just transitions in Bangladesh’s labour landscape. In strong partnership with trade unions, civil society, development partners, and government institutions, BLF implements a wide range of programs and advocacy initiatives that empower workers, improve working conditions, and influence public policy.

BLF, in consortium with the Awaj Foundation and the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), is implementing the Mondiaal FNV-supported project titled "Transformation to an inclusive and accountable Garments Sector, where workers enjoy dignity and fairness" (2026-2030). The initiative addresses systemic labour governance challenges in Bangladesh's RMG sector—spanning living wage advocacy, labour law enforcement, social protection and Just Transition, workplace OSH and SGBVH prevention, freedom of association and collective bargaining, and Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD).

Project Title: Transformation to an inclusive and accountable Garments Sector, where workers enjoy dignity and fairness

Duty Station: Dhaka, Bangladesh (with frequent travel to project locations including Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Keraniganj, and Chattogram)

Reports To: Director, Program

Position Overview:

The Project Coordinator will lead the overall strategic planning, operational execution, and partner coordination for the multi-year Mondiaal FNV-supported consortium project. Serving as a key member of the Project Technical Committee (TC), the Project Coordinator will oversee day-to-day implementation across all six outcome areas, maintain active engagement with consortium partners (Awaj Foundation, BILS) and trade union platforms (SKOP, IBC), coordinate tripartite-plus dialogues with government bodies and employers, and ensure compliance with donor deliverables, MEAL frameworks, and safeguarding standards.

Preferred Job Description / Responsibilities:

Project Planning, Implementation & Operational Management

• Lead the operational delivery and activity synchronization of the 6 core project outcome areas: Living Wage & Wage Governance, Labour Law Reform & Inspection, Just Transition & Social Protection, OSH & SGBVH Prevention, Freedom of Association & Collective Bargaining, and HREDD & Supply Chain Accountability.

• Prepare and manage annual, quarterly, and monthly work plans, procurement plans, and activity trackers to ensure deliverables are achieved within set timelines and quality benchmarks.

• Coordinate field-level interventions across project clusters (Keraniganj downstream cluster, Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur, Narayanganj, and Chattogram), including factory-level committee strengthening, worker mobilizations, and tower-based campaigns.

• Provide active operational leadership in the phased formalisation strategy for the Keraniganj downstream RMG cluster, including situation analyses, Child Labour Free Tower declarations, and safety activations.

Consortium Coordination & Governance Engagement

• Serve as an active focal member on the Project Technical Committee (TC), participating in monthly and ad-hoc coordination meetings alongside partner Head of Programs, Coordinators, and MEAL leads to review progress, synchronize joint schedules, and address operational bottlenecks.

• Provide operational reports and technical support to the Project Steering Committee (PSC) and the half-yearly Project Advisory Committee (PAC).

• Foster day-to-day institutional alignment, communication, and synergy among consortium partners (BLF, BILS, Awaj Foundation), ensuring seamless division of labour between policy advocacy, research, and grassroots mobilization.

Multi-Stakeholder Engagement, Social Dialogue & Advocacy

• Facilitate and coordinate bipartite and tripartite-plus policy dialogues, consultations, and lobby meetings involving the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE), Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), Department of Labour (DoL), National Wage Board, and National Skills Development Authority (NSDA).

• Engage industry associations (BGMEA, BKMEA, BEF) and factory management to promote plant-level collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), OSH committees, and gender-responsive management systems.

• Collaborate with trade union platforms- including Sramik Karmochari Oikya Parishad (SKOP), IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC), and enterprise unions- supporting roadmap development, capacity-building, and digital grievance tracking.

• Support engagements with international brands, buyers, and multistakeholder platforms (RSC, ACT, ETI, FWF) to advance responsible purchasing practices and worker-led HREDD.

• Coordinate climate justice and transition platforms, particularly supporting events under the National Alliance for Just Transition Bangladesh (NAJTB) and national Just Transition conventions.

Gender Equality, Inclusion & Safeguarding

• Ensure strict operational adherence to the consortium’s gender commitments, including achieving a minimum 30% female participation target in general programs and a 40% minimum quota in leadership development pipelines.

• Supervise the roll-out of gender-transformative initiatives, including Anti-Harassment Committees (AHCs), Gender-Responsive Management Systems (GRMS), and advocacy on ILO Convention 190.

• Implement safeguarding and “Do No Harm” protocols across all project activities, ensuring safe, confidential, and survivor-centered reporting and legal aid referrals.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Learning (MEAL) & Reporting

• Work closely with the MEAL team to execute logframe-based monitoring, utilizing indicator data tables, lobby/advocacy trackers, and digital complaint logs.

• Ensure systematic data collection, quality assurance, post-training practice audits, and prompt documentation of event reports, case studies, and human-interest impact stories.

• Prepare and compile high-quality monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual programmatic progress reports in alignment with Mondiaal FNV guidelines and internal BLF standards.

• Coordinate and support project baseline, mid-line, and final independent evaluations (OECD-DAC standards), as well as bi-yearly consortium learning workshops.

• Competitive monthly salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.

• Festival bonuses, travel allowance, and communication support as per BLF HR policy.

• Professional development opportunities including specialized thematic trainings, multi-stakeholder conferences, and international networking.

• A vibrant, values-driven, and inclusive work environment committed to social justice, impact, and worker empowerment.