Program Delivery Specialist

Position Title: Program Delivery Specialist

Location of Work Station: Karachi

Type of Job: Contractual

Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer (Permanent)

POSITION SUMMARY:

We’re looking for a Program Delivery Specialist learned in social/public policy and development, with prior experience in conceptualizing, designing, implementing and monitoring programs at a multi-sectoral level. Candidates must possess excellent knowledge of program management and delivery, along with a strong hold over donor reporting, stakeholder management and people management. The ideal candidate must have a demonstrated understanding of monitoring tools, methodologies and acumen to support the execution of projects. Candidates with past experience of working on UN/FCDO/International projects or policy-reform projects with the Government at a provincial/federal level will be preferred.

PRIMARY JOB FUNCTION:

The candidate will play a critical role in ensuring efficient implementation of programming under three portfolios: Gender & Child Security, Access to Justice and Climate Resilience, Sustainability & Security. They will take a lead role in establishing strategic direction for projects and lead cross-functional teams through active collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit and Research Development Units at LAS, alongside routinely supporting the delivery of interventions through working closely with the project teams. They shall also be responsible for promoting and executing data-driven decision making through data monitoring, digitization initiatives and supporting the development of a robust Management Information System (MIS). Moreover, they will be required to have an excellent understanding of donor management/reporting, stakeholder management and communications and will be responsible to lead the same on multiple ends. Furthermore, the candidate shall lead critical strategic engagements with a plethora of State and Non-State Actors including Government departments at the provincial/federal level alongside civil society organizations and district administration. Lastly, they will also lead business development initiatives at LAS, including but not limited to, designing projects, drafting proposals and creating logic models for the same. With being well-versed in Risk Management, Administration, Operations and People Management, they will be required to lead initiatives on each of these ends to ensure smooth and effective implementation of projects at LAS.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The program manager will be responsible for the overall implementation a project in Sindh, as per the project work plan and proposal. He/she will be responsible for performing the following duties but shall not be limited to:

1. Program Delivery & Management
   1. Supports the identification of delivery inputs pertaining to project activities and provides technical and strategic support to project teams for implementation of the same
   2. Conducts regular check-ins with allocated project teams targeted at assessing project delivery, implementation and planning
   3. Regularly designs action-plan frameworks for project teams to supplement project delivery and implementation
   4. Routinely identifies project-specific red flags concerning delivery of programmatic deliverables and ensures the implementation of mitigation strategies
   5. Provides guidance and support to project teams in designing and implementation of process-level monitoring tools geared at assessing project impact
2. Visibility/Projection/Stakeholder Management
   1. Regularly identifies and establishes relationships with relevant stakeholders (Government, Partners, Donors) to support program delivery and organizational relationships
   2. Ensures the regular creation and quality assurance checks of organizational visibility products for dissemination across multi-level stakeholders
   3. Routinely participates in events/conferences to establish networking opportunities for the organization
   4. Actively identifies avenues for project of activities with a view of charting outreach for organization
3. People Management
   1. Maintains regular incoming reporting from project managers, and provides routine support on programmatic deliverables
   2. Works closely with project managers to design work plans in association with preset KPIs and ensures execution of the same
   3. Ensures the well-being of Managers and project teams, alongside supporting to assess internal conflicts and provide support in the mitigation of the same
   4. Leads the Program Delivery Unit (Assistant Manager & Associates) to create work plans, identify engagements and ensure execution of the same
4. Risk Mitigation
   1. Actively identifies risks and ensures regular updates of the same on organization’s risk register alongside mitigating project-specific and organizational level risks
   2. Ensures compliance with organizational risk register, working closely with project managers for regular upgradation of the same
   3. Provides support to project teams to manage programmatic risks
5. Capacity Development
   1. Actively identifies avenues for capacity development for the Program Delivery Unit and execution of the same
   2. Routinely identifies and leads avenues for organizational development catered to program teams across the organization
   3. Ensures the presence of organizational tools (geared at program management) to provide additional support to project teams
6. Business Development
   1. Leads the identification of business development opportunities on a regular basis
   2. Leads the business development process including ideation of project designs, drafting of narrative proposals, LFAs and other relevant documents
   3. Ensures the inclusion of M&E and RDU in the business development process and liaisons with relevant departments for the same
   4. Responsible for quality assurance and final reviews on donor reports and uploading of the same on donor portals
7. Strategic Input and Donor Management
   1. Supports Chief Executive Officer in identifying strategic opportunities and following up on the same
   2. Acts as focal person and lead for all project donors, ensuring the establishment of a regular communication channel with the same
8. Information Management and Data Digitalization
   1. Leads the designing of organizational tools and frameworks including supporting the development of a Management Information System (MIS) geared at improving organizational efficiency and management
   2. Supports developers and IT department to create data-sheets, forms alongside standardizing routine data management to feed into MIS
   3. Leads the quarterly, and yearly reporting of data from MIS
   4. Works closely with project teams to orient, onboard and train on the MIS, alongside offering routine support to ensure seamless management of data

Any other official task(s) assigned by the Chief Executive Officer/Senior Program Delivery Specialist

REQUIREMENTS AND CORE COMPETENCIES

• Minimum Qualification: Masters in relevant discipline such as Program Management, Sociology, Criminal Studies, Law, Gender Studies etc. (Bachelors with demonstrated experience of a minimum of 4 years are also encouraged to apply)
• Past experience in designing, and implementing Rule of Law/Gender Security/Climate Security programming
• Minimum 3 years of experience in the related field.
• Required advanced level of English, reading, writing for drafting of various reports; knowledge of Urdu/Sindhi is desirable
• Nuanced understanding of monitoring and evaluation of program deliverables
• effective leadership, interpersonal and communication skills
• the ability to command respect and to create a sense of community amongst the members of the project teams
• good knowledge of techniques for planning, monitoring and controlling programmes
• sound business case development and approvals skills
• good knowledge of programme and project management methods
• good knowledge of budgeting and resource allocation procedures
• sufficient seniority and credibility to advise project teams on their projects in relation to the programme
• the ability to find ways of solving or pre-empting problems
• Creative, energetic, ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to work well in a team.
• Expertise in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Google Smartsheet.
• Demonstrated flexibility, motivation, and maturity.

EEO STATEMENT:

Integrated into our shared values is LAS’s commitment to diversity and equal employment opportunity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of sex, age, race, colour, creed, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristics or conduct protected by law. LAS is committed to being an inclusive organization where all people are treated fairly, recognized for their individuality, promoted based on performance and encourage to strive to reach their full potential. We believe in understanding and respecting differences among all people. Every individual at LAS has an ongoing responsibility to respect and support a diverse environment.

PROTECTION AGAINST SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE:

Legal Aid Society (LAS) is committed to the prevention and protection from all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA). LAS explicitly prohibits its
staff, associates, partners, consultants, or any other representatives associated with the delivery of its work from:

• Engaging in any form of sexual exploitation or abuse;
• Sexual activity with children (persons below the age of (18) irrespective of a mistaken belief of the age of the child which shall not amount to a defence);
• Exchange of money, employment, goods or services for sex, including sexual favours or other forms of humiliating, degrading or exploitative behaviour, is prohibited. This includes any exchange of assistance that is due to beneficiaries of assistance;
• Sexual relationships between LAS staff and beneficiaries of assistance, since they are based on inherently unequal power dynamics, undermine the credibility and integrity of the work of LAS and are strongly discouraged.