The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.
The IRC commenced operations in Pakistan in 1980, as a response to the Afghan Refugee influx, providing essential services to refugees and host communities. The IRC has led several large, multi-year education projects in Pakistan, for donors such as USAID and FCDO.
Scope of work
The IRC seeks a Chief of Party (COP) for a potentially five-year, multi-million-dollar USAID education activity in Pakistan entitled as ‘Foundational Learning Activity (FLA)’. The project will aim to enhance student learning outcomes in reading and math and to prevent school dropout by enabling teachers, head teachers, and local education administrators to improve the quality of education. It will also mobilize communities to support inclusive education for girls and children with disabilities, and it will support schools to integrate inclusive learning and improve learning outcomes. The project will work to improve student learning outcomes through enhanced institutional capacity, governance, and community engagement and improved quality of services.
The COP will ensure that the proposed project is implemented in accordance with the USAID regulations, principles of IRC, and internationally recognized quality of assistance standards. The COP will oversee the project management, including management of staff, program designing and implementation, project financial management and monitoring, evaluation and reporting. The position will be based in Islamabad, with frequent travel to project sites across the country.
Job responsibilities
•Manage the Pakistan Foundational Learning Opportunity which includes developing and overseeing annual planning; timely, high-quality implementation of activities; and monitoring and evaluation of project implementation and deliverables
•Develop strategies for working with local government, educators, community members, and youth
•Support overall planning, implementation, administration and financial management of the project, as well as the achievement of all impact goals and objectives.
•Coordinate with government and other relevant stakeholders to ensure activities complement ongoing initiatives and adhere to country and global standards.
•Liaise with the donor and Pakistan Ministry of Education. Report to USAID through formal and informal debriefings, annual and semi-annual reports, etc.
•Provide technical assistance, support, and oversight to local partner NGOs and CSOs.
•Provide technical assistance, support, and information to national and local government officials.
•Represent the project and organization at regional, national, and international forums, including technical conferences and policy briefings, and share information about project achievements and lessons learned within the organization and wider development community.
•Maintain close communication with USAID, reporting regularly for formal review sessions and providing ongoing, informal updates on program progress
•Oversee the development, review, and monitoring of yearly work plans and project strategy documents to ensure long- and short-term priorities are on track.
•Manage project staff and consortium partners to ensure proper reporting, financial management, and compliance.
Requirements
•At least ten (10) years of demonstrated experience successfully managing education programs in Pakistan.
•Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (i.e., Education, Public Policy, Administration, International Development, or another relevant field) from an internationally recognized university.
•Experience leading large-scale USAID education projects or related projects in other relevant areas such as community engagement, system strengthening etc. will be highly desirable.
•A proven track record of building teams and fostering collaboration to achieve goals, meet milestones, and produce high quality written qualitative, quantitative, and narrative deliverables.
•Effective personnel management, coordination, and decision-making skills, with an ability to be accountable for all aspects of this project.
•Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain productive working relationships with a wide network of partners and stakeholders.
•Demonstrated ability to liaise with senior government officials, dignitaries, executives of NGOs, and senior members of the donor community.
•Demonstrated success incorporating innovation and participatory, flexible, and gender-sensitive programming into implementation.
•Experience working to incorporate issues of government accountability, transparency, and equity in education programs, including gender, ethnicity, and disability inclusion.
•Demonstrated experience in policy dialogue and education reform working with government and civil society organizations.
•Capacity to work well under pressure, and the ability to communicate appropriately and effectively cross‐culturally is critical.
•Fluency in English and knowledge of Urdu or other local languages will be desirable.
Please note that the JD is high level and indicative only at this stage and may be subject to change once the Terms of Reference for the programme is released and as the opportunity develops. This position will be contingent on the outcome of the bid.
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Standard of Professional Conduct:The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.
Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.