Senior Program Officer

Background/IRC Summary: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war and disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home. IRC has been working in Pakistan for approximately 40 years, managing and delivering large, complex programs to meet the needs in health, education, safeguarding, environmental health and livelihoods for displaced, poor and disaster affected communities. IRC works in partnership with local government and non-governmental organizations and is currently working across the country.

Job Overview/Summary: The Senior Program Officer under the supervision of Project Lead ensures that project activities goals, and objectives are successfully implemented and monitored; the prioritized technical sectors/areas are well coordinated into the overall programming and projects being implemented appropriately.

The Sr. Program Officer supports the team in oversight of the implementation of multiple projects, ensuring that all project management roles are covered properly including HR, Supply Chain, Finance, Program Administration, and Implementation. Major Responsibilities: Actively participate in all aspects of the overall project management with a focus on timely and quality results, teamwork, participation, empowerment, accountability, and client focus.

The incumbent will work with numerous counterparts, implementing partners, and technical experts. Major duties, as well as technical, programming, and management responsibilities, are described below.

Project planning and Management

Responsibilities:

• Provide support and backstopping for assigned programs, ensuring all program objectives and goals are met in compliance with donor regulations.

• Work with field personnel on project-related services and serve as the primary point of contact between assigned field offices.

• Provide technical assistance, as needed.

• Track project deliverables and financial targets.

• Contribute to the monitoring of project performance in assigned topic and/or geographic area.

• Prepare, review and/or edit project progress reports (monthly, quarterly, annual, etc.) to ensure quality, and work with supervisor and field team to revise target goals if necessary. Apprise supervisor/management of any critical issues as they arise.

• Frequent travel to the field to monitor program implementation and provide technical assistance.

• As relevant, serve as the main point of contact for partner organizations.

• Represent team at meetings, conferences, and workshops, as needed.

• Provide updates, reports and critical analysis of field and report to the program lead. Coordinate with relevant departments to ensure effective support to the field, and to provide accurate information to the field regarding implementation and regulations.

• Coordinate the identification, hiring and supervision of national staff and consultants for project and field offices.

• Coordinate the preparation of program budgets and spending plans.

• Analyze project expenditures against budget and coordinate with relevant department/staff on invoicing of clients.

• Analyze work plans against project deliverables.

• Ensure adherence and compliance to IRC and donor policies and procedures.

• Participate in, coordinate and/or lead program development and proposal preparation efforts, as needed.

• Other duties, as assigned.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Project Lead

Position directly supervises: None.

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

With IRC sector managers, partners, representatives of Govt. departments, and partners

Job Requirements:

Education:

Master’s degree in social sciences, Project Management, or any other relevant subject. Higher degree can be in lieu of experienced and vice versa.

Work Experience:

4 - 5 years of experience in relief/development projects working in diverse teams; operations of district offices. Experience of working in a large complex organization, including preferably at least three (03) years of working within an international NGO.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Strong coordination skills with the ability to manage information (report writing and presentations).

• Team players and has experience of managing field team(s)

Language Skills:

• Fluent, professional level speaking, reading, and writing in English and Urdu. At this level, applicant should have:

 The ability to speak using sufficient, structured, and accurate vocabulary in formal conversation.

• The ability to use the language to satisfy professional needs.

• The ability to read and write at a normal speed and with almost complete comprehension of a variety of materials, unfamiliar subjects, styles and forms pertinent to the job needs.

Working Environment:

Works well in and promotes teamwork, flexible and able to handle pressure well.

The IRC Core Values and Commitments: 

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity Anti-Retaliation and Combating Trafficking in Persons. IRC is committed to ensuring that IRC staff is suitable to work with children and have the knowledge s/he needs to uphold and abide by the IRC’s Child Safeguarding Policy.

Level of interaction with children: Less frequent direct contact with children IRC ensures that its staff must actively practice the roles and responsibilities related to client responsiveness, and accountability to people in affected communities and must have competencies to solicits and listens to feedback and other’s perspectives, responds to feedback with maturity and sensitivity and takes appropriate decisions and makes changes to behavior or actions in response to feedback.

IRC recognizes that gender equality is fundamental to the achievement of our organizational mission. As such, IRC is committed to the promotion of gender equality in all aspects of our operations and programs. Our organizational policies, procedures and actions demonstrate this commitment.