Chief of Party (COP)

Background: The Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, Pakistan (CPDI) is an independent, non-partisan and a not-for-profit civil society organization working on issues of peace and development in Pakistan. It is registered under section 42 of the Companies Act, 2017. CPDI needs services of this advertised position for implementing the USAID’s Citizens’ Engagement Program (CEP), which will be implemented in selected districts of South Punjab and Northern Sindh over a period of five years. This program aims to strengthen effectiveness of citizen-led interventions; and improve government responsiveness to citizens’ concerns. Based on CPDI’s analysis of social change, political economy considerations, adverse impacts of natural calamities like floods and conflict dynamics in South Punjab and North Sindh, the program pathways and interventions focus on (a) enhancing quality of research, including about social trends, impact of recent floods on inter-communal relations, VE and conflicts, to inform policies and civil society engagement; (b) promotion of informed debates, dialogues and discussions to counter narratives that cause extremism and conflicts, especially involving journalists, media houses and young men/ women from diverse urban/ rural communities; (c) engaging legislatures and relevant executive bodies for effective policies, laws and oversight to achieve project objectives; (d) facilitating civil society/citizens’ engagement with journalists, legislatures and government institutions to discuss challenges, and collectively find ways to address perception of alienation or exclusion; (e) extension of technical support for strengthening government policies and legislative procedures (e.g. deployment of online Apps) for sharing information, engaging citizens, receiving feedback and complaints, and to become more responsive to citizens’ concerns; (f) leveraging and building upon the existing resources within communities (e.g. individuals respected across communities) that could help in improving inter-community relations by managing/resolving differences; (g) developing and promoting ideas and disseminating facts that help in strengthening counter narratives and mobilizing public support for peaceful and inclusive society/ communities; and (h) enabling young leaders to effectively engage authorities for promoting transparency and effectiveness of relief/ rehabilitation work in flood affected areas, especially for women and marginalized communities, and mitigating risks of alienation and social conflicts.

Job Description and Responsibilities: 

The COP will serve as the overall program lead, responsible for the strategic vision of the program as well as senior-level coordination with USAID and relevant government and non-governmental stakeholders. This position requires previous senior-level program leadership experience on USAID-funded or other donor supported projects. The COP will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Provide strategic leadership for the project, ensuring alignment of all initiatives with the project’s goals and objectives.
2. Project leadership, management, technical direction and vision, oversight, quality, compliance, and maintaining good relationships with the donor, relevant government organizations and civil society stakeholders.
3. Ensure the quality and timely submission of all project deliverables.
4. Should establish a safe environment for sharing of ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to different problems with solution-oriented approach.
5. Identify performance gaps and training opportunities for the project and partner staff and ensure the design and delivery of high-quality deliverables.
6. Develop and execute a comprehensive project strategy and work plan.
7. Establish collaboration/ coordination with similar programs for mutual learning, synergies and to avoid overlaps.
8. Monitor project progress and adapt strategies as needed to achieve project objectives.
9. Supervise and provide guidance to project staff, ensuring effective team collaboration.
10. Establish and maintain strong relationships with the donor, government agencies, partner organizations, and other stakeholders.
11. Ensure transparent and effective communication with all project stakeholders.
12. Oversee the technical implementation of project activities, ensuring high-quality deliverables.
13. Stay abreast of developments in the field and incorporate best practices into project activities.
14. Provide technical guidance and support to project staff and partners.
15. Manage project finances in accordance with organizational policies, donor regulations and project budget.
16. Oversee project procurement, grant management, and administrative functions to ensure efficiency, value for money, compliance, and effective contribution to project objectives.
17. Ensure compliance with all donor regulations, contractual obligations, and organizational policies.
18. Develop and implement a robust monitoring and evaluation system to track project progress, identify challenges, make appropriate adjustments, and evaluate impact.
19. Use data-driven insights to make informed decisions and improve project performance.
20. Prepare regular reports for the donor and other stakeholders.
21. Maintain project records and documentation.
22. Any other, as required by donor or CPDI.

Required Qualification: 

• Master’s degree (18 years) in social sciences such as economics, public policy, political science, public administration.
• 10 years of professional working experience at senior level management positions.
• Managed projects on community engagement, CVE/PVE, local governance, civil society strengthening and conflict mitigation.
• Strong relationship/networking building with stakeholders such as donors, host government, communities.
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of project related themes including functioning of government institutions, natural disasters like floods, extremism, youth development, civil society, citizens’ engagement, government responsiveness, and grants management.
• Experience supervising teams of diverse staff and demonstrated leadership capacity.
• Previous experience of working on or managing USAID-funded programs will be preferred.
• Experience in managing programs in complex, politically sensitive, and resource constrained environment.
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and deliver quality outputs.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English are required.