Senior Project Officer

ABOUT ACTED PAKISTAN:

ACTED is a non-governmental organization with headquarters in Paris, founded in 1993. Independent, private and not-for-profit, ACTED respects a strict political and religious impartiality and operates according to the principles of non-discrimination and transparency. ACTED has been present in Pakistan since 1993. ACTED Pakistan programmes range from short-term emergency responses to recovery and rehabilitation, as well as longer-term development initiatives. ACTED strategy is to target vulnerable communities affected by natural and conflict-related disasters as well as lack of socio-economic development.

JOB PURPOSE

The Senior Project Officer, under operational guidance of the Project Manager and technical guidance of the Head of Programs and Projects Coordinator, is responsible for ensuring proper implementation of ACTED’s project in Mehar, Dadu District. The Senior Project Officer oversees field operations and ensures effective and timely completion of activities, delivery of quality outputs and achievement of outcomes with maximum impact for beneficiaries. The Senior Project Officer supervises the Dadu based project staff in day to day management of all aspects of the project and liaises with relevant internal departments and external partners and project stakeholders.

OBJECTIVE

To ensure the project is implemented in a timely and professional manner, according to objectives, goals and indicators, in line with donor requirements and based on beneficiary needs.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the overall supervision of the Project Manager, the Senior Project Officer is required to perform the below-mentioned responsibilities for the anticipated 3-Year BHA funded intervention in Sindh. The project is expected to start from 1st May 2024.

Experience in working on livelihood programs, including agriculture, livestock, and WASH programs. Proficient in establishing village-level savings committees, facilitating formation, conducting capacity building, and ensuring sustainability. Skilled in supervising the establishment of dairy businesses, forming groups for small-scale dairy enterprises, and managing dairy operations. Experienced in livestock distribution projects, including livestock management and breeding selection. Additionally, adept at conducting research in livelihood programming.

• Organize and lead the implementation of all assigned project activities as outlined in the detailed implementation plan in line with Acted’s program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices in District Dadu, under the leadership of the Project Manager.
• Ensure learning properly accompanies project activities throughout the project cycle in District Dadu. Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities and guiding partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences. Analyze implementation challenges and report any inconsistencies and/or gaps to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules.
• Coordinate and oversee working relationships with all local project stakeholders and serve as the liaison between them and the project team to mobilize local actors and promote project activities and impact.
• Supervise and perform ad-hoc inspections of various processes and resources at project sites to ensure timely project activities implementation and adherence to established process standards and procedures. Ensure proper tracking of resource use for project activities through periodic budget reviews and follow-up with and assistance to implementing partner.
• Support and coordinate capacity building and technical support activities to ensure assigned project activities are implemented per project guidelines and standards.
• Coordinate provision of any logistical and administrative support to staff and partners. Review and manage implementation procedures of distribution of goods and services through proper planning and coordination.
• Ensure project documentation for assigned activities is complete with all required documents and is filed per agency and donor requirements. Assist with preparation of trends analysis reports and documentation of case studies and promising practices.
• Ensure programming is aligned to targets and indicators contained in the project proposal and use the information from the MEAL systems and tools to improve program effectiveness and ensure the program is gender responsive.

Requirements:

• Excellent interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills.
• Excellent local language (Sindhi) proficiency skills. Good English and Urdu language proficiency skills and familiarity with local customs and traditions will be an added advantage.
• Excellent management, team building, communication & networking skills.
• Must be flexible and adapt changes quickly with the requirements of the changed situation.
• S/he must have the ability to work effectively with colleagues from varied cultures and professional backgrounds.
• Ability to travel for work assignments in targeted union councils.
• Experience working with partners, participatory action planning and community engagement.
• Staff supervision experience a plus.
• Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

PSEAH Obligation:

Acted has zero tolerance approach on PSEAH matters and as an Acted employee It is my utmost duty to ensure full compliance of PSEAH policies in Acted and outside Acted as well. I will not engage in any PSEAH violations and will ensure team working under my supervision will also follow the same protocols. I shall not be involved in any sexual exploitation or abuse. I shall ensure to comply with the highest standards of moral and ethical conduct. Any incident of SEA shall be reported to Acted. Any failure by myside to take preventive measures against sexual exploitation or abuse, or to investigate allegations or take corrective action, shall constitute grounds for termination of the Agreement.

For the purposes hereof, the following definitions shall be used.

Sexual exploitation means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another.

Sexual abuse means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.

 Note: “ACTED is committed to protecting beneficiaries and staff within our programs from sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA). ACTED has a Code of Conduct and organizational policies, which outline the expected behavior of all staff, consultants and other stakeholders and reminds ACTED’s zero-tolerance approach. Any candidate offered a job with ACTED will sign those documents as part of their work contract and is expected to abide by them.” “ACTED is commitment to zero tolerance to all forms of violence against children, beneficiaries and staff. ACTED is equal opportunity employers. Females and minorities are encouraged to apply. Candidates with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Final selection will be based on security clearance of the candidate.”

Skills:

• Agricultural: Understanding of agricultural practices relevant to the region, including crop cultivation, livestock management, and sustainable farming techniques.
• Business Restoration: Experience in developing strategies to revitalize businesses affected by various challenges, such as market fluctuations or natural disasters, particularly in rural settings.
• Cash Programing: Ability to manage cash assistance programs efficiently, ensuring equitable distribution and proper utilization of funds to support rural communities.
• VSLAs: Skill in establishing and sustaining village-level savings committees, fostering financial inclusion and community resilience.
• Market Strengthening: Knowledge of market dynamics and experience in implementing interventions to strengthen markets, particularly for dairy farmers, including the provision of chillers and value chain development.
• Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene: Understanding of WASH principles and experience in coordinating water supply, sanitation, and hygiene promotion activities in rural areas, ensuring community access to clean water and sanitation facilities.
• Analysis and problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgments.
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners.
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented
• Attention to details, accuracy, and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

•  % of milestones completed on time as per the original plan
•  Project completed on time without the need for an NCE
•  Project completed within budget flexibility (not requiring a budget amendment for project lines)
•  % of contractual performance indicators achieved
•  Project records and documents (beneficiary lists, donation certificates, attendance sheets, payment sheets) available for all project activities
•  Positive monitoring and evaluation reports (internal and external)
•  Number of complaints received related to the project
•  % ineligible expenses on project budget lines
•  % retention rate of project staff throughout project lifetime