Deputy Manager Operations – M & E and Compliance

The Deputy Manager Operations – Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) and Compliance plays a crucial role in supporting the Manager M&E to ensure Akhuwat’s operations run smoothly, compliantly, and with a strong results-oriented approach. This position involves managing day-to-day operational coordination, compliance oversight, and monitoring and evaluation activities. Acting as a vital link between the Operations team, Head Office support departments, and field staff, the Deputy Manager ensures consistent policy implementation, risk identification and mitigation, and effective performance measurement, reporting, and improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Compliance & Governance:
- Maintain a comprehensive compliance calendar that covers regulatory, statutory, donor, and internal policy requirements, ensuring all submissions are timely and accurate.
- Keep an updated repository of policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), circulars, and approvals, and communicate any changes promptly to relevant staff.
- Conduct regular compliance reviews and spot checks of operational and project activities to verify adherence to approved policies, SOPs, donor agreements, and applicable laws and regulations.

Monitoring & Evaluation:
- Implement the M&E framework across all operations and projects, ensuring that agreed-upon indicators, data collection tools, and reporting timelines are consistently followed.
- Communicate M&E findings and recommendations to responsible teams, ensuring that action plans are developed, implemented, and monitored for progress.
- Carry out any additional duties assigned by the Manager M&E or senior management that fall within the scope of the role.

Required Qualifications

Education:
- Bachelor’s degree (16 years) or Master’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Economics, Development Studies, Public Policy, or a related discipline.

Experience:
- 4 to 6 years of relevant experience in operations, project management, compliance, risk management, or monitoring and evaluation.
- At least 2 years of experience in a supervisory or coordination role.

Sector Experience:
- Background in microfinance, the development sector/NGO, social enterprise, or financial institutions.

Preferred Qualifications

- Professional certifications such as ACCA, CA, or ACMA are highly desirable.
- Experience managing donor-funded or multi-stakeholder projects is an advantage.

Skills & Competencies

- Technical: Strong knowledge of operations management, internal controls, compliance frameworks, and operational risk management.
- Monitoring & Evaluation: Proficiency in departmental and project monitoring, with a solid understanding of results frameworks, indicators, and data validation techniques.
- Financial: Competence in budgeting, variance analysis, and financial reporting.
- Digital: Advanced skills in MS Excel and PowerPoint; familiarity with Management Information Systems (MIS), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, and dashboard tools such as Power BI is a plus.
- Communication: Excellent report writing and presentation skills in both English and Urdu.

This role offers an opportunity to contribute significantly to the operational excellence and compliance integrity of a leading organization in the microfinance and development sector.