Scope of Work (SOW) - Architect -Karachi

The Sindh People Housing for Flood Affectees (SPHF) is undertaking the development of a Climate Resilient Settlement Development Plan for Village Haji Ibrahim, an informal waste-picker community adjacent to the Jam Chakro landfill in Karachi. SPHF will act as the executing agency, with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) providing technical and implementation support, including recruitment and project team management. The project aims to integrate household, spatial, infrastructure, environmental, climate, public health, occupational safety, livelihood, and community data to create practical in-situ upgrading options. Partial re-blocking will only be considered if technically necessary and socially acceptable. The appointed Architect will transform field data and community priorities into inclusive, climate-responsive, and feasible concept designs that preserve the settlement’s character and livelihood functions.

Key Responsibilities:
- Assess housing and built-environment conditions, including typologies, materials, density, ventilation, daylight, safety, accessibility, public interfaces, and residential livelihood uses.
- Document community facilities, public spaces, streetscape conditions, sorting and storage areas, and other built features essential to settlement functioning.
- Collaborate with Urban Planner, Engineer, GIS personnel, and Social Mobilizer to integrate spatial, infrastructure, climate, public health, occupational health and safety (OHS), livelihood, and community findings.
- Develop concept-level built-environment and architectural proposals for the preferred in-situ upgrading option.
- Support any justified partial re-blocking by testing block, plot, and building arrangements while minimizing impacts on homes, livelihood spaces, and access routes.
- Design concepts for community facilities, public spaces, shaded areas, sanitation-related structures, and other priority buildings.
- Incorporate elements such as shade, ventilation, heat reduction, safe materials, universal accessibility, resource efficiency, and ease of maintenance.
- Prepare coordinated plans, elevations, sections, diagrams, 3D views, and other visualizations to effectively communicate proposals.
- Align architectural drawings with settlement plans, engineering networks, service corridors, preliminary quantities, and cost estimates.
- Facilitate participatory design workshops and present alternatives in accessible visual formats.
- Ensure compliance with relevant planning, building, fire safety, accessibility, environmental, and public health regulations by consulting authorities and specialists.
- Provide architectural narratives, design principles, drawings, phasing, and implementation inputs for draft and final CRSDP documents, addressing consolidated feedback.

Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Architecture from a recognized institution.
- Registration with the Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners, where applicable.
- Minimum of three years’ relevant professional experience in architectural design, housing, public or community buildings, urban design, settlement planning, or concept/master planning.
- Proven ability to prepare concept drawings, plans, elevations, sections, diagrams, and high-quality visualizations.
- Strong understanding of climate-responsive architecture, universal accessibility, safe housing principles, local materials, and design suited for low-income or informal settlements.
- Proficiency in AutoCAD and relevant 3D modeling, visualization, and graphic-presentation software.
- Ability to work with GIS-based plans and coordinate architectural proposals with engineering layouts and preliminary cost estimates.
- Excellent design communication, participatory facilitation, multidisciplinary coordination, and report-writing skills.
- Fluency in Urdu for community consultations; proficiency in Sindhi or other local languages is advantageous.
- Professional working proficiency in English for drawings, presentations, and reporting.

Preferred Qualifications and Additional Information:
- Experience working in Karachi or with informal urban communities is highly desirable.
- The position is full-time for three months, combining office-based work in Karachi/Clifton with authorized field visits to Jam Chakro.
- Official transportation, site access coordination, and security arrangements for field visits will be provided.
- The role includes access to approved CAD, 3D modeling, visualization software, GIS, survey, and engineering data.
- Payment is fixed monthly, subject to verified attendance and satisfactory performance, with separate reimbursement for approved official field expenses.
- Candidates currently employed in government roles must disclose their employment and submit a valid No Objection Certificate (NOC).
- Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and early submission is encouraged as the position may be filled before the deadline.
- This is an SPHF position with CRS supporting recruitment only.

This role offers an opportunity to contribute to a vital climate-resilient urban upgrading initiative, working closely with multidisciplinary teams and local communities to create sustainable and inclusive settlement improvements.