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Job Summary

The AAWAZ II programme focuses on social inclusion, and protecting the rights of women and children. Partnering with the CARE consortium, the initiative leverages CARE's expertise in preventing gender-based violence (GBV) and child marriage. The programme aims to foster social norms change, engage communities, and generate evidence-based interventions to address complex issues like child marriage, GBV, and the exclusion of special interest groups persons with disabilities, and religious minorities. Through coordinated efforts, the programme seeks to drive legislative and policy changes to support social cohesion and inclusion.

The Team Leader will spearhead the implementation of AAWAZ II project funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). This leadership role requires strategic vision, project management skills, and a deep understanding of social change dynamics, especially in the context of Sindh under areas of GBV and early child marriages. The Team Leader will oversee all aspects of project execution, including planning, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation, ensuring alignment with project objectives and donor requirements. This role involves managing a diverse team, fostering collaboration with key stakeholders, and driving innovative approaches to address societal challenges effectively. The Project Team Leader will serve as the primary liaison between the project and FCDO, providing regular updates, reports, and insights to demonstrate impact and ensure accountability. This position presents an opportunity to lead transformative change initiatives that contribute to sustainable development and positive social outcomes.

The Team Lead will collaborate closely with the Senior Management Team (SMT) on resource mobilization, including the development of concept notes and the identification of potential funding opportunities.

This position will be based in Karachi or Islamabad based on availability of suitable candidate, with frequent traveling (50%) to project locations and Islamabad depending on the location.

Job Responsibilities and Tasks 

1- Strategic Leadership (30% of time)

• Provide strategic direction and vision for the implementation of the project, ensuring alignment with CARE's mission and objectives.
• Oversee all aspects of project implementation, including planning, budgeting, monitoring, and evaluation, to ensure the timely and effective delivery of project outcomes.
• Develop strategic plans, annual and quarterly work plans, and overall management of the program in line with donor guidelines and within set timelines to achieve objectives.
• Develop and implement robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track progress, identify challenges, and facilitate adaptive management. 
• Identify issues and risks related to activity implementation and implement appropriate mitigation / corrective measures in a timely manner.
• Oversee program administration, operations, implementation, and fiscal management to ensure technical and financial activity aligns with scope and budget allocations, internal policies, and donor regulations.
• Direct and support team members, facilitating effective communication and collaboration. This includes setting workloads, providing training, and ensuring team members are motivated and engaged. 
• Manage and oversee all contract management and implementation tasks based on established donor regulations, procedures, and organizational guidelines. 
• Chair the PMU for overseeing day-to-day project operations and decision-making related to strategic alignment and effective execution of project activities. 
• Lead the monthly meetings of PMU to review progress, address challenges, risks and make decisions as per FCDO project standards. Ensure timely reporting with main consideration on payment by result 
• Work closely with the local implementing partners and ensure all project activities are implemented in time ensuring quality and compliance of donor and CARE's requirements 
• Review monthly Budget vs Actual report and ensure project budgets are 95% spend against each month budget. 
• Work closely with finance team to train project and partner team on payment by result mechanism 
• Work with Communications department to manage any media and advocacy related tasks, such and preparation of thematic briefing papers, launch of research and other outcome documents from the programme.
• Coordinate with MEAL team to ensure capturing of programme outputs and outcomes on shared and internal programme dashboard.
• The Team Lead will collaborate closely with the Senior Management Team (SMT) on resource mobilization, including the development of concept notes and the identification of potential funding opportunities.

2- Stakeholder Management (30% of time)

• Establish and maintain strong partnerships with relevant government agencies, civil society organizations, other consortium members and other stakeholders to leverage resources and maximize impact. 
• Establish strong relation with UNICEF and UNFPA provincial offices for smooth implementation of the project
• Represent CARE and the project with key stakeholders, and at conferences, workshops, meetings, and other relevant industry gatherings.
• Lead team to provide effective coordination between and guidance to implementing partners, regional and district governments, project participants, and other key stakeholders. 
• Supervise the administration of sub-recipient awards to ensure technical and financial compliance with donor and CARE standards. 
• Ensure reporting deadlines and structured meetings with all stakeholders/ partner and donor.

3- Team Management (20% of time)

• Lead and manage a diverse team of professionals, providing guidance, mentorship, and support to ensure high performance and professional development.
• Proactively foster a team culture based on mutual respect and accountability and commitment to upholding CARE’s core values.
• Optimize opportunities to improve staff productivity, creativity, and performance, and foster an enabling environment for staff wellness, recognition, and reward.

4- Representation and Reporting (15% of time)

• Prepare regular reports, briefings, and presentations for internal and external stakeholders, including the donor, highlighting achievements, challenges, and lessons learned.
• Represent CARE International in relevant forums, conferences, and meetings, advocating for policy changes and promoting greater awareness of issues related to GBV and early child marriage.

5- Other responsibilities as assigned (5% of time)

• Any other tasks or responsibilities based on organizational and programming needs as assigned by the Line Manager.

A) Qualifications (Know How)

Required

Master’s degree in social sciences, international development, gender studies, or a related field.

B) Experience/ Technical Skills  

• Overall 15 years or more experience with minimum of 10 years of progressive experience on senior roles with an INGO or UN in managing complex social development projects, in one of the areas such as; gender equality, social change, or GBV prevention.
• Demonstrated expertise in gender transformative programming including addressing issues related to GBV and early child marriage. 
• Demonstrated understanding of social inclusion, especially engaging with marginalized groups/ communities as well as related organisations who can contribute to policy and implementation at both the community and decision maker levels.
• Strong leadership and management skills, with a proven track record of leading senior level large teams, managing budgets of institutional donors of worth $2 million per annum or above, and delivering results in challenging environments. 
• Experience of managing social norms projects funded by FCDO, USAID, GAC or other institutional donors 
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and networking skills, with the ability to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders, including government officials, donors, and community leaders. Fluency and proficiency in English, Urdu and Sindhi is required.

CARE participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we hereby request information from the candidate’s previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the candidate left employment. All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Note:  In case you encounter any issues with applying for a position on Brightspyre, you are welcome to share your resumes directly to [email protected], clearly mentioning the position title in the subject line of the email, before the stated deadline. Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted. Please share your current as well as salary expectations along with the CV.