Title: Program Advisor, Capacity Development and Civil Society Strengthening


Position Summary: The Program Advisor provides overall technical support, oversight and management of all components of the Pact South Sudan Capacity Development and Civil Society Strengthening Program, in collaboration with other CD/CSS Program staff, including: oversight of program implementation; oversight of capacity development components of program budgets and finances; supervision of sub-grants; management of program human resources issues; building a strong team (including internal staff capacity development); coordination of monitoring and report writing; representation with donors and government counterparts, and partners; and overall responsibility for program strategic direction and program design, development and proposal writing. In addition the Program Advisor is responsible for oversight of all Pact South Sudan relationships with Civil Society Organizations.


Core Values:
Pact employees embrace the following core values as representatives of the institution:
• All people have a right to participate in decisions affecting their lives
• Gender equity is mandatory for social transformation
• Resources are allocated in a transparent manner, guided by accountability to our clients and Pact’s role as steward of resources intended for the poor
• Diversity in background, gender and age strengthen our capacity to be wise managers of public and private funds
• Teamwork and collaboration shape our day-to-day working relationships
• Innovation and risk taking to achieve impact and broad scalable results drive strategic priorities
• Gathering and sharing information are primary roles for all employees
• Staff growth and advancement are a priority, including training and professional skills building to increase knowledge and competence and to stay abreast of new developments, especially in technology
• A healthy balance between work and life outside of work must be maintained for work satisfaction and fulfillment

Specific Duties and Responsibilities
Overall responsibilities
1. Provide lead technical direction / technical assistance in design and planning for capacity related programs and activities
2. Work closely with the capacity development team and program teams and local partners to ensure adequate capacity is built in both technical and organizational areas.

Strategic Planning and Management
1. Work with Pact’s global capacity development team (part of Program Advancement , the DCD, Grants Manager and Program Managers, systematize and document Pact South Sudan’s policies, procedures and overall strategy for working with national CSO partners.
2. Coordinate the development of annual program implementation plans – in line with the Pact South Sudan strategic plan, project log frames and key indicators of performance.
3. Participate in Pact strategic planning processes – in country and global platforms.
4. Lead the preparation and implementation of CapDev/ CSS program design/ strategies that take into account the appropriate country and regional context and in line with Pact’s vision and mission and Pact South Sudan’ strategic plan, and complementary to government & donor development plans.
5. Over the course of implementation, constantly review and evaluate program design (including program logframes, indicator plans/ PMPs and budget/ strategy).

Program development and delivery
1. With the program team, manage all Pact South Sudan distinct Capacity Development (CapDev)/ Civil Society Strengthening (CSS) projects and capacity development components of other programs
2. Overall management and supervision of Pact’s relationship with partners and coordination of capacity development support to partners
3. Oversee all CSO Excellence Initiative activities funded under various programs within Pact South Sudan.
4. Overall responsibility for program design and development – has primary responsibility for developing new proposals or segments of proposals related to capacity development/ civil society strengthening programming areas, and exploring new directions for the program to take, ensuring that new project proposals are in line both with the overall Program design/ strategy and the overall Pact South Sudan strategy.
5. Coordinate (with the program team and MERL designated officer) and integrate staff and CSO organizational development needs into the development of project and program work plans and quarterly travel plans. Coordinate with the DCD and other program managers to maximize the effectiveness of program staff’s time in the field.

Managing Relationships with CSOs
1. Oversee on-going CSO mapping in Pact areas of operation and develop a database of current and potential CSO partners, including capacity development providers and/or Intermediary Support Organizations.
2. Provide overall technical quality oversight to Pact South Sudan’s relationships with national CSOs, ensuring that these relationships are not merely project implementation but include capacity development and ensure that all CSOs that Pact works with leave the relationship stronger than they entered.
3. Oversight / Management of the relationship between Pact South Sudan and CSOs, including ensuring consistency in support across all programs in coordination with Program teams, Grants and Finance (RFA/ selection process consistency, capacity development, project proposal processes, etc).
4. Coordinate with specific program/ project managers and field program staff to ensure all direct and partner implemented capacity building interventions are technically sound, of sufficient quality, are correctly implemented and targets met.
5. Coordinate with the program teams to ensure continued strengthening of local partners’ organizational and technical capacity, effective community mobilization and identification of local civil society organizations (formal and informal).
6. Provide internal capacity building to all staff working with CSO partners to ensure competencies in project design, good governance principles, etc.

Staff Management
1. Directly supervise the Capacity Development Team and specific CSS Project Manager(s) and designated Program Officers and Assistants.
2. In coordination with the Human Resource Manager, oversee CapDev/ CSS Program-related human resources issues in relation to recruitment, deployment, benefits and entitlements, ensuring compliance with Pact regulations and the objectives of the program.
3. Mentor, coach and support CapDev/ CSS Program staff through regular one-to-one supervision, annual performance appraisals and other mechanisms for their professional growth and continuous development.

Staff Development
1. Work with Human Resources and Program Managers to identify staff capacity development needs and address those needs in a systematic manner.
2. Work with the Capacity Development team to design and carry out capacity building interventions to improve the overall capacity (implementation and technical) of program staff with an emphasis on field based staff working directly with partners.

Grants and Finance Administration
1. In collaboration with the Grants team, oversee all sub-grant awards related specifically to capacity development and civil society strengthening program as well as providing technical input into the process of other program components, respond to issues that arise during program implementation, and support partners, grantees, and contractors in relation to:
 Grant or contract agreements and project design,
 Partner project implementation,
 Technical and financial reporting, and;
 Oversight of grant/contract compliance.

Internal Coordination
1. Work with the DCD and other program managers to maximize impact of capacity development, especially related to CSO organizational strengthening and ensure that any distinct CapDev/ CSS program complements other Pact programs.
2. Work closely with the Program Managers to ensure consistency in approach to working with partners
3. Coordinate with other Pact departments in South Sudan, HQ, and other country programs; to ensure compliance and learning is levered into the design and delivery of projects.
4. Work with Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) to ensure appropriate data collection as well as program staff and partner data reporting.
5. Work with the Partnership Development Specialist to ensure timely development and submission of high quality reports and appropriate new business development, including input to and review of any capacity development sections of all programs in South Sudan.

External Coordination
1. Preparation and submission of regular, timely reports to donors and to respond as promptly as possible to donor requests for additional information.
2. Represent Pact South Sudan/s capacity development initiatives to other South Sudan programs; local, state and national authorities; appropriate working groups and other forums; UN and NGO agencies; and beneficiary communities.
2. Keep up-to-date with regional developments in capacity development/ civil society strengthening. Review relevant reports, evaluations and other internal and external resources as necessary to improve program design and implementation.
3. Activate and maintain positive relationships with relevant government authorities and key partners.
4. Develop project/program briefing papers and other publicity materials to communicate the impact of and learning from the delivery of the program.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Learning (MERL)
1. Participate in program monitoring, evaluating and periodic reporting related to capacity development and civil society strengthening.
2. Support regular evaluation of program components in terms of feasibility, efficiency and effectiveness.
3. Provide regular comprehensive program updates to supervisor as to program status, current and emerging issues, etc.

Other Tasks
Perform other duties as assigned.

Person Specification
Essential:
 A minimum of 6 years’ experience managing or providing technical guidance to civil society strengthening or capacity development programs in developing countries, preferably with experience in post conflict environments.
 Experience in civil society strengthening, local governance or a related sector programming.
 Strong project/program and financial management skills.
 A people-motivator and team-builder.
 Experience of managing USAID, DFID or European funds or similar funding regimes.
 Excellent English written and oral communications skills.
 Strong analytical and evaluation skills.
 High proficiency in word processing and spreadsheets.
 Demonstrated political savvy and proven negotiation skills.
 Strong ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks.
 Ability and willingness to travel frequently in the field in South Sudan.

Desirable:
 Language proficiency (Arabic especially) a plus.
 Prior experience in South Sudan a plus.

Personal:
 Ability to establish and sustain interpersonal and professional relationships with donors, government representatives, contractors, international and local NGOs.
 Demonstrable commitment to the values and ethos of Pact.
 Outgoing personality.
 Flexible, proactive and innovative style.

Disclaimer: This job description summarizes the responsibilities assigned to the position; however it does not contain an all-inclusive list of responsibilities. Periodically, employee(s) will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by their supervisor. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise. Employment at Pact is a voluntary “at will” relationship.


To apply for this position, please visit our website at www.pactworld.org