Pact is an international nonprofit that works in nearly 40 countries building solutions for human development that are evidence-based, data-driven and owned by the communities we serve. Founded in 1971, Pact works with partners to build resilience, improve accountability, and strengthen knowledge and skills for sustainable social impact.
Pact is seeking a Washington, DC-based Technical Advisor for the USAID-funded Strengthening Youth and Women’s Civic Participation Program, focused on Sudan. The Program aims to increase collaboration, sustainability, and resilience of civil society and independent media to advance the inclusion, participation and leadership of youth and women in Sudan. The activity will apply locally led, problem-driven, adaptive approaches. This program is now in year two of an anticipated five-year activity, with a dramatic shift in the operating context since the program commenced startup in Khartoum in October 2022 and has worked to adapt to the onset of violent conflict in April 2023. Collaborating closely with colleagues in the East Africa region, this position will support Sudan programming from Pact’s Washington, DC office and be part of the team managing the global Civil Society and Media mechanism that Pact leads, with travel to the region as feasible.
The position will report to CSM-STAND Associate Award Technical Director and be part of Pact’s Governance team. The Advisor will be responsible for providing quality technical guidance and support to the Sudam program covering a range of topics: civil society engagement, grant-making, technical and capacity development support for partners, consortium partner engagement, and context analysis and reporting. The chosen candidate will also work closely with the Sudan program team to shape and support a large portfolio of sub-grants with Sudanese, regional and international organizations.
Partnership Relationships, Grant Making, and Support for Partners
Advise the Sudan program to develop, nurture, and sustain relationships with Sudanese civil society actorsEngage in a range of grant-making processes in collaboration with the Sudan team, such as reviewing and evaluating proposals, providing targeted technical advice on topics such as conflict sensitivity and grassroots leadership engagement, developing grants packages, and reviewing deliverables as needed.Provide technical support to the Sudan program capacity development team on its rollout of support for civil society and media partnersGuide CSM-STAND consortium partners to effectively target its support for the program in collaboration with the Technical Director and program leadershipCoordinate with other implementing partners actively engaging Sudanese civil society and media organizationsSudan Context Analysis and Assessments
Lead the updating and refinement of the program’s civil society and media landscape analysisSupport the development of regular situational analyses on the conflict and political transition dynamics in Sudan and the region, as well as on its impact on civil society and the media, in order to advise the Sudan team on upcoming trends and opportunitiesIncorporate conflict sensitivity guidance and contextual analyses into program deliverablesContributions to Program Deliverables
Contribute to programmatic communications and reporting efforts including but not limited to context updates and trends in bi-weekly, quarterly, and annual reportsSupport scenario-based program planning and contribute to the annual work planning processEmployee complies with all company policies and procedures, including completing all compliance training topics by the deadline to satisfy each and receiving the corresponding acknowledgment statement that the training has been completed.
All other duties as assigned.
Deep understanding of the role of Sudanese civil society and media organizations, as well as organizational and technical challenges they face in their work
Strong analytical skills for understanding and assessing the current war in Sudan and its root causes
Experience reviewing, evaluating, and offering feedback to civil society applicants on their proposed projects for funding opportunities, including with a lens of conflict sensitivity
Connectivity to pro-change civil society actors in Sudan and within the diaspora