Senior Project Officer

Description

The Senior Project Officer (School Rehabilitation & WASH) will lead the planning, implementation, coordination, monitoring, and reporting of the Child-Led Action for Clean Water, Safe Schools and Healthy Communities – IR-UK funded project in Dera Ismail Khan (DI Khan). The role will oversee school rehabilitation, WASH facilities, rainwater harvesting, hygiene education, strengthening of Parent Teacher Councils (PTCs), and community-level safe water interventions where required. The postholder will ensure quality implementation against approved targets, budgets, and timelines; coordinate with government departments and relevant stakeholders; supervise the project team; and ensure timely, accurate donor reporting, documentation, and compliance with IR-UK and Islamic Relief Pakistan requirements.

Responsibilities

Base Location: DI Khan

Number of Positions: 01

Gender: Male/Female

Reports to: Area Programme Lead

Key Accountabilities:

The job holder is accountable for fulfilling his / her roles and responsibilities in line with Islamic values and principles of fairness, humanity, honesty, respect and fair treatment of his/her colleagues and team members

Project Planning and Implementation

• Lead the overall planning, implementation, and monitoring of school rehabilitation and WASH project interventions.
• Ensure timely achievement of project objectives, targets, and deliverables in accordance with the approved project proposal and work plan.
• Coordinate project activities and resources to ensure effective implementation within the approved budget and timeframe.
• Identify implementation challenges and ensure appropriate corrective actions are taken.

School Rehabilitation and WASH

• Oversee the implementation of school rehabilitation and WASH interventions in targeted schools.
• Coordinate with relevant teams and stakeholders to ensure safe, inclusive, gender-sensitive, and child-friendly school environments.
• Monitor progress against approved project plans and ensure that rehabilitation and WASH interventions meet agreed quality standards.
• Promote sustainability and community ownership of improved school infrastructure and WASH facilities.

Child-Led Action and Community Engagement

• Promote meaningful participation of children, students, teachers, and communities in project activities.
• Support child-led initiatives that encourage safe schools, clean water, improved sanitation, and healthy hygiene practices.
• Ensure the integration of hygiene promotion and behaviour change activities into project implementation.
• Facilitate community engagement and strengthen local ownership of project interventions.

Stakeholder Coordination and Representation

• Maintain effective coordination with the District Education Department, school administrations, Parent Teacher Councils (PTCs), local authorities, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Represent Islamic Relief Pakistan in project-related coordination meetings and forums.
• Facilitate collaboration with relevant government departments, community representatives, and partner organizations.
• Coordinate donor visits, management field visits, and stakeholder review meetings.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL)

• Ensure regular monitoring of project progress, indicators, targets, and outcomes.
• Coordinate assessments, surveys, evaluations, and learning activities in collaboration with the MEAL team.
• Ensure timely preparation and submission of project progress reports, case studies, success stories, and other required documentation.
• Ensure that beneficiary feedback, complaints, and response mechanisms are accessible, functional, and responsive.
• Use monitoring findings and community feedback to improve project quality and effectiveness.

General Management and Leadership

• Provide effective leadership, supervision, and guidance to project staff to ensure achievement of project objectives.
• Promote teamwork, staff motivation, professional development, and a positive working environment.
• Conduct staff performance appraisals and provide regular feedback, coaching, and mentoring.
• Ensure that staff understand and comply with humanitarian principles, Islamic Relief's core values, organizational policies, the Code of Conduct, and applicable humanitarian standards.
• Keep the Area Management informed about project progress, implementation challenges, achievements, risks, and significant developments.
• Ensure effective coordination with programme, finance, procurement, supply chain, HR, MEAL, and other relevant departments.

Public Relations and Communications

• Coordinate with the communications team to document project achievements, lessons learned, human-interest stories, and good practices.
• Support the preparation of communication materials and donor visibility activities in accordance with approved guidelines.
• Ensure that photographs, stories, and other beneficiary information are collected and shared ethically, with appropriate consent and safeguarding considerations.

Safety, Security and Safeguarding

• Monitor the local operational environment and promptly report security concerns to the designated security focal person and management.
• Ensure compliance with Islamic Relief Pakistan's security procedures and relevant operational guidance.
• Ensure that project activities are implemented in accordance with safeguarding, child protection, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), and accountability requirements.
• Promote safe, respectful, and inclusive participation of children, communities, staff, and other stakeholders.
• Ensure that incidents, concerns, and safeguarding complaints are reported through established organizational mechanisms.

Administration and Compliance

• Ensure compliance with organizational administrative policies, procedures, and documentation requirements.
• Maintain accurate project records, agreements, correspondence, and implementation documentation.
• Ensure that project implementation complies with applicable laws, contractual obligations, donor conditions, and organizational policies.
• Coordinate with relevant departments to address administrative and operational requirements.

Financial Management and Planning

• Coordinate with the Finance Department to monitor project expenditure against approved budgets and forecasts.
• Ensure efficient, transparent, and accountable utilization of project resources.
• Review budget utilization, identify variances, and recommend appropriate corrective measures.
• Coordinate with Finance and Supply Chain teams to ensure timely processing of project expenditures, procurement, and contractual requirements.
• Ensure compliance with donor financial requirements and Islamic Relief Pakistan's financial policies and procedures

Person Specification

It is essential that the post holder shows a good understanding and sympathy with the organizational values & principles, vision and mission as well as commitment to its PSEAH (preventing sexual exploitation abuse and harassment) and Safeguarding protocols. Organization has a zero-tolerance policy towards SEAH and don’t support any action that promotes or encourages SEAH/Safeguarding.

Organization is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom organization engages. Organization expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us

Qualification: 

-        Master’s preferably in Development Studies/ Social Sciences.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years humanitarian aid experience with Master or 7 years' experience with Bachelor in complex and natural disasters

Language: 

• Urdu, English and local languages

Key Personal Qualities:

• People Management Skills: Ability to work independently and as a team player who demonstrates leadership and is able to support and train local and international staff and also able to work with disaster affected communities in a sensitive and participatory manner.
• Communication Skills: Well developed written and oral communication skills. Able to communicate clearly and sensitively with internal and external stakeholders as a representative of IR. This includes effective negotiation and representation skills.
• Integrity: Works with trustworthiness and integrity and has a clear commitment to IR's core values and humanitarian principles.
• Resilience/Adaptability and flexibility: Ability to operate effectively under extreme circumstances including stress, high security risks and harsh living conditions. Works and lives with a flexible, adaptable and resilient manner.
• Awareness and sensitivity of self and others: Demonstrates awareness and sensitivity to gender and diversity. Have experience and the ability to live and work in diverse cultural contexts in a culturally appropriate manner. Has a capacity to make accurate self-assessment particularly in high stress and high security contexts.
• Work style: Is well planned and organized even within a fluid working environment and has a capacity for initiative and decision making with competent analytical and problem solving skills. 
• Knowledge and application of Sphere Standards, Humanitarian Principles, administration, information management and telecommunication skills and proficiency in information technology/ computer skills and other guiding principles during interaction with Disaster affected communities. 
• Fluency in English (oral and written) including excellent writing skills, however command over Pashto language is desirable. 

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

• The organisation is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behavior at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom the organisation engages. The organisation expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.
• The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.
• All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records checks. The organisation also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.
• In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment.
• By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Pre-employment Checks:

Any employment with organization will be subject to the following checks:

• Screening clearance
• Receipt of satisfactory references

We are an equal opportunities employer.

DECLARATION:

By applying for this position with the organisation;

Declarations # 1: “I hereby confirm that I have never been involved and/or charged in violation of SEAH (Sexual Exploitation Abuse & Harassment) related concerns in my career.”

Declarations # 2: “I confirm that the above information in the CV/Application is complete and correct and that any untrue or misleading information will give my employer the right to terminate any employment contract offered.”

Declarations # 3: “I agree that information contained within this application and supporting documents (including "sensitive information”) may be accessed, stored and used and by the organization in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.”

Experience

5 Years

Apply By

Oct 23, 2026

Required Skills

• Project Planning and Scheduling
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Project Reporting and Documentation
• Team Management
• Humanitarian Aid Coordination

Nice to Have Skills

• Risk Management
• Budget Monitoring
• Capacity Building