CSM-STAND Sudan Technical Advisor

Job Description

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 actors
• Engage 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 partners
• Guide CSM-STAND consortium partners to effectively target its support for the program in collaboration with the Technical Director and program leadership
• Coordinate with other implementing partners actively engaging Sudanese civil society and media organizations

Sudan Context Analysis and Assessments

• Lead the updating and refinement of the program’s civil society and media landscape analysis
• Support 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 opportunities
• Incorporate conflict sensitivity guidance and contextual analyses into program deliverables

Contributions 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 reports
• Support scenario-based program planning and contribute to the annual work planning process

Employee 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.

• Master’s degree with eight (8) years work experience or bachelor’s degree with at least ten (10+) years work experience

• 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

• Fluency in Sudanese Arabic

About the Organization

Pact is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, citizenship status, genetic information, matriculation, family responsibilities, personal appearance, credit information, tobacco use (except in the workplace), membership in an employee organization, or other protected classifications or non-merit factors.

At Pact, we recognize your impact, offer you opportunities and support your total well-being. Our comprehensive benefit offerings may include healthcare, retirement (8.8% to 13% based on service tenure) and savings plans, paid time off, disability and life insurance programs, learning and development opportunities, wellness programs as well as other optional benefit elections .

With the continuing impacts of COVID-19 around the world, we are taking action to protect the health and well-being of our colleagues and maintain the safety of the communities where we operate. Pact seeks an environment free from COVID-19 and prefers all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Attestation of vaccination status will be required for employment with Pact. Unvaccinated employees may be subject to additional health and safety requirements to include any federal, state and/or client restrictions.