CSO Pilot Lead - VERITAS UKR

Job Description

Background 

SoCha is currently bidding to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to deliver the Verification and Technical Assurance Programme-Ukraine (VERITAS-UKR). This flagship programme will provide demand-led independent third-party monitoring (TPM) and portfolio-level evidence services across FCDO’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) portfolio in Ukraine. The programme will also pilot an innovative Civil Society Organization (CSO)-led monitoring model, designed to strengthen accountability and ensure aid is responsive to the needs of Ukrainians.

As part of our proposed core team, SoCha is recruiting a CSO Pilot Lead to design, develop, and oversee implementation of the CSO-led monitoring pilot during the first year of the programme. This role will play a pivotal part in testing, refining, and providing recommendations on whether CSO-led TPM approaches can enhance transparency, accountability, and responsiveness in Ukraine’s recovery and development context.

This position is contingent on contract award and is expected to commence on or around 30 November 2025.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and roll-out of the CSO-led TPM pilot, ensuring alignment with FCDO objectives and programme priorities;
• Identify, engage, and build partnerships with Ukrainian CSOs capable of implementing high-quality monitoring activities;
• Develop capacity-building plans and provide technical support to CSOs to ensure adherence to monitoring standards, safeguarding principles, and do-no-harm practices;
• Establish clear processes, governance arrangements, and ways of working for CSO participation in TPM;
• Provide transparent, evidence-based advice to FCDO on the feasibility, opportunities, and challenges of the CSO-led approach;
• Ensure pilot activities are carefully documented, monitored, and evaluated to generate robust learning and recommendations;
• Coordinate with the Team Leader, TPM Team Leader, and Portfolio-Evidence Lead to ensure CSO pilot findings complement broader TPM and research outputs;
• Manage risks associated with CSO-led monitoring, including safeguarding, security, and representational risks;
• Produce quarterly progress updates and a final pilot report with clear recommendations on scalability and sustainability;
• Disseminate findings from the pilot to FCDO, implementing partners, and relevant stakeholders through reports, briefs, and workshops.

Qualifications and Experience

• Education: Advanced degree in international development, social sciences, public policy, or a related field;
• Professional Experience: Experience working with or supporting civil society organizations in monitoring, evaluation, governance, or accountability roles;
• Technical Expertise: Strong background in CSO engagement, organizational strengthening, and programme design, ideally with experience piloting or scaling innovative approaches;
• Contextual Knowledge: In-depth understanding of the Ukrainian civil society landscape, including capacities, challenges, and opportunities for localized monitoring;
• Languages: Fluency in Ukrainian (preferred) and strong professional proficiency in English (oral and written);
• Partnership Skills: Demonstrated ability to build constructive, transparent, and accountable partnerships with CSOs and grassroots organizations;
• Analytical & Advisory Skills: Proven ability to analyze pilot initiatives, draw actionable lessons, and provide clear recommendations to donors;
• Safeguarding & Duty of Care: Strong knowledge of safeguarding standards and experience managing risks in sensitive operating environments;
• Innovation & Adaptability: Track record of being propositional and adaptive in testing new approaches with civil society partners.

How to apply

To submit your application, kindly provide your CV using the form provided below. 

To apply before 26 September 2025. 

About the Organization

About SoCha 

SoCha is an international monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) firm that delivers evidence-driven insights to help development and humanitarian actors make adaptive, impactful decisions. We bring experience from diverse regional contexts, including fragile and conflict-affected environments, combining technical rigour, trusted local partnerships, and innovative approaches to address complex challenges. Our expertise spans third-party monitoring, mixed-methods and complexity-aware evaluations, systems strengthening, and capacity-building, ensuring that programmes remain responsive to local realities and deliver meaningful results for vulnerable populations. Guided by principles of inclusion, equity, and learning, SoCha partners with donors, UN agencies, and implementing organizations to improve outcomes and maximize impact.