Project Director

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.

Department
Programs – Pact strives for a world where all people are heard, capable, and vibrant. The Programs Team helps realize this objective by bridging program management, technical support, and business development, enabling Pact to achieve its global strategy. We ensure program excellence through continuous learning, monitoring and evaluation and provide organizational and industry-wide thought leadership by leveraging a complementary set of cross-functional, multi-disciplinary skills, expertise, and experiences. The Programs team: influences progressive change through the development and implementation of global and regional strategies and business plans; supports advancement of innovative solutions; pursues new business opportunities; and drives effective internal and external engagement to maximize Pact’s impact across the globe. Across all aspects of its role, the Programs Department adheres to and promotes a culture of inclusion, accountability, and respect.

Position Overview
Pact is recruiting a Project Director for an upcoming 4.5 year, USDOL-funded child labor reduction project in critical mineral-producing communities in Zambia. The project will aim to achieve the following outcomes: (1) Increased capacity of government to address child labor and forced labor in critical mineral producing communities and (2) Increased resiliency of members of vulnerable households in communities producing critical minerals.

The Project Director will provide overall technical expertise, operational, and financial leadership and oversight for the project and will serve as the primary liaison with USDOL, the Government of Zambia (GoZ), Pact headquarters in DC (HQ), and relevant project stakeholders. The Project Director is responsible for achieving the project’s goals, objectives, and strategy, directing the entire project team, and managing the critical relationship with local and international partners and other key stakeholders in coordination with partners, USDOL and HQ. This position is contingent upon award.

Key Responsibilities
Provide overall management, strategic direction, and leadership to the project to achieve expected project goals and results within budget and timeframe.
Provide technical leadership to project staff and partners throughout the implementation of project strategies to ensure effective integration of project’s objectives among partner organizations.
Lead the technical design and create a realistic and donor-responsive timeline and continuously evaluate project progress towards achieving program’s strategic goals.
Maintain a strong and extensive network with key partners and stakeholders and serve as the project’s primary liaison.
Provide oversight for the project’s financial management and procurement systems and ensure that they are in line with Pact policies and procedures and USG/USDOL rules and regulations.
Utilize an inclusive, participatory approach while developing and updating the project strategic plan, ensuring programmatic directions are technically sound, evidence-based, and consistent with the Ministries and community objectives.
Serve as the principal liaison with USDOL, responsible for reporting program results to USDOL and cultivating and maintaining a positive relationship with USDOL staff.
Hire, supervise, and mentor project staff.
Manage project budget to meet expected results, ensuring cost-effective use of donor and Pact resources.
Ensure that provision of high-quality technical assistance to local implementing partners; conduct regular monitoring and mentoring visits to local partners.
Ensure that all project reporting requirements are met to the highest standards.
Oversee project staff in helping partners establish reporting and tracking systems to provide key information in an efficient and timely manner.
Provide regular written/oral program progress updates as requested.
Other tasks as required to achieve the Program Objectives and Expected Results.

Basic Requirements
Bachelor’s degree and 11 years of experience or a Master’s degree and 9+ years of relevant experience with 5 years of management experience. Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in public policy, international development, social science, anthropology, education, economics, or related field is preferred.
Minimum of seven years of experience in project management, supervision, administration, and implementation of cooperative agreement and/or grants, contract requirements (including meeting deadlines, achieving targets, and overseeing the preparation and submission of required reports), preferably in Zambia and/or Southern Africa is required.
Demonstrated experience establishing and maintaining systems for managing project operations is required.
Minimum of five years of experience working on projects that address labor-related issues, including child labor, forced labor, and/or related issues, such as education and youth workforce development, in mining communities is required.
Demonstrated experience working with governments, including providing technical assistance for strengthening implementation of National Action Plans against child labor, improving legislative and policy environments, strengthening enforcement of labor laws in mining communities, and/or providing education, livelihood, and social protection services is required.
Demonstrated experience working with neighboring countries, which may include through regional institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa, such as SADC or the African Union is required.
Experience maintaining working relationships with all project stakeholders and effectively building partnerships between them is required.
Demonstrated experience in building partnerships and coalitions of diverse project stakeholders, including public, private, and civil society actors, is highly recommended.
Demonstrated experience in negotiating, facilitating, and public speaking, with the significant ability to explain complex issues to diverse stakeholders, build will, identify common goals, develop agreed-upon next steps and deliverables, define and identify roles and responsibilities, and hold stakeholders accountable, is highly recommended.
Significant interpersonal skill, including listening; showing understanding, courtesy, and concern; developing and maintaining effective relationships with project staff and stakeholders; and displaying sensitivity to cultural diversity, gender, age, and disabilities, and other individual differences is highly recommended.
Experience building the capacity of a project team, coaching, and mentoring is highly recommended.
Experience in, and knowledge of, mining issues is recommended.
Fluency in English is required.

Preferred Qualifications
Zambia work experience preferred. Zambian National preferred.
Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, including ability to develop and communicate a shared vision to diverse partners and foster collaboration across a multi-disciplinary team.
Demonstrated ability to establish professional relationships and to work collaboratively with host government agencies, donors, civil society, and CBOs.
Prior experience managing a USDOL and or USG funded cooperative agreement or contract

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.

Position: Job ID 2023-2090 # of Openings 1