Program Manager

Location: Head Office Karachi
Reports to: Head of Programs
Position Type: Full-time

Employment Type: Contractual

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the strategic positioning and visibility of the litigation department across donor, media, and legal networks—ensuring consistent messaging and high-impact storytelling aligned with LAS's mission.
• Serve as the primary interface for donor engagement, ensuring compliance with grant requirements, narrative and financial reporting, and strategic alignment of litigation outputs with donor priorities.
• Design and execute stakeholder engagement strategies with judiciary, bar councils, rights organizations, and relevant government actors to advocate for systemic legal reforms.
• Drive business development for litigation, including scoping new funding opportunities, designing pitches, developing concept notes, and representing LAS in external forums and funding discussions.
• Provide strategic oversight for litigation-linked communications, publications, and media content, in collaboration with the Communications team.
• Support the expansion of strategic litigation and legal innovation, identifying high-value cases that serve as advocacy tools and institutional precedents.
• Oversee people management, performance tracking, and workload balancing across the litigation team to ensure efficient delivery and a results-oriented culture.
• Coordinate with LAS senior management to align litigation efforts with broader organizational objectives, sustainability goals, and external commitments.

Strategic Positioning and Visibility:

• Publish at least one success story or high-impact case study monthly, highlighting key achievements aligned with LAS's mission.
• Conduct one visibility event or webinar every quarter engaging donors, media, and legal networks to promote the litigation department's strategic objectives.
• Donor Engagement and Compliance: Submit 100% of donor-required narrative and financial reports within deadlines (monthly, quarterly, annually).
  Hold monthly update meetings (aligned with reporting) with key donors to ensure alignment and address compliance proactively.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Organize monthly stakeholder engagement meetings, involving judiciary members, bar council representatives, rights organizations, or relevant government officials, advocating for systemic legal reforms, in coordination with Litigation Manager.
• Produce two policy briefs or position papers per year for systemic advocacy purposes.

Business Development and Fundraising:

• Develop and submit at least two new concept notes or proposals per quarter for strategic litigation funding.
• Identify and represent LAS in at least one external forum or funding discussion per month, actively identifying and scoping potential new funding opportunities.

Litigation-linked Communications and Media:

• Coordinate publication of at least one litigation-focused article, opinion piece, or media release monthly, in collaboration with the Communications team.
• Review and ensure quality control of all litigation-related public communications and media outputs before release.

Strategic Litigation and Legal Innovation:

• Support Litigation Manager in identifying and initiating at least one strategic or high-impact litigation case per quarter that can serve as an institutional precedent or advocacy tool.
• Document and share lessons learned from at least two innovative legal approaches annually.

People Management and Performance Oversight:

• Conduct monthly operational performance reviews and support litigation manager in case quality review for litigation team members to track progress, provide feedback, and ensure efficient workload distribution.
• Support Litigation Manager to ensure quarterly team capacity-building sessions focused on skill enhancement and performance improvement.
• Assign cases to lawyers in consultation with Litigation Manager, track case load & ensure equal/strategic distribution of cases.
• Oversight M&E function for Litigation Department, data collection & analysis.

Senior Management Coordination and Alignment:

• Schedule and participate in monthly coordination meetings with LAS senior management to align litigation initiatives with broader organizational goals and external commitments.
• Provide a comprehensive quarterly litigation department report to senior management summarizing progress, challenges, and strategic recommendations.

Core Competencies

Legal Expertise: Understanding of civil, criminal, and constitutional law.

Program Management: Proven ability to manage multi-faceted legal aid programs or litigation-focused initiatives.

• Case Management: Efficient tracking and monitoring of legal cases across various courts and jurisdictions.
• Ability to develop and implement case management systems and tools.

Leadership & Team Management:

• Ability to lead and supervise legal teams including lawyers, paralegals, and support staff.
• Conflict resolution and team-building skills.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Effective communication and coordination with internal teams, donors, courts, government bodies, and community stakeholders.
• Representation of the organization in high-level legal or advocacy forums.

Ethical and Rights-Based Approach:

• Commitment to access to justice, human rights, and legal empowerment of vulnerable populations.
• Adherence to confidentiality and professional ethics.

Communication & Advocacy:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills for legal and non-legal audiences.
• Capacity to engage in strategic litigation and public interest litigation.

Education:

Master's Degree in Project Management, Social Science from a recognized university (LLB preferred).

Required Experience:

• Minimum 3–5 years of progressive experience in Program Management.
• At least 2–3 years in a managerial or supervisory capacity in a legal, non-profit, or donor-funded program.

Technical Skills:

• Proficiency in case management systems, MS Office, and legal research tools.
• Experience working with vulnerable or marginalized communities (e.g., women, children, refugees, minorities).
• Familiarity with the local legal aid framework and justice sector landscape.

EEO Statement: LAS's commitment to diversity and equal employment opportunity, ensuring consideration regardless of sex, age, race, etc., and promoting an inclusive environment.

Protection Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse: LAS's zero-tolerance policy towards SEA, with detailed prohibitions outlined.

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