Program Manager

Head of Programs/Chief Executive Officer

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead thestrategic positioning and visibilityof the litigation department across donor, media, and legal networks—ensuring consistent messaging and high-impact storytelling aligned with LAS's mission.
• Serve as theprimary interface for donor engagement, ensuring compliance with grant requirements, narrative and financial reporting, and strategic alignment of litigation outputs with donor priorities.
• Design and executestakeholder engagement strategieswith judiciary, bar councils, rights organizations, and relevant government actors to advocate for systemic legal reforms.
• Drivebusiness 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 ofstrategic 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 atleastonesuccess stories or high-impact case studies monthly, highlighting key achievements aligned with LAS's mission.
• Conductonevisibility event or webinarevery quarterengaging 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 meeting, 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 brief or position paper 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 initiate 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

Integrated into our shared values is LAS's commitment to diversity and equal employment opportunity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of sex, age, race, colour, creed, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristics or conduct protected by law. LAS is committed to being an inclusive organization where all people are treated fairly, recognized for their individuality, promoted based on performance and encouraged to strive to reach their full potential. We believe in understanding and respecting differences among all people. Every individual at LAS has an ongoing responsibility to respect and support a diverse environment.

Protection Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse:

Legal Aid Society (LAS) is committed to the prevention and protection from all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA). LAS explicitly prohibits its
staff, associates, partners, consultants, or any other representatives associated with the delivery of its work from:

• Engaging in any form of sexual exploitation or abuse;
• Sexual activity with children (persons below the age of (18) irrespective of a mistaken belief of the age of the child which shall not amount to a defence);
• Exchange of money, employment, goods or services for sex, including sexual favours or other forms of humiliating, degrading or exploitative behaviour, is prohibited. This includes any exchange of assistance that is due to beneficiaries of assistance;
• Sexual relationships between LAS staff and beneficiaries of assistance, since they are based on inherently unequal power dynamics, undermine the credibility and integrity of the work of LAS and are strongly discouraged.

How to Apply?

Interested Candidates may apply onlinebefore the 11 th of June 2025.

Those candidate who have applied for this position before, should not apply again.

For more information, please visit www.las.org.pk or email us at hr@las.org.pk