Chief of Party – Abidjan 98 views0 applications

Position Title: Chief of Party

Duty Station: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

Classification: Professional Staff, Grade UG

Type of Appointment: Special short-term ungraded, six months with possibility of extension

Estimated Start Date: As soon as possible

Closing Date: 05 August 2020

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

Context:

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s initiative, “Strengthening Community Resilience and Learning in Côte d’Ivoire’s Border Areas to Counter Violent Extremism (CVE)”, also known as Resilience for Peace (R4P), focuses on preventing the spill-over of VE from the Sahel into Côte d’Ivoire’s northern border areas. The main objectives of this programme are as follows: increase knowledge, learning, and understanding (KLU) of violent extremism (VE) in border communities; reduce socio-pol-economic marginalization and inequality in border areas; and increase positive narratives to counter radicalization and hate speech, particularly for youth women and girls in border areas’.

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Mission (CoM) in Cote D’Ivoire the successful candidate will be responsible for the overall coordination and management of country level activities of the R4P programme and ensuring strong donor communications and engagement for the IOM country programme funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

1. Manage full programmatic, financial, administrative, logistical, and relational responsibilities for all programme activities and ensure that IOM standards and operating modalities are met wherever the programme is implemented.
2. Conceptualize and design programme strategies, and direct appropriate resource allocation among several offices, stakeholders, and sub-regions.
3. Manage the in-country relationship with USAID.
4. Maintain a frequent dialogue and close and positive working relationship with USAID representatives in country, to ensure collaborative activity development and analysis.
5. Hire and train all programme staff as well as create, deploy, and periodically fine-tune all programmatic systems, including database management, procurement, financial tracking, and accounting. Ensure that all departments are coordinating together smoothly to achieve the programme objectives and supervise all in-country international and national staff.
6. Actively build and maintain a flexible, responsive, and amicable relationship with key programme stakeholders, including IOM Cote D’Ivoire Country Office (CO), IOM Burkina Faso CO, USAID’s Sahel Regional Office (SRO), USAID/Washington and IOM Washington.
7. In close conjunction with the management of the IOM Cote D’Ivoire CO, it’s Field Security Officer, and in accordance with the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) requirements, act as the one responsible for the safety and security of all individuals implementing the programme. This includes ensuring that appropriate security information is regularly and appropriately disseminated, and that relevant safety and security training is conducted in coordination with IOM’s Staff Security Unit (SSU) when required.
8. Assess, develop a plan for, and oversee all related contracting staff, technical experts, or service providers in relation to the programme.
9. Liaise with international and national counterparts to further the development and enhance the objectives of the programme. Seek programmatic partnerships and synergies when appropriate with other humanitarian and development partners and government entities.
10. Actively consult with a wide range of sources, including management of the IOM CO, to continually assess the full context of the IOM Programme funded by USAID, including in relation to other IOM programmes and priorities in the country.
11. Responsible for continually developing the IOM R4P Programme in accordance with programme objectives, updated strategic priorities, project successes, donor interests and UN security constraints.
12. Supervise the tracking of all programme expenditures to ensure budget recommendations are met, that all grant management and financial tracking instruments are reconciled and that all funds are spent in accordance with IOM standards and donor expectations. In coordination with the relevant IOM CO departments, Headquarters (HQs) and others, ensure the timely submission of financial reports to the donor.
13. In close coordination with the main programme counterparts, ensure that small grant initiatives and related community and government relationships are developed in accordance with programme goals and objectives.
14. Act as the primary contact for the programme in work across multiple sectors that include, but are not limited to youth, gender, livelihoods, access to markets, governance, municipal infrastructure, skills-training and education.
15. Develop and enforce anti-corruption measures and strengthen existing measures including the implementation of a sound Monitoring and Evaluation system to ensure the transparent use of donor funds. Report corruption issues to the donor according to established procedures.
16. Perform such other duties as may be assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

Education

• Master’s degree in Conflict Management and Peacebuilding, Communications, Public Administration, Business Administration, International Relations, Political Science, Law, or a related field from an accredited academic institution with ten years of relevant professional experience; or,

• University degree in the above fields with twelve years of relevant professional experience.

Experience

• Ten years’ experience managing public or private international programmes in peace promotion, countering violent extremism, conflict mitigation, or governance-related programmes, preferably including previous experience in Francophone West Africa;

• Previous experience as a Chief of Party or Deputy Chief of Party on a donor-funded project with a strong reputation for developing excellent collaborative working relationships with counterparts, other contracts, and international organizations and donors;

• Experience in managing USAID awards and all required reporting requirements;

• Demonstrated experience managing programs that effectively address gender issues and advance women’s empowerment;

• Demonstrated significant governance and conflict expertise;

• Technical experience in Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA), communication or economic opportunities or one of the other disciplinary areas will be taken into consideration;

• Progressive responsibility with demonstrated supervisory experience in staff, security, budget, and office management.

• Thorough knowledge of the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) protocols and experience working in a Phase III or above security environment; and

• Experience managing staff from diverse environments and backgrounds and in UNDSS phased security areas.

Skills

• Demonstrated skills in effectively working, coordinating, and negotiating with donors, other USAID projects, US Embassies, and host country governments and organizations;

• Ability to successfully manage and develop staff in a multi-country and multi-cultural setting as demonstrated by past experience.

Languages

IOM’s official languages are English, French and Spanish.

For this position, fluency in English and French is required (oral and written). Working knowledge of Spanish is an advantage.

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Notes

Accredited Universities are the ones listed in the UNESCO World Higher Education Database

(https://whed.net/home.php).

Required Competencies:

Values – all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these three values:

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: respects and promotes individual and cultural differences; encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible.

• Integrity and transparency: maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.

• Professionalism: demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators

• Teamwork: develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.

• Delivering results: produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner; is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.

• Managing and sharing knowledge: continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.

• Accountability: takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own action and delegated work.

• Communication: encourages and contributes to clear and open communication; explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Managerial Competencies – behavioural indicators

• Leadership: provides a clear sense of direction, leads by example and demonstrates the ability to carry out the organization’s vision; assists others to realize and develop their potential.

• Empowering others & building trust: creates an atmosphere of trust and an enabling environment where staff can contribute their best and develop their potential.

• Strategic thinking and vision: works strategically to realize the Organization’s goals and communicates a clear strategic direction.

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link. https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/about-iom/iom_revised_competency_framework_external.pdf

Competencies will be assessed during a competency-based interview.

Other:

Internationally recruited professional staff are required to be mobile. Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

For this staff category, candidates who are nationals of the duty station’s country cannot be considered eligible.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

Vacancies close at 23:59 local time Geneva, Switzerland on the respective closing date. No late applications will be accepted.