Chief of Party – USAID Sahel Regional Resilience Activity 135 views0 applications

Lutheran World Relief (LWR), a member of Corus International, is seeking a Chief of Party (COP) to lead the anticipated 5-year USAID-funded Sahel Regional Resilience Activity. The activity, implemented through the Leader with Associate Award (LWA) mechanism, is intended to provide up to $200 million in total funding, inclusive of the initial Leader Award and future Associate Awards.

The Regional Resilience Activity will strengthen individual, household, organization, and formal and informal institutions and networks to deliver improved natural resource management and the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices. The program will achieve increased food security, income generation, improved water sanitation and hygiene, climate adaptive practices, better nutrition, improved conflict mitigation, and enhanced community resilience.

Summary of the Position

The COP will have overall responsibility for the management and coordination of all project activities, staff, and leadership to achieve sustainable results in accordance with the contract and donor guidelines. S/he will serve as the primary liaison with USAID, the Governments of Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania, LWR headquarters and other relevant project stakeholders. S/he will ensure the project’s goals, objectives, and strategy are achieved and that contractual requirements are met on time and within budget. S/he is responsible for directing the project team with an integrated vision, applying effective leadership and strategic planning skills, management experience, outstanding interpersonal skills, and strong written and oral communication skills. The COP also ensures that all management systems, from technical to M&E to finance actively support timely and accurate project reporting and cost effectiveness for successful implementation of the project. Additionally, S/he is responsible for ensuring compliance with Corus’s policies and procedures and USAID rules and regulations, including responsibility for ensuring sub-awardee compliance and monitoring the quality of program implementation. The position is anticipated to be based in either Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso or Dakar, Senegal; final location to be determined. S/he will report directly to the Managing Director, Africa Program Unit.

Actual hiring is contingent upon successful activity award and USAID approval.

Responsibilities:

• Provide overall program, strategic and technical leadership and supervision for the program activities, including Associate partners and project personnel, to ensure program activities maximize project objectives.
• Lead Leader Award project planning responsibilities, including the production of annual workplans and budgets and performance monitoring plan, ensuring alignment of the budget to expected results and ensuring cost-effective use of resources.
• Lead the Program Management Unit, providing overall leadership and supervision of all project activities, including sub-awardees/contractors and project personnel.
• Evaluate program effectiveness and determine corrective action needed to improve goal achievement, in accordance with the Managing Director and the Technical Program Manager at headquarters.
• Identify lessons learned and best practices for external dissemination.
• Serve as the primary point of contact with USAID, project partners, the country governments, and key stakeholders.
• Liaise with USAID partners and other donors, as well as implementing partners and stakeholders, to ensure coordination of and harmonization with other relevant activities in Sierra Leone.
• Oversee responses to donor reporting, including periodic technical and financial reports specified in the award to ensure high-quality and timely deliverables.
• Ensure compliance with USAID award and Lutheran World Relief headquarters requirements, policies, and regulations.
• Ensure the development and implementation of key project deliverables, including the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plan.
• Monitor staff performance and provide capacity strengthening support when needed.
• Ensure visibility of project results, achievements, and lessons learned through presentations at conferences and workshops and/or by publishing articles through professional journals.
• Recruit and directly supervise local project staff in line with Lutheran World Relief HR policies; oversee the management and development of project office human resources to ensure a diverse, skilled, and productive workforce; an effective leadership team; and an organizational culture where LWR’s values are practiced.
• Manage funds and subawards; closely monitor project expenditures.
• Together with field and project staff, prepare annual budgets; ensure and supervise regular financial reporting; keep USAID apprised of significant variances.
• Ensure project expenses are reasonable, allocable, prudent, and spent in accordance with USAID rules and regulations; support annual audit procedure.
• Oversee property and equipment acquisition, disposition, and management.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or higher in Business Administration, International development, or similar field is required.
• 10 years of demonstrated experience in implementing, leading, and managing large programs is required. Familiarity with and expertise in overseeing financial and contractual management aspects of project management is crucial, requiring outstanding organizational skills.
• At least 5 years of prior experience as a COP, Deputy COP or equivalent (preferably on a USAID-funded project) is required.
• Experience overseeing development and implementation of M&E and knowledge management strategies relevant to international public health projects.
• Experience overseeing sub-awardees to achieve project results.
• Outstanding written and oral communication and interpersonal skills in English and French are required.
• Deep knowledge of the health context of the Sahel required, with experience working in the Sahel strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading diverse teams to achieve successful project implementation, financial management, and reporting.
• Experience collaborating and coordinating with local and national host government agencies, and aligning program activities and results with national strategies
• Excellent diplomacy skills and a proven ability to establish and maintain interpersonal and professional relationships with regional/district governments, representatives from other key stakeholders (such as NGOs, CSOs, etc.), and the private sector.
• Demonstrated ability to operate at advanced levels of authority and accountability for achieving results.
• Awareness of USAID cooperative agreements, and the related policies, procedures, and regulations; deep understanding of USG federal compliance requirements and evidence of experience in their application.