Chief of Party (COP), South Sudan 161 views0 applications

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position Title: Chief of Party (COP)

Position Location: Juba, South Sudan

Reports To: Director, Agriculture, Resilience and Water

Position Summary:

Winrock is seeking Chief of Party candidates for an anticipated $30-50M agriculture resilience project in South Sudan. The Chief of Party will be responsible for overall project management, administration, and implementation. S/he will maintain systems for project operations; oversee safety and security of all project personnel and assets; ensure that all award deadlines are met and targets are achieved; manage field staff; and coordinate and maintain working relationships with project stakeholders. This includes government ministries, subgrantees and/or subcontractors, short-term technical support providers, and local training/academic institutions.

The USAID-funded Increasing Community Resilience through Agriculture in South Sudan project will build off of USAID’s past investments in the agricultural sector, increasing the amount, variety, and quality of nutritious food bought and sold at local markets. It also aims to create more jobs on farms and at markets and promote healthy eating and feeding behaviors for families. The position is contingent upon receipt of donor funding.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Serve as the principal liaison with USAID, other donors, key government officials, and international and local organizations, representing Winrock International;
• Working closely with an Operations and Security Director, oversee security planning, implementation, and incident and crisis management;
• Coordinate and collaborate with relevant stakeholders, including host government programs and other donor projects to leverage resources and maximize results;
• Provide high-level oversight for project administrative functions including financial management, human resources and procurement while ensuring compliance with Winrock policies and principles and USAID rules and regulations;
• Design and lead interventions that build the capacity of staff and key stakeholders in government, private sector, and local nongovernmental organizations;
• Provide supervision, support, and direction to long- and short-term staff and technical consultants;
• Monitor program performance through indicators and evaluate program effectiveness and results;
• Apply adaptive management and learning approach to iteratively evaluate program results and impact. Institute adjustments to replicate and scale successful activities and course correct activities that are not yielding desired results;
• Prepare annual work plans and progress reports and monitor the implementation of these plans. Prepare and submit quarterly and annual reports on the progress of activities and achievement of program results to USAID;
• Maintain close communication with Winrock home office and USAID to provide ongoing, informal updates of project progress;
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Education:

• Advanced degree in international development, political science, agricultural or environmental sciences or other relevant fields of study

Work Experience:

• Minimum 10 years’ professional experience leading donor-funded programs focused on agriculture, community/household resilience or community development, and/or nutrition;
• At least 5 years of experience managing USAID-funded contracts required;
• Experience managing donor- projects in conflict/post-conflict zones required;
• Proven leadership as Project Director or Chief of Party in the design, management, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of similar size and complex international donor support programs with skills in strategic planning, management, supervision, and budgeting;
• Demonstrated technical understanding of agriculture, rural development and/or governance.;
• Proven ability to develop and communicate a common vision among diverse public and private partners and the ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams;
• Professional experience in South Sudan or other East or Central African countries highly preferred.

Skills:

• Demonstrated effective interpersonal skills, creative problem-solving, conflict, ethical management skills and excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Sound knowledge of international donor contracts, financial and accounting regulations and procedures, particularly USAID regulations;
• Knowledge of the political, social, cultural, environmental, and development context of South Sudan strongly preferred;
• Ability to diplomatically supervise staff and coordinate projects with partners from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences;
• Must be comfortable in high-level representational role as well as interacting with beneficiaries;
• Strong communication skills, both interpersonal and written, to effectively oversee staff and coordinate with a broad range of stakeholders;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English required, Arabic language skills a plus.

All interested candidates shall submit their applications (maximum 5 pages including resume, two references and one-page cover letter) in English via this careers page. The deadline for submission of applications is December 15, 2020. Qualified applicants will be contacted by Winrock.