The Chief of Party (COP) will be responsible for supervising the implementation of the Work Plan, providing quality control of products prepared by the project team and any sub awardees and providing expert guidance to USAID. The role will have significant leadership, management and development experience; a demonstrated track record in successfully managing government relations; a demonstrated experience in private sector and market-based approaches to development; and experience in the education sector for an anticipated USAID-funded Activity, Low-Fee, Non-State Schools in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Activity will expand on best practices for strengthening Low- Fee, Non-State Schools in the DRC to improve learning outcomes, business practices, and sustainability. This position will be based in the DRC (exact location to be determined) and is contingent upon award funding.
RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
- Provide overall technical and administrative leadership of the Activity.
- Serves as the primary liaison with USAID/DRC, the Government of DRC, and private sector education programming stakeholders.
- Ensure quality control over programmatic functions, including development of work plans, budgets, quarterly/annual reports, and ensuring effective implementation of program strategy as articulated in the workplan.
- Provide technical direction and oversight in the design, implementation, and monitoring of high-quality work plans, and budgets.
- Oversee all project operations, staff, and sub awardees to ensure activities are on track, and are delivered on schedule, and on budget.
- Ensure adherence to USAID, project, corporate and Congolese policies and procedures governing all technical work— including cost, schedule, and quality parameters.
- Work with the award’s contracting/agreement officer’s representative to address challenges and opportunities to maximize impact and scale, minimize costs, and maximize efficiency and sustainability to achieve targeted results.
- Demonstrate diplomacy and leadership to foster an atmosphere of teamwork, productivity, creativity, fairness, and innovation.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY
- Supervise and manage a diverse team of senior project staff, potentially Deputy Chief of Party, Technical Advisors, Finance and Operations Manager, among others, ensuring clear roles, accountability, and effective coordination across all technical and operational components of the project; provide regular performance feedback, guidance, and professional development opportunities
QUALIFICATIONS
- Minimum of a master’s degree in education, finance, international development, or another relevant discipline.
- At least 10 years of experience overseeing education, finance, private sector development, or related activities in challenging environments, preferably in DRC.
- At least 5 years of experience in a senior-level leadership position (i.e., Chief of Party, Country Director) on programs that involved direction over USAID-funded activities
- High level of interpersonal, technical, and analytical skills, including a demonstrated ability to interact effectively and collaborate with a broad range of public and private sector counterparts and other key stakeholders.
- Demonstrated ability to organize and effectively and efficiently navigate the rules and regulations of US Government awards.
- Experience recruiting and managing consultants and overseeing quality control.
- Ability to build and motivate diverse teams with proven leadership, interpersonal, and intercultural skills.
- Written and oral fluency in English and French.
- Ability to travel up to 30% of the time, both nationally and internationally.
- Strong analytical and computer skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and web-based research).
- An understanding of and a commitment to advancing the mission, vision and values of Opportunity International.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
- Written and verbal fluency in English and French required, fluency in additional Congolese languages desired.
TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS
- Approximately 30% travel both domestically and internationally
ABOUT OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL
Opportunity International is a global non-profit that has been empowering people to work their way out of poverty since 1971. Opportunity provides 18.7 million people with innovative financial resources, training, and support to grow their small businesses and send their children to school. In 2022, Opportunity International and its partners helped fund 5,600 schools that reached 1.6 million children, and they released more than $2.6 billion in capital across 30 countries.
To apply please submit your cover letter and resume to [email protected] with the Subject Line “Opportunity International COP DRC”
