Overview

Background: Creative Associates International is a fast-growing, social impact company that specializes in the areas of education, economic growth, democratic transitions, and stabilization in post-conflict environments. Based in Chevy Chase, Maryland, this global development organization has a field presence is more than 25 countries and a strong client portfolio of that includes the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department.Since its founding in 1977 by four enterprising women, Creative has earned a solid reputation among its clients and is well-regarded by competitors and partners alike.

Position Summary: Creative Associates seeks a Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) for the anticipated USAID Niger Non-Formal Education Activity, which will target out-of-school adolescents and youth, particularly girls and those affected by conflict and crisis, who do not have access to safe, equitable, and contextually relevant learning opportunities needed to strengthen their resilience and contribute to their communities. Specific areas of focus anticipated include strengthening foundational skills in literacy, numeracy, social emotional learning (SEL)/soft skills, building resilience capabilities and assets, and strengthening pathways between non-formal to formal education. The DCOP will support the Chief of Party (COP) by contributing to the coordination and implementation of the program. In addition to programmatic duties, s/he will provide senior-level oversight of program support functions including, but not limited to, operations; monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL); grants management; and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities

• Directly support the Chief of Party (COP) in the design, rollout, and daily management and implementation of program activities;
• Collaborate with COP and contribute to the design and implementation of overarching program goals and strategies, and implementation of tools or processes necessary in reaching determined goals and strategies;
• In coordination with the COP, oversee the development and monitoring of the project budget to ensure the activity meets it spending projections and that expenditures are in compliance with Creative and USAID policies and regulations as well as the scope of the program’s budget;
• Work with technical leads and project partners in each location to ensure a shared vision for project activities and outcomes, address implementation challenges, and encourage the sharing of best practices and project successes;
• Develop innovative technical strategies for improving program impact;
• Supervise and provide program management support to technical implementation staff to ensure effective and timely management of all activities and initiatives;
• Mentor, guide, and supervise implementation staff; support and develop efforts for staff professional growth;
• Liaise with governments officials, maintaining professional relationships and forming new ones that support program implementation and a contextual understanding of the operational environment;
• Ensure the timeliness, cost, and quality implementation of activities performed;
• Contribute to the development of the annual work plans, work plan budget and other program management tools that identify key objectives, responsible staff, deliverables, and potential challenges, etc.;
• Oversee staff capacity-building across the program and provide evaluation and workforce management to ensure their continued growth; and
• Serve as Acting Chief of Party as required.

Qualifications

• An advanced degree in education or a related field;
• At least 8 years of experience of progressively increasing responsibilities in complex management roles in the education sector;
• Experience working in West Africa is required; experience working in Niger preferred;
• Experience and expertise in non-formal education programming; experience in crisis and conflict settings preferred;
• Experience in and commitment to creating equal education opportunities for girls, children with disabilities, and other children at risk of discrimination or marginalization;
• Proven ability to effectively work and mentor staff in multicultural societies;
• Proven ability to collaborate successfully with USAID, regional institutions and organizations, government officials, international donors, and civil society organizations;
• Experience with adaptive management approaches, collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) and overseeing MEL activities on donor-funded projects;
• Fluency in written and spoken French. Professional proficiency in English.

PI207921040