Back Chief of Party (COP)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

The IRC has been working in Bangladesh for over 5 years implementing direct programming in the areas of WASH, education, livelihoods, reproductive health, gender-based violence, and child and youth protection and development. With an annual operating budget of over $ 1 billion (2021), IRC successfully runs a global portfolio of both humanitarian as well as development interventions and has significant experience implementing large-scale programs requiring substantial and sustained collaboration with multiple actors.

Position Summary

The IRC is seeking a Chief of Party (COP) for the five-year, $25 million USAID-funded Communities for Gender Equality (CGE). This activity will be focused on gender equality and inclusive development in support of Sustainable Development Goal 5. The activity may support interventions that address the full cycle of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention, mitigation, and response. This position will oversee project planning, donor engagement, staff and partner management, and coordination with local and international stakeholders. The COP will build and maintain strong and favorable relationship with the local mission of USAID in Dhaka.

This position will report to the IRC Country Director and is contingent on the IRC being awarded funding. It is anticipated to begin in Dec 2024. This position is contingent upon award and funding.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for managing and implementing all aspects of the project, providing overall technical, strategic and administrative management, with a focus on achieving the project’s objectives/results.

• Responsible for ensuring quality and timeliness of all deliverables.

• Provide overall leadership, strategic oversight and guidance to the consortium members in order to achieve overall objectives of the project

• Coordinate and communicate with USAID and IRC country office on technical and financial matters, and implementation of and reporting on programming.

• Interfaces regularly, formally and informally, with the USAID AOR on technical, management and key decision-making to ensure that activities meet expectations.

• In coordination with the USAID AOR, represents the activity and communicates with the Government of Bangladesh and other donor programs and stakeholders to coordinate and leverage additional resources.

• A critical part of the COP’s responsibilities will include ensuring effective coordination of activities with those of relevant Government of Bangladesh ministries, international organizations, and other USAID-funded activities in the country.

• Support project staff by creating and maintaining a work environment that promotes teamwork, trust, mutual respect, and empowers staff to take responsibility.

• Ensures timely completion of required plans, technical deliverables, and reports including work plans, monitoring and evaluation plans, quarterly and annual reports, success stories, and other written documents.

• Ensures that project financial controls and systems comply with accepted accounting practices that meet USAID standards and regulations.

Qualifications

• Hold a master’s degree or higher in a relevant field and have technical skills which complement those of the activity’s key technical specialists

• Have at least 10 years of successful experience as Project Director/COP/DCOP of large donor-funded technical assistance project.

• Demonstrated experience managing similar projects in Bangladesh or Asia region, involving management of multi-million-dollar budgets/portfolios and coordination with multiple programs and partner institutions.

• Solid experience and expertise in the areas of working with government departments, civil society organizations, national NGOs and other stakeholders to protect women’s rights, equality, inclusion and empowerment. Experience in building efficient and effective GBV prevention and response mechanisms will be an advantage.

• A proven ability to work constructively with a diverse range of development actors and accommodate divergent interests and agendas.

• An understanding of and ability to effectively function in the Bangladeshi political, cultural, and social landscape, as well as a proven track record of working effectively with host-country governments at various levels.

• Experience working to integrate good governance across sectors to enable improved service delivery strongly preferred.

• Experience working in politically sensitive environments.

• English proficiency is required and Bangla language skills desired.

• A thorough knowledge of USAID and other USG assistance policies and reporting requirements is required.

**Local applicants and women are strongly encouraged to apply**

Standard of Professional Conduct: The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.