CARE seeks a Chief of Party for the USAID Partnership for the Development of Eastern Congo (P-DEC), a cooperative agreement that aims to strengthen the foundations for durable peace in the country with a focus on Ituri and North Kivu provinces. P-DEC will adopt cross-sectoral stabilization approaches to address drivers of conflict that gave rise to and continue to fuel the activities of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and various other armed groups and community militias. Further, the project will support a transition from post-Ebola humanitarian assistance to development and focus on areas where there is demonstrated political will to achieve the goals and objectives of the program. This cooperative agreement is expected to be a 5-year contract between $10 million to $39.5 million, pending USAID’s confirmation of the award parameters.
The Chief of Party is accountable for the overall vision and leadership of the project and is accountable for delivering results. The successful candidate should possess significant experience managing program, financial, and operations of USAID- or other international donor-funded projects.
The performance period for the award is slated to begin in or around March 2021. This position is subject to project award and funding. International relocation and allowances are available according to CARE policy for unaccompanied position.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Oversee the completion of all technical requirements, including project results and deliverables, in accordance with the project work plan;
- Build and maintain productive working relationships with USAID, project partners, and key stakeholders. Serve as the primary liaison among all project stakeholders;
- Manage the project’s operational, financial, and administrative priorities; direct the planning and budgeting processes. Create or adapt management systems in line with CARE’s standard operating procedures, ensuring consistency with project needs;
- Build partnerships among international -, national- and community-level stakeholders;
- Design and oversee an annual project cycle in accordance with USAID’s annual planning cycles;
- With staff and partners, translate project goals and objectives into implementable strategies and plans. Oversee the preparation of quarterly and annual project activity reports, M&E reports, and other deliverables, as specified in the agreement. Report against the project’s targets;
- Represent the project at high-level meetings, conferences, and other for a;
- Guide team members to fulfill the project’s strategic goals and objectives;
- Supervise and mentor senior staff, delegating responsibilities as appropriate. Clearly communicate expectations for staff performance;
- Monitor the progress and pace of project implementation, ensuring that the potential of the program is fully realized through the promotion of high quality work and internal control;
- Supervises the work and evaluates the performance of all staff in the short and long term;
- Identify problems and risks associated with the timely implementation of activities and suggest appropriate adjustments to activities; and
- Manage and supervise project staff and partners for the identification of all technical assistance needs of the project, development of appropriate frameworks, recruitment of consultants and execution of technical assistance contracts.
Required Skills:
- Master’s degree in a relevant field;
- Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in international development project management (USAID program management preferred); previous Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, or senior management experience on governance, or conflict mitigation, Health system strengthening, management programs;
- Experience with one or more of the following: governance, health programing, Women Economic empowerment programming, education, peace and security and environment;
- Proven exceptional leadership in the design, management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of similar-sized international donor-supported programs, with skills in strategic planning and thinking, management, supervision and budgeting, and experience managing complex activities involving coordination with multiple program partner institutions;
- Demonstrated skills building and maintaining relationships with host governments, donors, other donor-funded projects and stakeholders, local organizations, and partners;
- Strong oral and written communication skills; excellent demonstrated interpersonal and negotiation skills;
- Experience in developing a project vision, aligning key stakeholders with that vision and ensuring that vision is translated into achievable strategies.
- Experience recruiting, developing, and leading multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, managing complex programs and ensuring project staff meet the highest standards for quality, relevance and on-time delivery;
- Experience managing required programmatic and financial reporting requirements. Experience with M&E is a plus;
- Ability to work in volatile / insecure environment;
- Demonstrated commitment to gender equity;
- Demonstrated skills to adapt the management of the program to the rapid evolution of the context;
- Previous experience in DRC is a strong advantage;
- Fluency in English & French (spoken and written) is required; knowledge of local languages is a plus; and
- Ability and willingness to travel within DRC as required.