Chief Of Party (COP)/Director/Project Manager at KPMG

USAID/Kenya and East Africa/Reading for East Africa’s Development Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contract

KPMG East Africa is seeking an experienced Chief of Party (COP)/Project Manager to lead in the implementation of a USAID/Kenya and East Africa Reading for East Africa’s Development (READ) Program. The program is for 5 years, but the Chief of Party/Project Manager engagement would be dependent on the award of the Task Order.

IDAS services are tailored to the challenges facing African countries as well as the needs of International agencies working with African Governments including Fragile States, International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to provide viable and sustainable solutions. IDAS work spans the public, private and civil society sectors and covers five technical areas, namely:

1. Delivering programme change
2. Supporting equitable development through grant management
3. Transforming public sector service delivery
4. Improving accountability for donors and citizens
5. Making Africa a better place to do business through private sector development

Overview of USAID READ

The objective of the USAID contract is to provide technical assistance and services to increase access to high-quality basic education as defined by host-country governments and improve student learning outcomes, particularly but not limited to reading outcomes in the primary grades. 

Key Result Areas:

1. Improved Learning through Evidence-Based Reading Instruction
2. Strengthened Basic Education Systems for Improved Instruction, Increased Resilience and Greater Sustainability
3. Greater Engagement, Accountability and Transparency by Communities and the Public
4. Greater Access to Learning Opportunities for all Students

Chief of Party (COP)/Director/Project Manager

KPMG is seeking one (1) full time Chief of Party/Director/Project Manager who will be available for the entire duration of the project assignment. The program is for 5 years, but the Chief of Party/Project Manager engagement would be dependent on the award of the Task Order.

We are looking for a Chief of Party (COP)/Project Manager with experience in project management implementation, proven leadership in the management of similar sized international donor support programs with strong, demonstrated skills in strategic planning, management, and supervision.

Responsibilities

• The Chief of Party (COP)/Project Manager will be responsible for working in partnership with KPMG and USAID to produce the following outputs:
• In-country coordination and implementation of activities to strengthen systems to improve learning outcomes and access to education, especially during the first years of schooling but also throughout primary school;
• Short-term technical assistance and training for assessment, project design, implementation, data collection, sampling, monitoring, and evaluation;
• Measurement innovation, test design, psychometric analysis, data and results reporting to support improving learning outcomes;
• Development of teaching and learning materials including textbooks, supplementary materials, teacher guides, distance learning (online, television, radio) content, and online teacher training/mentoring content through engagement and capacity building of appropriate public and private sector partners;
• Provision of appropriate technology to support learning, training, and data collection, with a particular focus on combating the secondary effects of COVID-19;
• Annual work, budget, sustainability, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation plans developed in partnership with host-government partners, other development partners, and USAID Mission teams;
• Applied research related to ‘what works’ to improve learning in different contexts and at affordable costs, including ‘just in time’ action research related to on-going program or project implementation;
• Performance monitoring and performance and impact evaluation;
• Provision and delivery of content for training courseware; and

• Information dissemination and sharing nationally and internationally through the internet, seminars, workshops, working papers, and/or other media. 

 Skills and expertise

• Master’s degree or higher in a related area of development with a minimum of 5 – 10 years of project management or implementation experience.
• At least five years of proven leadership in the management of similar sized international donor support programs with strong, demonstrated skills in strategic planning, management, and supervision.
• Demonstrated experience solving complex issues to deliver results.
• Experience working with financial and other data systems to produce budgets, analyze data, and track trends.
• Interpersonal and communication skills.
• Demonstrated skills solving issues to deliver results.
• Previous experience in the implementation of USAID programs is highly desirable.

The minimum qualifications defined for staff shall be strictly followed in the selection.

Duration and location

This is a 5-year programme, anticipated to commence in the third quarter of 2021. The programme will be implemented in the East African region including but not limited to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan and DRC.