Chief of Party at Investing in Children and their Societies (ICS-SP)

Purpose of function

ICS SP is currently seeking a Chief of Party (CoP) for an anticipated 5 Year USAID-funded multimillion dollar OVC and DREAMS project in Kenya. The project aims at increasing the use of quality county-led health and social services in select counties in Kenya. This is a service delivery project at the county level, providing HIV care and treatment; services to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and adolescents; and services in the areas of family planning/reproductive, maternal, new born, child and adolescent health (FP/RMNCAH), nutrition, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). The project will support the Government of Kenya (GoK) in attaining its goal of addressing the HIV/AIDS response, safeguarding the rights and welfare of children and adolescents impacted by HIV/AIDS, and ensuring equitable access to and use of quality primary health care service including RMNCAH, Nutrition, WASH services by the most vulnerable

The Chief of Party (COP) will be responsible for the overall management and operations of the project and is the key liaison with USAID. S/he will supervise project implementation and ensures the project meets stated goals and reporting requirements. The COP takes a leadership role in coordination among USAID and key stakeholders and other implementing partners. The COP position requires political savvy, as s/he interacts with numerous GoK institutions and senior-level national and county-level government officials.
The position will be based in Kenya, most likely in Nairobi, and is contingent on project funding and approval by USAID.

Roles and responsibilities

• Provide overall strategic management of the project and ensure the project is implemented in accordance with stated program goals and objectives.
• Lead the projects overarching vision and develop the annual work-plans and budgets in collaboration with ICS staff, USAID, and key stakeholders, including the Government of Kenya at national, and county levels
• Oversee annual implementation planning consistent with program goals and objectives.
• Lead and supervise finance, technical, and programmatic staff to ensure fiscal integrity, quality, and timing of deliverables.
• Act as the primary point of contact with USAID; maintain good relationships and be responsive to their priorities and needs.
• Build and maintain relationships with the public sector, private sector, civil society, community-based organizations, local communities, government, and donors.
• Manage implementation of the Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
• Oversee the development and implementation of capacity building plans and the strengthening and overall management of partners.
• Oversee continuous program learning and ensure integration of monitoring and evaluation data into management decision-making and policy advocacy.
• Oversee the production of effective written reports and oral presentations on the program, including preparing periodic reports, providing updates on challenges facing the program, and articulating the program’s success in meeting deliverables.
• Represent ICS and overall project interests at local, national and regional meetings, workshops and conferences and promote the program at the national level.
• Minimum requirements
• At a minimum, the COP will have:
• Ten years of experience in a senior role leading a complex technical service delivery program of similar scope and dollar value.
• A Master’s degree in social sciences, public health, medicine, management, business administration, or a related field
• Seven years of demonstrated experience in partnership building, especially with government representatives, donors, the private sector, and local community organizations.
• Be politically savvy, as s/he will interact with numerous GOK institutions and senior-level national and county-level government officials.**
• Proven success managing complex development programs that include multi-disciplinary programming, preferably in the Kenyan context, and on USAID-funded projects of similar size; prior experience as a USAID Chief of Party or similar leadership role preferred.**
• Expertise in the following technical components: OVC care and support, HIV prevention, treatment and care, maternal, newborn and child health, strengthening child protection and health management information systems.
• Proven abilities to set priorities, to multi-task, and to work collaboratively across technical disciplines.
• Experience collaborating and establishing strong relationships with government ministries and officials, universities and technical and vocational training institutions, NGOs and donors, youth-led organizations, and community-based institutions, preferably in Kenya.
• Outstanding professional reputation and have strong demonstrated interpersonal, written, and oral presentation skills.
• Ability to organize systems to monitor results, identify learnings and adaptations; prior experience utilizing and/or managing USAID Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptation (CLA) principles preferred.