Chief of Party at Mission inclusion

JOB SUMMARY

• Under the supervision of the Project Director and in collaboration with the Senior Project Manager in Montreal in Canada (Québec), the Chief of Party (CoP) will lead the project, ensuring an integrated approach among diverse partners and emphasizing the achievement of the project’s objectives and results. The CoP will guide technical strategies, particularly for the blue economy and economic empowerment component of the project, integrating feminist and social inclusion principlesthroughout. The CoP is responsible of identifying and mitigating issues related to project implementation, emphasizing gender-responsive solutions and inclusive strategies. The individual will serve as principal liaison between the consortium (Mission inclusion and IUCN) and stakeholders, highlighting the importance of a feminist approach, significant coordination skills, and experience in inclusive and sustainable environmental valuechains. Additionally, the CoP will represent Mission Inclusion in Kenya and across the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region.

PROJECT SUMMARY

• Mission inclusion, in partnership with International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and local partners, aims to implement the Regenerative Seascapes for People, Climate, and Nature Project. This project is funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and aspire to strengthen the physical and socio-economic resilience of populations living in coastal communities to the negative impacts of climate change in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region. Anchored in the Great Blue Wall (GBW) initiative, it strives to establish a network of sustainable, resilient, and inclusive seascapes to reduce the vulnerability to climate change’s negative impacts for 350,000 people, including women, men and youth living in coastal communities in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Comoros, and Madagascar. The ambitious 2-year project is based on three fundamental pillars: Blue Planet (conservation), Blue Nature (with a focus on gender responsive Nature-Based Solutions—NBS) and Blue People (empowering women and youth leadership in the blue economy). These three pillars will also be supported by a transversal approach around Blue Partnerships, which aims to foster innovative and unconventional collaborations to address climate change impacts, promote gender-responsive and sustainable development and accelerate the achievement of the Project’s objectives.

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership & Representation:

• Provide visionary leadership, incorporating feminist values to drive the project's strategic direction;
• Lead all aspects of the implementation and consolidation of the project, ensuring project activities foster gender equality and social inclusion and serve as the primary point of contact;
• Manage and oversee project execution within the framework of the consortium agreement with IUCN, promoting a culture of transparent collaboration and nurturing constructive, positive relationships among all stakeholders;
• Promote transparent collaboration, cultivating positive relationships with a feminist ethic, emphasizing mutual respect and equality;
• Create and sustain an inclusive work environment, championing feminist principles, encouraging diverse perspectives, and fostering a culture where all team members feel valued and heard;
• Represent the project to international and regional events.

Project:

• Ensure the project’s activities are implemented with a feminist lens, ensuring they promote gender equality and empower all community members, especially marginalized groups to deliver expected outcomes;
• Guarantee the timely and high-quality submission of deliverables, encompassing results, budget adherence, and strategies for gender equality and sustainability in accordance with donor specifications;
• Facilitate efficient coordination and governance between Mission inclusion’s HQ, IUCN and seascapes levels and ensure effective governance mechanisms are in place;
• Coordinate and lead project’s reports, project communication materials and all external and internal project documents;
• Ensure a strategic and technical approach on gender inclusion and feminist empowerment.

Safety & Security:

• Proactively manage and mitigate risks, monitoring national and regional developments that could impact staff and programming;
• Ensure all staff understand and adhere to staff safety and security policies and protocols, updating these as necessary.

Staff management:

• Oversee the development of staffing plans and the recruitment process of staff;
• Coach, train, supervise, and mentor direct-report staff, setting clear expectations, performance objectives, and providing regular constructive performance feedback;
• Oversee a diverse team across several countries from the WIO, promoting staff care and wellbeing and modeling healthy work-life balance practices;
• Encourage a management style that empowers all team members, promoting professional growth and ensuring equitable opportunities;
• Ensure strict compliance within the team with Mission’s inclusion internal policies and code of conduct, particularly focusing on the PSEA, through regular monitoring, training, and practice updates, with the team support.

Operation management:

• Promote and uphold a commitment to the efficient use of Mission inclusion and donor resources;
• Ensure compliance with the donor’s requirements and regulations, including financial tracking and oversight of partner budgets, finance, administration, reporting and compliance with internal policies regarding corruption;
• Develop annual workplan and budget at the regional level;
• Validate and approve expenses attributed to the project, in accordance with the approved budget and appropriate supporting documentation;
• Oversees the development of seascape’s annual workplans and budgets.

Coordination:

• Foster partnerships and collaborations that align with feminist principles, ensuring that relationships with regional authorities, stakeholders, contractors, and partner organization (in the region) reflect mutual respect, transparency, and equality.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Master’s degree in International Development, Environmental Sustainability, Economic Development, Conservation, or any relevant technical areawith a focus or specialization in Gender Studies, Women’s Studies, or Social Inclusion considered an asset.
• At least 12 years of experience in relevant management and supervisory roles with a strong background in projects that incorporate a feminist approach and address issues of similar scope and scale to this project.
• At least 7 years of experience managing donor funds, particularly in multi-country contexts with a comprehensive understanding of GAC’s rules, regulations, and procedures, and a proven record of integrating gender and social inclusion principles in project management.
• Experience managing consortia-led grants with a track record of engaging partners and strengthening partnerships through a feminist and inclusive lens.
• Fluency in English and French is required.
• Kiswahili and/or Portuguese a plus.
• Experience in MS Office package, Web Conferencing Applications, and information and budget management systems.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrated ability to lead large climate change adaptation, conservation, or community-based development projects in consortium and multiple countries.
• Deep understanding and experience in implementing feminist approaches, gender equity, and social inclusion within environmental and community development projects, and experience in inclusive and sustainable environmental value-chain (NbS).
• Demonstrated ability to promote gender equity, valuing diverse perspectives, and integrate intersectionality into collaborative initiatives.
• Proficient in employing a feminist approach and collaborating effectively with diverse partners to foster an inclusive and gender-sensitive work environment.
• High emotional intelligence, with the ability to lead diverse and multidisciplinary teams, offering coaching and support in multicultural work environments.
• Team leadership abilities with diverse/multidisciplinary teams. Coaching skills. Comprehension of multi-cultural work environment.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills. Strong communications and presentation skills (including for high-levels events). Ability to develop tailored and persuasive messaging for varied audiences.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented, and results-oriented.