Chief of Party, Resilience Learning Activity (RLA) at ACDI/VOCA

Responsibilities

• Provide overall strategic leadership and programmatic direction for the activity.
• Oversee all administrative and financial aspects of the activity.
• Supervise annual results reports, resource requests, quarterly reports, and pipeline analyses.
• Establish work plans and annual performance goals for team members, ensuring timely and quality execution of group deliverables.
• Analyze budgets, review and approve financial reports (with correct funding stream), and ensure all required regular and ad hoc reports are completed accurately and on time.
• Develop strategies to respond to changes affecting the activity’s successful completion.
• Ensure that expected results are achieved on time, within budget, and in compliance with USAID’s and ACDI/VOCA’s policies and regulations.
• Ensure transparency of bidding processes and selection of consultants and sub awardees.
• Provide input on program selection and implementation.
• Monitor and evaluate all work, ensuring a clear delineation of roles and responsibilities. Oversee activities that relate to program evaluations.
• Serve as the key liaison with ACDI/VOCA HQ, government officials, local and international NGOs, implementing partners, community members, private sector, and USAID.
• Deliver conference presentations on behalf of ACDI/VOCA.
• Maintain clear lines of communications in the field and with headquarters.
• Comply with all applicable donor, ACDI/VOCA, and government rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and schedules.
• Foster strong relationships with the following USAID divisions: Kenya, East Africa, Somalia, USAID bureau for humanitarian assistance and the Center for Resilience.
• Foster relationships with other ACDI/VOCA operating units and programs (which are under PREG), and partner implementing organizations, in addition to host and local government institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and other non-USAID donors.
• Undertake area assessments to identify needs and future direction. Develop existing and new program opportunities.
• Foster a work environment that is non-discriminatory and promotes open dialogue on gender-related issues.
• Travel to site offices as needed to provide technical assistance and troubleshoot.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated expertise and experience as a Chief-of-Party in managing (at least $5 million), complex development activities, with demonstrated experience working within an African context and focused on learning and adaptive management.
• Demonstrated ability to be collaborative across activities and partners, preferably with a good understanding of best practice private sector-led market system implementation, analysis and knowledge management, and communications.
• Demonstrated experience and commitment to local solutions and local organization capacity building.
• Masters’ degree in economics, business, agriculture, development studies, international relations, or related field.
• Proven commitment to local solutions and local organization capacity building.
• Demonstrated commitment to gender streamlining and women’s empowerment activities.
• Strong understanding of Knowledge Management and Communications, including technology for high level remote presentation with multiple stakeholders.
• Superb interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, and ability to foster collaboration with local governments and implementing partners.
• Ability to travel within Kenya and East Africa region.
• Fluency in English required, proficiency in Swahili is highly desired.