Reporting to the Senior Director of Education, the Chief of Party is responsible for the entirety of the activity. The COP will set the overall technical direction of SPARK, monitor its implementation, and maintain strong NGO, private sector, and government relationships and networks. The COP will be responsible for ensuring the project meets and exceeds stated targets on time and on budget. The COP will have a deep understanding of USAID program requirements, from hands-on financial and contractual management and work plan development to performance monitoring and subcontractor and grants administration. The COP will be the main point of contact with USAID. The position requires an advanced degree and ten years management experience with implementing USAID or similar activities. This position will be designated as Home Office personnel and will oversee all field staff within the program.
The objective of the project is to conduct research and promote research utilization on issues important to development. USAID seeks to strengthen the capacity of local research teams and their affiliated HEIs or research institutions and connections between partners in local and global research systems. The project aims to focus on the following priority areas:
Priority 1: Fund high-quality, locally led research, to better understand international development challenges and develop and disseminate solutions.
Priority 2: Support U.S.-local research partnerships that can persist beyond USAID funding and produce long-term benefits for all partners.
Priority 3: Strengthen capacity at local higher education institutions for conducting and disseminating research.
The COP will be responsible for achieving the project’s goals, serving as the project representative liaising with USAID, local and national governments and other key stakeholders were the project will conduct research. The COP will also be responsible for the financial management and sustainability of the project, and for the promotion of the vision and strategy of development of the entire project, the delivery of all reports on time, preventing and solving challenges to achieve the successful development of the proposed activities and the achievement of the desired objectives and results.
Essential/Primary Functions
- Serve as the official contact point and providing overall project management and strategic direction for the project;
- Develop and maintain effective partnerships with local, regional and international organizations;
- Oversee technical and operational functions for achieving the goals of the project;
- Oversee and monitor quality of organizational capacity development to local organizations;
- Provide financial management and accountability of all project deliverables;
- Supervise all project personnel, consultants, and other personnel as assigned;
- Oversee Project budgeting, financial management and compliance;
- Monitor project activities for results and maintaining frequent contact and coordination with the home office, informing about project progress and actual or potential problems;
- Prepare monthly activity schedules and project reports and submit them on time;
- Manage the implementation of the performance monitoring and evaluation plan;
- Oversee the development of the annual implementation plan, budgets, and other USAID deliverables.
- Represent POA publicly and support its organizational development.
- Other tasks as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree (Master’s degree preferred), reflecting expertise in areas relevant to this project,
- Minimum of ten (10) years of experience in project management, supervision, administration, and implementation of cooperative agreement and contract requirements (including meeting deadlines, achieving targets, establishing and maintaining systems for managing project operations, and overseeing the development of required reports to donor agencies).
- Demonstrated leadership and management skills, including budget and personnel management, motivating and supervising team efforts, solid performance management, including program planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, and achieving success in complex activities;
- Demonstrated experience and strong knowledge of education systems, state and local government operations, and the ability to work with subnational institutions to develop and implement project activities.
- Experience working with higher education institutions and researchers.
- Experience managing USAID projects in complex, sensitive environments, and knowledge of USAID programming rules and regulations;
- Experience establishing and maintaining systems for managing project operations.
- Maintains working relationships with all project stakeholders and engages in coalition-building and public-private partnership promotion.
- Bachelor’s degree (Master’s degree preferred), reflecting expertise in areas relevant to this project, such as education, public policy, international development.
- Strong oral and written communication and interpersonal skills. Fluency in English and Spanish or French.
- Ability to develop high-quality full proposals (design, strategy, delegation of duties, etc.) and/or reports with oversight from senior management.
- Ability to ensure full programmatic, administrative, and/or financial compliance with federal, state, and other applicable rules and regulations required for the position.
- Ability to manage 3-5 staff, including remote supervision of field staff.
- Must be able to travel internationally to and from the United States without need for visa sponsorship.
- Ability to travel up to 35% of the time.
To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter to Kirk Del Rosario at [email protected] with the subject line “COP SPARK-CANDIDATE LAST NAME”. Please note that only finalists will be contacted.
Partners Is Proud To Be An Equal Employment Opportunity And Affirmative Action Employer. Partners Does Not Discriminate In Employment On The Basis Of Race, Color, Religion, Sex (Including Pregnancy And Gender Identity), National Origin, Political Affiliation, Sexual Orientation, Marital Status, Disability, Genetic Information, Age, Membership In An Employee Organization, Retaliation, Parental Status, Military Service, Or Other Non-Merit Factor.
