Chief of Party – USAID Sahel Regional Resilience Activity

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About NCBA CLUSA

For over 60 years, the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA) has contributed to high-impact international development projects in more than 85 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Grounded in the seven cooperative principles, NCBA CLUSA’s international development work seeks to alleviate poverty through social and economic empowerment. NCBA CLUSA’s work focuses on building resilient communities, creating economic opportunities, and strengthening cooperatives and producer organizations. Our community-led development approach empowers communities to identify, promote, and manage sustainable, locally generated solutions.

 NCBA CLUSA is currently seeking a qualified candidate for the position of Chief of Party for an anticipated USAID-funded Regional Resilience Activity in the Sahel. The COP should have significant leadership, management, and international development experience; a demonstrated track record in successfully managing government and private-sector relations; a commitment to capacity-building; and experience successfully implementing USAID contracts.

Project Summary

The Regional Resilience Activity will be implemented in the Sahelian countries of Burkina Faso, Chad, The Gambia, and Mauritania and seek to expand resilience in the Sahel, improving the ability of individuals, households, and communities to mitigate, adapt to, and recover from perennial shocks and stresses. This activity will strengthen resilience capacities within communities, reinforcing supportive systems and individual capacities while tackling the core economic and political drivers of susceptibility to extremist organizations. The expected duration of the project is five years. This will be a contract position pending award from USAID.

Position Overview:
Join our dynamic team as the Chief of Party for the USAID Regional Resilience Activity! As the Chief of Party, you will lead with vision and expertise, spearheading the design and execution of this vital initiative. Your leadership will guide project staff, consortium partners, and sub-partners to achieve project milestones on time and within budget. This role demands a keen eye for program compliance, ensuring alignment with USAID regulations. If you’re ready to make a substantial impact in the realm of regional resilience, we invite you to apply!

Key Responsibilities:

Develop and drive the technical vision for the project, taking charge of activity design and implementation.
Lead both internal and external project planning and reporting, collaborating closely with sub-recipients for annual work planning.
Foster strong collaboration with NCBA CLUSA Headquarters to uphold excellent periodic reporting.
Serve as the primary project representative to USAID, government bodies, partners, stakeholders, and implementing entities.
Represent NCBA CLUSA at national, international, and regional conferences, and donor meetings as appropriate.
Team Leadership:

Foster project cohesion among staff, consortium partners, and sub-partners.
Provide oversight, guidance, and capacity-building for field staff, long-term and short-term team members, and proposed consortium partners or sub-partners.
Formulate and nurture a diverse team to collaboratively create and execute a sustainable integrated design.
Infuse community approaches, gender sensitivity, social inclusion, and capacity building into all project activities.
Financial and Compliance Management:

Skillfully coordinate the use of USAID resources and uphold financial system compliance with USAID standards.
Ensure effective financial management, including programmatic budgeting, spending projections, and payment monitoring.
Security:

Collaborate closely with NCBA CLUSA’s security team and the country team’s security focal point to establish and maintain robust security systems, ensuring the safety of all team members.

Qualifications of Successful Candidates:

Possess a Master’s degree or equivalent in international development, economics, agriculture, or related fields.
Accumulate over 10 years of experience managing large, complex USAID projects, with a strong preference for resilience-focused initiatives; USAID Chief of Party contract experience is a requirement.
Demonstrate a track record of at least 5 years working within the Sahel region (Burkina Faso, Chad, The Gambia, and/or Mauritania), particularly in areas such as resilience, economic growth, climate change, food security, and nutrition.
Exhibit experience collaborating with local civil society organizations and governments in the Sahel region, including contributing to government capacity building.
Showcase the ability to build and nurture relationships with government counterparts, USG donors, humanitarian actors, and key stakeholders in the Sahel region.
Highlight skills in recruitment, training, capacity building, motivation, and management of staff, consortium partners, and sub-partners.
Demonstrate proficiency in negotiating, managing agreements, and meeting programmatic and financial reporting obligations.
Display a thorough understanding of USAID contract regulations.
Prove your capability to achieve results in challenging and insecure contexts, effectively addressing and resolving conflicts.
Possess excellent communication (both verbal and written), analytical, organizational, interpersonal, and cross-cultural skills.
Exhibit fluency in English, with fluency in French highly desired.

Join Our Team:
Take a leadership role in shaping the future of regional resilience. Apply now to contribute your expertise and passion to the USAID Regional Resilience Activity. Together, we can drive lasting change in the Sahel region.

NCBA CLUSA is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer with a commitment to diversity.  All individuals, regardless of personal characteristics, are encouraged to apply; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, age, and legally protected characteristics for non-merit factors.

To be considered applicants shall forward Cover Letter and CV (preferably in English) to rmerritt@ncba.coop with the subject line: “Regional Resilience Activity_Chief of Party.

PLEASE DO NOT CLICK “APPLY NOW”.