Chief of Party, West Africa - CARE International

CARE seeks a Chief of Party (COP) for the anticipated USAID-funded Round 05 - West Africa Early Recovery, Risk Reduction, and Resilience (ER4) Activity. This Activity aims to strengthen the abilities of individuals, communities, institutions, and systems in at least two of the three targeted countries, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Togo to prepare for natural hazards without losing development gains. This goal will be supported by the following purposes:

(1) to increase access to and use of multi-hazard early warning systems, particularly at subnational and community levels;

(2) to support and enhance DRR structures, including linkages between national and subnational/local structures; and

(3) to strengthen and enhance community resilience to predictable disasters. 

The COP will be responsible for leadership, management, and technical direction of staff and consultants, project activities such as implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation, and partner coordination. They will serve as key liaisons with USAID, government counterparts, and local partners.

The COP will manage and supervise the work of program personnel and subcontractors/subgrantees and ensure that all program assistance is technically sound and appropriate. The COP also oversees program work planning, performance management, and strategic communication.  

This activity is expected to be a five-year program in the $7.5 million range. 

This is a Key Personnel position, subject to USAID approval.?It is also subject to project award and funding. This position will be based in West Africa.  

Responsibilities: 

• Lead the project, providing vision, direction, and technical guidance.  

• Oversee the overall management and implementation of the project including project results and deliverables, in accordance with the project work plan. 

• Supervise and Mentor senior/ technical staff and consultants. Motivate teams to deliver results by establishing a strong team dynamic, open communication, and leading by example. Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in internal operations, management, and program implementation. 

• Build and maintain productive working relationships with USAID, host governments, project partners, and key stakeholders. Serve as the primary liaison among all project stakeholders. 

• Manage the project’s operational, financial, and administrative priorities, and direct planning and budgeting processes. Create or adapt management systems in line with CARE’s standard operating procedures, ensuring adherence to USAID policies and regulations, and relevant national policies and laws. 

• Build partnerships among international-, national- and community-level stakeholders. 

• Design and oversee an annual project cycle in accordance with USAID’s annual planning cycles. Ensure documentation and dissemination of findings, impact, innovations, and lessons learned, and utilize a collaborative and adaptive learning approach to the project cycle. 

• Remain current with similar or related programs and best practices in-country and internationally, ensuring CARE staff apply these consistently.  

• Lead in documentation and coordination of information dissemination activities that share project achievements and results with the aim of influencing decision and policymakers. 

• Oversee M&E function, including preparation of all required reports and deliverables.  

Qualifications: 

• Master’s degree in development studies, international relations, or a related field. 

• 7+ years of progressively increasing management responsibility in international humanitarian and development projects, at least five years of which must be field based. 

• Proven leadership skills managing projects of a similar size and scope in developing countries. 

• Prior experience effectively managing humanitarian and DRR activities involving implementation by multiple sub-awardees, including local organizations, and demonstrated experience managing partners and overseeing implementation of activities remotely. 

• Demonstrated experience recruiting, developing, and managing staff, as well as experience in managing programmatic and financial reporting. 

• Proven success serving in a leadership role for a project addressing issues related to disaster risk reduction or emergency response, preferably in West Africa and demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with host governments, donors, other donor-funded projects and stakeholders, local organizations, and partners. 

• An understanding and demonstrated commitment to the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. 

• Strong understanding of national disaster risk governance structures, local and community level DRR, and the global humanitarian architecture. 

• Demonstrated experience in adaptive management and learning techniques is highly encouraged. 

• Proven success serving in a leadership role for a project addressing issues related to resilience, emergency response, natural resource management, disaster risk reduction through nexus approach, preferably in West Africa. 

• Fluency in English and French is required (spoken and written).   

• Strong oral and written communication skills; excellent demonstrated inter-cultural, interpersonal, and negotiation skills. 

• Strong financial management, budgeting, and project operations/administrative oversight abilities.  

• Demonstrated skills building, and maintaining relationships with host governments, donors, other donor-funded projects and stakeholders, local organizations, and partners.  

• Demonstrated commitment to PSHEA (Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Harassment, and Abuse). 

• Ability to travel within West Africa as required and as security conditions allow.?