Save the Children, working with its sub-recipients NCBA CLUSA, the Kaizen Company, and DEMI-E, have recently launched the Wadata (meaning "prosperity" in Hausa) Activity covering four communes of Zinder, Niger. Wadata is a five-year, $50M, integrated USAID/ FFP Development Food Security Activity (DFSA) following the Refine & Implement (R&I) process, and is now in it's second year, the Refine Year, conducting formative research to inform adjustments to activity design and implementation planning. Wadata’s goal is sustainably improved food and nutrition security and resilience among extremely poor and chronically vulnerable households and communities in Zinder.
The Activity will achieve this goal through three Purposes:
- Purpose 1: Enhanced collective action to address food, nutrition and water security shocks and stresses.
- Purpose 2: Increased capacities, assets and agency for improved access to adequate and diverse foods at all times.
- Purpose 3: Improved nutrition, health and hygiene for PLW, adolescents, CU5 and their families.
The Chief of Party (COP) provides overall project management, leadership, technical and strategic guidance, representation and support to the Activity at the country level. The COP is accountable for Activity quality, compliance with USAID regulations and SC policies and procedures, and financial and operational management. This individual will serve as the management leader and coordinator of a team of technical and operational specialists, implementing activities that will be sequenced and layered within communities to improve synergistic effects and maximize impact. The COP will also serve as the primary liaison with Government of Niger stakeholders, donors, partner agencies, complementary programs, and local institutions and communities as well as with FFP and USAID Mission staff. They will have a critical role coordinating with other DFSAs in country, and will ensure that Wadata implementation furthers the overall goals of USAID’s Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced II (RISE II) initiative.
Areas of Responsibility:
General/Representational
- Ensure Activity success and that activities are effectively contributing to the overall goal and intermediate results of the DFSA; the Activity should be working within a clear and transparent theory of change which is understood by all staff.
- Lead adaptation strategies based on beneficiary and staff feedback, formal assessments, formative research, and monitoring and evaluation results to ensure Activity responsiveness to on-going learning; utilize clear collaboration, learning and adapting (CLA) processes to adjust implementation strategies based upon learning and findings.
- Maintain critical oversight of high risk areas, including, but not limited to: procurements, monitoring and evaluation, transfers, environmental compliance, and staff security.
- Direct transparent communications with Activity partners, including negotiating scopes of work, addressing requisite revisions in programmatic work, and troubleshooting issues that may arise.
- Encourage teamwork, openness, and honesty among Activity staff and between SC and its partners.
- Remain up-to-date regarding current Save the Children International (SCI) and Save the Children US rules, regulations, program principles and expectations and ensure that they are being correctly implemented in the Activity context.
- Represent SC and the Wadata program in USAID donor meetings and with representatives from USAID and the Government of Niger; maintain communications and good working relationships with officials.
- Ensure regular, transparent, equitable and timely communications with sub-recipient(s).
- Represent SC and maintain communications and good working relationships among the international and local NGO community, among community leadership structures and community-based organizations, and to visiting donor teams and other key contacts. Keep abreast of NGO, government, and donor initiatives relevant to Wadata’s work.
Program Implementation
- Oversee Wadata’s overall strategic direction, ensuring that it remains calibrated to achieving maximum impact on key outcome indicators, in a manner that strengthens local resilience capacities, as conditions change.
- Ensure the smooth running of all Wadata activities under all three program Purposes and cross-cutting themes. Promote close collaboration between technical teams and integration of key concepts across sector activities.
- Ensure Activity implementation meets SCUS and USAID expectations for quality, timeliness, and compliance.
- Ensure monitoring and evaluation systems are in place for use in Activity implementation and reporting; ensure the Activity meets the requirements for environmental compliance.
- Ensure that principles such as the application of evidence-based interventions to achieve the greatest impact, the application of innovative approaches where appropriate, and constant consultation with communities, local government and private sector counterparts are consistently emphasized and supported.
Financial and Administrative Oversight
Financial
- Ensure that efficient systems are in place to support all financial and grant management and that procurements effectively use Activity resources in compliance with USAID regulations.
- Ensure that the team implements quality programming in a cost-effective manner.
- Oversee the timely expenditure of approved budgets, avoiding both under spending and overspending on grant line items. Track funding by individual sources of funds.
- Require that financial practices support SC’s accountability to the donor and that financial reports are timely and complete.
- Oversee Activity sub-recipient agreements, including but not limited to, donor compliance, financial management and contributions towards Activity achievements.
Administration and Reporting
- Oversee the development and dissemination of reports and knowledge products related to Wadata activities; ensure that both SCI Country Office and SCUS have copies of relevant reports, approvals and communications with donor.
- Coordinate with SCUS on issues of LAHIA award management and reporting
- Ensure development and submission of donor required reports, including, but not limited to, work plans, quarterly reports, annual results reports, pipeline analyses, and financial forecasts and reports. Ensure close coordination with SCI Country Office and SCUS to ensure appropriate levels of support are included in proposed budgets.
Human Resources
- Supervise Activity staff, with direct supervisory responsibility of DCOP – Program/ Food Security Technical Coordinator, DCOP – Operations, the Advising Engineer, the Monitoring and Evaluation Lead, and the Strategic Learning Advisor.
- Working with the Country Office, ensure that the Activity is compliant with local labor laws and SC policies and procedures. Ensure that all staff are aware of and understand SC policies and procedures; take appropriate disciplinary measures as needed.
- Promote a non-discriminatory and productive work environment; promote gender equity within both operations and activities.
- Promote staff capacity building; working with senior managers, identify gaps and implement solutions.
- Ensure updated job descriptions for each position, conduct annual performance evaluations, identify staff skills development needs and work with other Activity team members and country staff to meet those needs. Provide management support to staff as needed.
- Ensure timely recruitment, orientation, and training of new staff as needed. Monitor Activity needs and adjust staffing as appropriate, filling any gaps in a timely manner.
Educational Background:
Bachelor’s degree in international development, development economics, food security, public nutrition or health, public administration, or related field is required.
Skills/Experience:
- Minimum of 7-10 years of professional experience in implementing USG-funded food security or related programs with a minimum of seven years of experience in a leadership role.
- Experience in managing large field programs with multiple local and international partners, with expertise in scaling up programs in complex environments, including demonstrated skills in strategic planning, management, and budgeting.
- Knowledge of USAID strategies (particularly as they pertain to food and nutrition security and resilience), regulations and policies.
- Expertise in inter-disciplinary food security programming.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to lead and supervise, with an ability to develop a common vision among partners, and lead and be a member of multi-disciplinary teams. Sense of humor and ability to deal with ambiguity.
- Knowledge of gender equity and transformative concepts.
- Creative problem solving skills with the ability to work effectively in resource constrained environments.
- Strong analytical skills and excellent oral and written English communication skills.
- Fluency in spoken and written French required.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree preferred
- Prior COP and FFP program management experience preferred
Compensation/Benefits:
- Aetna Medical and Dental insurance with a concierge service
- Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
- Vision Insurance
- Life insurance
- Employee Assistance Program
- Commuter Benefit Program
- Vacation and Sick leave
- Paid holidays
What makes us special!
- Generous Retirement Savings with matching company contributions of up to 8%
- Family Leave – 10 additional days of paid time off for you to use to care for your family members
- Additional Maternity and Paternity Leave – 30 days where parents can take additional paid leave (beyond short-term disability and FMLA) at the birth or adoption of a child during that critical first year!
- Critical Child Illness Leave – We hope you never have to use it, but we will provide an additional 30 days of paid leave per year should your dependent child be faced with a critical illness.
- Critical Illness Insurance, Identity Protection, Home, Auto and additional Life insurances
- Leadership and Employee Development Training, including:Our remarkable in-house CORE, Senior Management Development, and Leadership Development Programs
- Continuous Improvement skill development programs
- Brown Bag information sharing sessions
Job Function:
Organization Info
Listing Stats
Post Date:
Jun 1 2019
Active Until:
Jul 1 2019
Hiring Organization:
Save the Children US
industry:
Nonprofit