CHIEF OF PARTY- MADAGASCAR At CARE USA

CARE seeks a Chief of Party for a USDA-funded McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition project in Madagascar. This procurement is expected to be a three-to-five-year cooperative agreement in the $10-27 million USD range.

Application Deadline: Friday April 1, 2022

The Chief of Party is accountable for the overall vision and leadership of the project and is responsible for delivering results. The successful candidate should possess significant senior experience managing program, financial, and operations of USDA McGovern-Dole Food for Education projects or other international donor-funded projects, particularly those involving food security and/or distribution of United Stated Government food aid.

The project is expected to begin on October 1, 2022. National and international candidates are encouraged to apply. This position is subject to project award and funding. The position will be based in Antananarivo.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Oversee the completion of all technical requirements, including project results and deliverables, in accordance with the project work plan.
• Build and maintain productive working relationships with USDA, the Government of Madagascar, project partners, and other key stakeholders. Serve as the primary liaison among all project stakeholders.
• Manage the project’s operational, financial, and administrative priorities; direct the planning and budgeting processes. Create or adapt management systems in line with CARE’s standard operating procedures, ensuring consistency with project needs.
• Ensure strategic and multi-sectoral partnerships with Ministries of Education, Agriculture, Health, and relevant others.
• Build partnerships among international -, national- and community-level stakeholders and maintain strong partnership and relations with the government.
• Lead advocacy initiatives with government partners at national and subnational levels.
• Design and oversee an annual project cycle in accordance with USDA’s annual planning cycles, including periodic reporting on community management, project activities, project outcomes, and progress towards sustainability.
• Ensure that all resources are managed accountably in accordance with USDA McGovern-Dole program standards and requirements.
• With staff and partners, translate project goals and objectives into implementable strategies and plans. Oversee the preparation of quarterly and annual project activity reports, M&E reports, and other deliverables, as specified in the agreement. Report against the project’s targets.
• Represent the project at high-level meetings, conferences, and other fora.
• Guide team members to fulfill the project’s strategic goals and objectives.
• Supervise and mentor senior staff, delegating responsibilities as appropriate. Clearly communicate expectations for staff performance.

Required Skills:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in international development project management (USDA McGovern-Dole Food for Education program management preferred); previous Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, or senior management experience on food and nutrition security programs involving food aid commodities and education.
• Proven track record in sound educational programming with a focus on improving literacy and student’s learning outcomes, as well as experience with multi-sectoral programming inclusive of nutrition, maternal and child health, literacy, and WASH.
• Proven exceptional leadership in the design, management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of similar-sized international donor-supported programs, with skills in strategic planning and thinking, management, supervision and budgeting, and experience managing complex activities involving coordination with multiple program partner institutions.
• Demonstrated skills building and maintaining relationships with host governments, donors, other donor-funded projects and stakeholders, local organizations, and partners.
• Strong oral and written communication skills; excellent demonstrated interpersonal and negotiation skills.
• Experience recruiting, developing, and managing staff and teams.
• Experience managing required programmatic and financial reporting requirements. Experience with M&E is a plus.
• Previous experience in Madagascar is a strong advantage.
• Fluency in English and French (spoken and written) is required, knowledge of Malagasy a plus.