Operations and strategic partnerships director | Tajikistan | 2021 At Chemonics

Chemonics seeks an operations and strategic partnerships directorfor years 2-3 of the USAID Learn Together Activity (LTA). LTA is a five-year, $24.7 million that seeks to improve primary students’ learning skills (Grades 1-4), with a particular focus on improving reading comprehension, critical thinking skills, and mathematics. Through this program, USAID intends to support the Tajikistan Ministry of Education and Science’s (MoES) capacity to take on greater responsibility for improving literacy and numeracy skills to impact the overall primary students’ learning outcomes.

The operations and strategic partnerships director will oversee planning and operationalizing key technical activities, public outreach, and communications, build the capacity of operations and technical staff, and ensure the compliance of daily operations. This position combines internal operations with an outward facing position that will require regular liaising with government counterparts, donor organizations, and the private sector. They will oversee a minimum of 12 positions.

The position is based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan for 2 years with expected travel throughout Tajikistan. The operations and strategic partnerships director reports to the chief of party.

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the program’s financial management, procurement, compliance, HR, communications and other operational and administrative duties in compliance with USAID rules and regulations
• In coordination with the chief of party, oversee field office finances and budget, including budget monitoring and providing detailed cost reports as required
• Oversee partnership strategy to identify local and international partners whose mission and organizational goals align with the activity and ensure consistent and effective communications with partners on ongoing tasks and activities
• Oversee project communications and serve as point of contact with USAID regarding communications deliverables
• Oversee personnel management for the program ensuring that all local labor laws are being adhered to and accurate reports are filed with the local authorities in a timely manner
• Oversee and approve field office procurement of all equipment, supplies, and services, as well as large book procurements, mentor staff on procurement policy, and ensure the procurement process follows USG regulations and Chemonics’ policies
• Oversee the operation team’s coordination with the technical team to ensure that logistical preparations for all project activities are adequately planned and executed
• Build the capacity of project staff, particularly with regards to activity planning
• Draft technical scopes of work, in collaboration with technical staff
• Work with the chief of party on all contract reporting deliverables
• Supervise a minimum of 12 positions
• Work closely with the Home Office Project Management Unit (PMU) to ensure that adequate resources are available to the project technically, financially, and contractually
• Work closely and represent the project with key stakeholders as required, including donors, host government counterparts, project vendors, and other USAID projects

Qualifications:

• At least three years of experience in project management, with experience managing operations, finance, and procurement
• Experience working with USAID-funded projects, with previous field-based experience preferred
• Strong understanding of Chemonics’ policies related to operations, finance/accounting, procurement, and subcontract management
• Excellent diplomatic skills and ability to represent the project externally
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, to prioritize multiple work assignments in an extremely fast-paced environment, and to meet deadlines
• Demonstrated experience managing a team and building staff capacity
• Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills
• Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity
• Fluency in written and oral English required; Russian and/or Tajik language skills strongly preferred
• Prior experience working in Central Asia preferred