Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Organization: Global Communities
Deadline: 8 Oct 2022
Job Description
Please Note: This position is contingent upon award and USAID approval, with an anticipated start date of early-mid 2023.
Overview:
Global Communities works at the intersection of humanitarian assistance, sustainable development and financial inclusion to save lives, advance equity and secure strong futures. We support communities at the forefront of their own development in more than 35 countries, partnering with local leaders, governments, civil society and the private sector to achieve a shared vision of a more just, prosperous and equitable global community. We work with government, non-government, private sector, and community stakeholders to promote transparency, foster accountability, and access the channels they need to make their voices heard, promote change, and realize their full potential.
Global Communities positively welcomes and seeks applications from all sections of society. We are committed to a work environment that respects the dignity and worth of everyone and offers equal opportunity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.
Global Communities is seeking a dynamic, experienced Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) to support and inspire a multi-agency, multi-sectoral team in Ethiopia that will, if awarded, deliver on a 5-year USAID-funded $50+ million Highlands Resilience Activity (HRA) designed to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable PSNP households in ways that ultimately lead to improved and sustained PSNP graduation rates. This multifaceted activity is expected to be a major component in USAID’s contribution to improving Ethiopia’s ability to improve resilience and enhance economic growth in the highlands regions.
The HRA is intended to facilitate the PSNP’s “Big Push” initiative by supporting 120,000 PSNP households to move above the graduation threshold to where they no longer require social safety net programming for household food security and where they have the capabilities and assets to withstand regular and predictable shocks. The Activity will achieve this goal by directly supporting households in increasing their on-farm, off-farm, and employment incomes and household competencies to lead a healthy life while also facilitating improvements in the market systems required to increase demand for goods and services in PSNP communities. HRA will integrate conflict sensitivity, youth, gender, and climate change adaptation into its programming approaches. In addition to overall management, Global Communities will be responsible for implementation in some of the geographic areas as well as leading support in some of the technical areas such as VSLAs, access to credit, technology and innovation.
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Global Communities seeks candidates who can distinguish themselves through the following characteristics:
- Has strong development experience in supporting systems change;
- Embraces the concept of agile management and are willing to support the kind of dynamic processes and structures that enable teams to iterate, collaborate, learn and adapt;
- Is committed to, and can demonstrate success in, advancing gender equity within the project technical areas (food security, resilience, economic empowerment, crisis response).
- Technical background in any of the following areas: Microfinance, Youth Development, and Market Systems Development
Responsibilities:
Under the direction of the Chief of Party, the DCOP will help provide management and strong technical support in the implementation of the project. The DCOP will be responsible for overseeing the technical teams and technical activity implementation. The DCOP will liaise with, guide, and ensure that the project’s implementation is aligned with its approved workplan and budget, and meets targets for achievement while liaising with Government of Ethiopia (GOE) officials and other institutions and stakeholders on issues related to food security, inclusive economic growth, nutrition, and resilience in Ethiopia. civil society leaders, and others. The responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
Specific responsibilities include the following:
Vision and Leadership
- Under the direction of the COP, provide an integrated vision for this complex, multi-sectoral project, and lead execution of inter-related activities in disaster risk management, diversification of economic opportunities, production and marketing, nutrition, and crisis response. · Supervise and mentors key program technical staff and consultants.
- Representing Global Communities and the project, build and maintain strong working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders within the Government of Ethiopia at all levels, community leaders and advocacy groups, project participants, sub-partners, and suppliers.
- Promote Global Communities’ values and innovation mindset, ensuring that all project staff demonstrate these values and a work culture that respects and prioritizes the needs of communities.
- Assume the position of Chief of Party role when the COP is not available.
Strategic Management
- Under the direction of the COP, responsible for HRA’s detailed implementation plan.
- Use principles of adaptive management and data-driven continuous improvement processes and develop appropriate responses to solve challenges under tight deadlines while ensuring operational integrity and project impact.
- Establish a culture of evidence-based decision-making and data driven analytics through a well-developed monitoring and evaluation system and monthly and quarterly project review sessions. · Lead project staff quarterly in analyzing and applying project performance and outcome data to monitor progress against indicator targets.
Accountability and Compliance
- Provide technical and administrative oversight for all activities to cost-effectively achieve project objectives. Ensures compliance with Global Communities and USG regulations in all aspects of program implementation and reporting.
- Oversee staff and partners’ planning, execution and documentation of project activities, ensuring timely and high-quality achievement of targets and deliverables. Establish accountability mechanisms in program, finance, and data quality management.
- Conduct regular site visits to observe project progress, supervise data quality assessments and obtain feedback from participants and stakeholders.
Qualifications:
- Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a discipline related to international development with a minimum of 8 years of professional experience with increasing responsibilities and duties; or,
- Bachelor’s degree in a discipline related to international development with a minimum of 10 years of professional experience with increasing responsibilities and duties.
- Minimum of five years of senior management experience, with progressively increasing responsibilities managing complex, multi-million-dollar food security, agriculture, nutrition, disaster risk reduction, and crisis response.
- Experience managing complex, multi-million-dollar contracts and/or cooperative agreements funded by USG.
- Relevant technical expertise in food security, agriculture, nutrition, disaster risk reduction, and/or crisis response.
- Experience and familiarity with USAID and USG donor regulations.
- Experience and understanding of the highlands context in Ethiopia highly desirable.
- Experience and understanding of relevant local laws, regulations and policies is preferred.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Interpersonal, technical, and analytical skills, including a demonstrated ability to interact effectively and collaborate with a broad range of public and private sector counterparts and other key stakeholders. · Leadership skills and demonstrated experience recruiting, developing, and managing/mentoring staff.
- Ability to communicate a common vision among diverse partners and the ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams.
- Effective communication skills, both oral and written, to fulfill the diverse technical and managerial requirements of the agreement.
- Development philosophy in keeping with Global Communities’ mission; vision; core values; and approaches to integrated, community-driven programming and women’s empowerment.
- Fluency (verbal and written) in English.