Chief of Party at Creative Associates International

Background:

The Northern Education Initiative Plus project works to improve the quality of and access to education for more than 2 million school-aged children and youth in three northern states, equitably and sustainably.

Primary Responsibilities:

The Chief of Party (COP) provides overall technical and administrative leadership and expertise for the project.

• S/he serves as the primary liaison with USAID/Nigeria on management and technical matters.
• S/he will report directly to the designated USAID Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).
• S/he will supervise activity implementation and ensure the activity meets stated goals and reporting requirements.
• The COP will take a leadership role in coordination among USAID and key stakeholders, especially DFID, and other implementing partners.
• The COP will interact with numerous government institutions and senior-level national and county-level government officials.

Qualities:

• The Chief of Party will have demonstrated ability to work in complex, politically charged, unstable environments, work across different cultures, and manage diverse teams to deliver impact within agreed timelines.
• Have strong management and leadership skills, including the ability to mentor staff.
• Be a “hands on” manager who is actively engaged in all aspects of program management.
• Have demonstrated past representational experience with host governments, other donors, and civil society and demonstrated success with inter-agency coordination and joint programming.
• Be flexible to potential changes in program objectives, and shifting political contingencies.

Reporting & Supervision:

The Chief of Party directly supervises the Deputy Chief of Party, the Senior Finance Specialist, the State Team Leaders, the Security Advisor, the Communications Officer and the Operations Officer and reports to the Project Director in Washington.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• At least 15 years of experience in relevant management, supervisory, technical experience working with programs that are of a similar scope to this activity is required (at least 10 of these years must be in a management/leadership position).
• At least ten years of experience in the education sector in Sub-Saharan Africa is required, preferably in Nigeria or West Africa, with experience in project designs, policy dialogue, strategic planning and implementation, education reform and national-level quality improvement.
• Experience in early grade reading and education in conflict-affected, alternative and rural settings is required.
• S/he should also have demonstrated experience and knowledge of capacity development and professional development.
• Must be professionally proficient and fluent in written and spoken English. Proficiency in Hausa is an asset.