Chief Of Party at Creative Associates International

Position Summary
The Chief of Party will oversee a conflict mitigation and management program in Nigeria and will be the technical and administrative supervisor of all project activities. S/he will be the senior in-country project representative and will have overall responsibility for coordinating program activities at the highest levels among a diverse group of local stakeholders and beneficiaries. This includes liaising with government officials, USAID personnel, and civil society leaders as well as supervising partnering organizations and sub-grantees. S/he will have an integrated vision among international donor, Government of Nigeria institutions, and the private sector. The COP helps ensure timely project implementation, monitoring of activities, and management of project staff and subsidiaries. The COP has ultimate responsibility for contract management, project financial accountability and reporting to USAID and Creative Associates home office.
 
Reporting & Supervision
The Chief of Party reports to Creative’s HQ Program Director.

Primary Responsibilities

• Is responsible for overall technical and financial performance of the project;
• Manages/leads in-country staff to ensure that the project is achieving all deliverables;
• Ensures that technical, financial, and administrative activities are carried out according to USAID and Creative's policies and procedures;
• Manages subcontractors to ensure that their performance meets or exceeds technical and financial contractual requirements;
• Maintains and nurtures Creative's relationship with USAID by communicating on a weekly basis
• Successfully manages the project's relationship with local governments/ministries and other stakeholders;
• Oversees creation and implementation of project monitoring and evaluation activities; and
• Engages in frequent, routine communication with the Home Office so that the Project Director is aware of both progress and potential issues. Solicits assistance and input as needed to ensure that the project's performance meets or exceeds technical and financial contractual requirements.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Minimum of an advanced degree in social sciences, conflict resolution, law, political science, development studies, or a related field;
• Minimum of 10 years of demonstrated experience in the successful implementation of international development activities, preferably conflict mitigation and management activities under a USG contract – 5 years of which shall have been in senior program management including direct supervision of professional and support staff;
• Experience designing and managing early warning systems;
• Demonstrated experience working with civil society development such as NGO development, service delivery improvement, advocacy, conflict mitigation, and local governance strengthening;
• Experience in facilitating multi-sectorial collaboration among different technical fields and various type of stakeholders (NGOs, private sector, government, communities, youth groups, and international donors);
• Demonstrated ability to establish and sustain interpersonal and professional relationships with different donors, civil society organizations, universities and host country government counterparts;
• Prior experience in awarding and managing grants to local organizations;
• Demonstrated working experience in Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria experience highly desirable;
• Knowledge of Nigerian culture, politics, and economic contexts;
• Familiarity with USAID policies and procedures; and
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.