Deputy Chief of Party, Rural Resilence in Nigeria at Save The Children

Location: Maiduguri, Borno

Job Descritpion

• Save the Children is seeking a Deputy Chief of Party for an anticipated five-year USAID-funded Rural Resilience program in Nigeria.
• The goal is to increase resilience of vulnerable households in the northern zones of Nigeria, where climate change and instability are exacerbating the impacts of humanitarian emergencies and in many cases contributing to fragile livelihoods, reduced social cohesion, and backsliding into poverty. 
• Hiring is contingent upon successful award of the project and USAID approval of the candidate.

Essential Duties, Responsibilities and Impact

• The Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) supports the Chief of Party (COP) in the overall management of the Rural Resilience program. Working collaboratively with the COP, s/he provides technical and operational leadership to achieve all project objectives.
• The DCOP has direct oversight of program operations and M&E functions.

Key Functions

• Provide technical leadership and strategic vision to the technical components of the program, including developing workplans, analyzing markets, and selecting and managing partners.
• Coordinate health, nutrition, social behavior change and social protection inputs, and provide specific technical inputs in rural livelihoods (on-farm and off-farm).
• Maximize collaboration and participation of partners including relevant ministries of Nigeria, local government authorities, community leaders, local NGOs, and USAID.
• Ensure synergies between rural resilience programming and humanitarian programming
• Directly manage project technical advisors and other program staff; ensure appropriate training and capacity building of staff.
• Ensure effective and efficient systems are in place for financial management & reporting and MEAL.
• Monitor and maintain compliance with USAID regulations and Save the Children policies; ensure timely submission of all deliverables to USAID, including annual work plans and performance monitoring guidelines.
• Ensure knowledge gathered from analysis of M&E data is rapidly integrated into project implementation, when applicable.

Required Background and Experience, Skills and Behaviors

• Master's degree in International Development or related field
• Specific technical expertise in one or more areas of rural livelihoods, economic strengthening, and resilience
• 7-10 years field-based experience with at least five years’ experience in senior management of livelihoods/resiliency programs.
• Experience managing large field programs with multiple local and international partners, with expertise in scaling up programs in complex environments, including demonstrated skills in strategic planning, management, and budgeting
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently (25%) to field locations in Borno
• Strong knowledge of USAID regulations and policies
• Demonstrated skills in leadership and supervision, with an ability to develop a common vision among partners and lead a multi-disciplinary teams
• Creative problem solving skills with the ability to work effectively in resource constrained environment
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• Experience working in Nigeria or West/Central Africa, and knowledge of Hausa and other local dialects are preferred.