Chief Of Party (COP) at IFDC

Job Description:
The COP is responsible for providing overall vision, leadership and guidance of the project internally with project staff and externally with USAID, project communities, host governments (both Federal and at State level), other donors and stakeholders. The COP will lead the IFDC’s team and serve as the primary point of contact with USAID with regard to day-to-day activity implementation and management matters relating to the contract.

The main duties of the COP will be overall project planning, implementation and management. The COP must ensure the smooth functioning and coordination of all project functions: program quality development and implementation; project finances and administration, outreach and reporting, monitoring and evaluation. The COP will seek to ensure the technical quality and appropriateness of the technical services provided through the project and the quality of the results generated. The COP will have technical and management responsibility for all project personnel and be the IFDC representative to USAID, relevant ministries of the Federal Government of Nigeria and State Governments, other donor, private companies, technical agencies and other participating organizations as required.

Given the need to establish overarching relevance of innovative community-based resilience building and household food and nutrition security both for conflict-affected states, the COP is expected to deploy relevant knowledge and skills-set that will increase this project’s sphere of influence to enable it have a systemic impact on food security and agriculture value-chains in ways that contribute to building the social protection and safety nets of vulnerable households and enhances their resettlement and reintegration in affected communities.

The COP will have overall responsibility for assuring that all assistance provided under the cooperative agreement, whether by international or local experts/personnel, is technically sound and appropriate for the needs to be addressed; and for adequately managing and supervising the work of all experts/personnel provided under the agreement. The COP will be the primary point of contact for information on the progress and current status of all activities under the contract and will establish appropriate mechanisms to ensure that activity progress and specific implementation concerns are regularly and promptly reported. The COP will manage the preparation and presentation of proposed implementation plans and all reports.

Required Knowledge, Experience and Skills:

• At least 10 years of experience successfully managing complex, results based, international rural agricultural development and resilience programs (implementation, logistics, budget, staffing) funded by USAID or other international donors.
• At least 5 years of prior USAID-COP experience on complex projects is required.
• Experience working in West Africa preferably Nigeria and other parts of the Sahel strongly desired.
• Master’s degree in agriculture or related field required.
• Demonstrated ability in the concepts, principles, methods and techniques of delivering training, technical assistance and extension services for resilience, rural development and social protection.
• Demonstrated skills in effectively collaborating with host governments, regional institutions, donors, UN agencies, other USAID projects, local organizations, private companies and other partners.
• Ability to successfully manage and develop staff in a multi-state setting as demonstrated by past experience.
• Ability to manage cooperative agreements, contracts and grant making programs with all required reporting requirements.
• Ability to perform internal control functions to manage day to day operations of the project.
• Ability to communicate effectively in writing and orally in small audience and large audience settings.
• Fluency in written and spoken English. basic language skills in the local languages will be an advantage
• Ability to travel extensively in Northern Nigeria States