Chief of Party (COP) - OVC at Save The Children

Role Summary

• The Chief of Party (COP) will work with Save the Children’s existing country office in Nigeria, but will be solely responsible for overall management of the USAID Cooperative Agreement for the anticipated Orphans and Vulnerable Children Program.
• S/he will provide strategic and operational leadership to develop and implement a successful and integrated multi-sectoral program that builds upon existing USAID/PEPFAR and GON investment and that will achieve memorable outcomes in the mitigation of the impact of HIV/AIDS on children, families and communities in Nigeria.
• The program will reflect the objectives of the PEPFAR strategy with respect to care and support for orphans and other vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS.
• The program will be responsible for ensuring a) coordinated national response to OVC service provision, monitoring and evaluation b) coordination and collaboration with GoN entities at the Federal and State level (Ministry of Women and Social Affairs, National  Agency for the Control of AIDS, Ministry of Health) and other implementing partners; and build local capacity of organizations and government bodies to support districts and communities to implement and monitor OVC support including issues of quality, coverage, and improvements in wellbeing of children. 
• To this end, the COP will liaise closely with USAID/Nigeria Government of Nigeria representatives, Save the Children’s Office of HIV/AIDS and Africa Area and Country Offices, and partner organizations.
• The COP will be the principal representative of the project. 
• The COP will ensure adherence to overall technical and programmatic quality in implementation, compliance with USAID rules and regulations, and the timely submission of all deliverables to USAID, including annual work plans, performance monitoring plans, semi-annual reports and annual reports as may be required. 
• The COP will be responsible for overall direction and coordination of the activities of any sub-recipient partners under this grant, and for linking to broader fora in country for coordination of OVC work more broadly. 

Key Functions

• Lead the program’s strategic, financial, and operational planning, including the annual work planning process and development of an appropriate exit strategy.
• Establish and guide overall technical direction of the project.
• Act as principal representative and liaison to all external stakeholders, including but not limited to USAID/Nigeria and the Government of Nigeria.
• Oversee the timely submission of all deliverables to USAID.
• Provide oversight and coordination with international and national sub-recipient partners.
• Supervise key program staff, both technical and managerial, and oversee the hiring process of all local personnel.
• Serve as key liaison with Save the Children partners and any local sub-grantees.
• Oversee the process of selection of sub-recipient CSO partners.
• Provide overall coordination of the institutional/organizational and technical capacity building of local partners and stakeholders.
• Fully inform Save the Children’s home/country office on all matters relating to the program, and maintain appropriate links with partner home/field offices.
• Ensure that efficient systems to support all aspects of the program (including sub-grant management, financial, capacity building and performance monitoring and reporting) are in place and support the effective use of program resources in compliance with USAID regulations and Save the Children policies.
• Ensure knowledge management systems are in place and the production of quality evidence based documentation is produced and disseminated.
• Undertake any other tasks as assigned by the Office of HIV/AIDS or the Africa Area Director.

Qualifications and Experience

• Advanced Degree in International Relations, Public Health, or related field.
• 10-12 years of field-based experience managing large and complex overseas, multi-partner development programs, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Experience managing large scale USAID funded project(s) at a senior level
• Demonstrated knowledge of and familiarity with USAID (PEPFAR) policies, rules, regulations, and procedures.
• Experience in managing large child focused field programs for an international NGO
• Demonstrated skills in strategic and program planning and understanding of HIV/AIDS-related support services
• Demonstrated skills in leadership and supervision of staff and teams
• Demonstrated skills in building and maintaining a high performance team internally and across organizations.
• Demonstrated skills in negotiating with partners at a strategic  and contractual level and proven skills in diplomacy
• Familiarity with USAID regulations and policies, with specific understanding of PEPFAR guidelines, rules and regulations.
• Extensive experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa; specific work experience in Nigeria desirable.
• Proven experience building capacity of local NGOs and government bodies.
• Proven ability in promoting and collaborating closely with multi-level stakeholders
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to lead and work effectively in team situations
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.  Fluency in English required.