Regional Program Manager - Lake Chad Basin at Creative Associates International

Requisition Number: 18-0075
Location: Lake Chad Basin Region (exact located to be determined)

Position Summary

• Creative Associates International, Inc. (Creative) seeks a Regional Program Manager (RPM) for an anticipated USAID-funded grants-based project. 
• The Regional Program Manager is to be based in the Lake Chad Basin Region (Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon) and will oversee all programmatic aspects of the project, ensuring effective and efficient operations for a USAID-funded project, heavily based on small grants, and quick impacts. 
• The Regional Program Manager serves as acting COP in the absence of the COP.

Primary Responsibilities

• Manage a field office in terms of financial and administrative management, program development and implementation, as well as grant development and implementation.
• Coordinate with the COP, who is responsible for coherence of program strategy and project development program-wide.
• Supervise the program development officers and the activity implementation and support staff in his/her respective office.
• In coordination and at the direction of the COP and USAID, manage the development of overall regional program strategy and review of grantee proposals by Program Development Officers (PDOs), including proposal submission and data entry. S/he will also oversee the identification of potential grantees and the development and implementation of small grant activities.
• Advise the COP on the evolution of the local political, legal, and economic situation and on how to continuously adapt the regional program to ensure that it remains relevant and effective.
• Oversee the programmatic and implementation monitoring of each grant activity; the RPM will ensure that activities and reports are accurately captured and shared with the main office and USAID. S/he will also supervise enforcement of proper financial, procurement, and general operational protocols and reporting in the field office.
• Ensure that the field offices maintain compliance with USAID regulations in regard to auditing requirements, implementation, procurement, financial management and overall office management.
• Ensuring the relevant staff use, maintain, and upload weekly the Activity Database, and that data is consistent and complete.
• Working with the COP, Operations Manager, and other relevant parties to support security of persons, information, and goods directly related to implementation of individual activities.
• Supervise and provide guidance to all staff located at the field office.

Qualifications

• At least four (4) years of relevant experience including experience with a donor, contractor or international NGO with some demonstrated supervisory experience.
• Financial management experience, including budgeting and financial management (tracking, reporting and accounting, and procurement).
• The candidate should have experience with activity design as well as development and management of projects, preferably including both community-level and national-level activities.
• It is required that the candidate has experience with developing and administering grants programs, preferably in-kind and small grants.
• The RPM must have the capacity to understand and analyze national, regional, and local politics; to guide the program staff in creatively designing grants that relate to the current political environment; and to ensure that activities are appropriately implemented, monitored, evaluated, and closed-out.
• Prior experience demonstrating the skills required to fulfill the full range of responsibilities outlined above for the RPM.
• Demonstrable prior working experience in donor programs; Have demonstrable prior work experience in programs requiring community-level engagement.
• Demonstrated working proficiency in French and English is required.
• Experience with remote management in transition environments highly desired, but not required.
• Demonstrated working proficiency in French and English is required.
• Experience in the Lake Chad Basin countries (Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon) required.