Chief of Party (COP), USAID / Nigeria Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Activity (MELA) at Social Impact (SI)

Proposal Objective

• The anticipated scope of the five-year project is to support USAID/Nigeria staff and partners to implement more efficient, effective, and transparent activities by improving:
  • USAID and Implementing Partner’s (IP) capacity to achieve expected results;
  • USAID’s understanding and tracking of activity and project performance; and
  • Mission and activity ability to collaborate, learn, and adapt (CLA).
• The anticipated award of this contract is Fall 2020.

Position Description

• SI is seeking a qualified Chief of Party (COP) to lead this anticipated five-year activity. S/he will be responsible for overall activity management, quality and timeliness of deliverables, external representation, and coordination with USAID Contracting Officer Representative (COR).
• The COP is responsible for establishing an office in Abuja, recruiting core staff, and establishing a network of qualified professionals to serve as short term technical advisors to support this activity.
• The COP provides strategic vision for managing the Components and Tasks of this activity and will oversee activity tasks to ensure quality work and compliance with contractual obligations and results.
• The COP is responsible for the quality and performance of work that is sub-contracted to other partners. The COP will be full-time for the duration of the activity and will be based in Abuja.

Responsibilities

• Serve as SI’s primary point of contact in Nigeria and be responsible for the activities of all long and short-term personnel.
• Receive technical direction from the USAID/Nigeria’s COR and receive support from SI Head Quarters Management Team.
• Meet with USAID on a regular basis and represent the activity before USAID/Nigeria, Government of Nigeria (GON), implementing partners (IPs), and other stakeholders.
• Establish and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including government officials, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and community groups for smooth implementation.
• Mentor, support, and supervise activity staff and directly manage consultants.
• Facilitate the development of quarterly and annual activity work plans and budgets, and ensure the timely submission and quality of all activity reports, materials, and publications, compliant with the contract agreement.
• Ensure necessary program planning, development, resource availability, and management activities function smoothly and efficiently.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in International Development, Strategic Planning, Project Design and Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Methodologies, or a related field.
• Minimum ten years (10) of experience managing monitoring and evaluating international development projects.
• Prior experience as Chief of Party on USAID-funded contracts and contracting agreements.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams and/or managing an office with a diverse (and at times, remote) staff.
• Demonstrated experience in performance monitoring, tracking data quality, data management, and/or training in performance management topics.
• Demonstrated experience in evaluation methodology, statistical analysis, experimental design, and/or data collection and analysis.
• Experience working with a diverse group of stakeholders, including donor/development organizations, government officials, civil society leaders, community leaders, and project participants.
• Experience building organizational capacity in monitoring and evaluation and/or training individuals in monitoring and evaluation.
• Familiarity with the USAID Automated Directive System (ADS), in particular the 200 series, and knowledge of development trends required.
• Fluency in written and spoken English required.