Chief of Party, RFSA Uganda at Action Against Hunger | ACF-International

Job Summary

• Action Against Hunger seeks a highly qualified Chief of Party (COP) for the upcoming USAID-funded Uganda Resilience Food Security Activity (RFSA). This cooperative agreement aims to improve and sustain the food and nutrition security of vulnerable populations through multi-year resilience food and nutrition security activities. As Chief of Party (COP), you will be responsible for the overall management and representation of the activity. Working with Action Against Hunger Home and Country Offices, and under the direction of the Country Director in Uganda, the COP directly represents the Activity with USAID, the Government of Uganda, and other stakeholders. This position is contingent upon award and will be a full-time role based in Uganda.

Purpose:  

• The COP will provide vision, leadership, and overall management of the project to serve the poor and vulnerable. The COP will ensure results are delivered on time and on budget, including strategies for phase-out and sustainability consistent with USAID requirements and Government of Uganda policies and regulations.

Engagement:  

• As the primary point of contact for USAID and key stakeholders, the Chief of Party (COP) will ensure effective collaboration and manage relationships across a broad spectrum of government, United Nations agencies, private sector, and community partners. This role demands proactive leadership to align diverse project components and stakeholders towards common goals.

Delivery:  

• The COP will oversee the project's technical and operational aspects, ensuring all deliverables meet quality standards and are achieved on time and within budget. The COP’s responsibility will extend to managing a diverse team, fostering innovation, and driving the project towards impactful and sustainable outcomes.

Requirements

Essential Job Duties 

• Direct the overall implementation of the project, setting high-performance expectations that align with strategic objectives. 
• Engage with senior USAID officials and key stakeholders to advocate and communicate project goals and milestones. 
• Manage project resources effectively, ensuring adherence to budget constraints and financial regulations. 
• Lead efforts to innovate and integrate best practices and emerging technologies in food processing and nutrition. 
• Develop and maintain systems for project operations in line with USAID requirements and organizational policies. 
• Report on project progress and evaluate impacts, aligning with Feed the Future and Action Against Hunger's strategic priorities. 
• Oversee the integration and prioritization of gender equality, protection, and inclusion across all facets of project implementation. 
• Ensure the development and implementation of a strategy to engage local stakeholders, ensuring their insights and expertise are integrated into project planning and execution. 

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and direction to senior technical and administrative staff, fostering an environment that encourages strategic and operational excellence. 
• Setting clear goals and making sure that everyone in the team understands it 
• Delegating tasks and monitoring progress  
• Motivating the team, instilling a team spirit for coordination/ cooperation among staff and offering guidance and support to the team 

Fiscal Responsibility

• Oversee the project’s budget, ensuring financial compliance and effective allocation and utilization of resources to achieve project objectives. 
• Develop and implement financial strategies in line with the project goals  
• Manage budget to ensure financial resources are allocated effectively  
• Identify and mitigate financial risk and ensure compliance to relevant rules and regulations  

Physical Demands 

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit for long periods and to concentrate on work, including typing, and turn out heavy volumes of work accurately, within short time frames under stressful situations in the context of a moderately noisy office with interruptions. 
• To travel to the field, the employee must attest to a level of physical fitness capable of enduring physically difficult, highly stressful situations which may include the necessity to walk long distances, to eat a limited diet and/or to reside in potentially uncomfortable housing or tents. 
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

Working Conditions, Travel and Environment 

• The duties of the job require regular job attendance at least five days per week. Must be available to work outside normal office hours or on the weekends as required by contact with the missions, mission security, or other obligations. 
• Must be able to travel as required for standard domestic and international business travel as well as to the missions if appropriate. While visiting the field, the employee may be exposed to precarious settings under high security risks and/or very basic living conditions and outside weather conditions, as well is to infectious diseases. 

Gender Equality Commitments & Zero Tolerance to Abuse

• Foster an environment that reinforces values of people of all genders equal access to information. 
• Provide a work environment where people of all genders must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance. 
• Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all stakeholders, particularly for children, beneficiaries, and members of staff. 
• Help to prevent any type of abuse including workplace harassment and sexual abuse and exploitation. 
• Respect beneficiaries’ women, men, children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sex orientation, disability, religion, race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status. 
• Value and respect all cultures. 

Required Qualifications 

• Advanced degree in agriculture, business administration, international relations, development studies, economics, nutrition or a related field, coupled with a minimum of seven years of progressive leadership experience in international development, particularly in food security and nutrition programming. 
• An undergraduate degree in a related field and 10 years of increasing management responsibility in international development projects focused on food security and/or resilience programs targeting extremely poor households. 

Required Skills & Experience 

• Demonstrated success in leading large-scale, multi-country programs with complex stakeholder landscapes. 
• Previous experience as a Chief of Party for projects with similar magnitude and complexity is highly desired. 
• In-depth knowledge of USAID funding and its operational requirements, with proven ability to navigate and comply with its policies and regulations, including adaptive management and learning techniques.  
• Strong strategic thinking and leadership skills, capable of motivating diverse teams to achieve high levels of performance and impact. 
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, essential for building relationships across cultures and effectively engaging with a wide range of stakeholders. 
• At least five years of field experience. 
• Fluency in English is required. Proficiency in other languages relevant to the geographic areas of program operation are a plus.