Chief of Party, State2State at DAI

Background

• The purpose of the five-year (2020-2025) “State Accountability, Transparency and Effectiveness” (“State2State”) Activity is to increase the accountability, transparency and effectiveness of selected state and local governments (LGAs) in Nigeria. This will be achieved by: strengthening governance systems (with a focus on public financial management [PFM] and procurement, as well as monitoring and evaluation) related to the delivery of services in key sectors (basic education, primary health care, and water, sanitation and hygiene [WASH]); increasing government responsiveness to citizen  needs and priorities; and improving government and civil society capacity to manage conflict (through work on prevention, mitigation and reconciliation with the same sectoral partners, not stand-alone assistance to the police or judiciary).
• State2State will achieve this purpose by facilitating the strengthening of subnational governance systems in a sustainable manner, supporting the efforts of local reformers and building on locally derived solutions including, to the extent possible, reforms already working in other parts of Nigeria.

Position Objectives

• The Chief of Party (COP) will be responsible for the technical leadership and in-country management of the project.
• S/he will oversee the long-term expatriate and local staff and short-term experts in achieving project results.
• S/he will undertake regular assessments of the broader political environment within which the project operates to ensure flexibility and rapid reprioritization of activities when necessary.
• The COP will directly supervise the Deputy Chief of Party; the Technical Director/PFM Advisor; the Citizen Engagement Director/Team Lead; the Director of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning; the Director of Finance and Administration; and the Compliance Manager.
• S/he will coordinate closely with the DAI Home Office Project Management Team.

Responsibilities

• The COP will be the principal point of contact in Nigeria for procedural and substantive matters. The COP will coordinate and ultimately be responsible for all contract management and implementation.
• The COP will be the primary liaison with USAID/Nigeria on technical matters and must adjust programs and operations in response to USAID/Nigeria technical direction.
• The COP will be responsible for responding to the designated COR and USAID/Nigeria’s Contracting Officer.
• The COP will also be responsible for ensuring quality control and the overall responsiveness of technical assistance provided under the award.
• The COP’s primary responsibilities are aimed at providing overall leadership, management and general technical direction of the entire activity, ensuring an integrated vision among different components and actors, and a focus on achieving the results of the activity. This individual will be expected to identify issues and risks related to activity implementation in a timely manner and suggest appropriate adjustments.

Reporting:

• The COP will report to the USAID COR and the DAI Project Team Director for North & West Africa.

Job Requirements

• Master's Degree in a relevant field such as Social Sciences, Law, Development Studies, etc. However, five (5) additional years of relevant international development experience can be substituted for the Master’s degree.
• At least ten (10) years of demonstrated experience in the successful implementation of international development activities, with preference given to democracy and governance activities under a USG instrument.
• Of those ten (10) years, at least five (5) years of demonstrated experience in senior program management, including direct supervision of professional and support staff.
• Experience in developing and managing multi-sectoral, multi-donor-funded programs.
• Experience working in the democracy and governance sector in Africa.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills. Demonstrated ability to think strategically and communicate his/her vision to partners and colleagues.
• Proven experience navigating complex and high-pressure operating environments.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and sustain interpersonal and professional relationships with different donors, civil society organizations and host country government counterparts.