Deputy Chief of Party at Creative Associates International

Job ID: 2020-1710

Category: Program Management

Overview

• Creative seeks a Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) for the current, active USAID-funded Northeast ConNEction activity. The purpose of the two-year program is to strengthen the resilience of communities vulnerable to violent extremist infiltration and conflict.
• By targeting communities not yet under the control of violent extremist organizations (VEOs), this activity seizes the opportunity to mitigate the grievances that make communities vulnerable to violent extremism, while building social cohesion within and across communities in northeast Nigeria.
• In addition to helping northeastern Nigerians create a stronger foundation against the violent extremist and conflict threats, the activity is designed to develop local capacity to respond to emerging threats.
• In order to enable flexible and adaptive management of the activity in a complex environment, the activity includes a focused effort on research and analysis of the threats and coordination around programmatic opportunities and responses.
• This position sits in Abuja, but successful candidates must be able to travel frequently to the Northeast, with the potential to be permanently based there.

Reporting and Supervision:

• The DCOP reports to the project Chief of Party (COP).

Responsibilities

Primary Responsibilities:

• The DCOP reports directly to the COP and will provide support to the COP to coordinate and provide leadership for the successful implementation of all program activities, ensuring the program meets stated goals and reporting requirements.
• As a member of senior project management, actively participate in all project work planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation processes.
• As a member of the senior project management, engage Creative HQ Program Management Unit and/or field operations when necessary.
• Manage the day-to-day implementation of program activities, to include oversight of procurement processes and the entire grant-making process – from solicitation, negotiations, implementation, and milestone verification.
• Explore and suggest additional opportunities for activities and grants.
• Provide overarching activity-based operations, logistical, and procurement support to all project components to ensure goals, outcomes, and benchmarks are achieved.
• Ensure project activities are implemented in accordance with established administrative and financial policies, procedures, and practices, in coordination with project and client staff.
• Support with the overall program financial management, including reviewing draft activity budgets, monthly projections, and expenditures to ensure costs are reasonable and allowable.
• As needed, support the revision and/or creation of new project standard operating procedures for implementation of activities.
• Manage project operations and grants staff, including the human resources manager, procurement and operations manager, finance manager, and senior grants officer, in collaboration with technical backstops at Creative HQ.
• Mentor, develop, and train project staff.
• Assist in drafting the quarterly/annual reports and assist in the development of any other major contract deliverables.
• Identify potential and actual activity-based risks and take appropriate mitigation measures.
• Ensures synergies and cohesion between the various components and activities through the facilitation of knowledge management, communications, and information flow.
• Participates and engages in technical meetings and maintain positive relationships with government officials, partners, and implementing partners.

Qualifications

• 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 five (5) years of demonstrated experience in the successful implementation of international development activities, with preference given to democracy and governance activities under a U.S. Government instrument – three (3) years of which must be in senior program management, including direct supervision of professional and support staff;
• Experience working in the democracy and governance sector in Africa;
• Prior experience in awarding and managing grants to local organizations to promote democracy and governance goals; and
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.