Chief of Party

This post is contingent on donor funding and donor approval of the candidate.

Context:

CRS has been operational in Malawi since 1997 beginning with addressing food security, collaborating with USAID on the country’s first food aid programs. For over two decades, CRS program has expanded to include food security, agroforestry, land restoration, emergency response, livelihoods, education, health, nutrition, early childhood development, microfinance, WASH, and private-sector engagement. All CRS programs integrate gender, youth, people living with disability, safeguarding, and partners’ capacity strengthening to address the evolving needs of the Malawian people. CRS’ expertise allows it to tailor projects that foster long-term resilience through a multi-sectoral approach. CRS implements its programs through partnerships with the Church, local organizations, and community entities for maximum impact and sustainability.

CRS Malawi is preparing a response an upcoming USAID/BHA Malawi ER4 Graduation Activity. The proposed activity will apply a Graduation Approach with a gender focus to increase food and economic security of vulnerable households in Chikwawa and/or Nsanje districts in southern Malawi, enabling them to better manage shocks and stresses. The activity design will prioritize psychosocial wellbeing, market integration, and linkages to complementary programs and resources.

Job Summary: As Chief of Party I you will provide vision, leadership, and overall management of the USAID Malawi ER4 Graduation project to serve vulnerable households. Your strategic leadership, management, and technical knowledge will ensure the delivery of high-quality programming, ensure the proper closing of the project, and advance the position of CRS as a leading agency in Malawi. As a senior leader, you will proactively manage security and mitigate security risks.

 Roles and Responsibilities:

• Lead all aspects of the development, implementation, and consolidation of the Malawi ER4 Graduation project, including ensuring that the project contributes to the thought leadership of the industry. Serve as the main contact point to USAID BHA and public, private, and non-government stakeholders.
• Ensure the project is designed and implemented to meet donor expectations in terms of timely and quality results and budget, including strategies for phase-out and sustainability. Ensure coordination between program and operations leads. Ensure the CRS program quality standards are adhered to per MEAL policy and procedures.
• Effectively manage senior programming and operations talent. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching and mentoring. Strategically tailor individual development plans and complete performance assessments for direct reports. Oversee the development of staffing plans and the recruitment process of senior staff.
• Manage and mitigate risk through monitoring national and regional issues that may impact staff and programming. Ensure all staff understand and adhere to CRS staff safety and security policies and plans and ensure the updating of such plans.
• Promote, uphold, and model a commitment to the efficient use of agency and donor resources. Ensure compliance with USAID grants, including financial tracking and oversight of partner budgets, finance, administration, and reporting to USAID. Approve program expenditures, budget adjustments, and cost modification requests to donors. Support programmatic close out and financial reporting close out.
• Represent CRS programming in international circles, highlighting innovative work. Publish program results and deliver presentations. Oversee the development of communication strategies and materials, complying with donor and CRS’ branding and marketing requirements and procedures.
• Manage relationships with consortium partner organizations, including organization of review/planning workshops. Coordinate the roles and activities of staff from other consortium member organizations in implementation in line with CRS partnership principles.
• Create and maintain proper conditions for learning. Establish a safe environment for sharing ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to deficiencies. Identify performance gaps and training opportunities for CRS and partner staff and ensure the design and delivery of high-quality training and technical assistance.
• Support the development of additional, in coordination with the BD specialist, PIQA support team and Regional Team.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 

• Strong strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment and decisions.
• Strong relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.
• Team leadership abilities with diverse/multi-disciplinary teams. Coaching skills.
• Strong communications and presentation skills; able to develop tailored and persuasive messaging for varied audiences.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience effectively managing USAID HDP (Humanitarian-development-peace) activities involving implementation by multiple sub-awardees and demonstrated experience managing large teams in remote contexts.
• Excellent communication skills tailored to diverse audience types, audience sizes, and communication platforms.
• Demonstrated technical expertise in food security and livelihoods and experience in managing program implementation and financial reporting.
• Demonstrated experience in recruiting, developing, and managing staff.
• Prior experience working in Malawi and familiarity with Malawi’s social, political, economic, and cultural landscape, and demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with host governments, donors, other donor-funded projects and stakeholders, local organizations, and partners.
• Demonstrated commitment to the importance of gender and youth dynamics in food security programming and within staff and management of the activity.
• Proven success serving in a leadership role for a project addressing issues related to emergency response, resilience, agriculture, natural resource management, agribusiness, or similar is required.
• Demonstrated experience in adaptive management and learning techniques is highly encouraged.
• Familiarity with USAID Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptation (CLA) and Refine and Implement Methodology.
• Experience in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio), Power Bi, Web Conferencing Applications, and information and budget management systems.

Required Languages – Professional working proficiency in English.

Travel – Must be willing and able to travel up to 50%.

Key Working Relationships: 

Supervisory: MEAL Technical Advisor, Graduation Technical Advisor, Gender and Psychosocial Advisor, DCoP Operations

Internal: All Departments of the Country Program, SARO regional TA’s and staff, HQ contacts

External: USAID, UN partners, other NGO partners in Malawi, relevant GoM Ministry staff, research institutions, church partners

Basic Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in international development, International Relations or a relevant technical area. PhD preferred.
• 7 or more years’ relevant experience in leading the implementation of food security and/or resilience programs targeting vulnerable households in low-resource environments.
• 5 years’ experience managing USAID funds, including multi-country grants.  Strong knowledge and experience in budget management.
• 5 years of staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment. Experience coaching senior program staff.

Agency REDI Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

• Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions.
• Acts with Integrity – Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission.  Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust – Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change – Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

What we offer

CRS offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, life insurance, vision, generous retirement savings plan and the opportunity to work in a collaborative, mission-driven culture that is committed to improving the lives of the poor throughout the world.

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