Chief of Party

Chemonics seeks a Chief of Party for the anticipated USAID-funded Feed the Future Democratic Republic of the Congo Flagship Agriculture Activity. We are looking for individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world.

The Activity is expected to enhance agricultural productivity by empowering Congolese organizations with sustainable revenue streams, fostering organizations to enhance US Government compliance, and spearheading coordinated efforts within the Zones of Influence of Kongo Central and Kasai Central to support agri-food system development. It seeks to bolster agricultural growth, to help value chain actors to expand their markets, and to address constraints hindering growth in the agriculture sector. Additionally, the Activity aims to increase food security, to reduce food loss, to ensure continuous access to safe and nutritious foods, to create job opportunities, to increase the uptake of improved variety seeds, and to promote climate-smart agriculture initiatives in alignment with USAID/DRC’s climate strategy. The final scope and priorities of the activity may change in response to USAID’s activity design.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities include:

• Lead Chemonics International’s project team and serve as the primary point of contact with USAID regarding the day-to-day activity implementation and management matters relating to the agreement.

• Provide comprehensive leadership, direction, and oversight of the Activity to ensure its effective and consistent implementation, guided by evidence, learning, and adaptation.

• Ensure the quality and responsiveness of development assistance provided within the activity, making necessary adjustments to operations to align with USAID requirements.

• Directly supervise strategic planning, performance management, communication strategies, partner and stakeholder engagement, management of grantees and subcontractors, financial oversight, budgeting, human resource management, and compliance with ethical standards.

• Ensure the timely completion and delivery of all project deliverables, including annual work plans, progress reports, and technical outputs.

• Take direct responsibility for the implementation of activities, ensuring technical assistance meets high standards and aligns with desired outcomes.

• Cultivate and maintain relationships with government counterparts and private sector entities, while effectively coordinating with other donor and international organizations supporting DRC’s agricultural sector.

• Establish and uphold an inclusive office culture that prioritizes integrity, open communication, and compliance with local laws, USAID regulations, and Chemonics’ policies.

• Provide supervision, coaching, and mentorship to technical and administrative staff, consultants, grantees, subcontractors, and partner organizations to ensure achievement of project goals.

• Ensure that solid relationships are built and maintained between and among Chemonics project staff, USAID, and key local stakeholders and partners.

• Oversee strategic planning, performance management, communications, partner engagement, management of grantees and subcontractors, financial planning, human resources, and compliance efforts.

  Required Qualifications:

• Minimum of ten (10) years of relevant management, supervisory, and technical experience with at least five (5) years’ experience leading multimillion-dollar USAID or other donor-funded projects.

• Advanced degree in agriculture, business, economics, international development, or a related field.

• Demonstrated experience in one or more of the following technical disciplines: agronomy, agribusiness, agricultural productivity, climate smart agriculture, agricultural trade, agricultural finance, agriculture policy, nutrition, and/or other relevant technical areas.

• Previous experience implementing activities applying market systems development and/or resilience methods/approaches, with an emphasis on food systems transformation, nutrition, agricultural inputs, and seeds systems.

• Demonstrated supervisory work experience including supervision of technical teams and grantees and/or subcontractor partners to work effectively and efficiently towards achieving a common goal.

• Practical experience leading multi-stakeholder initiatives with national and local governments, the private sector, NGOs, CSOs, media organizations, academia, other donor projects, etc.

• Demonstrated experience as a thought leader in the subject area.

• Demonstrated experience applying adaptive management practices to achieve results.

• Prior work experience in Sub-Saharan Africa and experience in the Democratic Republic of Congo preferred.

• Fluency in French and English with excellent oral and written communication skills required.