Chief of Party

WERK seeks a Chief of Party for a Reading Champions project in Kenya. The purpose of the activity is to improve and sustain student learning through a resilient and accountable education system together with families, communities and other Kenyan partners. We are looking for individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world and demonstrate leadership, versatility, and integrity in their work. All candidates must possess a degree in a relevant field and English fluency is required. Experience in Kenya or East Africa is preferred.

The Chief of Party’s (COP) primary responsibilities will include providing overall leadership, management, and general technical direction of the entire project and sub-grantees, ensuring an integrated vision among different components and actors, and a focus on achieving the results defined in the award. The COP will be the principal point of contact for the project and is ultimately responsible for all contract management and implementation. S/he will be the primary liaison with the Donor on technical matters and expected to steer operations. The COP will be expected to identify issues and risks related to project implementation and suggest appropriate timely adjustments. The COP must be able to communicate WERKs ethos and comply with all organizational policies.

Responsibilities include:

1. Provide overall strategic vision and leadership for project implementation including drafting project work plans and leading the successful implementation of annual work plans and budgets.
2. Provide technical oversight and guidance to sub-grantees partners on effective strategies to realize literacy levels.
3. Put in place coordination mechanisms for effective project delivery among the sub-grantees.
4. Foster integrated vision, coordination and synergy building with the government and other partners initiatives in target areas.
5. Effectively manage senior programming and operations talent for optimal performance.
6. 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.
7. Identify performance gaps and training opportunities for project and partner staff and ensure the design and delivery of high-quality training and technical assistance.
8. Approve program expenditures, budget adjustments, and cost modification requests to donors.
9. Establish a safe environment for sharing of ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to deficiencies.
10. Ensure all staff understand and adhere to WERKs policies and plans, and ensure the updating of such plans.
11. Ensure program implementation in compliance with Donor standards, WERKs Policies & Procedures and aligned to acceptable financial & operational audit results.
12. Ensure inclusion of cross cutting themes including gender, youth, conflict sensitivity, disability and social inclusion.
13. Serve as the primary point of contact to Donor as well as public, private and non-government stakeholders.
14. 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.
15. Ensure accurate and quality Annual Operation Plan (AOP) and Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP) for the program in place and utilized.
16. Ensure accurate and quality Program Design Documents (PDD) are on file.
17. Put in place effective monitoring and reporting systems to guide sub-grantees.
18. Ensure the program quality standards are adhered to per MEAL policy and procedures.
19. Provide oversight related to project results, reporting, analysis, and the use of strategic information to drive performance across the project.
20. Actively identify, manage and mitigate issues and risks related to project implementation at the national and regional levels and propose risk mitigation strategies and solutions for project adjustments.
21. Ensure the relevant project measurements (baseline, mid-term, end-line and any other study) are accurately and promptly conducted and results utilized to inform program management.
22. Ensure effective use of resources, on-time delivery of project activity reports and partner deliverables, and overall compliance with Donor regulations and WERK policies and procedures.
23. Work with MEL Manager to ensure effective reflection and learning forums and documentation of project success for internal and external communication.
24. Oversee the development of communication strategies and materials, complying with donor and WERK branding and marketing requirements and procedures.
25. Coordinate relationships with sub-grantees, including organization of review/planning workshops and coordination forums.
26. Maintain effective and open communication throughout the project with the Donor, WERK Directors, project teams, and other relevant stakeholders.
27. Represent the project at meetings and events with the Donor, Government of Kenya, the business community, non-profits, and other stakeholders.
28. Build and Maintain effective communications and pro-active relationships with partners including the county government and the donor.
29. Collaborate with line ministries and departments in providing technical support and assistance to the program.
30. Ensure that all sub-grantees are equipped with pre-requisite capacity to effectively deliver on their mandate.
31. Coordinate advocacy and policy influence initiatives of the program at county and national level

Qualifications:

1. A Masters level-degree in education, social sciences or related field from an accredited university.
2. At least 10 years of experience in managing teams and implementing education programs in developing countries, preferably in the implementation of a reading program of similar technical complexity.
3. Demonstrated exemplary management, supervision, communication and international skills to ensure internal coherence among diverse team members and productive relations with the GOK, donors and the international community.
4. Excellent knowledge of education sector in Kenya.
5. Team leadership abilities with diverse/multi-disciplinary teams.
6. Strong communications and presentation skills; able to develop tailored and persuasive messaging for varied audiences.
7. Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.
8. Good understanding of gender and diversity issues and commitment to addressing inequalities in all the key areas of responsibility
9. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with Youth Groups, other partners, private sector, government officials, donors, and other stakeholders.
10. Strong systems thinking and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture with ability to make sound judgment and decisions.
11. Strong relations management abilities with ability to relate to people at all levels
12. Ability to write, communicate and prepare reports clearly in English.
13. A proven ability to identify and negotiate partnerships opportunities is desired.
14. Previous experience in Kenya or East Africa is highly desired.