Chief of Party, Civic DEFENDERS

Chief of Party, Civic DEFENDERS

Freedom House

Washington, D.C., United States

POSITION SUMMARY

Freedom House is seeking a Chief of Party (COP) to support the anticipated five-year Civic DEFENDERS (Digital Freedom Enabling Networks for Defend Rights and Security) award from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The Civic DEFENDERS activity aims to empower local civil society, human rights defenders, and independent media organizations to effectively address digital repression within their specific contexts, particularly in environments marked by repression. The initiative will concentrate on fostering enduring local resilience within civil society through a collaborative network involving global, regional, and local stakeholders. Expected interventions include providing technical guidance on digital security, advocating for digital governance, circumventing censorship, and offering comprehensive support encompassing legal, psychosocial, and physical security measures. Notably, this initiative closely aligns with USAID’s current strategy, emphasizing a strong emphasis on localized action.

The COP, Civic DEFENDERS will be responsible for the overall technical leadership, and operational management of the Civic DEFENDERS activity. This role will ensure that the project’s goals, objectives, and strategy are achieved and that contractual requirements are met on time and within budget. This role will also take a leadership role in coordination of all activities across all relevant parties, including USAID and the Civic DEFENDERS consortium partners.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide overall management, strategic direction, and leadership to the project to achieve expected project goals and results within budget and timeframe. Serve as the primary liaison with USAID on strategic and technical matters;
• Manage the Civic DEFENDERS project planning and implementation, ensuring effective communication with USAID, consortium partners and program stakeholders;
• Contributes to and oversees development of the Civic Defenders learning agenda and learning products in coordination with USAID and consortium members;
• Conduct outreach to international and regional CSOs who specialize in technical areas related to CIVIC DEFENDERS scope of work;
• Facilitate regular meetings with Civic DEFENDERS stakeholders, including consortium members’ points of contact, USAID, and others;
• Ensure that Freedom House and the consortium members provide high-quality technical assistance to local partners;
• Travel when necessary for outreach about the activity to USAID and local partners, assess needs, or provide oversight on project implementation;
• Ensure compliance with Freedom House policies and procedures, USAID rules and regulations, and any applicable local laws, regulations, policies, and procedures;
• In conjunction with project staff, manage project budget to meet expected results, ensuring cost-effective use of donor and Freedom House resources;
• Hire, supervise, and mentor project staff;
• Work collaboratively and liaise with other technical experts across Freedom House, as relevant for Civic DEFENDERS.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education:     

• Advanced degree in political science, international affairs, human rights, or a related field.

Experience:    

• Minimum of 15 years of expertise in overseeing, designing, and/or implementing projects concerning the enhancement of civil society, promotion of media freedom, advocacy for freedom of expression, advancement of digital literacy, governance improvement, and/or capacity building programs;
• Demonstrated experience in the DRG sector and a minimum of 15 years of managing, designing or implementing projects related to civil society strengthening, supporting independent media, human rights, digital security, governance and capacity building or experience in managing complex USAID awards;
• Experience managing LWA funding mechanisms and contributing to an LWA learning agenda;
• Proven success and exceptional leadership in the design, management, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of USAID and other international donor-supported programs, with skills in strategic planning, political economy analysis, adaptive management, supervision, budgeting, gender equality and social inclusion, and local capacity building;
• Experience working on global projects, especially those designed to prioritize an inclusive, localized approach;
• Demonstrated experience working on issues related to digital repression and internet freedom, such as censorship, surveillance, privacy, free expression, digital governance, and digital security;
• Demonstrated experience supervising teams, including human rights professionals and partner organizations, to effectively respond to complex assignments;
• Practical experience working with a range of program partners, including the USG, partner organizations, NGOs, and civil society;
• Practical experience leading a consortium.

Technical Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to establish strong working relationships with various stakeholders including the USG, government representatives, other donors, and partners;
• Solid understanding of the value systems, traditions, and social norms and practices of different cultures is strongly preferred;
• Strong leadership and strategic thinking skills to oversee the tactical implementation of an effective strategic plan, communications initiatives, and other learning agendas, as needed;
• Fluency in another language (Arabic, Russian, French, or Spanish) preferred;
• Knowledge of important digital governance debates, the technical and legal mechanisms underpinning online censorship and surveillance, and the ways in which technology can contribute to repression, particularly of the most marginalized communities;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English;
• Understanding of nonprofit revenue models;
• Strong analytic ability, ability to master new subject matter quickly, and to articulate complex concepts clearly and effectively;
• Excellent organizational and managerial skills with a focus on achieving measurable and ambitious goals;
• Strong and diplomatic interpersonal skills, demonstrating both a collaborative spirit and the ability to make decisions;
• Ability to thrive in a creative, fast-paced, and highly professional environment that emphasizes excellence, collegiality, and teamwork;
• Ability to travel as needed, including internationally (approximately 10-15%);
• Ability to maintain the highest degree of confidentiality and exhibit unquestionable integrity, honesty, and forthrightness;
• Ability to successfully work collaboratively with all levels of employees, management, external partners, and funders.

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