Chief of Party (COP)

Position description

Democracy International (DI) is seeking to hire a Chief of Party (COP) for the anticipated five-year Sierra Leone Elections and Civic Enagement Support (SL-ECES) in Sierra Leone. We anticipate that the activity will bolster citizen engagement in peaceful elections, support electoral reforms, and support Election Management Bodies.

The COP will lead programmatic, operational, and administrative activities of the activity and will report to DI’s Director of Program Management. The COP will be responsible for developing a strong vision and implementation of the program with an evidence-based approach, integrating innovative strategies, and delivering on all objectives of the project. They will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of all staff. They will also provide mentorship and training, as needed, for all staff. The successful candidate must have significant international program management experience in Sierra Leone or other countries with similar settings. They will serve as the primary point of contact between USAID and the DI program.

Essential Job Duties

The position’s responsibilities will include:

Programmatic

• Provide technical and strategic leadership on all program activities, including matters of budget, compliance, and reporting;
• Develop regular reports and ongoing activity monitoring consistent with the requirements of DI’s cooperative agreement with USAID and with internal reporting requirements;
• Manage the preparation and presentation of all work plans, MEL plans, and reports;
• Collaborate with USAID staff to achieve all program goals;
• Serve as technical lead in designing, implementing, and overseeing the aspects of the activity;
• Represent DI externally at meetings, workshops, and other events;
• Act as a key liaison with the host country government and USAID offices in Sierra Leone and Washington, DC;
• Manage a diverse team of project staff throughout Sierra Leone;
• Provide technical assistance, as needed, to program partners, grantees, and beneficiaries; and
• Manage relationships with local partners and government, civil society representatives and international donor representatives.

Administrative

• Continue to build and lead DI’s dynamic local team;
• Approve expenditures and other financial transactions in accordance with DI and USAID policies and practices; and
• Liaise regularly with USAID, local staff and partners, STTAs, and DI’s home office to ensure that deadlines are met and high-quality deliverables are completed and submitted in a timely manner.

Secondary Job Duties:

• Contribute to ongoing Democracy International business development efforts, in Sierra Leone and around the world.

Qualifications

• The Chief of Party has a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant professional experience in a senior management position in a program of similar magnitude, preferably in constitutional and electoral reform, election administration, and observation;
• Master’s degree or higher in international development, political science, management, or other relevant field;
• 7 years of exceptional experience leading donor-supported development programs of similar size and complexity, including work in constitutional and electoral reform, election administration, and observation;
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate and collaborate with a diverse set of stakeholders including government representatives, non-profit associations, CSOs, donors, and academic and research institutes;
• Minimum of 5 years of experience with USAID compliance and reporting requirements as well as a thorough understanding of the USAID regulatory environment;
• Proven success and exceptional leadership in the design, management, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of similar-sized USAID and other international donor-supported programs, with skills in strategic planning, management, supervision, and budgeting, and preferably experience in managing complex activities involving coordination with multiple program partner institutions;
• Understanding of Sierra Leone’s economic and political context preferred;
• Demonstrated financial, human resources, procurement, and administration competences; and
• Fluency in speaking and writing in English and exception presentation and communication skills.

Reporting:

• This position reports to Director of Program Management;
• Direct reports will include the DI Sierra Leone Team.

Application instructions

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