Chief of Party – Jordan Improved Access to Early Childhood Education & Employment

Chief of Party – Jordan Improved Access to Early Childhood Education & Employment

Creative Associates International

Amman, Jordan

Project Summary:

The USAID-funded Improved Access to Early Childhood Education and Employment Activity in Jordan aims to enhance early childhood education (ECE) services for children aged 3-6 years. This initiative focuses on increasing access to quality ECE, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable groups, while also addressing workforce participation issues by creating sustainable job opportunities in the education sector. The project seeks to support policy, regulatory, and systems-level improvements to ensure high-quality, safe, and equitable ECE services. By fostering collaboration with private sector and community-based organizations (CBOs), the activity aims to expand and scale education-focused nursery, KG1, and KG2 services in both urban and rural areas, contributing to long-term developmental outcomes and economic viability.

Position Summary:

Creative Associates seeks a highly qualified Chief of Party (COP) for the USAID-funded Improved Access to Early Childhood Education and Employment Activity in Jordan. The COP will provide overall leadership, management, and strategic direction for the project, ensuring that all activities are implemented in compliance with USAID policies and procedures. The COP will be responsible for overseeing project planning, implementation, and reporting, as well as managing relationships with key stakeholders, including government officials, private sector, community-based organizations (CBOs), and donor representatives. This position requires strong leadership, management, and technical skills, as well as the ability to work collaboratively with a diverse range of stakeholders to achieve the project’s goals.

Primary Responsibilities: 

• Provide strategic leadership and coordination of program activities at the national, governorate, district, and community levels and with civil society;
• Lead project implementation and management of the performance of the project;
• Provide strategic leadership to collaborate and coordinate with other donor-funded education activities in Jordan;
• Serve as primary liaison to strategic leaders to collaborate and coordinate on technical and strategic issues to maximize project results and liaise with other donors-funded education projects and stakeholders;
• Provide overall technical and administrative leadership to the project and serve as its institutional liaison;
• Ensure all activities implemented fit the rules and regulations set forth by USAID, Creative, and the project requirements;
• Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity, and capacity building into all activities as appropriate;
• Monitor the goals and objectives of the project to assure progress towards successful implementation; and
• Coordinate with numerous government institutions and senior-level national and county-level government officials;
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Skills & Qualifications: 

• A minimum of 15 years of experience working on international development programs, five of which have been spent as a COP, Deputy Chief of Party, or their equivalents;
• At least 10 years of experience in early grade education in pre-service and/or in-service teacher education, in similar/relevant contexts, and experience in managing similar sized activities;
• Five (5) years of experience at the senior manager level working directly on projects funded by large international donors with counterparts within the government, private sector, and other stakeholders, preferably with a focus in Jordan or the region;
• Demonstrable management experience on US government contracts, including U.S. government (USG) policy, procedures, and reporting requirements;
• Demonstrated past representational experience with host governments and other donors and demonstrated success with inter-agency coordination and joint programming;
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge in establishing systems and overseeing project start‐up and quality assurance;
• Experience hiring and supervising personnel and ensuring they acquire the necessary training and skills to meet evolving program needs;
• Strong leadership, program, organizational management and communication skills with prior experience in managing 10 staff or more;
• Advanced degree (Masters or Doctorate) in preferably in education, international development, economics, and/or public policy;
• Fluency in English is required, and Arabic language skills are desired; and
• Ability to travel and work throughout Jordan.

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