Chief of Party - Mali

We are currently seeking qualified candidates for the position of Chief of Party COP for the upcoming USAID/Mali Protective Education for Girls in Mali Activity. This position will be based in Bamako, Mali and is contingent upon award. 

Project Description

USAID/Mali through the Protective Education for Girls in Mali Activity aims to increase access to
basic education and foundational learning particularly for girls (age: 6-19) and learners who have
been marginalized due to exposure and/or engagement in the mining industry, with improved
foundational skills and social emotional competencies, even in the face of violence, exploitation
and abuse.

The proposed program aims to enhance educational outcomes by improving access to and
retention in schools through the implementing accelerated learning programs, boosting teacher
well-being and instructional quality, and providing targeted support for girls, in the mining regions of Kayes and Bougouni.

Position Description

The Chief of Party (COP) is responsible for providing overall leadership, management oversight, and technical direction for the program, ensuring an integrated vision across components and actors, with a focus on achieving the results defined in the award. The COP’s responsibilities include managing the annual work plan and budgeting process; creating/developing an effective project management team; overseeing an effective monitoring and evaluation system; and coordinating activities and sub-grantees to achieve results. This individual will be the primary liaison with USAID, key stakeholders, and other implementing partners. The COP will be expected to identify issues and risks related to program implementation in a timely manner and suggest appropriate program adjustments. They will supervise activity implementation and ensure activities meet stated goals and reporting requirements. The COP will have demonstrated ability to work in complex environments, across different cultures, and manage diverse teams to deliver impact within agreed timelines.

Job Summary/Responsibilities

• Provides leadership to the project team, technical and operational aspects of the project, including planning and implementation of the project; ensuring clarity over plans and priorities, and models and facilitates effective teamwork;
• Provides technical and managerial leadership, including capacity building to the project;
• Oversees the development and implementation of program work plans and strategies aligned with donor and government priorities;
• Collaborates with partner organizations (both public and private), USAID, and other donor-funded projects to achieve the project’s objectives;
• Coordinates and is responsible for the preparation of the annual work plans, budgets, and annual progress reports, in a timely fashion for submission to USAID;
• Ensures high technical standards are used to guide the technical and programmatic aspects of work plans and activities;
• Plans, directs, and coordinates activities to ensure that goals and objectives are accomplished within prescribed time frame and funding parameters;
• Establishes project teams and standard operating procedures to meet project goals and ensure compliance with policies;
• Responsible for induction of project staff, ensuring their familiarity with mandate values, quality standards, policies and program objectives and their individual responsibilities in upholding these standards and policies.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required (Master’s degree preferred) in education, public administration, international development, or related field from an accredited university;
• Minimum 12+ years of related experience in increasingly senior roles; at least five years managing education programs at a senior level (DCOP or COP equivalent); experience working in a non-governmental organizations (NGO);
• Experience in the education sector in Mali (preferred) or West Africa. Familiarity with best practices for delivering accelerated and remedial education, teacher professional development, and economic strengthening activities;
• Strong knowledge of, and commitment to, gender and social equity issues in education; expertise in gender equality and social inclusion preferred;
• Relevant management, supervisory, technical experience working with programs that are of a similar scope and scale to this program;
• Demonstrated leadership, strategic planning, effective organizational development, partnership-building, capacity-building, managerial, teambuilding and communication skills;
• Proven ability to coordinate and oversee local partner capacity building activities, including technical, managerial and governance capacities;
• Demonstrated ability to work in complex environments, across different cultures, and manage diverse teams to deliver impact within agreed timelines across a broad geographic area;
• Proven ability to coordinate with government stakeholders, as well as non-governmental organizations
• Demonstrated knowledge of USAID rules, regulations, policies, and procedures as they relate to project and program compliance and reporting;
• Oral and written fluency required in French and English;
• Oral and written fluency in local languages preferred.

This job posting summarizes the main duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment. Management reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time.

FHI 360 is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer whereby we do not engage in practices that discriminate against any person employed or seeking employment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.

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