Chief of Party I

Job Description

Summary

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is seeking a Chief of Party for a McGovern Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program (‘All Pikin for Learn’) in Sierra Leone. The ‘All Pikin for Learn’ (APFL) program is in its second year of implementation and aims to reduce hunger and improve literacy and nutrition among school-age students, especially girls. The Chief of Party will provide the vision and leadership to the APFL program team. He/she will be responsible for the overall management of the APFL program, overseeing both the quality of programmatic implementation and the administrative elements of the program.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Since 2008 CRS Sierra Leone, in line with the Government of Sierra Leone’s commitment to support basic education for all, has been implementing the McGovern Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program - All Pikin for Learn (APFL). Funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), All Pikin for Learn IV is an integrated education program - with school feeding as a major component - designed to improve the quality and relevance of education, encourage complete cycle of primary education for vulnerable and marginalized children, especially girls; improve nutrition and increase community involvement and government investment in education for long term sustainability. In its fourth phase, the APFL program is well aligned with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MBSSE) sector plans, including the Free Quality Education program launched by the president in August 2018. Through capacity strengthening at community and national levels, the program is poised for graduation backed by the government’s commitment to progressively scale up school feeding across all districts with government resources.

The program is implemented in partnership with MBSSE together with local and international partners and targets 15 most vulnerable and hard to reach chiefdoms in Koinadugu and Falaba Districts. CRS is seeking an experienced Chief of Party to be based in Freetown with frequent travel to Koinadugu District including the headquarter town of Kabala in the north of Sierra Leone.

JOB SUMMARY

The Chief of Party is responsible for overall project management, supervision, administration, and implementation of a high-quality ‘All Pikin for Learn’ Program. S/he will establish and maintain systems for project operations, ensuring that all agreement deadlines are met and targets are achieved; and coordinate and maintain working relations with key stakeholders. The COP will also oversee a team of experts and program support staff, prepare reports and annual operating plans, align project initiatives with in-country government priorities and ensure the implementation of the program is compliant with USDA and CRS regulations. This includes working closely with the supply chain management unit on warehousing and management of food commodities; the Education/Literacy unit to oversee all literacy and teacher certification activities; Health and Nutrition unit for the provision of nutritious meals and social behavior change communication for improved dietary practices; and Sustainability and Capacity Building unit on government capacity strengthening and program graduation/transition process. As the program is designed to gradually transition to national ownership, the CoP will ensure that program design and implementation are aligned closely with the current objectives of the Government of Sierra Leone. Specifically, the project goals will promote key (cross) sectoral priorities such as the Free Quality School Education Program, Education Sector Plan 2018-2020, the draft National School Feeding Policy, the Food Security and Nutrition Implementation Strategy, and the 5-year National Deworming Strategic Plan, among others. The CoP will also supervise activities to promote Early Childhood Development, and School Garden initiatives linked to nutrition education and livelihood, and guide the process toward building national capacity for the implementation of a national Home-Grown School Feeding Program. The COP will coordinate with Caritas Makeni (Sub-Recipient) and partners from MBSSE, Ernest Bai Koroma University, Caritas Makeni and TALLE. The CoP will be responsible for ensuring that the final program results are achieved, including strategies for phase out and sustainability. The successful candidate will be responsible for representing the program to major stakeholders; especially USDA, USAID, and the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, as well as other relevant ministries within the country.

The COP will oversee and coordinate a wide-ranging process of stakeholder engagement, including the MBSSE, Ministry of Agriculture, private sector agriculture partners, technical experts, donors and communities to ensure the nationwide roll-out of a plan for sustainable school feeding and quality education to be implemented before handover at the end of the project.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Effectively manage senior programming and operations talent, team dynamics and staff well-being, and provide coaching and mentoring. Oversee the development of staffing plans and the recruitment process of senior staff.
• Lead all aspects of the development, implementation and consolidation of the project, including ensuring that the project contributes to the thought leadership of the industry. Serve as the in-country primary point of contact to USDA as well as public, private and non-government stakeholders.
• Ensure coordination between program and operations leads.
• Ensure the CRS program quality standards are adhered to per MEAL policy and procedures. This includes working with MEAL Unit to develop MEAL systems using IT solutions; ensure ongoing data collection on all key indicators and documentation of lessons learned.
• Apply CRS agency standards and procedures as well as donor requirements and USG regulations appropriately and consistently.
• Coordinate with the logistics team to ensure appropriate reception, transportation, warehousing, and distribution of U.S. government commodities to schools and beneficiaries with assistance from CRS/WARO, and CRS/HQ technical support staff.
• Guide government capacity building efforts and program sustainability and graduation plans.
• Manage and mitigate risk through monitoring national and regional issues that may impact staff and programming.
• Ensure compliance with USDA grants, including financial tracking and oversight of partner budgets, finance, administration and reporting to USDA – including timely and quality results, and strategies for phase out and sustainability.
• Represent the project in both national and international circles, highlighting innovative work. Publish program results and deliver presentations at conferences such as CIES and GCNF.
• Oversee the development of communication strategies and materials, complying with donor and CRS’ branding and marking requirements and procedures.
• Manage relationships with sub-recipient and partner organizations, including organization of review/planning workshops. Coordinate the roles and activities of staff from sub-recipient organization in line with CRS partnership principles.
• Maintain effective working relationships with relevant NGOs, WFP, local authorities, implementing partners and other civil society players

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Education/Literacy Program Manager, Nutrition and Health Program Manager, MEAL Manager, Supply Chain Manager, Deputy Finance Manager (Grant), Sustainability and capacity Building Manager.

Competencies:

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Set clear goals and manages toward them
• Collaborate effectively with staff and stakeholders
• Manage financial resources with integrity
• Applies program quality standards to project design and organizational learning

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Integrity
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Builds Relationships
• Develops Talent
• Strategic Mindset
• Accountability & Stewardship

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: Country Representative, Head of Programming, Head of Operations, MEAL Coordinator, Finance Manager, Administration and Human Resources Managers, All Pikin for Learn program staff, CRS Regional staff, CRS HQ/PIQA, and Project Support Officer (PSO).

External: Caritas Makeni (sub-recipient), local partners, Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), Ministry of Health (MoH) and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) and its decentralized structures, USDA, United States Embassy to Sierra Leone, project consultants, Ernest Bai Koroma University, WFP, UNICEF, other international NGOs.

Personal/Professional Skills:

• Strong organizational and planning skills
• Ability to think critically, effectively manage change and problem solve
• Excellent report-writing skills in English, for USG donors
• Excellent knowledge and experience in budget management
• Excellent communication and inter-personal skills, with demonstrated strength in relationship management
• Ability to be flexible, persistent, and diplomatic and to gain respect among staff, local community leaders, church and secular partners, as well as local government ministries and donor organizations.
• Ability to function effectively as part of a multi-cultural team

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in International Development, International Relations or a relevant technical area.
• At least 10 years of program management experience in a developing country.
• Proven track record of successful USG funded program management, including management of multi-activity projects, complicated logistics and large budgets, as well as commodities.
• At least 7 years of supervisory experience, including performance evaluation, coaching and mentoring
• Experience in the management of USDA school feeding programs desired.
• Experience engaging partners and strengthening partnerships. Knowledge of CRS partnership strategy a plus.
• Native-level fluency in English & excellent English writing skills especially with the ability to produce quality written reports for the donor in English.
• Strong cross-cultural skills and experience working with national staff in remote locations.
• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team but be self-motivated and accountable for program implementation.
• Professional proficiency and ability to work effectively in remote conditions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Publisher, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook

NOTE: Applications will be accepted until this position is filled.

About the Organization

Catholic Relief Services was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States. Our mission is to assist the poor and disadvantaged, leveraging the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to alleviate human suffering, promote development of all people, and to foster charity and justice throughout the world. Working through local offices and an extensive network of partners, CRS operates on five continents and in 98 countries. We aid the poor by first providing direct assistance where needed, then encouraging people to help with their own development. Together, these approaches foster secure, productive, just communities that enable people to realize their potential. As the official international relief and development agency of the U.S. Catholic community, CRS is also committed to educating the people of the United States to fulfill their moral responsibilities toward our global brothers and sisters by helping the poor, working to remove the causes of poverty, and promoting social justice.