Deputy Chief of Party

Job Description

Program Description

The USAID Yalwa Activity is a 5-year (March 2020-March 2025) $29.15 million-dollar project implemented by CNFA in the Tillaberi, Maradi, and Zinder regions of Niger. As a key part of the second phase of USAID’s Regional Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced (RISE) Initiative, Yalwa will strengthen market systems to sustainably improve household incomes and nutritional status. To achieve this goal, Yalwa implements interventions across the following mutually reinforcing result areas: 1) enhanced performance of commodity market systems; 2) increased utilization of quality inputs and services; and 3) increased local consumption of nutritious, safe food. While predominantly focusing on the cowpea, small ruminants and poultry value chains, interventions address barriers and constraints to progress across the broader market system, while also integrating market-based strategies to promote consumption of nutritious, safe foods. Taken together, these efforts will improve the resilience of market systems by establishing profitable linkages between producers and buyers, with a particular emphasis on women and youth.

Offices are located in Niamey (national office), Maradi, Tillabéri, and Zinder. CNFA’s implementing partners are Helen Keller International, AREN, and Karkara.

Duties and Responsibilities

The main responsibility of the Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) is to support the COP in providing overall leadership, management, and technical direction of the USAID Yalwa Activity, with particular emphasis on the Market System Development component. Key duties are:

• Serve as principal point of contact in the absence of the Chief of Party (COP);
• Support the COP to coordinate with USAID and high-level public and private stakeholders;
• Support the COP to ensure that program’s technical approach, methodologies and activities are technically sound, feasible and relevant to the success of the program;
• Provide day-to-day guidance on the technical content of the Activity and serve as principal point of contact for activities for the Market Systems Development component, this includes identifying innovative and adaptable market in various segments of commodity markets, capacity building of target commodity market, develop tools for market actors to respond to changes in market trends and access financial services and products, and facilitate vertical and horizontal business linkages for increased opportunities for trade of products and services;
• Supervise the technical directors (Inputs and Services Development Director; Nutrition Director), and the SBC Specialist to design strategies and ensure effective monitoring of field through close collaboration with the MEL Specialist, as well as field operations and oversee the timely implementation of program activities;
• Provide technical direction and oversee the technical performance of local subcontractors and support productive business partnerships;
• Support the COP in the day-to-day management and implementation, including work planning, monitoring and reporting by submitting accurate and timely quarterly and annual progress reports measuring the Activity performance and impact and the preparation of work plans and adjustments thereof as needed to ensure quality of implementation;
• Support the COP in planning/facilitating workshops to develop/review quarterly and annual work plans/milestones in collaboration with the technical directors and specialists, field-based Activity teams and sub-contractors to ensure efficient implementation of programmatic activities towards achieving quarterly, annual and life of Activity indicator targets, as well as meaningful participation and positive impacts for women and youth;
• Oversee the development and monitoring the budget of the activities implemented by the Yalwa team by the technical Directors under your supervision;
• Convene regular program meetings with field teams to maximize opportunities for shared learning;
• Develop and maintain a cohesive, effective and integrated technical team;
• Oversee the drafting of terms of reference (TOR) and scopes of work (SOW) for needed local consultancy services;
• Facilitate a culture of learning and adaptive management to proactively respond to crises, opportunities, and new needs of USAID and other stakeholders;
• Oversee monitoring and reporting by field teams to capture impact, consolidate development gains, communicate successes, and adapt activities based on lessons learned;
• Perform regular visits to the program sites as well as the sub-contractor offices in the targeted regions;
• Contribute to any ad hoc report requested by USAID;
• Ensure the appropriate security procedures and roles are followed by the project staff; and
• Carry out other duties as required by the COP.

Qualifications

• A master’s degree in a relevant subject (Project Management, International Development, Agriculture, Market Systems, Development Economics).
• At least eight years of senior management experience of programs of similar or greater scope and complexity, or a bachelor’s degree with four additional years of relevant technical experience (agriculture, market system development, nutrition, private sector engagement).
• Demonstrated leadership, strategic thinking, presentation, interpersonal, and supervisory skills,
• Ability to establish close, trusting relationships with all members on a diverse project team, implementing partners, local officials, agencies, and authorities, as well as other donors, projects, and programs.
• Demonstrated experience and a proven track record of implementing and/or managing USAID funded Activities focused on agricultural development is required, and project implementation experience in Niger highly desired.
• French and English language competency, equivalent to tested FSI R4/S4

Immediate availability is needed, willingness to travel within Niger to Activity targeted implementation regions

CNFA IS PROUD TO BE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER It is the policy of CNFA to provide equal employment opportunity to all persons, regardless of age, race, religion, color, national origin, gender identity, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, political affiliation, marital status, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, veteran status, or on the basis of personal favoritism or other non-merit factors, except where otherwise provided by law.

REASONABLE ACCOMODATION & CONTACT INFORMATION CNFA provides a reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please contact the CNFA Home Office Human Resources Department via email at accomodation@cnfa.org or via phone at 202-296-3920 if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job with us.

Note: Positions will remain open until filled.

About the Organization

About CNFA:

CNFA is a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., dedicated to stimulating economic growth in the agricultural sector by nurturing entrepreneurship, private enterprise and market linkages. CNFA specializes in fostering private sector investments in training, new technologies and marketing as a means to increase the overall competitiveness of agricultural value chains, to expand exports, and to develop skills in the rural workforce. CNFA assists smallholders in increasing household-level food security and nutrition through improved agricultural practices, introduction of new varieties, diversification of crop production, food preservation and storage, development of farmer-based organizations (FBOs) and strengthened linkages to markets.