Working on a project-by-project basis — oftentimes abroad and away from loved ones — along with the large teams, budgets, and strategies to manage, the life of a chief of party can be an unusual one. To do it well, those who have done it before say it requires a mix of tenacity, technical know-how, and “a big heart.”
“You’re a project team leader, directly responsible for strategic direction of the project, providing guidance to the entire team, managing resources, liaising with different donors financing the project so you need to be an all-round individual,” said Seraphine Olanya Ramto, a development expert who has held several deputy chief of party and chief of party roles across projects in Africa.
The term chief of party is inherited from the U.S. Agency for International Development nomenclature and refers to the most senior member of key personnel in the projects it funds. To qualify, candidates need to have a wealth of experience in managing development projects and in handling similar sized-budgets. For 2023, USAID has a budget of $29.4 billion to allocate to various development projects.