The chief of party can play a critical role in winning contract bids and, just as importantly, in ensuring the delivery and success of their projects. Responsible for overseeing every aspect of a project — from hiring to coordinating with donors — chief of party is a demanding and high-pressure role and one that many global development professionals aspire to reach in their career.
While the term chief of party is most commonly used by the United States Agency for International Development, it has been adopted by other funders and organizations. Jane Kellum, a gender, education, and protection specialist who served as chief of party for CARE USA in Haiti, and Kristi Ragan, four-time chief of party with DAI, join Devex to share their advice for succeeding in COP roles.
Having moved from technical consultancy gigs to overseeing an education project in Haiti, Kellum reflects on her first experience in this leadership role. She discusses the importance of buy-in from local staff and stakeholders and shares advice for building these all-important relationships. Kellum also talks about the additional challenges of managing teams in low-income countries.