CHIEF OF PARTY, MALAWI

CARE seeks a Chief of Party (COP) for the anticipated USDA-funded five-year, $28 million McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition (McGovern-Dole) project in Malawi. The principal objectives of the McGovern-Dole Program are to carry out: 1) preschool and school food for education programs to improve food security, reduce the incidence of hunger, and improve literacy and primary education, particularly with respect to girls; and 2) maternal, infant, and child nutrition programs for pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants, and children who are five years of age or younger.

By providing school meals, teacher training, government capacity-building, and related education and nutrition support, McGovern-Dole helps boost school enrollment, increase attendance, and improve reading outcomes and literacy results. McGovern-Dole also provides support to Maternal and Child Nutrition (MCN). To improve health, nutrition, and dietary practices, McGovern-Dole encourages the inclusion of health- and nutrition-sensitive activities such as the use of micronutrient-fortified products; take-home rations; treatments for deworming and diarrhea; water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); school gardens; and curriculum-based nutrition education.

The COP will be responsible for leadership, management, and technical direction of staff and consultants, project activities such as implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation, and partner coordination. They will serve as key liaison with USDA, government counterparts, and local partners. The COP will manage and supervise the work of program personnel and subcontractors/subgrantees and ensure that all program assistance is technically sound and appropriate. The COP also oversees program work planning, performance management, and strategic communication.

This is a Key Personnel position, subject to USDA approval. It is also subject to project award and funding. National and international candidates are encouraged to apply. This position will be based in Lilongwe.

Application Deadline: Wednesday, March 24, 2024.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the project, providing vision, direction, and technical guidance.
• Oversee the overall management and implementation of the project including project results and deliverables, in accordance with the project work plan.
• Supervise and mentor senior/ technical staff and consultants. Motivate teams to deliver results by establishing a strong team dynamic, open communication, and leading by example. Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in internal operations, management, and program implementation.
• Build and maintain productive working relationships with USDA, host government, project partners, and key stakeholders. Serve as the primary liaison among all project stakeholders.
• Manage the project’s operational, financial, and administrative priorities, and direct planning and budgeting processes. Create or adapt management systems in line with CARE’s standard operating procedures, ensuring adherence to USDA policies and regulations, and relevant national policies and laws.
• Build partnerships among international-, national- and community-level stakeholders.
• Design and oversee an annual project cycle in accordance with USDA’s annual planning cycles. Ensure documentation and dissemination of findings, impact, innovations, and lessons learned, and utilize a collaborative and adaptive learning approach to the project cycle.
• Remain current with similar or related programs and best practices in-country and internationally, ensuring CARE staff apply these consistently.
• Lead in documentation and coordination of information dissemination activities that share project achievements and results with the aim of influencing decisions and policymakers.
• Oversee M&E function, including preparation of all required reports and deliverables.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in international development, education, agriculture, public health, economics, business or related field preferred.
• 10-12 years of relevant senior experience in international development as Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, or in a senior management role on projects of similar scope and scale.
• Technical experience in and understanding of school feeding programming, food security, education and child nutrition.
• Experience managing USDA or USAID cooperative agreements and/or contracts.
• Strong financial management, budgeting, and project operations/administrative oversight abilities.
• Experience recruiting, developing, and managing staff and teams.
• Demonstrated skills in building and maintaining relationships with host governments, donors, other donor-funded projects and stakeholders, local organizations, and partners.
• Fluency in English required (spoken and written).
• Strong oral and written communication skills; excellent demonstrated intercultural, interpersonal, and negotiation skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to PSHEA (Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Harassment, and Abuse).
• Demonstrated commitment to principles of Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion (DEBI).
• Strong experience overseeing M&E systems for USG-funded projects including Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) principles and approaches preferred.