Job vacancy Chief of Party - USAID/West Africa ASSESS Project

USAID/West Africa Analytical Support Services and Evaluations for Sustainable Systems in Agriculture, Environment and Trade (ASSESS) project is seeking candidates for Chief of Party (COP). The project is based in Accra Ghana and covers West Africa countries receiving funding from United States Agency for International Development, West Africa Regional Economic Growth Office (USAID/WA/REGO). 

The ASSESS project provides program evaluations and research, monitoring, knowledge and information management (including learning events), and other support services to USAID/WA/REGO. The project is implemented by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in partnership with The University of Rhode Island (URI), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and other partner Universities in the U.S. and West Africa.

The COP is a local hire recruitment (i.e., recruited in Ghana and based in Ghana). Any nationality is eligible to apply under these conditions if the candidate has, or can obtain, legal status to work in Ghana. ASSESS project is an equal opportunity employer committed to the principles of affirmative action.

Key COP Responsibilities

• Demonstrated ability to act as primary in-country liaison for the project with USAID/REGO using a highly responsive service-oriented approach to understanding REGO needs and providing high quality, timely outcomes that fully achieve identified objectives and add value.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain regular and open lines of communication with the USAID/REGO ASSESS AOR, REGO Team Leader and REGO Technical team leads.
• Minimum of a Master’s degree related to management and administration or related to technical fields in development programs in agriculture, trade, the environment or monitoring and evaluation.
• An experienced leader and manager with a minimum of 7 years professional experience in management and administration or in agriculture, trade, the environment or monitoring and evaluation, preferably in West Africa. Experience must include supervising staff, human resources management, procurement, budgeting and financial management, management of contracted technical experts and consultants.
• Experience preparing terms of reference and budgets for consultant contracts and supervising contractor performance and technical and financial reporting.
• Significant experience managing U.S. Government and international donor funded projects and programs, including compliance with U.S. Government rules, regulations and procedures.
• Demonstrated high level competency in writing and editing of professional technical reports and other written products in English.
• Demonstrated experience in leading inter-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams and managing several major activities simultaneously. Highly organized and able to deliver quality work on tight deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written. Demonstrated representational skills. Ability to maintain favorable public relations.
• Ability to travel to any of the 21 countries of West and Central Africa covered by the project in a timely manner.
• Highly computer and internet literate.
• The following additional qualifications are preferred, but not required: 1) French fluency (spoken and written); 2) West Africa regional professional experience; 3) Experience in Monitoring and Evaluation; 4) Experience working with Universities; and, 5) Previous experience heading and managing an office.
• Education: Master’s Degree