Deputy Chief of Party - Powered by the People (PxP)

Position description

PartnersGlobal is seeking a Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) for the anticipated USAID Powered by the People (PxP) activity. This five-year $45M program is intended to provide direct and accessible support that addresses the needs, opportunities, and challenges identified by activists and other allied civic actors engaged in nonviolent collective action, strengthening the agency, resiliency, and efficacy of activists and people powered nonviolent social movements (NVSMs) that advance human rights, social justice, democracy, and inclusive development within a cohesive global social movement ecosystem.
 

The DCOP is responsible for supporting the Chief of Party (COP) to lead the overall delivery of the project, providing oversight for project implementation, and ensuring project deliverables are delivered on time, within budget, and with high technical quality. Other duties include supervising personnel, ensuring the project is aligned with PartnersGlobal strategic priorities, and ensuring the project operates with minimal financial, contractual, and reputational risk.

The ideal candidate brings deep experience administering USAID programs and has a strong command of grants management and compliance aspects of multi-year projects. They will serve a key role ensuring effective implementation of a strong and cohesive workplan that is developed through inclusive processes that bring in design contributions and include monitoring evaluation and learning feedback from consortium members and the movement leaders at the core of this project. The DCOP will also ensure that processes followed are fully adapted to reflect and embody an inclusive approach that gradually transfers greater ownership and roles to local partners and movement ecosystem support organizations across the globe throughout the program cycle.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Specific responsibilities of the DCOP include but are not limited to: 

• Support COP in the overall management of the program and provide critical knowledge and advice regarding issues of grantmaking rules and regulations, compliance, and accountability. 
• Provide prompt and strategic advice to COP/missions related to matters of information and questions related to PxP activities.
• Responsible for ensuring compliance with the USAID approved deliverable list for the Program, and support the development of strategies, planning, and implementation of activities, while ensuring cohesion among the technical components.
• Identify implementation challenges and bring in relevant stakeholders to troubleshoot challenges preemptively, when possible, to ensure smooth implementation of PxP.
• Lead structural systems and internal operational processes of PxP.
• Lead the development and implementation of work planning processes with support from Technical lead and Partnership Engagement lead.
• Oversee MERL team production of project monitoring and evaluation processes and tools, promoting an effective use of data and insights to achieve storytelling impact. Support MERL team efforts to ensure project adaptation and learning, across project partners.
• Support the COP in ensuring activities appropriately follow global and local requirements, particularly those linked to closing/shifting civic space and the impact on the regulatory environment, safety, and security of program counterparts.
• Coordinate with key personnel to prioritize activities within the approved workplan, put in place regular internal coordination meetings with staff, oversee proper HR management, and ensure dissemination of information to all staff as appropriate.
• In coordination with the project’s Finance teams, ensure program implementation follows PartnersGlobal’s policies/procedures and USAID rules and regulations, particularly with respect to procurement of goods and services, financial and grants management.
• Represent Partners with USAID, local and national governmental authorities, local CSOs, community organizations, private sector, and other stakeholders, as needed and when requested by COP.
• Other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum eight (8) years of experience, including as a DCOP, or project lead in another related technical area relevant to PxP including: non-violent social movements; closing civic space; human rights, democracy promotion, and grants oversight, amongst others. Non-project-based experience can be replaced with ten (10+) years of working within USAID and demonstrating competency to lead complex programs in all aspects of regulation and compliance quality control and delivery.
• Minimum five (5) years of experience in senior management or leadership positions.
• Demonstrated knowledge of USAID project management including USAID rules and regulation and reporting requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to implement projects with rigorous timelines and deliverables and to track program quality through donor approved monitoring and evaluation systems.
• Experience working and collaborating with diverse sets of stakeholders, such as local NGOs, government officials, donor representatives, local and international staff.
• Strong oral and written communication skills. 
• Fluency in written and spoken English, required.
• This position requires authorization to work in the United States. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• Masters’ degree preferred in non-violent movements, peace and conflict, democracy promotion, human rights or international development focused fields or another relevant field applicable to PxP objectives.
• Experience as an activist or supporting movements or movement builders.
• Experience overseeing projects with multiple Consortium members across time zones and geographies, preferred. 
• Fluency in additional languages including French, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu or Slavic languages a plus.

LEADERSHIP CORE COMPETENCIES

The ideal candidate should demonstrate leadership core competencies including but not limited to: 

• Accountability – Holds self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results. Determines objectives, sets priorities, and delegates work. Accepts responsibility for mistakes.
• Decisiveness – Makes well-informed, effective, and timely decisions, even when data are limited, or solutions produce unpopular consequences. Perceives the impact and implications of decisions.
• Problem Solving – Identifies and analyzes problems. Weighs relevance and accuracy of information. Generates and evaluates alternative solutions and makes recommendations.
• Flexibility – Is open to change and new information. Adapts rapidly to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles.
•  Constituency Credibility –Anticipates and meets the needs of both internal and external constituencies. Delivers high-quality products and services. Commits to continuous improvement.
• Conflict Management—Encourages creative tension and differences of opinions. Anticipates and takes steps to prevent counter-productive confrontations. Manages and resolves conflicts and disagreements in a constructive manner.
• Human Capital Management – Builds and manages workforce based on organizational goals, budget considerations, and staffing needs. Ensures employees are appropriately recruited, selected, appraised, and rewarded; takes action to address performance problems.

Application instructions

Please be sure to indicate you saw this position on Globaljobs.org