Country Director

Position description

The Latin American & Caribbean (LAC) Regional Business Unit seeks expressions of interest and recommendations for qualified Country Director candidates to represent the anticipated USAID/VOICE Activity in Ecuador, Brazil, and Suriname. The $10-15M VOICE Activity seeks to partner with Indigenous and Maroon communities in the Amazon to promote inclusive, sustainable, and community-driven development by supporting conservation-oriented bioeconomy models. VOICE will cover Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Suriname as core countries, but also potentially include Bolivia, Guyana, and Colombia as well. VOICE prioritizes environmental stewardship, social equity, and respect for Indigenous rights and cultures, while creating sustainable economic opportunities. VOICE also focuses on strengthening regional conservation efforts by protecting forests, promoting sustainable resource management, and enhancing local governance, ensuring the long-term ecological and economic health of the region.

Country Directors will:

• Identify and establish alliances and agreements with potential partners in their respective countries to carry out the implementation of VOICE’s activities
• Identify and incubate opportunities for Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and other alliances with partners from the private and public sectors to support conservation and enterprise development outcomes for Indigenous Conservation Enterprises in the Amazon Basin Participate in weekly, monthly planning and coordination sessions with the VOICE team and partners of USAID
• Oversee the implementation and coordination of in-country activities with stakeholders, USAID, donors, local partners, and Implementing Partners
• Supervise consultants, subcontractors and grantees and ensure that VOICE’s objectives, activities, budgets, and goals are executed and achieved
• Ensure high-quality impact, with special attention to gender equality and social inclusion and climate-smart and sustainable agriculture
• Monitor data collection on beneficiaries and the progress of activities against VOICE’s indicators
• Collect success stories, interviews with beneficiaries and partners, videos and photographs and relevant information for the communication and dissemination of the activities, results and impacts of the project in the country
• Support collaboration, learning and adaptation (CLA) activities, monitoring and evaluation duties in their respective countries based on the scope of activities being implemented in each
• Identify and share key information with the COP and DCOP such as feedback from the USAID bilateral mission, partners, and beneficiaries; country context information; among others, informing the project management for timely decision making
• Prepare progress reports and results and inputs for the development of project deliverables
• Comply with USAID and Chemonics regulations and processes, including, but not limited to administrative, environmental, gender, minority group participation issues
• Complete other functions assigned by the COP or DCOP to achieve the goals of the project

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in social sciences (economics, business administration, international relations, environmental science, or related field). Master’s degree preferred
• Minimum of 5-7 years of progressively responsible experience implementing donor-funded topics in topics related to climate change, conservation and biodiversity, bioeconomy enterprise development, Indigenous governance and rights, or related field; including at least two years in supervisory positions
• Experience in the design and implementation of initiatives connecting local markets and enterprises with private sector partners to develop sustainable, inclusive value chains that advance conservation and biodiversity outcomes
• Knowledge of implementation mechanisms in projects financed by USAID including subcontracts, grants, and short-term technical assistance
• Experience building alliances with partners from both the private and public sectors and Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations
• High level of attention to detail, analytical skills, and abilities to prioritize initiatives aimed at achieving expected results and impacts
• Knowledge and management of Microsoft Office and software to collaborate and hold virtual meetings
• Experience carrying out field work in rural and/or biodiversity areas and conducting social consultations with Indigenous Peoples, including obtaining Free, Prior, and Informed Consent
• Experience working independently and across regional geographies to achieve results
• Availability to travel to the interior of the respective country and carry out field activities
• Fluency in respective working languages of each required (e.g., Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch; working proficiency in English required (especially for report-writing); familiarity with Indigenous languages a plus
• Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity.

Application instructions

If you are interested in this opportunity, or know of someone who might be, please submit an EOI to [email protected] by  January 31st. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. No telephone inquiries, please. Chemonics will contact finalists.