ABA ROLI Chief of Party (Country Director), Central Europe

Location: TBD (Prague, Czech Republic, Warsaw, Poland, Budapest, Hungary, or Sofia, Bulgaria)

American Bar Association-Rule of Law Initiative is looking for a Chief of Party (Country Director) who will be responsible for overall leadership of the forthcoming USAID-funded Central Europe (CE) Program. Ensures technical excellence of ABA ROLI’s activities in support of the justice sectors and civil society of Poland, Hungary, and Bulgaria (“target countries”). Provides oversight of program implementation and ensures quality of program deliverables. Responsible for managing all project staff and for financial oversight and stewardship. Represents ABA ROLI with government partners, civil society partners, USAID, and all relevant stakeholders working in rule of law and civil society space in the target countries. The Chief of Party (Country Director) reports to the Director of the Europe and Eurasia Division and may be based in Prague or one of the target countries. This position is for an anticipated project and is contingent upon award from USAID.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

• Develops, implements, monitors, evaluates, and enhances program priorities and ensures interventions are aligned with the overall mission, vision, and values of the ABA and ROLI and that they are responsive to local needs. Incorporates program learning into decision-making and strategic direction of the program.

• Represents ABA ROLI with USG and international donors located in the country, and provides updates on relevant political and legal developments in the countries, major progress for awarded programs, and impact through presenting tangible monitoring and evaluation data.

• Leads inception research ensuring research design and questions provide relevant and actionable information for program design.

• Provides technical expertise to the program relative to its goal of building the watchdog skills of civil society and social movements to enhance rule of law observance, combat corruption, and increase access to justice.

• Liaises with potential donors, embassies, and private foundations, and identifies new funding opportunities from USG and non-USG donors; drafts proposals responsive to the unique legal and political climate of each country in the portfolio.

• Leads the recruitment of program personnel and leads the recruitment of relevant ABA technical staff on the project.

• Creates, fosters, nurtures, and expands working relationships with host government representatives, local justice actors, host country legal leaders, other NGOs, and similarly situated entities to bolster and enhance the opportunity for achieving/exceeding ABA and ROLI plan/program objectives.

• Supports the development and use of monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) of program activities to inform technical strategy, integrates learning, and recommends adjustments to the components workplans.

• Responsible for ensuring compliance with ABA and donor policies, practices, procedures, and regulations. Accountable for adherence to and compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act [FCPA].

• Has financial responsibility in his/her home office (functions as approver of all expenditures and serves as signatory on bank accounts), responsible for financial controls, and contract/subaward for submission to final signatory. Ensures expenditures are in line with project objectives and consistent with ABA finance and compliance rules and regulations.

• Performs quality oversight of financial management in other offices within his/her portfolio (e.g. where a Deputy Country Director may serve as signatory/approver of financial documents), conducting periodic reviews of expenditures for accuracy and reasonableness.

• Works closely with the DC-based ABA ROLI Finance and Program team.

• Monitors the operational, political, and legal environment within the host countries and keeps senior management informed of environmental shifts that might positively/negatively impact operations.

• Creates and recommends operating and capital budget requirements for each country in the portfolio and manages and is accountable for adhering to the ultimately approved budget without degradation of service or mission accountabilities.

• Mentors and trains staff in strategic implementation of programs, overall program management, integration of monitoring and evaluation (MEL) data for decision making and reporting. Ensures all approved targets and components are effectively resourced to optimize attainment of the objectives.

• Provides leadership, coaching, counseling, development, and, where appropriate, applies discipline, to and through assigned employees. Hires and terminates local staff.

• As needed, trains project staff, partners, and external stakeholders on issues related to the program.

• Performs other related duties as required.

Basic Qualifications & Interests

• Possession of a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university and at least 10 years’ experience in program and/or development activities, one year of which must have been overseas; OR, possession of a Juris Doctorate from an ABA-accredited law school or foreign equivalent and at least seven years’ experience in program and/or development activities, one year of which must have been overseas.

• At least three years’ experience supervising a team which must have included providing performance feedback to direct reports.

Preferred Qualifications & Interests

• Master’s degree in the social sciences, public policy, law, international studies, community development, media and communications, cybersecurity, business, international development, or other equivalent professional degree. A bachelor’s degree with two (2) additional years of relevant experience beyond the minimum required years of work experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.

• Ten (10) years of related work experience in managing donor-supported programming in the country of focus in the relevant areas of democracy, human rights, and/or governance, with substantial experience relevant to activity objectives.

• Demonstrated experience working with and empowering local partners and traditionally marginalized groups.

• Demonstrated record of achieving results through sustainable efforts involving local and regional organizations and actors; innovative and experimental programmatic approaches; applied and iterative technical learning; flexible and adaptive programming; and the mainstreaming of safety, security, diversity, and inclusion considerations into technical and operational project management.

• Demonstrated experience of working with and connecting beneficiaries and partners in a variety of formats and locations and cross-regionally including online, in-person, inside and outside of the country.

• English proficiency is required.

• Strong oral and written communication skills

• Proficiency, if not fluency, in one or more of the host country’s official languages.

• Previous work experience in a not-for-profit, association, and/or NGO setting.

Physical Requirements

• Living outside of the United States in developing countries which lack standard amenities. Some locations’ conditions are sufficiently harsh enough to warrant hardship and/or danger pay.

• Extent of Travel Required in the Job As a normal course of business, this job will typically require travel up to 40% of the time.