Chief of Party

Opportunity International is seeking a Chief of Party (COP) for the anticipated USAID-funded FTF Inclusive Access to Finance Activity in Bangladesh. The purpose of the Activity is to incentivize financial institutions and non-traditional lenders to provide loans to agricultural MSMEs using blended finance. This Activity will target a range of priority populations and sectors, including women-owned agribusinesses, first-time borrowers, borrowers without immovable property or collateral, youth, ethnic minorities and indigenous populations, and climate-smart agriculture. USAID is also interested in potentially piloting rural finance initiatives to strengthen farmer resilience (e.g. crop insurance).

The COP will be responsible for overall leadership, operations, and financial management of the Activity, and is ultimately accountable for the delivery of results. The COP will oversee the implementation of activities, including of consortium partners, and work closely with USAID/ Bangladesh to ensure the quality and effectiveness of all Activity outputs and deliverables.

This position is based in Dhaka, Bangladesh and is contingent upon award funding and USAID approval of the candidate.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide overall technical, operational, and financial leadership of the Activity
• Serve as primary liaison with USAID/Bangladesh, the Government of Bangladesh and financial institutions, and other relevant project and sector stakeholders
• Ensure quality control and timeliness for reports, assessments, evaluations, and other programmatic deliverables
• Provide technical direction and oversight in the design, implementation, and monitoring of high-quality work plans, monitoring and evaluation plans, and budgets
• Oversee all project operations, staff, and sub awardees to ensure activities are on track, and are delivered on schedule and on budget
• Ensure adherence to USAID, project, corporate and Bangladeshi policies, and procedures governing all technical work – including cost, schedule, and quality parameters
• Work with the award’s contracting/agreement officer’s representative to address challenges and opportunities to maximize impact and scale, minimize costs, and maximize efficiency and sustainability to achieve targeted results
• Other related duties as assigned

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s degree in finance, business, agriculture, international development, or other relevant discipline
• At least 10 years of experience implementing finance, private sector development, agricultural commercialization or related activities, with experience in Bangladesh a plus
• At least 5 years of experience in a senior-level leadership position (e.g., Chief of Party, Country Director) managing donor-funded programs
• Experience managing USAID programming and strong familiarity with USG rules and regulations
• Knowledge of successful approaches for blended finance, banking, and/or microfinance for agribusiness or with underserved populations
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and collaborate with a broad range of public and private sector counterparts and other key stakeholders
• Ability to build and motivate diverse teams with proven leadership, interpersonal, and intercultural skills
• Excellent written and oral presentation skills in English. Bengali language skills a plus
• Strong analytical and computer skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and web-based research)
• An understanding of and a commitment to advancing the mission, vision and values of Opportunity International

ABOUT OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL

Opportunity International is a global non-profit that has been empowering people to work their way out of poverty for over 50 years. Last year, Opportunity provided 18.7 million families with innovative financial resources, training, and support to grow their small businesses and send their children to school. Opportunity and its partners released $2 billion in capital across 30 countries and helped fund 8,400 schools that reached 2 million children.

Learn more about our company by visiting our website: https://opportunity.org/