Chief of Party Feed the Future Verapaces Activity Program

Responsible for providing strategic guidance, technical leadership and ensuring overall oversight and implementation of the anticipated program. The COP will be responsible for all program tasks/ activities and will represent the program within the FH Country Office, FH Global Service Center, USAID and counterparts.

This role is contingent on approval of a USAID grant, donor approval, and funding.

Proposal Summary

Feed the Future of the Agency for International Development of the United States of America (USAID) is planning to fund an activity in Las Verapaces which focuses on rural value chains in accordance with its global strategy to promote economic growth based on sustainable agriculture, strengthening the resilience of people and systems and strengthen strategies for the nutrition of women and children.

FH Culture

All we do, and how we do it, seeks to promote God’s beauty, goodness, and truth in a broken world. As such, we are defined by our ability to make people’s lives measurably better; our ability to deliver impact is the measure of our collective success. For we know that we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has already prepared in advance for us to do. At Food for the Hungry, we operate under a set of values called Heartbeat Values.

Principal Responsibilities

Program Leadership

• Provide vision and direction, strategic planning, staff motivation and overall leadership to the program.
• Coordinate activities for monitoring, evaluation, and reporting including drafting and reviewing quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports and managing donor- and organization-mandated evaluation processes.
• Lead development of the program’s annual activity plan and budget and ensure their timely performance (ensure timely and proper achievement of activities and budget, provide monthly variance analysis and initiate corrective action as needed).
• Ensure regular monitoring of activities and submit timely feedback to FH Country Director, FH headquarters, USAID, and other relevant partners.
• Oversee all communications and reporting to the donor and FH headquarters.
• Coordinate and guide programmatic, financial and administrative performance of all program sub-grantees and contracting agencies.
• Ensure that cross-cutting themes such as gender and sustainability are fully integrated into programming.
• Inform the development and contribute to the design of proposals that enhance or overlap with the DFSA.

Management and Administration

• Ensure appropriate coordination of all sub-awards or sub-contracts, including supporting management of these partners and ensuring reporting and compliance with USAID and FH policies and requirements.
• Ensure strong coordination/collaboration among consortium members through regular coordination meetings/program reviews, joint field visits and action planning.
• Routinely travel to the field programs to provide capacity support for extended periods of times as needed.
• Monitor and manage all financial and programmatic issues (including commodities) and ensure timely, accountable, and appropriate reporting and transactions to ensure successful performance, taking corrective action as necessary.
• Coordinate regular programmatic and financial progress reviews and lead budget harmonization processes.
• Ensure quality donor reporting submissions and donor and sub-grant compliance.
• Oversee operations and the team managing shipment of food commodities from the US and timely pre-positioning to all destinations as per the approved plan.
• Ensure proper warehouse management and food commodity handling in all the woredas are done based on USAID commodity management standards.

Representation and Coordination

• Serve as the primary liaison with USAID Mission, program partners, key local stakeholders, INGOs, and FH Country Office and headquarters, and maintain responsibility for appropriate communication and consultation.
• Actively engage in DFSA coordination working groups and meetings.
• Facilitate networking, negotiation, and other external actions for advancement of the program.
• Organize learning and sharing opportunities between project and external stakeholders on a regular basis.
• Promote program results and organizational interests in national program and policy forums.

Staff management, development, and security

• Oversee the hiring, orientation, and training of key staff to build a technically strong, well supported, motivated team.
• Identify and facilitate opportunities for staff professional development by providing adequate mentoring, clear orientation, feedback and learning opportunities.
• Prepare employee job descriptions, performance plans and performance appraisals for project staff.
• Ensure appropriate duty of care provisions are in place for all staff and visitors, with particular attention paid to security concerns.
• Provide leadership and people management expertise in managing change initiatives within country, bridging different ways of working and diverse working cultures within the teams.
• Keep abreast of environmental, economic, social, political, and religious conditions in the field, and report on such conditions as needed.

Other duties as assigned

Job Level Specifications

• Vibrant personal relationship with Jesus Christ and Christian commitment to serving the poor and in full agreement with FH’s Christian foundation and beliefs as expressed in The Heartbeat: our Values, Vision, and Purpose.
• Certified in Project Management level one for Development Organizations.
• Demonstrated knowledge and familiarity with latest USAID rules and regulations
• Advanced level excel user.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a collaborative management style.
• Demonstrated experience in management of market-led economic development

projects and in management of large inter-disciplinary teams.

• Demonstrated problem solving skills, collaboration experience, creativity and
• willingness to innovate.
• Demonstrated management skills and history of productive involvement with a wide range and levels of organizations (government, private sector, NGOs, research institutions).
• Strong networking and representation skills.
• Strong written English skills as reporting will be compiled in English.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently to project sites, approximately 50% of the year.
• Related experience in managing grants from major donors such as USAID, CIDA, UN, EU.
• Commitment to work with the poor as demonstrated by past positions.
• Medical fitness to live and travel in rural and urban areas with extreme conditions and limited medical support.
• Ability to travel up to 25% of time per year within Guatemala, and overseas (if needed).

Experience

• +10 years of relevant work experience out of which at least five years of experience working as a Chief of Party/Deputy Chief of Party or in another senior position at USAID funded programs related to agriculture, rural development, agribusiness, or any other related activity.

Education/Certifications

• Master’s degree in agriculture, agricultural economics, forestry, natural resources management, and other related rural development fields.
• Knowledge of USAID award policies is highly desirable.

Language

Proficiency in spoken and written Spanish and English; ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or government regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

Safeguarding Policy

FH strives to provide an environment free from sexual exploitation and abuse and harassment in all places where relief and development programs are implemented. FH holds a zero-tolerance policy against sexual exploitation and abuse and harassment. FH expects its employees to maintain high ethical standards, protect organizational integrity and reputation, and ensure that FH work is carried out in honest and fair methods, in alignment with the Heartbeat Values, safeguarding, and associated policies. Violations to stated policies will be subject to corrective action up to and including termination of employment.

An application and resume through our online system is required. Click here to access our system.