Project Director/Chief of Party, Washington DC Inclusive Development for Equity

CARE is dedicated to ending poverty and improving the lives of women, girls, and vulnerable populations around the world. We do this through meaningful partnerships with social justice movements, local civil society groups and broad networks of organizations focused on social inclusion. We are locally led, globally connected, and committed to advocating for the rights and inclusion of marginalized, under-represented populations around the world. We believe the inclusion of every individual, regardless of their identity, is essential in helping to transform societies and improve quality of life.

We seek a Project Director/Chief of Party to lead an anticipated USAID-funded inclusive development activity to engage with and support the priorities of marginalized and underrepresented groups in the development process globally. This includes accompanying local organizations in ongoing efforts to transform their societies to be more inclusive, equitable and responsive to the needs of marginalized communities across diverse geographies and sectors.

The USAID Sustainable Inclusive Development for Equity (SIDE) activity is expected to be a five-year program in the $50M range. The solicitation is expected to be released in April 2022.

The Director is accountable for the overall vision and leadership of the project and is responsible for delivering results. The Director will be the primary representative of the project and oversee staff and activity implementation while managing relationships with USAID Operating Units and Missions. The successful candidate should possess considerable experience managing programs, financial, and operations of USAID- or other international donor-funded projects.
This position is pending donor approval and funding.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead all aspects of project development and implementation, contributing to inclusive thought leadership within the industry and to transformative development.
• Build and maintain productive working relationships with USAID, project partners, and key stakeholders. Interact regularly with a diverse range of actors such as program staff,
  USAID staff, USAID Mission staff, civil society organizations, independent media
  organizations, private sector actors, other donors, and all program stakeholders and
  project participants.
• Oversee the completion of all technical requirements, including project results and deliverables, in accordance with the project work plan.
• Manage the project’s operational, financial, and administrative priorities; direct the planning and budgeting processes. Create or adapt management systems in line with CARE’s standard operating procedures, ensuring consistency with project needs.
• Design and oversee an annual project cycle in accordance with USAID’s annual planning cycles.
• With staff and partners, translate project goals and objectives into implementable strategies and plans. Oversee the preparation of quarterly and annual project activity reports, monitoring & evaluation reports, and other deliverables, as specified in the agreement. Report on the project’s targets.
• Guide team members to fulfill the project’s strategic goals and objectives.
• Recruit, lead and mentor senior staff, upholding CARE values and creating a collaborative, high-performing, and engaged team.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in public policy, international development, business, or other relevant field or a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and 5 additional years of relevant experience.
• Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible experience implementing complex projects in developing countries. Experience with grantmaking and donor-funded subgrantee capacity building required.
• Substantial relevant experience working with marginalized, vulnerable groups including: children in adversity, people with disabilities, indigenous peoples, LGBTQI+ populations, youth, and people with mental illness.
• Strong commitment to 1) proactively advocating for the rights and inclusion of marginalized, vulnerable groups 2) mainstreaming a feminist perspective as well as diversity and inclusion in development programming 3) applied, iterative and innovative technical learning.
• Familiarity with key USAID policies including the Youth in Development Policy, LGBT Vision for Action, Disability Policy Paper, Collaborating, Learning and Adapting framework, gender equality policies and guidelines, and other relevant guidance documents.
• USAID experience, serving as Project Director, Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party.
• Proven exceptional leadership in the design, management, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of similar-sized international donor-supported programs, with skills in strategic planning and thinking, management, supervision, and budgeting, and experience managing complex activities involving coordination with multiple program partner institutions.
• Demonstrated skills in building and maintaining relationships with host governments, donors, other donor-funded projects, and stakeholders, including private sector stakeholders, local organizations, and partners.
• Experience recruiting, developing, and managing diverse, multi-cultural staff and teams.
• Track record of strong commitment to sharing knowledge, documenting experiences, supporting creative initiatives, and sharing credit.
• Experience managing required programmatic and financial reporting and compliance requirements.
• Fluency in English.
• Ability to travel globally as required and as security and Covid-19 situations allow.