Chief of Party at Helen Keller International

Helen Keller International (Helen Keller) – Established in 1915, is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to saving the sight and lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. Headquartered in New York City, Helen Keller currently conducts programs in 21 countries in Africa and Asia, as well as in the United States.

Helen Keller implements integrated package of cost-effective interventions that are proven to improve maternal and child nutrition. Helen Keller supports policies and programs on food fortification, vitamin A supplementation, infant and young child feeding, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, community-based management of acute malnutrition and prevention and treatment of neglected tropical diseases. At the core of Helen Keller’s programs is advocacy and social behavior change communication to various stakeholders. Helen Keller also undertakes cutting-edge research to influence policy decisions and inform program quality.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Chief of Party

Location: Abuja

Background

Helen Keller Intl seeks a Chief of Party for a potential project in Nigeria. The project will implement a multi-sectoral approach which draws together global nutrition experience to design, implement and evaluate programs that address the root causes of malnutrition.
Committed to using a systems approach, the project will sustain positive outcomes by building local capacity, supporting behavior change and strengthening the enabling environment to save lives, improve health, build resilience, increase economic productivity and advance development.
The overall purpose is to provide technical support to the Government of Nigeria, and other nutrition stakeholders and generate evidence to enhance nutrition programming toward achieving the overall goal of improving nutrition for a healthy, productive, and resilient Nigeria.
The project will provide technical assistance, and in some cases will undertake direct implementation at the community and/or state level, to enhance nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programming to improve diets, nutritional status, and resilience of vulnerable populations, especially women, adolescents, and children aged 0-59 months.

Scope of the Position

The Chief of Party will provide technical leadership and program management for the project in Nigeria. The position will work under the direct line management of the project’s Director of Country Programs, and is expected to work closely and coordinate with Helen Keller colleagues including the Country Director, Vice President, Nutrition, and any other staff assigned to support the project. Helen Keller has a matrixed reporting structure. Regular communication and a spirit of teamwork among colleagues, both hierarchically and laterally are essential to make this structure thrive.
This position is based in Abuja, with frequent travel to the project states likely to be located in the northern part of Nigeria (up to 30%).

Specific Responsibilities
The Chief of Party will be responsible for the following, under each area of accountability:

Lead the start-up of the project in Nigeria:

Establish relationships with relevant government authorities and partner agencies for project implementation.

Programmatic:

Develop, guide and oversee all the technical, managerial and operational aspects of the project.
Lead and oversee the overall planning, coordination and implementation of project activities, including strategic planning, technical direction, work plan and budget development.
Lead and oversee the results reporting to monitor the project’s performance, including preparing quarterly, annual and otherad hocreporting as well as other materials to the donor and home office.
Ensure that activities are implemented in compliance with the requirements of the donor.

Management:

Establish and maintain strong relationships with government officials, partner agencies and donors at home office, and other consortium partners in-country.
Coordinate and liaise regularly with home office, including participation in regular coordination meetings to move forward activities to achieve the project objectives.
Guide implementation teams to achieve timely, high-quality project deliverables and ensure they meet project objectives and donor requirements.
Oversee and manage staff and technical consultants.
Ensure project performance to meet results and deliverables in the work plan and take any corrective actions as necessary.
Build a high-performance team and create a supportive working environment to deliver expected results. Delegate authority, consult with, and guide staff to achieve goals and contribute to an atmosphere conducive to professional growth and development.
Ensure accountability to beneficiaries, partners, colleagues and donors by providing ongoing feedback in a context of mutual respect.
Model collaboration for your matrixed team: effectively consult and inform colleagues to maximize efficiency and knowledge sharing and integrate guidance and direction from subject matter experts in your office and elsewhere in the global organization to maximize performance.
Manage subcontracts/agreements with local partners, including ensuring quality and timeliness of deliverables.
Communicate program results, through reports, policy briefs, national workshops, etc.
Travel domestically and internationally as needed.

Representation and Coordination within the Organization and Other Stakeholders:

Represent the project in national and international forums, as needed.
Develop and maintain a detailed understanding of the health and nutrition issues in Nigeria including national policy development, key players in government, INGOs, UN and national/regional and local civil society organizations.
Maintain active and cooperative relationships with all key stakeholders, including donor, government officials, consortium partners, other implementing agencies, and related institutions.
Ensure the dissemination of information about project achievements and lessons learned.

Other:

Ensure that the project’s Gender Equality Strategy is understood and incorporated into activities as appropriate.

Qualifications
Education:

Master’s Degree in Nutrition, Public Health, Social Sciences, International Development, or a related field; plus

Experience:

Over 10 years of professional experience working leading complex programs, preferably with direct experience in Nigeria; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Demonstrated experience working and/or collaborating with government ministries and other development partners in multi-sectoral nutrition programming.
Substantial institutional and staff expertise in implementing complex capacity building programs, in resource-constrained environments.
Strong experience and demonstrated success in coordinating activities with multiple stakeholders to optimize use of limited resources, including development of joint work plans.
Demonstrated success across the whole range of project management: strategic program planning; work planning and budgeting; financial, administrative, contractual management and oversight; relationship management with multiple clients; oversight of program monitoring and evaluation; and documentation of results for US Government-funded programs.
Excellent capacity building, team building/management, and coordination skills. An ability to delegate responsibilities effectively and coach and mentor staff from different cultures.
Ability to respond rapidly to shifting implementation scenarios. An ability to work in challenging and changing environments, and to see through challenges to find solutions; an ability to maintain balance when under stress.
Demonstrable respect for all persons regardless of religion, ethnicity, class or gender, with a high comfort level working in a diverse environment with a demonstrated commitment to high professional ethical standards.
Experience working effectively in partnership with staff, collaborating organizations, international donors and agencies, U.S. Government agencies, host country governments and ministries and other relevant stakeholders.
Working knowledge of Microsoft software packages: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook.
Excellent English language skills, both written and spoken with strong presentation skills. Ability to prepare and disseminate project findings, success stories, and other documents effectively.
Willingness and ability to undertake travel outside Abuja (up to 30%).

Required Competencies:

Superior leadership, management and communication skills to lead a multi-faceted nutrition project. This includes professional experience interacting with US Government agencies, host country governments and other relevant stakeholders.
Strong interpersonal skills and experience working effectively in teams and cross-cultural settings.
Excellent time management and personal organization skills.
Ability to respond rapidly to shifting implementation scenarios.
Comfortable working in a matrixed, integrated work environment.
Confident giving and receiving feedback in a direct, professional manner.
Capacity to direct multiple long and short-term activities simultaneously with minimal supervision.
Ability to work effectively with local government and NGO stakeholders.
Skilled in fostering new and effective partnerships facilitating meetings, and effectively participating in technical working groups.
Ability to develop and apply monitoring and evaluation plans to determine activity results and monitor impact.
Knowledge of USAID regulations, policies, strategies, and program priorities.