CHIEF OF PARTY

Position Title: Chief of Party

Location: Monrovia, Liberia

Reports to: Liberia Team Leader

Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP) is recruiting for an anticipated USAID-funded bilateral community health award that aims to deliver quality health services at the community level through community health cadres and their supporting systems.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

The Chief of Party (COP) will be responsible for setting the vision and strategic direction, technical leadership, and financial management of the project. They are the primary communication channel for reporting and for cultivating relationships with USAID/Liberia Mission, the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ministry of Agriculture, project and implementing partners, community structures and other partners and stakeholders. They will be responsible for the financial oversight of US government funds, ensuring compliance with USAID and Johns Hopkins University (JHU) processes and regulations. They will have representational responsibility for outreach and promotion of the project, with a solid professional reputation, interpersonal skills, and professional relationships to fulfill project requirements. The COP will oversee all project implementation, project communications, monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL), and all financial and programmatic reporting activities. This is a Key Personnel role approved by USAID.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

• Work with the USAID Agreement Officer’s Representative (AOR) Team, the project Senior Management Team, CCP leadership, and other stakeholders to set the project vision and strategy.
• Lead the continuing development and implementation of the project.
• Assure that CCP and the project team meet commitments to USAID for all project deliverables, outputs, and other related activities.
• Function as the chief liaison and representative for the project at all levels to USAID, MOH, local civil society organizations, and other partners and stakeholders.
• Cultivate open and collaborative management relationships with USAID.
• Leverage additional resources and funds through collaboration with multiple stakeholders.
• Maintain efficient communication with the Baltimore-based program and research teams.

Program Management

• Work with the Director of Finance on budget development, tracking, and make all final resource allocation decisions.
• Ensure adherence to JHU, CCP, and donor rules, regulations, and policies.
• Address award-related issues and ensure that all Activity-procured materials and equipment are safeguarded and used responsibly.
• Oversee overall project staffing, roles and responsibilities, and level of effort.
• Put in place tools, processes, and structures to ensure excellence in programs, products, and deliverables.
• Ensure project meets deliverables and targets in a timely manner, and that they are of high quality and evidence based.

People Management

• Design and manage effective team structure to meet program goals.
• Facilitate and model frequent, open, ongoing communication with program team members in all locations (in-country, at headquarters, and internationally).
• Supervise, coach, and mentor staff. This may include:
  • Orient and train new staff members.
  • Conduct regular (at least quarterly) check-ins and annual performance reviews with all supervisees.
  • Identify and recommend appropriate professional development opportunities for supervisees.
  • Provide coaching and mentoring to promote continued growth and improvement among supervisees and other staff.
• Lead and build staff capacity in technical work, including training and curriculum development, strategies, toolkits, communication materials, scripts, job aides, and needs assessments, as well as model and promote capacity-building practices among staff and partners and demonstrate integrity, responsiveness, and other values central to CCP’s mission.
• Provide information to others about their quality of work. This includes raising concerns about errors, omission, and poor-quality products to the staff member responsible for that work and requesting revision of work that is not high quality.
• Ensure project compliance with all JHU policies and local employment laws.

Technical Work

• Oversee high-level strategy design and implementation, including generating and envisioning new activities, ideas, frameworks, and strategies that further high-level goals.
• Oversee in-country technical activities, including trainings, workshops and program support.
• Use, develop, and model tools, processes, best practices, and colleague review to ensure all products and documents are of the highest quality possible.
• Support the MERL/KM Advisor, in collaboration with CCP’s Research and Evaluation Unit, to strategically plan for MERL and KM activities.
• Demonstrate technical expertise in relevant technical areas (e.g., community health, health system strengthening, capacity strengthening, knowledge management, other health topics, etc.) and in strengthening the capacity in others to take on leadership roles.
• Stay abreast of trends and align project strategies with those current trends and the priorities of government stakeholders, implementing partners, and the donor.
• Ensure activity integrity technically, administratively, and financially.
• Demonstrate high level technical communication, including writing reports, creating and giving presentations, and facilitating trainings or group discussions.
• Ensure excellence in programs, products, and deliverables to meet program goals.

Professional and Organizational Growth

• Lead strategic partnership development and donor cultivation.
• Contribute to global technical knowledge.
• Represent the project, CCP, and JHU at relevant external meetings and events. This may include delivering technical presentations, networking, relationship building, and initiating and following through with opportunities for collaboration.
• Engage and collaborate with other programs and staff across CCP.
• Recognize and address factors that might strategically impact a program or CCP and lead implementation of solutions.
• Proactively seek opportunities to expand leadership and management skills.
• Request or initiate quarterly check-in meetings with supervisor to assess performance, strengths and areas for improvement in your current position and establish professional goals.
• Identify opportunities for bringing new skills into CCP, including attending JHU courses and seminars, conferences, and external trainings.

Minimum Qualifications (required)

• Master’s degree in public health, social sciences, international development, or other related fields.
• At least ten (10) years of senior level management experience in the design, implementation, and management of programs of similar size, complexity and setting.
• At least seven (7) years of senior level managerial and community health technical experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated leadership skills and experience in building and maintaining productive working relationships and leading in the strategic vision of large-scale projects.
• Proven record of building teams and fostering collaboration to achieve program goals, meet program milestones, and produce quality program results.
• Experience working in Liberia, including excellent knowledge of the various counties and regions, and national issues impacting community health services and community cadres.
• Demonstrated understanding of USAID priorities.
• Knowledge of U.S. Government (USG) health initiatives and related reporting requirements and funding parameters.
• Ability to work well with others.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to work independently in a high profile, fast-paced and multi tasked environment.
• Exceptional communication skills in written and spoken English.

Preferred Qualification

• Liberian citizenship.
• Prior experience as USAID Chief of Party or Deputy Chief of Party.
• Experience in West Africa.

Other Requirements

• May require up to 25% travel in Liberia, and internationally, as needed.
• Collaborate with US-based team on a routine basis.
• Excellent past performance references.
• Other duties may be assigned.

How to Apply

All candidates are encouraged to submit e-mail applications with copies of their current CV, cover letter and three professional referees. Please indicate which position you are applying for in the subject line of the email.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and must be received no later than 11:59 PM Liberia local time on September 20, 2024, at ccpliberia-hr@jh.edu

Please note: This position is contingent upon securing award and USAID approval of key personnel (if applicable).