Chief of Party

Job Title: Chief of Party – Global Competencies

Department: Overseas Operations

Band: D

Reports To: Head of Programs

Country/Location: Jerusalem/West Bank/Gaza (JWBG) Country Program, based in Ramallah or Jerusalem.

Deadline for Applications: March 26, 2018

NOTE: This position is contingent on funding as part of a competitive solicitation process.

Job Summary:

As Chief of Party you will provide leadership and overall management of the anticipated USAID-funded, 5-year Global Competencies project, which will work with Palestinian universities, technical colleges, and the private sector to introduce selected 21st century skills and global competencies into learning and teaching to make graduates more competitive in the local, regional, and global labor markets.  The project will also work on building capacity at selected higher education institutions to provide students with opportunities to enhance their employability, provide career guidance, and make them better prepared to engage in the labor market.  Your leadership, management and technical knowledge will ensure the delivery of high-quality programming and advance the position of CRS as a leading agency in the education and youth development sector. As a senior leader you will proactively manage security and mitigate risks.

Job Responsibilities:

• Lead the development, implementation and close-out of the project, including contributions to the thought leadership of the industry.
• Serve as the primary point of contact with the donor as well as Palestinian public, private and non-government stakeholders.
• Ensure the project is designed and implemented according to donor requirements and expectations in terms of quality and timely results, deliverables, and budget management as well as sustainability.
• Ensure the project follows CRS’ Project Management standards and adheres to CRS’ Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) policy and procedures, with strong coordination between program and operations leads.
• Effectively manage senior programming and operations talent. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching and mentoring. Strategically tailor individual performance and development plans and complete performance assessments for direct reports. Oversee the development of staffing plans and the recruitment process of senior staff.
• Manage and mitigate risk through monitoring national and regional issues that may impact staff and programming. Ensure all staff understand and adhere to CRS staff safety and security policies and plans, and ensure the updating of such plans.
• Promote, uphold and model a commitment to the efficient use of agency and donor resources. Ensure compliance with donor regulations, including financial tracking and oversight of partner budgets, finance, administration and reporting to the donor. Approve program expenditures, budget adjustments, and modification requests to the donor.
• Oversee the development of communication strategies and materials, complying with donor and CRS’ branding and marketing requirements and procedures.
• Coordinate relationships with Palestinian partner organizations, including organization of planning workshops and project review sessions. Contribute to coordination of other consortium member organizations in implementation of the project in line with CRS partnership principles.
• Create and maintain proper conditions for learning. Establish a safe environment for sharing of ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to deficiencies. Identify performance gaps and training opportunities for CRS and partner staff and ensure the design and delivery of high quality training and technical assistance.