Deputy Chief of Party/Senior Technical Advisor job at DAI | Apply Now

Tasks

In close coordination with the COP, Director of Operations and Finance, MEL Director, and Senior Program Manager, duties and responsibilities of the DCOP/Senior Technical Advisor will include, but not be limited to, the following:

Project Planning and Coordination:

• Provide technical leadership and facilitate the development of Annual Workplans, including assisting with organizing and implementing workshops, which will allow for broad involvement of project staff;

• Participate in regular meetings of the Sr. Management (i.e. MEL Director, Objective Leads and other senior staff) to review project progress, implementation issues and refine strategies, approaches and activities to respond to identified challenges and opportunities;

• Foster a flexible and collaborative environment for the project through monthly meetings, special workshops, internal technical exchanges, etc.) at the national, regional, and local level that promote exchange among technical, implementation, and administrative staff that allows for consistent, compliant, and integrated program design and development across all work areas and sectors;

• Collaborate closely with the Operations and Finance teams to ensure logistical and financial planning for technical activities is timely and complete; and the annual work plan is costed with regular joint reviews.

• Support the Sr. Management team in ensuring effective representation with GOU, non-governmental partners, private sector partners, donor agencies and other stakeholders, including through the coordination of high-level events involving USAID, GOU and/or other partners.

• Support collaborative communication channels with USAID, line ministries including Ministry of Water and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of  Education and Sports, Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development, Ministry of Health, national and international stakeholders.

• Assist Technical Leads, Specialists, consultants, and advisors in coordinating with regional offices, ensuring that they have adequate communications and support for effective project implementation.

• Support the COP and MEL Director in coordination with the third-party contractor responsible for the impact evaluations of WFSA.

Technical Quality and Innovation

• Grounded in the four given approaches - market systems, graduation, climate smart services (including participatory design), and institutional strengthening - and drawing on the deep cross-cutting technical expertise within the WFSA team, stimulate creativity and innovative program design and execution by exposing staff and partners to international best practices and adapting these to the local context.

• Ensure coordination and collaboration between Technical Leads, Specialists, consultants, and subcontractors with regional teams, ensuring that workplan activities targeting up and downstream actors are aligned and contribute to project goals and indicators.

• Contribute to and supervise technical staff to draft and complete high quality and timely contractual reporting deliverables (such as weekly updates, quarterly reports, annual reports, success stories, and other technical communications and knowledge management content.)

• Support senior management in establishing joint planning sessions and workshops to enhance market systems facilitation, institutional strengthening, climate resilient services, and the graduation approach.

• Ensure integration of cross-cutting themes into technical and operational activities.

• Ensure project activities align with national GOU priorities and WFS contribution is well documented, and relevant lessons learned are applied and adapted in implementation using the CLA approach.

• Contribute to MEL activities such as data gathering, learning studies, pause and reflect sessions, listening sessions, and other methodologies for measuring success against project goals and indicators.

• In coordination with the grants team, identify and advise on technical priorities and guidelines to create a flexible, responsive, and robust GUC program.

 Project Management and Administration

• Support development of Scopes of Works for LTTA, STTA, and field activities, including budgets where required.

• Evaluate project staff performance, provide mentorship and coaching when needed, and recommend personnel actions for long-term staff.

• Assist in the oversight of programs that support project compliance with USAID and GOU reporting requirements, ensuring accuracy, comprehensiveness, and timeliness of such reports.

• Assist relevant staff to ensure compliance with special requirements such as those set forth in the Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP), Act-PERSUAP, Grants and Procurement manuals, Ethics, and other DAI policies such as anti-discrimination, etc.

• Serve as Acting Chief of Party, when required.

• Any other duties as assigned by the COP or her/his designee.