Deputy Chief of Party-Operations Sudan Transition Program at Chemonics International

Job Description

At Chemonics, we believe our mission of helping people live healthier, more productive, and more independent lives is driven by our commitment to service-service to our mission, to our beneficiaries, to our clients, and to our staff. From our founding in , we have worked in more than countries to help our clients, partners, and beneficiaries face difficult challenges, from political instability to limited healthcare to a lack of market infrastructure. We have helped them overcome those challenges by working together to find and implement innovative projects that achieve development impact. We are entirely employee-owned, giving us both the freedom and the responsibility to pursue our mission with single-minded focus. Holding ourselves to the highest quality standards, we are also committed to living our values of caring, excellence, innovation, integrity, and opportunity to implement efficient and effective programs that build a better future for those we serve.

Summary

Chemonics seeks a Deputy Chief of Party-Operations for the Sudan Transition Program. The DCOP-Operations will work in close coordination with the chief of party and senior program staff to manage the day-to-day operations and administration of the program, including security and risk management, finance, operational procurement, operational systems, and logistics. The DCOP-Operations will supervise the program’s operations, security, human resources, IT, finance and administration, and logistics components and staff. Responsibilities will include management of these systems for 3-5 offices across 2-3 countries, as multiple staff are temporarily working remotely from outside of the country. The COP, DCOP-Programs, and DCOP-Operations comprise the core management team, responsible for working together with OTI in country leadership to lead one of OTI’s largest and most complex projects. Initially, the assignment is expected to be based in Nairobi, Kenya. However, the DCOP-O is expected to conduct short-term visits to Sudan, once security and operational conditions are permissive. Also, the successful candidate must maintain readiness to eventually move to Sudan permanently, if security conditions permit.

Responsibilities include:

Oversee all program operations across multiple offices including but not limited to administration, security and risk management, logistics, operational procurement, IT and information security, operations budgeting, finance, human resources, and asset management. Serve as a member of the project’s senior management (along with the COP and DCOP-Programs), responsible for overall project management, cost control, resource management, effective communication across a large team, staff care and professional development, responsive programming, risk mitigation, and one-team collaboration with USAID/OTI staff in country. In collaboration with the senior management, establish and maintain flexible and robust systems for remote management of project operations, finance, human resources, communications, and programming. Oversee project security and risk management, including contingency planning, safety and security of international staff and Sudanese staff, security of project offices and residences, and mitigation of reputational risks and digital security threats. Supervises security manager and officer. Supports DCOP-Programs, the COP, and program staff with risk mitigation of high profile program activities. Ensure that program operations are in accordance with USAID regulations and procedures, ensuring that all operations procurement processes enable fair and transparent procurement. Ensure that the most reasonable, fair, expeditious, and appropriate procurement choices are made pursuant to the Chemonics Field Procurement Guide. Supervise the program’s field presence across 3-5 offices, including the project’s facilities such as office space, equipment, and project vehicles. Supervise the daily financial operations of the program, which include cash flow management, overall operational budget management, financial reporting, banking operations across 3 countries, and daily monitoring of obligations, budgets, and expenditures in consultation with COP, DCOP Programs, and home office director. Ensure continuous liquidity for the project. Maintain flexible and redundant mechanisms for paying grantees and vendors, and work with program staff to ensure timely payments for activities. Ensure personnel and HR, operations procurement, finance, security, IT, and logistics files and documentation are compliant, complete, and maintained as applicable in the relevant filing structure/system. Oversee all human resource issues and support the COP and DCOP-Programs on overall staff supervision and management. The DCOP-O must also cultivate a culture of professional development and staff advancement and ensure that the systems and tools are in place to support professional growth. The successful DCOP-O will maintain a strong focus on staff care. Coordinate with the Chemonics’ Corporate Office on all compliance issues, seeking legal and policy guidance on sanctions and other applicable restrictions.

Qualifications:

A minimum of six years of experience working on donor-funded projects in a related role and with demonstrated supervisory experience. Minimum of two years field experience on OTI or similar project, including supervising experience leading and mentoring host-country teams. Experience working in developing countries is required—preferably complex, high-speed, and challenging field operations. Experience with a donor, contractor/IP, or international NGO managing an office is required. The candidate should be fluent in USAID policies and procedures in regard to human resources, financial management, financial reporting, and operations procurement processes, systems, and grants management. Experience with remote management of project operations and platforms and/or managing project platforms across multiple countries is high desired. It is highly desired, but not required, that the candidate have experience with grants or small grants under contract programs and preferably cash grants to local organizations. Demonstrated experience leading donor-funded efforts in complex and politically sensitive transition or stabilization contexts, with a preference for Sudan, the Middle East and North Africa, and/or East Africa / Horn of Africa. Fluency in written and oral English is required. Fluency or demonstrated working proficiency in Arabic is highly desired, but not required.