Project Director (COP), USAID Europe and Eurasia Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Decision Support (MELDS)

Position Description 

EnCompass seeks Project Director candidates for an anticipated five-year United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Decision Support (MELDS) support activity to be based in the Washington, D.C. area. 

MELDS will provide USAID’s Bureau for Europe and Eurasia (E&E) with strategic and technical support to improve performance management and advance Mission learning. The project will provide comprehensive MEL services, including capacity strengthening and technical support, to USAID/E&E, local organizations, implementing partners, and potentially local government counterparts.  

In addition to providing overall leadership, management, and technical direction, the Project Director will have experience working in monitoring, evaluation, and learning, including management of large and medium-sized project evaluations and impact evaluations in the Europe and Eurasia region. The candidate will also have experience in organizational development, strategic decision-making, quality control, and project learning, preferably in the USAID context and with Collaboration, Learning and Adapting (CLA) practices.  

We are looking for someone who can facilitate learning and build relationships, with high political acumen and strong leadership and management skills. They must be an inclusive leader, who can navigate change with flexibility and emotional resilience. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience focusing on results and impact, with strong strategic vision and an understanding of systems approaches to programming. They will understand how to foster a culture of continuous improvement and learning and will maintain high self-awareness and personal improvement skills. 

The position will be full-time and based in the Washington, D.C. area; travel to the region is expected.   

Position Duties and Responsibilities 

The Project Director will lead the Activity, providing technical guidance to and supervising both international and national staff and consultants. The Project Director will be the primary point of contact with USAID staff, including the Contracting Officer and Contracting Officer’s Representation (CO/COR).   

Essential functions: 

Administration/Management:  

• Serve as the main point of contact for the Activity, providing vision, direction, technical leadership, and management for the contract and subcontractors, including ensuring financial and contract requirements are met   

• Establish and maintain highly collaborative working relationships with key USAID stakeholders in Washington as well as with relevant in-country client stakeholders and partners  

• Receive requests for Activity tasks and facilitate the development of responses, including supporting the identification of and securing task specific teams and budgets  

• Ensure that all activities are undertaken in full compliance with EnCompass’ standard operating procedures, USAID policies and regulations, and national policies and laws 

• Ensure documentation and dissemination of findings, impact, innovations, and lessons learned 

• Ensure optimal use of human, financial, and physical resources to successfully meet Activity milestones, objectives, deliverables and targets  

Technical: 

• Responsible for the overall technical direction of the Activity, ensuring technical quality and timeliness of all deliverables and ensuring team members have the experience, capacities and resources needed to implement all requested task scopes of work   

• Promote sustainability of project activities with effective networking, linkages to other programs, capacity building of project staff, and institutional strengthening  

Other:  

• Engage fully as a member of the EnCompass staff team, including participating in staff meetings and other EnCompass events, and providing administrative support to other team members as needed 

• Other duties as assigned 

Position Requirements 

Qualifications  

Academic Qualifications 

• A Master’s Degree and 12 years’ experience or PhD with 10 years’ experience in a social science, economics, policy, statistics, business administration, development studies, international relations, or a related field 

Experience and Skills 

• Minimum of ten (10) years of relevant management experience of monitoring and evaluation activities and projects, with significant experience managing large and medium-sized project evaluations and impact evaluations in developing countries, with focus in Europe and Eurasia required 

• Minimum of five (5) years of supervisory experience of staff required   

• Demonstrated experience managing complex relationships with a variety of stakeholders, including host country governments and experience mentoring staff and working with international and national consultants and staff required 

• Demonstrated leadership, strategic thinking/planning, adaptive management, and effective communication and presentation skills required   

• Significant experience with evaluation standards and practices required; strong familiarity with the USAID Evaluation Policy and CLA practices preferred  

• Knowledge and application of innovative data collection methods and GIS services preferred   

• Experience building monitoring, evaluation, and learning capacities of USAID staff, implementing partners, and government counterparts preferred  

• Working knowledge of and experience with USG-funded program management, policies, regulations and procedures required  

• Familiarity with and prior experience supporting USAID/E&E Bureau initiatives and activities  preferred 

• Fluency in English required 

• Ability to travel within the E&E region, as necessary, required 

How to Apply 

Please submit CV and cover letter, and complete the application

EnCompass LLC is a progressive Equal Opportunity Employer. We promote, celebrate, and support a diverse and inclusive organizational culture and workforce. We are committed to providing all of our employees with an environment free from discrimination and harassment, where all are treated with dignity and respect. We do not tolerate, and explicitly prohibit, discrimination or harassment of any kind, at any time, in all aspects of employment. This includes recruitment, hiring, promotions, disciplinary measures, terminations, compensation, benefits, social and recreational programs, and training. EnCompass also does not tolerate retaliation against individuals who report discrimination or harassment. Our continuing commitment to the principle of Equal Opportunity Employment for all means all employment decisions are based only on the job requirements, the candidate’s qualifications, and the needs of EnCompass as a business—not on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, belief, sex (including pregnancy and related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability status, veteran status, genetic information, HIV status, family/marital/parental status, or any other status protected by the laws and regulations in the jurisdictions where we work. 

For US based positions: The employer will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. 

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required of personnel so classified. 

The incumbent must be able to work in a fast-paced environment with demonstrated ability to juggle and prioritize multiple, competing tasks and demands and to seek supervisory assistance as appropriate.