Chief of Party, Sudan

Pact is an international nonprofit that works in nearly 40 countries building solutions for human development that are evidence-based, data-driven and owned by the communities we serve. Founded in 1971, Pact works with partners to build resilience, improve accountability, and strengthen knowledge and skills for sustainable social impact.

Department

Programs - Pact strives for a world where all people are heard, capable, and vibrant. The Programs Team helps realize this objective by bridging program management, technical support, and business development, enabling Pact to achieve its global strategy. We ensure program excellence through continuous learning, monitoring and evaluation and provide organizational and industry-wide thought leadership by leveraging a complementary set of cross-functional, multi-disciplinary skills, expertise, and experiences. The Programs team: influences progressive change through the development and implementation of global and regional strategies and business plans; supports advancement of innovative solutions; pursues new business opportunities; and drives effective internal and external engagement to maximize Pact’s impact across the globe. Across all aspects of its role, the Programs Department adheres to and promotes a culture of inclusion, accountability, and respect.

Position Overview

Pact seeks an experienced Chief of Party (COP) for the USAID Strengthening Youth and Women’s Civic Participation Program Activity in Sudan, an Associate Award under the Civil Society and Media-Strengthened Together and Advancing in New Directions (CSM-STAND) Africa & Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Leader with Associates (LWA) Cooperative Agreement. The program aims to increase collaboration, sustainability, and resilience of civil society and independent media to advance the inclusion, participation and leadership of youth and women in Sudan. The activity will apply locally led, problem-driven, adaptive approaches. This is a five-year activity and the position will be based in Khartoum, Sudan.

The COP will be responsible for technical leadership and the overall management and operations of the Activity. The COP will supervise high-quality project implementation, with a focus on achieving the project goals and USAID/Sudan development objectives. The COP will take a leadership role in coordination of all activities across all relevant parties, including USAID, the Government of Sudan, civil society organizations, key stakeholders, and implementing partners. The COP will also oversee all project staff and sub-partners for results-oriented planning, leadership, and coordination of project activities.   

Key Responsibilities

• Responsible for all aspects of technical implementation, award management and delivery for the project 
• Effectively manage project team and CSM-STAND consortium partners, ensuring the streamlined implementation of a “one team approach” aligned with CSM-STAND principles 
• Ensure the adaptive management of all project interventions, promoting continuous learning and adaptation by project staff and partners 
• Develop and execute a clear client engagement strategy, ensuring continuous and effective communication with the USAID mission 
• Represent Pact and project to host government and engage host government when necessary  
• With support of Deputy COP, oversee the project budget to ensure the efficient impactful use of project resources  
• Contribute to the CSM-STAND learning agenda and participate within relevant learning platforms 
• Participate in Pact Regional Team portfolio engagements, including regular regional meetings and bi-annual regional conference  
• Promptly communicate key implementation and award management challenges to CSM-STAND Associate Awards Technical Director and other relevant internal teams, to ensure the successful mitigation and resolution of emerging problems 
• Assume overall country leadership and responsibilities as required within the scope of Pact’s representation under Power of Attorney .  
• Oversee project planning (i.e., development of work plans and project budget), monitoring and reporting (i.e., review and approve periodic budgets and technical and financial reports) in accordance with the highest standards. 

Basic Requirements

• Master’s Degree from an accredited university in social sciences, law, development studies or a relevant field. 
• At least ten (10) years of experience in the successful implementation of international development activities. 
• At least eight (8) years of experience as a COP or in a comparable managerial position on donor-funded democracy and governance projects. 
• Experience managing large and complex USAID contracts/awards in sensitive environments. 
• Demonstrated understanding of the role of civil society and media in Sudan 
• Experience building capacity for civil society organizations and/or media actors in Sudan and/or in the East Africa or  Horn of Africa regions. 
• Demonstrated flexibility, adaptability, and the ability to perform and collaborate in complex and politically sensitive project environments. 
• Demonstrated leadership skills. 
• Record of successfully building and effectively managing a diverse team of employees and managing multiple international consortium partners. 
• Experiencing managing projects with large sub-award pools. 
• Ability to work in complex environments, and work with and between different stakeholders, including civil society organizations, media actors, government institutions, private sector entities, and US Government agencies. 
• Demonstrated skills in problem solving and consensus building.  
• Knowledge of USAID rules, regulations, and policies.  
• Fluency in English (oral, writing, and reading) 

Preferred Qualifications

• Fluency in Arabic (oral, writing, and reading) 
• Demonstrated experience managing highly adaptive programs, as well as applying systems-driven approaches and/or thinking and working politically (TWP) principles  
• Knowledge of the political, social, and economic context of Sudan. 
• Sudanese nationals are encouraged to apply.

Pact is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, citizenship status, genetic information, matriculation, family responsibilities, personal appearance, credit information, tobacco use (except in the workplace), membership in an employee organization, or other protected classifications or non-merit factors.