Chief of Party-(COP)

Position: Chief of Party-(COP)

Location: Cotonou, Benin

Anticipated Start Date and duration: January 2018

Life of project: January 2018—December 2022 (contingent upon donor approval)

The Organization:

Since 1974, IFDC has focused on increasing and sustaining food security and agricultural productivity in over 100 developing countries through the development and transfer of effective and environmentally sound crop nutrient technology and agribusiness expertise.

The Role

IFDC enables smallholder farmers in developing countries to increase agricultural productivity, generate economic growth and practice environmental stewardship by enhancing their ability to manage mineral and organic fertilizers responsibly and participate profitability in input and output markets. IFDC is recruiting a Chief of Party (COP) candidate for an upcoming Royal Netherlands Embassy (EKN) project in Cotonou, Benin. The project aims at improving rural livelihoods and food security in several communes in Benin. Its approach consists of facilitating access of agricultural value chain actors to local and Nigerian markets through multi-stakeholder dynamics that build on resources available in each commune through special emphasis with vulnerable women, youth and sustainable ICTs.

The COP is responsible for providing overall vision, leadership and guidance of the project internally with project staff and externally with the Royal Netherlands Embassy (EKN), host governments, other donors and stakeholders. The COP will lead the IFDC’s team and serve as the primary point of contact with EKN and the project implementation consortium with regard to day-to-day activity implementation and management matters relating to the contract.

The COP will lead the identification of profitable agricultural market opportunities aligned with local priorities, and ensure ownership by local actors, both from the public and private sectors. S/he will lead the facilitation of discussions between value-chain actors that lead to formal contractual agreements that are mutually beneficial to the parties involved, and the provision of support to value chain actors in cluster plan development, implementation and monitoring. The COP will provide leadership to technical staff and consortium members providing technical backstopping.

Duties

Leadership

· Sets the project vision and leads by example;

· Coordinates contributions from all consortium members;

· Maintains coherence between project interventions and recommendations of the project advisory committee;

· Represents IFDC and the project at all meetings, conferences and other opportunities conducive to publicizing, promoting and marketing the impact of the project; and

· Create and maintain good working relationships with the Dutch Embassy in Benin.

Programmatic and Technical

· Set strategic and technical direction for the project, ensuring consistency between the different components and compliance with the approach of the project.

· Lead regular management meetings with consortium members.

· Initiate and organize project management committee meetings at least twice a year, as well as project advisory committee meetings at least twice a year.

· Ensure all project activities are in line with policies and regulations of local/national authorities, as well as of the Dutch Embassy.

· Provide supervision, support, and direction to long- and short-term staff to achieve the results of the project.

· Review and approve all project deliverables and documents.

· Monitor project indicators in accordance with the Performance Monitoring Plan, evaluate program results and take necessary corrective actions whenever needed.

· Supervise completion of timely and high-quality work plans, progress reports and financial reports.

· Prepare and lead major project interventions (backstopping, evaluation, etc.).

· Participate in regular field visits to the project areas to assure project progress towards activity objectives and goals.

· Develop strong synergies with the 2SCALE project and other relevant projects led by IFDC.

Communication and Outreach

· Oversee the Communications strategy of the project.

· Supervise the Communications Specialist and guide him/her on topics to be highlighted through success stories, case studies, fact sheets and other outreach materials.

· Review and approve all Public Relations materials.

· Establish, maintain and strengthen relationships with IFDC colleagues involved in other relevant projects, the project advisory committee, the Dutch embassy, the plateformes communales et intercommunales, cluster stakeholders, government and local authorities officials and the private sector.

· Facilitate the internal communication and sharing of experiences among staff, including among consortium members.

· Represent the project at all relevant public events.

Financial and Administrative

· Oversee and be responsible for financial and administrative aspects of the project including managing the budget.

· Ensure all activities are conducted within the scope of the project budget.

· Ensure quality of partner contracts and their smooth handling.

Position Requirements:

· At least 15 years of experience successfully managing complex, results based, international rural development programs (implementation, logistics, budget, staffing) funded by the Dutch Embassy or other international donors.

· At least 5 years of prior experience working in West Africa is a must.

· Master’s degree in agriculture or related field required.

· Fluency in written and spoken French and English

· Knowledge and consistent experience in institutional and organizational strengthening

· Experience working with the public sector (decentralization), private sector and civil society

· Good expertise of the gender approach and development

 

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