Chief of Party – USDA Food for Progress

Background:

CNFA manages an active portfolio of more than $300 million in agriculture development programs in 21 countries. Throughout our 35-year history, CNFA has led and implemented programs that have supported private-sector-led initiatives and increased employment; strengthened value chains, agribusinesses, agriculture support organizations, and markets; increased access to affordable financial services; and increased smallholder incomes, uptake of improved technologies, and access to nutritious foods. We are an industry leader in establishing commercially viable, locally owned and operated input supply enterprises and Farm Service Centers (FSCs) that positively impact smallholder farmers, and we have improved the operations and profitability of over 13,000 agribusinesses.

The Chief of Party (COP) supports the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress (FFPr) program. Targeted country and sector are to be determined.  

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Be responsible for the overall management of the program in line with USDA guidelines and within set timelines to achieve objectives;
• Develop and update Life of Project and annual workplans;
• Oversee program administration, operations, implementation, and fiscal management to ensure technical and financial activity aligns with scope and budget allocations, internal policies, and donor regulations;
• Lead the project team to provide effective coordination and guidance among academic institutions, local Governments, smallholder farmers, service providers and other key stakeholders;
• Support the development of strong M&E mechanisms, program monitoring tools and efficient systems to ensure high quality implementation;
• Ensure quality control and provide overall technical and management leadership under the award; adjust programs and operations in response to USDA technical direction;
• Represent CNFA with partners and key stakeholders, at conferences, workshops, meetings, and other industry gatherings,
• Maintain positive relationships with USDA, local authorities, and the country office team;
• Manage and oversee all contract management and implementation tasks based on established USG regulations, procedures and CNFA guidelines;
• Identify issues and risks related to activity implementation in a timely manner; and
• Other duties as assigned.

Key Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in agriculture, management, international development, or a related field of study or equivalent work experience required. 
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience serving as program director or chief of party; successful experience managing Food for Progress programs is strongly preferred;
• Demonstrated expertise in one of the sub-sectors of agriculture is required, including horticulture, livestock, animal health, aquaculture, SME development, mechanization and input supply, international food safety standards, regulations and policy harmonization;
• Experience of working in Africa, Latin America, South-East Asia and/or Eastern Europe, in particular in the agriculture value chain development or related sector, is strongly preferred;
• Experience of working within the food or agricultural private sector, in Public Private Partnerships, is strongly preferred;
• Experience providing technical oversight and leadership to facilitate expanded trade and competitiveness of agricultural value chains preferred;
• Experience overseeing financial and administrative management of programs, including of personnel, reporting, budgeting and procurement for large, complex programs is required;
• Experience overseeing an M&E team to ensure high quality program reporting, monitoring, evaluation, and learning are required;
• Demonstrated capacity to establish and maintain positive, collaborative, and productive relationships with government and other local partners is required;
• Demonstrated experience serving as ambassador for home office, establishing and nurturing strong relationships with donor representatives and expanding business required;
• English fluency required, knowledge of the second language strongly preferred. 

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or protected veteran status. CNFA takes affirmative action in support of its policy to advance in employment individuals who are minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

Only those candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.

This position will serve as the technical writer to provide major proposal development support on the upcoming USAID/Senegal Agricultural Value Chain Services project.  The successful candidate will take a lead role in the preparation of the technical proposal and should demonstrate mastery of both English and French.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Lead proposal teams in the development of strategic technical approaches and activities, and write the technical proposal by incorporating oral and written inputs from technical experts and responding to comments provided from reviewers;
• Draft original content as needed, ensuring all drafts are complete and within page limits in advance of reviews;
• Support proposal teams in writing other sections of the proposal, developing graphics and text boxes, and reviewing all proposal sections for consistency and compliance;
• Align with CNFA best practices for developing proposal outlines, strategies, and approaches, and adhere to CNFA outline and other templates and tools;
• Participate in the selection of best candidates for key personnel positions, and;
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• At least six (6) years of proposal writing experience, including for USAID solicitations, is required; expertise in agricultural value chains or other relevant technical areas is preferred;
• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, economics, journalism, or a related field is required;
• Familiarity with USAID regulations for proposal compliance is required;
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills is required;
• Experience devising concepts for graphic designs and text boxes is strongly preferred;
• Ability to work effectively in teams and a demonstrated ability to multi-task and work well under time constraints is required;
• Excellent written and oral abilities in French is required;
• Ability to travel to both Washington, DC and Senegal is required.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or protected veteran status. CNFA takes affirmative action in support of its policy to advance in employment individuals who are minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

Only those candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.