Chief of Party

Job Description

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. The IRC has been working in Bangladesh for over 5 years implementing direct programming in the areas of WASH, education, livelihoods, reproductive health, gender-based violence, and child and youth protection and development. With an annual operating budget of over $ 1 billion (2021), IRC successfully runs a global portfolio of both humanitarian as well as development interventions and has significant experience implementing large-scale programs requiring substantial and sustained collaboration with multiple actors.

Position Summary

The IRC is seeking a Chief of Party (COP) for the five-year, $25 million USAID-funded AHA. This project will encompass a set of innovative interventions, with an overall goal of addressing the social, systemic and environmental challenges in the country around women and girls’ health and wellbeing. The Adolescent Health Acitivity (AHA) will support efforts to curb adolescent childbearing and early marriage outcomes in Bangladesh by addressing gaps and investing in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of adolescents ages 10-14 in Bangladesh. The overall development assistance is expected to be delivered in the following sectors: health, nutrition, gender-based violence, women empowerment and economic inclusion.

The COP will lead a consortium of NGOs and other partners in managing and implementing all aspects of the project, providing overall technical, administrative, operational, and logistical management, with a focus on achieving the project’s objectives/results. This role will be the primary liaison for the project with USAID, relevant Government of Bangladesh Ministries, other donors and institutions, implementing partners, technical agencies and other stakeholders.

This position will report to the IRC Country Director and is contingent on the IRC being awarded funding. It is anticipated to begin in November 2023.

Job Responsibilities:

• Responsible for managing and implementing all aspects of the project, providing overall technical, strategic and administrative management, with a focus on achieving the project’s objectives/results.

• Responsible for ensuring quality and timeliness of all deliverables.

• Provide overall leadership, strategic oversight and guidance to the consortium members in order to achieve overall objectives of the project

• Represent the IRC, the project team and the consortium of partners in donor meetings and events.

• A critical part of the COP’s responsibilities will include ensuring effective coordination of activities with those of relevant Government of Bangladesh ministries, international organizations, and other USAID-funded activities in the region.

• Manage consortium partnerships and maintain collaborative partner relations;

• Represent the project and the organization in public, as assigned, and support the distribution of information about project achievements and lesson learned;

• Support project staff by creating and maintaining a work environment that promotes teamwork, trust, mutual respect, and empowers staff to take responsibility.

• Ensure project delivery meets all IRC standard operational policies and procedures;

• Ensure implementation is in accordance with USAID regulations, liaising regularly with USAID agreement officers, technical support staff, sub-grantees, and implementers of other USAID-funded initiatives as required.

Experience/Qualifications:

• Hold a master’s degree or higher in a relevant field and have technical skills which complement those of the activity’s key technical specialists

• Have at least 10 years of successful experience as Project Director/COP of large donor-funded technical assistance.

• Demonstrated experience managing similar projects in Bangladesh or Asia region, involving management of multi-million-dollar budgets/portfolios and coordination with multiple programs and partner institutions.

• Demonstrated experience working with governmental institutions, particularly local government divisions, departments of health, women protection etc.

• Be adept in strategic planning, budget review, adaptive management, and supervision

• Strong leadership, analytical and organizational skills.

• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to interact professionally with donor, project stakeholders, in-country collaborators and staff at all levels of the organization.

• Understanding of USAID procurement processes and procedures.

• Strong MS Office skills, including Word and Excel.

**Local applicants and women strongly encouraged to apply**

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

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Qualifications