Country: United States of America
Closing date: 20 Oct 2017
The successful COP candidate will have extensive experience in building sustained capacity in electoral administration, good governance and enhancing civil society development, preferably in the Africa region. Ideal candidates will have experience working with civil society organizations strengthening their technical capacity in all aspects of the electoral processes. The successful COP candidate will serve as IFES’ primary in-country representative and coordinator of programming with local and international actors. S/he will be responsible for maintaining pro-active contacts with stakeholders and the international community. The Chief of Party will direct technical implementation of the IFES program in country and oversee management of the IFES field office.Job Responsibilities:The Chief of Party's responsibilities will include but are not limited to:
Technical Direction and Program Implementation
• Serve as IFES’ senior election technical advisor in Africa, providing expert-level technical support and advice to key stakeholders and beneficiaries.
• Oversee the day-to-day management of IFES’ project(s) in Africa.
• Oversee the design, implementation, and evaluation of program strategies and activities.
• Prepare and manage the implementation of the project(s) annual work plans in fulfillment of the project’s objectives and goals, and within the allocated budget.
• Establish and maintain close working relationships with government and non-government stakeholders, including officials in the election management body.
• Establish and maintain working relationships with international NGOs and the donor community to ensure successful implementation of the project and avoid duplication of efforts.
• Ensure the highest quality of program monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and communications.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
Management
• Ensure, in conjunction with IFES’ HQ team, compliance with IFES and relevant donor rules and regulations, particularly with respect to fiscal management and technical reporting.
• Establish strong working relationships with the field staff to facilitate the completion of program tasks in a timely manner and within the allocated budget.
• Provide general supervision and mentoring of local and international field staff, including performance appraisals, staff development and other management issues.
• In coordination with IFES/HQ assist in the identification, recruitment, and hiring of office staff, as well as local and international technical consultants.
• Provide oversight and management of technical consultants, including review of all consultant reports and deliverables.
• Assist in program development for IFES in country by identifying additional technical needs, contributing to the development of project proposals and reaching out to the international donor community in an effort to diversify IFES funding sources.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:The CoP must be engaged - a dynamic leader, diplomatic, flexible, adaptable and a team player who demonstrates leadership under challenging political conditions. In addition, the CoP is required to have the following expertise:
• A post graduate degree in international politics, development, or related field is required;
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience with election administration and international program management;
• Proven track record with democracy and governance programming in developing countries;
• Solid experience working with elections management bodies in election administration, voter registration, information and communication technology, outreach and engagement of electoral stakeholders is required;
• Experience and knowledge of country political dynamics;
• Previous experience managing an international office in a politically sensitive environment;
• Familiarity with the international donor community and experience as an action-oriented interlocutor with democracy-development actors at all levels;
• Demonstrated knowledge of donor regulations;
• Demonstrated knowledge in proposal and report writing and management of budgets;
• Excellent interpersonal/representational skills;
• Ability and skills to promote and inspire effective collaboration between individuals, organizations and networks;
• Strong consultative, collaborative and participatory way of working;
• Strong interpersonal, presentation, and communications skills to meet the diverse technical and managerial requirements of the program and to effectively coordinate with a wide range of stakeholders;
• Experience living and working overseas, preferably in Africa;
• Strong analytical reasoning skills;
• Strong diplomacy skills and cultural sensitivity is required;
• English fluency required.
How to apply:
To Apply:
You must go to www.ifes.org to the Careers section and apply online. Applications are only accepted in this way. Make sure you upload all papers together (ie. cover letter and application, etc.). Resumes are only reviewed and accepted if submitted through our careers page.
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