Chief of Party

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

The IRC began working in Afghanistan in 1988, launching relief programs for people displaced by the invasion of the Soviet Union. IRC continued to provide aid under Taliban rule and expanded its community development projects after the Taliban was ousted. IRC now works across nine provinces. The IRC works with local communities to identify, plan and manage their own development projects; provides safe learning spaces in rural areas; provides uprooted families with basic necessities; and helps people find employment.

Scope of work

The IRC seeks a Chief of Party (COP) for an upcoming USAID-funded, $50-60 million, 5 year project in Afghanistan called ‘USAID Afghanistan Integrated Youth Activity (AIYA)’. The project aims to empower Afghan youth by equipping them with market relevant technical and soft skills. AIYA seeks to improve learning outcomes and economic opportunities for both young men and women. The goal is to ensure that Afghan youth, especially girls and young women acquire technical and soft skills to thrive in the market.

The COP will lead a consortium of I/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 agreed objectives/results. Alongside overall oversight of the Project Management Unity (PMU) for quality implementation, this role will be the primary liaison for the project with USAID, local authorities, 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 Oct, 2024.

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 local authorities, international organizations, and other USAID-funded activities in the country.

• 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/DCOP of large donor-funded technical assistance, preferably USAID funded projects.

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

• Demonstrated experience engaging with the private sector as well as private sector institutions such as Chamber of Commerce, Business Associations and Financial Institutions.

• 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**