Chief of
Party, Assess the Learners (YESA) Activity, Malawi
Company
Profile:
MSI, a Tetra Tech Company, is a Washington, DC metro area international development
firm with a 35-year history of delivering development results across the world.
Our core expertise is in the fields of monitoring and evaluation (M&E),
institutional development, pub
lic sector management, governance and
anti-corruption. MSI implements nearly 100 projects in 90 countries around the
world such as Jordan, Morocco, Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Colombia,
and Mexico. As one of the leading companies in our field, MSI has partnered
with more than 80 organizations across all sectors of international development
with clients ranging from large bilateral and multilateral donors such as
USAID, the World Bank and the UNDP to national and local governments, NGOs,
think tanks, foundations and universities. For more information on MSI, please
visit our website at www.msiworldwide.com.
Proposal
Summary:
MSI anticipates an upcoming proposal for a five-year project where the primary
purpose will be create a multi-level monitoring and evaluation system for the
National Reading Programme to assist the Government of Malawi’s (GoM’s) efforts
to improve the reading skills of Malawian students nationwide. The following
objectives will be the focal points: 1) National Reading Assessment instituted;
2) Universal school–level utilization of assessment strategies and techniques
for reading instituted; 3) Community-level capacity for the performance and
informed use of reading assessments instituted; and 4) Integration of reading
assessments into National Reading.
Position
Summary:
MSI is seeking a long-term Chief of Party, with a solid track-record in leading
projects related to international development. The candidate will be a
development professional with at least 10 years of international development
programming and management experience, with the ability to recruit and
supervise short-term U.S., third country and local experts and strong
experience in monitoring & evaluation, preferably on USAID projects. The
Chief of Party will be MSI’s primary representative in the field and must be
capable of representing MSI effectively to USAID, the Government of Afghanistan
and other stakeholders. The proposed Chief of Party must have an outstanding
past performance reference/ record of successfully leading projects that are
similar in size and complexity.
Responsibilities:
- Serve
as a key focal point for USAID and partner staff for monitoring and
reporting. - Support
USAID and its partners in the development of their M&E systems. - Provide
vision and strategic direction for the program. - Oversee
overall project management, quality and timeliness of deliverables,
external representation, and overall coordination with USAID/Malawi. - Direct
and monitor implementation of activities within the work plan, ensuring
that activities are performed to a high professional standard, effectively
implemented and fulfill donor and the organization’s requirements. - Lead
the overall technical and financial performance of the contract, including
program planning, budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E). - Provide
direction on senior-level policy and technical dialogue with the Ministry
of Health and other government ministries and units, working in staff as
appropriate. - Ensure
effective communication across the entire project with team and relevant
stakeholders. - Facilitate
the development of results frameworks, logic models and logical
frameworks. - Provide
technical assistance to USAID and its partners in all aspects of the
design and execution of USAID’s performance management system. - Provide
training and capacity building support to USAID and Ministry of Education
partners.
Qualifications:
- Master’s
Degree in education related area (ex. in international education,
non-formal and/or other alternative education approaches, basic education,
teacher training, and/or social/behavioral sciences). - At
least 5 (five) years demonstrated significant relevant progressively
increasing responsibility in managing activities of similar scope in
international development assistance, in a context similar to Malawi.
Significant relevant experience includes at least one as COP position, or
equivalent Program Manager function. - A
demonstrated track record of achieving results in a development context.
Specific and relevant development outcomes achieved as a result of the
proposed COP’s leadership must be well documented by the Contractor.
Demonstrated management and supervisory experience of a relevant scope and
scale. The COP must have at least 5 (five) years of progressively
responsible supervisory work experience that involved direct leadership of
professional and support staff, oversight and evaluation of staff
performance and deliverables, and contract management. - Demonstrated
leadership skills in working collaboratively with other donors, host
country institutions, and international organizations. - Demonstrated
track record of working in teams and fostering partnerships. Effective
partnerships and coordination with relevant institutions and structures
are critical to YESA’s success. Specific instances when the COP has formed
led or participated in relevant partnerships must be well documented by
the Contractor. • Leadership in local capacity development. The COP must
have a demonstrated ability to provide oversight of local capacity
development efforts, including working with local partners to ensure
adherence to all sub-award requirements. - The COP
must have a demonstrated understanding of the technical activities YESA
will implement including improved capacity building in monitoring and
evaluation, experience working with and within communities implementing
activities of similar scope and scale, and a strong sense of demonstrated
work experience institutionalizing activities with recipient governments.
The COP need not be a recognized as an expert in all of these areas but
must have a combination of educational and work experience that clearly
demonstrates an ability to provide effective overall technical leadership
and oversight. Complementarity of technical understanding with the other
key personnel is essential. - A
strong understanding of monitoring, evaluation and learning. The COP need
not be an ME&L expert but must possess demonstrated experience in
providing overall oversight for ME&L systems and assuring data
quality. - Strong
communication abilities. Strong writing and communication abilities are
essential; the COP will hold ultimate responsibility for the quality and
timeliness of YESA reporting and communication efforts. - Fluency
in spoken and written English. - Strong
analytic experience with and reporting of performance data. - Proficient
in MS Excel and PowerPoint. - Experience
with data visualization products and software, a plus. - Experienced
Malawian candidates are preferred and strongly encouraged to apply.
Positions are
available only on the condition that the Contract is awarded to the firm.
Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. No
phone calls, please.
MSI is an EEO/AA/ADA
Veterans Employer.
To apply:
Please visit our website, www.msiworldwide.com