Chief of Party at FHI360

FHI360 is currently seeking qualified candidates for the position of Chief of Party for an upcoming USAID-funded opportunity in Ghana entitled Strengthening Accountability in Ghana’s Education System Activity (SAGES). This position will be based in Accra, Ghana or in a field office in the project’s target regions – and is contingent upon award.

Project Description

The anticipated 5-year Strengthening Accountability in Ghana’s Education System (SAGES) Activity seeks to increase and strengthen accountability in the education sector. The project will include support to operationalize the government’s education accountability framework by enhancing the supervision of education personnel from the district to the school level, improving the ability of local authorities and District Education Authorities to implement the framework and address teacher professional behavior issues such as high teacher absenteeism and inadequate time on task in the classroom, and engaging school management committees and parent-teacher associations to harness community support for improved school management and education quality. The project will also strengthen citizen action and engagement at the local level to ensure that the government delivers quality services with increased accountability. The project will work with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) at the national level and will have a strong focus in the North.

Position Description

The Chief of Party will be the primary liaison with the funder (USAID), the MOE and GES and other key stakeholders and implementing partners. Primary responsibilities are to provide overall leadership, management oversight, and technical direction for the program, ensuring an integrated vision across components and actors, with a focus on achieving results. In addition to leading the team, the Chief of Party will be expected to operationalize the key elements of the Activity, to ensure delivery against the expected results. This will include identifying gaps and opportunities to strengthen accountability, governance, and transparency within the MOE at various levels, support the education accountability learning framework and ensure the Activity builds government and community capacity to strengthen education outcomes. The Chief of Party will be expected to identify issues and risks related to program implementation in a timely manner and suggest appropriate program adjustments. S/he will supervise activity implementation and ensure activities meet stated goals and reporting requirements. The Chief of Party will have demonstrated ability to work in complex environments, across different cultures, and manage diverse teams to deliver impact within agreed timelines.

Responsibilities include:

Management

• Provide daily leadership and overall direction of the Activity
• Manage the annual work plan and budgeting process
• Oversee project operations, administration, logistics, procurement, budgeting, financial accounting, and overall client satisfaction
• Oversee technical quality, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, of Performance Monitoring Plan and implementation of the project work plan
• Create and maintain an effective project management team; supervise the recruitment, hiring, and supervision of all local staff and consultants.
• Supervise project technical and operations teams
• Coordinate activities of implementing partners to achieve cohesive and sustainable results

Technical direction

• Support the operationalization of the education accountability framework through systems strengthening and capacity building at all levels of the education system
• Assure support and training to government actors to improve the quality of and use of education data for decision-making, and decentralized resource management at central and decentralized levels
• Supports the development, planning and training of personnel at decentralized levels of the education system to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of the workforce
• Provides technical advice and support for strategies and actions to improve transparency, engagement, information sharing, constructive debate and positive working relationships between government and civil society education stakeholders to achieve targeted outcomes in education

Relationship management

• Serve as the primary liaison with USAID, and communicate regularly with USAID to provide updates and progress reports
• Build trust and maintain positive relations with MOE and GES officials to ensure local ownership, buy-in and sustainability of the Activity
• Facilitate and foster close collaboration between headquarters-based technical staff, regional management staff, and the project team

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor\’s degree required however a Master’s degree strongly preferred in education, public administration, international development, or related field from an accredited university; Ph.D. or Ed.D. is highly preferred.
• Minimum 12 years of experience in similar education intervention activities and experience managing complex international donor-funded development activities in challenging environments.
• Background and demonstrated experience in governance, accountability and strengthening government capacity at multiples levels of the education system.
• Seven years’ experience in capacity development at human, institutional and policy levels, including strategic planning and organizational processes required; knowledge of current education system strengthening best practices and trends relevant to USAID strategy preferred
• Demonstrated success in system strengthening efforts that have led to significant, sustained changes at scale
• Strong working relationships at senior levels of the MOE and GES. Prior experience working within MOE or GES a plus.
• Strong knowledge of, and commitment to, gender and social equity issues in education.
• Relevant management, supervisory, technical experience working with programs that are of a similar scope and scale to this program.
• Demonstrated leadership, effective organizational development, partnership-building, managerial, teambuilding and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in complex environments, across different cultures, and manage diverse teams to deliver impact within agreed timelines across a broad geographic area.
• Proven ability to coordinate with government stakeholders, as well as non-governmental organizations.
• Demonstrated knowledge of United States Government rules, regulations, policies, and procedures as they relate to project and program compliance and reporting.
• Experience in the education sector in Ghana or the region strongly preferred.
• Fluency in English required

CLOSING DATE: 26th May, 2022