CARE seeks a Chief of Party (COP) for the anticipated USAID-funded ‘The Afghanistan Integrated Youth Activity (AIYA)’. This activity aims to empower Afghan youth, particularly girls and young women 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 be responsible for leadership, management, and technical direction of staff and consultants, project activities such as implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation, and partner coordination. They will serve as key liaison with USAID, government counterparts, and local partners. The COP will manage and supervise the work of program personnel and subcontractors/subgrantees and ensure that all program assistance is technically sound and appropriate. The COP also oversees program work planning, performance management, and strategic communication.

This activity is expected to be a five-year program in the $50-$99.99 million range.

This is a Key Personnel position, subject to USAID approval. It is also subject to project award and funding. National and international candidates are encouraged to apply. This position will be based in Afghanistan.

Application Deadline: Wednesday June 15, 2024

Responsibilities:

• Lead the project, providing vision, direction, and technical guidance.
• Oversee the overall management and implementation of the project including project results and deliverables, in accordance with the project work plan.
• Supervise and mentor senior/ technical staff and consultants. Motivate teams to deliver results by establishing a strong team dynamic, open communication, and leading by example. Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in internal operations, management, and program implementation.
• Build and maintain productive working relationships with USAID, host government, project partners, and key stakeholders. Serve as the primary liaison among all project stakeholders.
• Manage the project’s operational, financial, and administrative priorities, and direct planning and budgeting processes. Create or adapt management systems in line with CARE’s standard operating procedures, ensuring adherence to USAID policies and regulations, and relevant national policies and laws.
• Build partnerships among international-, national- and community-level stakeholders.
• Design and oversee an annual project cycle in accordance with USAID’s annual planning cycles.
• Ensure learned and dissemination of findings, impact, innovations, and lessons learned, and utilize a collaborative and adaptive learning approach to the project cycle.
• Ensure there is a well-developed Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system consistent with the grant and able to track and evaluate key interventions, assist in identifying gaps for decisions making, lessons learnt sharing and to build an evidence base of operational research and surveillance.
• Ensure Positive Youth Development (PYD) approaches are embedded and implemented in all aspects throughout the project cycle management.
• Foster active collaboration with youth leaders and youth networks, so that they become a driving force in project learning and decision making.
• Closely coordinate and collaborate with the consortium members by providing oversight of the sub-awardees.
• Remain current with similar or related programs and best practices in-country and internationally, ensuring CARE staff apply these consistently.
• Lead in documentation and coordination of information dissemination activities that share project achievements and results with the aim of influencing decision and policymakers.
• Oversee M&E function, including preparation of all required reports and deliverables.

Safeguarding Responsibilities:

• Promote, create, and maintain a safe organizational culture, including championing the CI Safeguarding Policy and will make every effort to protect all people from safeguarding risks in the delivery of CARE projects and programs in-country.
• Ensure that all direct team members are aware of their responsibilities with the CI Safeguarding Policy commitments, including signing of the Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct, and completing induction and refresher training.
• Ensure Safeguarding Policy Commitments are embedded in all relevant workstreams.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in international development, education, agriculture, public health, economics, business, or related field preferred.
• At least fifteen (15) years of relevant experience in leading programs focused on youth leadership and engagement, youth economic empowerment/workforce development, youth civic education, or civil society strengthening.
• USAID program management preferred. Previous Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, or senior management experience required.
• Experience working in challenging contexts like Afghanistan; experience in Afghanistan preferred.
• Technical experience and understanding in a field that is relevant to a diversified Afghanistan economy, education, youth, and skilled workforce.
• Experience working in the green economy, STEM-related fields, digital technology, ICT, and/or innovative manufacturing.
• At least 5 years of experience managing USAID cooperative agreements and/or contracts in senior leadership positions.
• Strong financial management, budgeting, and project operations/administrative oversight abilities.
• Experience recruiting, developing, and managing staff and teams.
• Strong experience overseeing M&E systems for USG-funded projects including Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) principles and approaches preferred.
• Demonstrated skills building and maintaining relationships with host governments, donors, other donor-funded projects and stakeholders, local organizations, and partners.
• Fluency in English required (spoken and written).
• Fluency in Arabic preferred (spoken and written).
• Strong oral and written communication skills; excellent demonstrated inter-cultural, interpersonal, and negotiation skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to PSHEA (Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Harassment, and Abuse).
• Demonstrated commitment to principles of Diversity, Equity, Belonging and Inclusion (DEBI).