Project Background

Through the Malawi Governance for Solutions (GfS) Activity, USAID seeks to build on the incremental gains in decentralization and associated service delivery improvements, with the understanding that to make the significant leaps now required for Malawi to meet its own development goals—in the face of a fast-growing, young population—a bold, adaptive, and sustainable approach is required. To successfully remove critical bottlenecks and diffuse effective governance practices, DAI will deploy a locally driven approach—Facilitate, Catalyze, and Scale—drawing on Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) as a core methodology. Through the Facilitate, Catalyze, and Scale approach, DAI will help local stakeholders to tackle the root causes of service delivery failures through best-fit solutions and offer demonstrative models based on positive deviance. Through both process-oriented facilitation and the provisions of technical support and grants, GfS will foster stable, resilient, and more self-reliant partnerships that best position local communities to address their own challenges and contribute to the trajectory of Malawi Vision 2063.

Objectives of the assignment

Reporting to the Deputy Chief of Party, the Lead G2G Technical Advisor will

• Lead all interactions with the Ministry of Finance and with the National Local Government Finance Committee.
• Supervise
  • The G2G TA/HRH
  • The G2G TA/Mangochi
  • The G2G TA/Zomba
  • The G2G TA/Chikwawa
  • (potentially) the G2G TA/Mulanje

Tasks & Responsibilities

• Provide technical advisory assistance to the Ministry of Finance and to the NLGFC.
• Assist GOM G2G stakeholders to plan and execute monitoring visits, feedback meetings, and inter-governmental meetings.
• Directly inform the GfS AOR of logistical preparations ahead of time, in writing.
• Supervise the other four (potentially five) G2G TAs.
  • With each TA individually set his/her annual performance objectives.
  • Conduct each TA’s annual performance review.
• Assist the DCOP and the home office G2G backstop in assuring that activities and interventions in the G2G are n track and that the G2G portfolio is performing at the expected high level.
• With the Senior PDIA Advisor assure G2G work stream activities and interventions apply the PDIA methodology.
• With the Result Area 1 and Result Are 2 Leads, assure full integration of G2G work stream activities and interventions in GfS.

Qualifications

This role is contingent on donor funding.

• Master’s degree with minimum of 10 years of bachelor’s degree in public administration, rural development, or a relevant field with minimum of five (15) years of practical knowledge of working on local governance/decentralization with governance and advocacy initiatives with international development programs, preferably with USG.
• Expertise in public service, good governance and/or accountability and oversight.
• Proven effectiveness in managing local government relations.
• Experience with civil society and government capacity building, and governance accountability.
• Strong experience with coalition building and collaboration with multiple stakeholders, including civil society, and government.
• Able to work effectively and professionally with local government officials, civil society organizations (CSOs), donor, project staff, and other beneficiaries.
• Excellent communication skills and a demonstrated track record of working effectively in a teamwork environment.
• Experience with providing technical assistance, including organizing and conducting workshop and trainings; and
• Fluency in English.