Chief of Party- USDA Food for Education (Project: Sindh Sustainable School Meals- SSSM)

Job details

CHILD SAFEGUARDING: Level 3: the role holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work in country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff. ROLE PURPOSE: Save the Children is seeking a Chief of Party (COP) for the six year United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)funded McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program in Pakistan. The COP will lead strategic direction in the management, implementation, and overall quality assurance of the project. They will also provide technical leadership in school feeding, literacy, primary education, and community participation. The COP will closely collaborate with the Government of Sindh’s Ministries of Education, Health, and other critical partners to provide high-level support for effective capacity building at the local level and sustainability of the project interventions. The COP will oversee a team of experts and support staff, prepare reports and annual operating plans, align project initiatives with in-country priorities and ensure the program is compliant with USDA and Save the Children’s regulations. The COP serves as the primary point of contact for government counterparts and partner organizations and represents the project with USDA, fostering strong coordination and stakeholder engagement. This is a Key Personnel position, subject to donor approval. SCOPE OF ROLE: Reports to: Country Director, Pakistan CO Direct reports: DCOP Budget Responsibilities: Financial approval Role Dimensions : (e.g. complexity, relationships, communication with stakeholders) • SMT role with strategic leadership, oversight, technical expertise, budget management KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: *Not inclusive of all role responsibilities. May be subject to change • Lead the management of the program in line with USDA guidelines to achieve project objectives. • Oversee implementation, ensuring achievement of project results and deliverables in accordance with project work plan and budget. • Provide technical oversight, ensuring technical quality, and alignment with donor technical guidelines and priorities. • Recruit, support and manage project staff, including senior managers and technical experts, ensuring effective team coordination and performance. Motivate teams to deliver results by establishing a strong team dynamic, open communication, and leading by example. • Manage operational, financial, and administrative priorities, and direct planning and budgeting processes. Create or adapt management systems in line with Save the Children standard operating procedures, ensuring adherence to donor policies and regulations, and relevant national policies and laws. • Represent Save the Children with USDA, local government counterparts, partners, and other key stakeholders. Build and maintain productive working relationships. • Submit high-quality, timely reports to the donor, capturing project outcomes, impact, and key performance indicators. • Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where the project team strives to achieve excellence. • Incorporate Save the Children vision, values and Code of Conduct principles. Child Safeguarding Responsibility: • Uphold and adhere to child safeguarding principles and procedures as well as Code of Conduct at personal and professional level to create a child-safe workplace. BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice ): Accountability: • Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values • Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved. Ambition: • Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same • Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others • Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale. Collaboration: • Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters • Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength • Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to. Creativity: • Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions • Willing to take disciplined risks. Integrity: • Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity QUALIFICATIONS: • Graduate degree in education, nutrition, development studies, international development, or a related field preferred. EXPEREINCE & SKILLS: • At least 10 years of senior level professional experience designing, managing, and implementing large, donor-funded international development activities related to school feeding, education, or nutrition, preferably in a program director, Deputy Chief of Party or COP role. • Experience managing multidisciplinary teams, overseeing multi-million-dollar portfolios (from design to closeout), leading adaptive management processes, and delivering results in politically and operationally complex environments is essential. • In-depth knowledge of US Government or USDA McGovern-Dole Food for Education approaches and regulations. This includes experience with procurement, grants management, financial oversight, risk management, branding and marking requirements, monitoring and evaluation, and contractual reporting obligations. Prior experience leading USDA or USAID-funded projects or country-level leadership roles on behalf of national/international NGOs is required, experience within USDA, USAID or State Dept will be highly advantageous. • Experience engaging with the Government of Sindh, including provincial departments, district administrations, elected representatives, legislative bodies, and political leadership, is highly desirable. The COP must be capable of navigating government systems, facilitating high-level dialogue, supporting policy reforms, and fostering productive partnerships with public-sector stakeholders at all levels in the provincial capital (Karachi) and project districts of Thatha, Sujawal, and Tando Muhammad Khan. • Technical expertise in food and nutrition security, school feeding and education programming. Expertise in governance, institutional strengthening, public-sector reform, capacity development, policy implementation, accountability mechanisms, and systems-based approaches to development. Experience supporting sustainable institutional change and strengthening service delivery systems will be particularly valuable. • Strong financial management, compliance, budgeting and project operations/administrative oversight abilities. • Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to lead and work effectively in a team. • Proven ability to work collaboratively with donors, host governments, development partners, the private sector, and community organizations. • Creative problem-solving skills with the ability to work effectively in resource-constrained environments. • Experience overseeing M&E systems for donor-funded projects. • Excellent oral and written communication skills in English. • Ability to produce clear and concise reports, publications, briefs and other written materials related to the project. • Ability to travel as required and as security conditions allow. • Commitment to child rights and to the aims and objectives of Save the Children. Additional Job Responsibilities: The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience. Equal Opportunities: The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures. Child Safeguarding: We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse. Safeguarding our Staff: The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI anti-harassment policy Health and Safety: The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures. Save the Children has zero tolerance towards Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Fraud, Corruption and Bribery. Save the Children holds its Safeguarding principles and policies with high importance and commits to rigorous procedures to ensure all our personnel and programs are safe, particularly for children. All candidates will, therefore, be subject to strict background chec