Job Description

Save the Children is seeking a Chief of Party (COP) for an anticipated FY26 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded Food for Progress (FFPr) program. Food for Progress helps developing countries and emerging democracies to modernize and strengthen their agricultural sectors. The Chief of Party will provide overall strategic direction in the management, implementation, and quality assurance of the project, accountable for the delivery of desired project results. Serving as the primary liaison to USDA and the Host Government, the COP ensures effective collaboration across a range of stakeholders. You will manage the consortium, overseeing a team of experts and support staff, to align project initiatives with in-country priorities and ensure the program is compliant with USDA and Save the Children’s regulations.

This Key Personnel position is subject to USDA approval and funding.

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

• Lead the management of the program in line with USDA guidelines to achieve project objectives;
• Lead overall program planning, putting in place team structures, technical and operational approaches, infrastructure, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and feedback loops required for program delivery and success;
• Lead partnerships within the program consortium, as well as with external stakeholders as needed, to foster the teamwork required for program success;
• Represent the program to USDA, host government officials, partner representatives, local stakeholders, and team members;
• Lead annual planning processes and associated donor resource requests, monitoring implementation progress as compared to these plans;
• Ensure the quality of all program deliverables, inclusive of activities, outputs, documentation, and reporting;
• Ensure sound program financial management, logistical and operational structures and management, and reporting;
• Ensure compliance with donors, host government, and Save the Children policies and procedures;
• Recruit, develop, and manage the program team, ensuring that adequate and appropriate capacity building plans are in place and that human resources policies are appropriate for team retention and high performance;
• Establish effective communication and coordination with USDA, the host government, and the country office team;
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where the project team strives to achieve excellence;
• Participate as part of the Country Senior Management team contributing to country strategic plans and reporting;
• Incorporate Save the Children’s vision and values and full adherence to Code of Conduct principles; and
• Closely monitor security dynamics in the project areas and report to the Country Director on significant changes in the security context.

Required Qualifications

• Post-graduate education (Master’s or higher) in development studies, international relations, agricultural economics, nutrition, business administration, or a related field;
• Minimum of seven years' experience increasing management responsibility in international development projects;
• Proven leadership skills managing projects of a similar size and scope in developing countries facing complex, volatile, and uncertain contexts;
• Demonstrated experience in managing program implementation, financial reporting, reporting procedures and systems, and staff;
• Experience recruiting and strengthening the capacity of program staff;
• Familiarity with the social, political, economic, and cultural landscape of host country; Demonstrated senior-level representation ability and experience building and maintaining relationships with host governments, donors, private sectors, and other stakeholders;
• Proven familiarity and success serving in a leadership role for a project addressing issues related to livelihoods, agriculture, market systems, trade facilitation, private sector engagement, or similar;
• In-depth knowledge of USDA’s Food for Progress (FFPr) approaches and regulations;
• Prior experience as Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, or Technical Director for USDA or other USG funded programs related to agriculture, market systems, value chain, trade facilitation, food systems, or similar field is strongly preferred;
• Creative problem-solving skills with the ability to work effectively in resource-constrained environments is important;
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with individuals and teams at all levels, both internally and externally;
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English; and
• Commitment to child rights and to the aims and objectives of Save the Children.

About Us

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.

If you require disability assistance with the application or recruitment process, please submit a request to applicantsupport@savechildren.org