Chief of Party – Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub

Project Background:

The Southern Africa Trade & Investment Hub (the Hub) project seeks to increase regional trade and investment as well as agricultural value chain competitiveness in Southern Africa.

The delivery of targeted assistance under this contract will help Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) member states, the private sector, and civil society organizations strengthen regional and global trade linkages and business practices, building opportunities to increase exports to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

Purpose:

The Chief of Party will serve as the lead interlocutor between USAID and the Hub team. S/he will work closely with government partners and project staff to identify key issues, develop recommendations, and test solutions. The COP will manage efforts to collaborate with a broad set of stakeholders, including government representatives, civil society, the private sector, and other donors.

Responsibilities and Key Tasks:

Technical:

• Provide overall leadership, management and technical direction of the program to achieve excellence;
• Cultivate and establish a partnership of one with USAID and Home Office to ensure ownership and understanding of all parties;
• Articulate the vision, integrated strategy and objectives to team, USAID partners, SADC and other key stakeholders to ensure a cohesive and integrated approach in achieving the Hub’s objectives;
• Identify and manage issues and risks early on related to program implementation and make the necessary appropriate program adjustments with buy-in from USAID and home office where appropriate;
• Serve as primary liaison between USAID Regional Mission and Bilaterals, SADC, implementing partners, key stakeholders, private sector entities, and DAI home office management on all program-related matters;
• Responsible for the design and implementation of the annual work plan where activities are tied to specific performance targets (milestones and indicators) as specified in the PMEP;
• Promote and ensure collaboration with the Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub and implementing partners in the region on program activities where there is technical overlap and activities, knowledge and resources can be leveraged to maximize efficiencies and scale,
• Work with the Hub’s local partners to ensure they are successfully achieving their SOWs and address deficiencies with the local partner as they arise;
• Identify short-term technical and operational resource needs/consulting requirements and support the process of on-boarding themes needed; and
• Submit timely, high quality project deliverables to USAID and DAI;

Management:

• Serve as Director of the Hub and be responsible and accountable for the relationship with USAID and the project’s technical and financial success;
• Respect and work closely with DAI’s Home Office team;
• Raise any risks or concerns with DAI’s Home Office in a timely manner with recommended options on how to deal with them;
• Meet SATIH financial goals reflected in quarterly corporate forecast budgets;
• Contribute to project pipeline analysis, providing input into the quarterly ETC review process and the Hub’s budget realignments;
• Ensure adherence to all USAID protocols and procedures;
• Build the capacity of local staff in both technical and managerial skills;
• Ensure compliance with local labor law, USAID policies, and DAI policies and procedures; and
• Represent the Hub, USAID, and DAI at public conferences, forums, and events.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• The Chief of Party will directly supervise the Deputy Chief of Party, Director of Program Management and Finance; Director of Strategic Communications; and Monitoring and Evaluation Manager.

Place of Performance and Reporting:

The Chief of Party will be based in South Africa and will report to the DAI Home Office Project Team Director.

Qualifications:

• A successful record leading contracts of similar size and complexity;
• At least 10 years of experience, some of which were managing a regional project and maintaining relationships with a Regional Economic Community and Bilateral Missions, preferably in SADC region, in international trade policy and capacity/skills in at least one of the projects technical areas ( investment and finance, agriculture, export competitiveness, business enabling environment reforms, and trade facilitation;
• Prior experience and strong understanding and knowledge in agricultural market systems. Demonstrated experience in promoting private sector partnerships and facilitating deals to increase private sector participation in the agriculture sector
• Demonstrated ability to establish productive relationships with regional bodies, senior government officials, the business community, civil society, and international donors;
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with institutional and private sector partners and stakeholders in a multi-country setting;
• Demonstrated understanding of USAID requirements for M&E, knowledge management, and reporting;
• Fluency in English and excellent written and oral communications skills; and
• A graduate degree in a relevant discipline such as business, investment, economics, law, or trade is preferred, although additional relevant experience (beyond the 10 years listed above) in the listed fields will be considered.