Roving Chief of Party

Overall purpose of the role:

The Roving Chief of Party is the ultimately accountable and responsible for the BHA Project overall strategic, and technical leadership along with administrative oversight of the project planning, timely implementation and achievement of all activities in Malakal, Abyei and Bentiu. S/he has overall responsibility for ensuring the results of the BHA project across all the three locations are met on time, on budget and to the highest quality standards. The Roving Chief of Party is responsible for coordinating with colleagues on project priorities and/or adjustments to interventions, budget, or staffing as required over the life of the project to ensure that the project results address the critical humanitarian needs in compliance with DRC and donor regulations. S/he will work with the Head of Programme, Grants Management Team, Country Office Technical Coordinators, MEAL, Support Services and Finance team members to ensure timely and quality execution of the project activities. This position is roving requiring the selected candidate to be based equally across project areas of intervention. 

Summary of specific responsibilities:

• Ensure that all staff receive, fully understand, and effectively utilize project documents and plans to guide their work.
• As per project design and donor requirements, prepare comprehensive implementation work plans and operational strategies to guide impactful and timely execution.
• Collaborate closely with Technical Coordinators to ensure that the project is implemented according to high technical standards and quality benchmarks.
• Ensure that selection of sites for displaced populations are based on approved technical guidelines, considering relevant factors like land availability, protection risks, conflict sensitivity, accessibility, security, water resources, and absorption capacity.
• Prepare and submit weekly and monthly implementation progress reports to the Program Development and Quality Manager.
• Manage the project’s overall budget, ensuring effective use of funds and maintaining regular communication with finance and grants teams to track progress across all budget lines.
• Overall responsibility for managing the Bentiu, Abyei and Malakal BHA Project Technical Team Leaders including ensuring positive and collaborative working relationships in line with DRC's Code of Conduct, leading performance planning and evaluation process including staff capacity building for the team in collaboration with the HR department.
• Apply a result-based management approach and monitor the project outcomes, in addition to the outputs and activities, including changes at the household and community level achieved through the project.
• Facilitate timely and high-quality reporting by coordinating with the project team, Technical Coordinators, and the Grants team to finalize accurate and comprehensive donor reports.
• Ensure effective monitoring, evaluation, and learning processes, ensuring efficient data and information management. Regularly report on project activities and outcomes.
• Proactively participate in state-level clusters and other relevant coordination mechanisms as appropriate. This includes sharing verified information from CO Technical Coordinators on concerns, principled advocacy efforts, and progress updates.
• Coordinate and support the safety and management teams to ensure project staff safety in the area of operation.

Education: 

• A degree in political/social sciences, law, development studies, social work, international development or equivalent work experience with at least 5 years’ working experience in managerial technical position

Experience and technical competencies:

• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience in program management, including proposal and report righting as well as budget and staff management.
• In-depth knowledge of USAID approaches and regulations.
• Prior experience in multi-region and multi-sector program management in South Sudan with remote management skills. Experience of coordinating activities across multiple locations.
• Area-based experience and broad knowledge of characteristics relevant to conflict-affected or post-conflict contexts, and specific operational experience with internally displaced programing in host communities.
• Ability for rapid analysis of complex issues, strong decision-making, and translation of programmatic learning and priorities into operational strategies.
• Recent Project Management/oversight in all or some of the following sectors: WASH, Shelter, Protection, SGBV, Camp Coordination and Camp Management.
• Excellent English writing and editing skills for external audiences (including government representatives and donors).
• Experience in integrating protection and disaster risk reduction (DRR) frameworks and measures into infrastructure planning.
• Awareness of public health and protection issues as applied to emergency settings, with special attention to the needs of children and women - Knowledge of transitional shelter and settlements options including host family support, collective centers and camps.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, cross-cultural communication and ease working in multi-ethnic team, with a constructive and cooperative problem-solving approach.
• Experience of engaging with humanitarian infrastructure/coordination architecture cluster system.