Malawi: Chief of Party, Assess the Learners (YESA) Activity, Malawi

Chief of Party, Assess the Learners (YESA) Activity, Malawi

Company Profile: MSI, a Tetra Tech Company, is a Washington, DC metro area international development firm with a 35-year history of delivering development results across the world. Our core expertise is in the fields of monitoring and evaluation (M&E), institutional development, public sector management, governance and anti-corruption. MSI implements nearly 100 projects in 90 countries around the world such as Jordan, Morocco, Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Colombia, and Mexico. As one of the leading companies in our field, MSI has partnered with more than 80 organizations across all sectors of international development with clients ranging from large bilateral and multilateral donors such as USAID, the World Bank and the UNDP to national and local governments, NGOs, think tanks, foundations and universities. For more information on MSI, please visit our website at www.msiworldwide.com.

Proposal Summary:
MSI anticipates an upcoming proposal for a five-year project where the primary purpose will be create a multi-level monitoring and evaluation system for the National Reading Programme to assist the Government of Malawi's (GoM's) efforts to improve the reading skills of Malawian students nationwide. The following objectives will be the focal points: 1) National Reading Assessment instituted; 2) Universal school–level utilization of assessment strategies and techniques for reading instituted; 3) Community-level capacity for the performance and informed use of reading assessments instituted; and 4) Integration of reading assessments into National Reading.

Position Summary:
MSI is seeking a long-term Chief of Party, with a solid track-record in leading projects related to international development. The candidate will be a development professional with at least 10 years of international development programming and management experience, with the ability to recruit and supervise short-term U.S., third country and local experts and strong experience in monitoring & evaluation, preferably on USAID projects. The Chief of Party will be MSI's primary representative in the field and must be capable of representing MSI effectively to USAID, the Government of Afghanistan and other stakeholders. The proposed Chief of Party must have an outstanding past performance reference/ record of successfully leading projects that are similar in size and complexity.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as a key focal point for USAID and partner staff for monitoring and reporting.
• Support USAID and its partners in the development of their M&E systems.
• Provide vision and strategic direction for the program.
• Oversee overall project management, quality and timeliness of deliverables, external representation, and overall coordination with USAID/Malawi.
• Direct and monitor implementation of activities within the work plan, ensuring that activities are performed to a high professional standard, effectively implemented and fulfill donor and the organization's requirements.
• Lead the overall technical and financial performance of the contract, including program planning, budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E).
• Provide direction on senior-level policy and technical dialogue with the Ministry of Health and other government ministries and units, working in staff as appropriate.
• Ensure effective communication across the entire project with team and relevant stakeholders.
• Facilitate the development of results frameworks, logic models and logical frameworks.
• Provide technical assistance to USAID and its partners in all aspects of the design and execution of USAID's performance management system.
• Provide training and capacity building support to USAID and Ministry of Education partners.

Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in education related area (ex. in international education, non-formal and/or other alternative education approaches, basic education, teacher training, and/or social/behavioral sciences).
• At least 5 (five) years demonstrated significant relevant progressively increasing responsibility in managing activities of similar scope in international development assistance, in a context similar to Malawi. Significant relevant experience includes at least one as COP position, or equivalent Program Manager function.
• A demonstrated track record of achieving results in a development context. Specific and relevant development outcomes achieved as a result of the proposed COP's leadership must be well documented by the Contractor. Demonstrated management and supervisory experience of a relevant scope and scale. The COP must have at least 5 (five) years of progressively responsible supervisory work experience that involved direct leadership of professional and support staff, oversight and evaluation of staff performance and deliverables, and contract management.
• Demonstrated leadership skills in working collaboratively with other donors, host country institutions, and international organizations.
• Demonstrated track record of working in teams and fostering partnerships. Effective partnerships and coordination with relevant institutions and structures are critical to YESA's success. Specific instances when the COP has formed led or participated in relevant partnerships must be well documented by the Contractor. • Leadership in local capacity development. The COP must have a demonstrated ability to provide oversight of local capacity development efforts, including working with local partners to ensure adherence to all sub-award requirements.
• The COP must have a demonstrated understanding of the technical activities YESA will implement including improved capacity building in monitoring and evaluation, experience working with and within communities implementing activities of similar scope and scale, and a strong sense of demonstrated work experience institutionalizing activities with recipient governments. The COP need not be a recognized as an expert in all of these areas but must have a combination of educational and work experience that clearly demonstrates an ability to provide effective overall technical leadership and oversight. Complementarity of technical understanding with the other key personnel is essential.
• A strong understanding of monitoring, evaluation and learning. The COP need not be an ME&L expert but must possess demonstrated experience in providing overall oversight for ME&L systems and assuring data quality.
• Strong communication abilities. Strong writing and communication abilities are essential; the COP will hold ultimate responsibility for the quality and timeliness of YESA reporting and communication efforts.
• Fluency in spoken and written English.
• Strong analytic experience with and reporting of performance data.
• Proficient in MS Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience with data visualization products and software, a plus.
• Experienced Malawian candidates are preferred and strongly encouraged to apply.

Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please.

MSI is an EEO/AA/ADA Veterans Employer.

To apply: Please visit our website, www.msiworldwide.com

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