Guatemala: Deputy Chief of Party

Organization: Plan
Country: Guatemala
Closing date: 19 May 2017

Project and Position Description

Plan International is seeking a Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) for USAID’s anticipated Communities Building Peace Together Activity in Guatemala, a cooperative agreement with an expected budget of approximately $30 million over five years.

The project will work to reduce social conflict and violence and improve social cohesion in Guatemala’s Western Highlands Region. The project seeks to bring together diverse sector sand stakeholders within communities in the Western Highlands to identify and address the main drivers of social conflict at the familial, community, and municipal level.

The Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) will support the Chief of Party in the management of the project. S/he will be in charge of providing technical and managerial leadership including technical oversight, overseeing monitoring and evaluation (M&E) functions, financial management and administration and grants management. S/he oversees coordination of field operations, provide support in the management of sub-grantees, and ensure that activities meeting USAID and Plan standards. The position is contingent upon award of the project and approval by USAID.

Responsibilities:

Provides day-to-day leadership and high quality delivery of the project: field operations, administration, logistics and procurement.
Manages, in coordination with the COP, relationships and work with implementing partner organizations
Manages donor relationships and serves, along with the COP, as the primary project representative.
Oversees the development of project reports, annual work plans, and other documents as required by USAID and the Government of Guatemala.
Facilitates knowledge management, communications, and information flow for the project.
Maintains a working knowledge of project budgets and expenditure, and assists the Finance and Operations Director to set up and implement appropriate systems for project financials.
Serves as Acting Chief of Party when the Chief of Party is unavailable.
Ensures compliance in reporting to USAID, Plan International, Plan US National Office (USNO) and Government of Guatemala counterparts.

Requirements:

Minimum five (5) years of experience working closely with community on sustainability strategies and supporting community development in transitional situations.
University degree in public administration, law, international development, international sustainability management or other relevant field.
Strong knowledge of Community-Base Development, Governance and conflict mitigation in Guatemala.
Significant experience managing large-scale, multi-year US government-funded programs. With a strong track record of successfully managing USAID-funded programs including previously serving in a Senior Management role in Guatemala or Central America
Demonstrated knowledge of USAID project management including USAID rules and regulation and reporting requirements.
Demonstrated knowledge about gender and development, and demonstrated experience and proficiency in managing programs that mainstream gender.
Demonstrated ability to implement projects with rigorous timelines and deliverables and to track program quality through donor approved monitoring and evaluation systems.
Experience working and collaborating with diverse sets of stakeholders, such as local NGOs, government officials, donor representatives, local and international staff.
Proven experience hiring, training, and supervising teams of international and local staff.
Proven leadership, inter-personal and cross-cultural skills, and ability to build and motivate diverse teams.
Excellent English and Spanish oral and written communication skills
Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel and Outlook.