Chief of Party - Bangladesh

IFDC is currently preparing to bid on contracts for implementation of USAID’s Feed the Future work in Bangladesh and seeks candidates for the position of Chief of Party to work on agricultural inputs and agricultural outputs value chains. The input supply project will work with private sector suppliers, agrodealers, farmers and their organizations, as well as government bodies that participate in facilitating the availability of inputs for improved productivity. The value chain project will work with input suppliers, farmers, their organizations, wholesale buyers, processors and related private sector entities that participate in the supply chain for a range of agricultural products including but not limited to horticultural and high valued products, rice, livestock and fish/shrimp. This position will encompass staff management, donor relations, work planning and implementation. The Chief of Party reports to the Director of IFDC’s Eurasia Division.

Required Skills
The Chief of Party (COP) is responsible for the elaboration and implementation of the project’s work plans, and represents the project at the national and international level. The COP maintains relations with the donor, with national government agencies and relevant national and international organizations. The COP manages the project team and directly supervises the technical support team comprised of national and international experts. COP responsibilities further include facilitation of good relations with donors, visitors and the press. The COP is both a managerial position and representative position.

The COP manages:

The technical support team - The objective is to create strong, creative, innovative and productive technical support team that will lead to significant ground-breaking results in the areas of input supply and agricultural value chains. The technical support team, comprised of project employees, In this role, the COP

•Oversees the clear distribution of roles and responsibilities and assure timely TOR’s and proper follow up on missions planned;
•Oversees work planning, monitoring and reporting, including quarterly and annual work plans and budgets, budget and activity tracking, approval of specific expenses, quarterly and annual reports;
•Identifies and addresses in a timely fashion challenges and opportunities at implementation and staffing levels;
•Is responsible for staff appraisal and performance monitoring, including the development of individual and collective development and training plans.

The external network - The objective is to link the project with its relevant national and international network of contacts. Specific responsibilities include:

•Work with actors in the respective value chains to stimulate greater efficiency and expansion of commerce in the value chains;
•Assure good linkages with national and international counterparts and partners (governmental, non-governmental and private sector).
•Maintain frequent contacts with the donor

Project finances and administration - The objective is to effectively allocate and account for funds in accordance with the contract signed with the donor.

•Work with technical team on budget planning and monitoring and if necessary in budget re-allocation;
•Assure proper application of all financial and administrative rules (audit proofing).
•Signal in advance potential over- or under-expenditure by line item;
•Work with finance and administration staff in timely liquidity planning for the project.


The management scope of the position is:

•Supervision of direct reports and related responsibilities of approximately 10 staff;
•Internal relations with finance and administration and IFDC headquarters;
•External relations with governments, non-governmental and private sector organizations and knowledge institutes.

Required Experience
•At least a Bachelor’s degree in a field related to agriculture and or agricultural economics; advanced degree (Master’s, Doctorate, etc.) desired;
•At least 15 years of responsibility in international development with experience in Asia (and preferably Bangladesh);
•Chief of Party or Country Director experience in managing complex projects (multi-country, multiple partners);
•Proven ability to work with complex budgets, including budgets in various currencies;
•Excellent English language skills both in written and spoken forms;
•Knowledge of issues pertaining to agricultural input supply;
•Knowledge of output markets and value chains;
•Private sector agribusiness experience valuable;
•Good team worker, inspirational supervisor and excellent leader;
•Willing and able to think out of the box when it comes to agricultural and market innovation;
•Mature and responsible person able to act as representative of IFDC;
•Committed and results oriented;
•Experienced in USAID project management requirements;
•Proven record of achieving development impacts in a similar context;
•Demonstrated ability to work and coordinate effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders, including national and local government, donors, community-based organizations, think tanks and universities, and the private sector;
•Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills, including the ability to manage high-level relationships and motivate subordinates.

Please visit http://www.ifdc.org/employment for application.