Chief of Party, USAID/Tunisia Civil Society Activity

About IREX:

IREX is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to building a more just, prosperous, and inclusive world by empowering youth, cultivating leaders, strengthening institutions, and extending access to quality education and information. Founded in 1968, IREX has an annual portfolio of over $100 million, work in more than 100 countries worldwide with offices in 13 countries, and a global staff of 600.

Summary of Position:

IREX seeks qualified Chief of Party (COP) candidates for the anticipated five-year USAID Civil Society Activity in Tunisia. The program’s goal is to empower Tunisian citizens to act and advocate for specific issues and to build the legitimacy and sustainability of the civil society sector. The Program is expected to work towards the following objectives: 1) Increase the engagement and agency of citizens to act and advocate for specific issues of public interest; 2) Strengthen the institutional capacity of civil society organizations to promote positive change on citizen and constituent priorities; and 3) Promote effective partnerships (intra-, inter-, and multi-sectoral) at local, regional, and national levels (e.g., government, civil society, citizens, citizens, private sector) to advance shared development objectives. The COP will be based in Tunis and will provide overall technical leadership and management oversight of the Activity, ensuring strong collaboration with partners, civil society, media, and other key stakeholders. The COP will serve as the program’s principal contact point for USAID/Tunisia, assuring technical excellence and program quality, consistent with IREX procedures and standards for program quality in activity design, implementation, monitoring, learning and evaluation. The COP will use their convening power to bring together civil society leaders, activists and organizations to collaborate effectively and achieve collective impact and social change across issues that resonate with Tunisians and increase Tunisian civil society sustainability and legitimacy.

Citizens or residents of Tunisia will only be considered.  This position is contingent on funding.

Summary of Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic and technical leadership to the program and the team, deploying innovative and adaptive program implementation that engages a wide range of stakeholders while effectively meeting donor deliverables
• Provide strategic and technical leadership for the design and implementation of activities in areas such as citizen engagement, civil society institutional capacity strengthening, effective partnership development, organizational performance improvement, network-building, accountability, and advocacy
• Provide support and direction for the provision of technical assistance and the management of grants for local partners, including the development of capacity-building tools and tracking systems as needed
• Serve as the Program’s principal liaison with USAID/Tunisia, as well as with key partners and civil society stakeholders in Tunisia
• Develop workplans through participatory and collaborative processes, oversee workplan implementation, responsively adapting to changes and lessons learned throughout implementation
• Develop and maintain effective partnerships for the successful implementation of the program
• Ensure activities are implemented on schedule and within budget
• Identify issues and risks to program implementation in a timely manner and suggest appropriate program adjustments
• Supervise, manage, and mentor the program’s Tunisia staff, in close coordination with IREX’s home office
• Oversee monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of program activities; promote a culture of learning and adaptation across the program and partners
• Oversee program communications and represent the program publicly

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Tunisian citizenship or residency with work authorization.
• University degree (Master or higher-level preferred) in social sciences, international development, social work, law, public policy/administration or related field
• Minimum five (5) years of experience at a senior management level of local CSOs, including direct supervision of professional and support staff
• Familiarity with designing, managing, or implementing USAID- or other donor-funded programs
• Demonstrated ability to develop and foster relationships with local partners and counterparts, preferably in Tunisia or the North Africa region
• Demonstrated experience in working effectively with local civil society organizations, experience in advocacy, network-building, and institutional capacity building for civil society organizations, preferably in Tunisia or the North Africa region
• Demonstrated ability to track and manage budgets and plan both strategically and creatively to meet project objectives
• Proven leadership qualities and excellent management skills, strong interpersonal and organizational skills
• Proven experience in adaptive management in complex implementing environments
• Commitment to inclusive programming that encourages full participation of individual regardless of gender, disability status, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or other marginalized status
• Excellent written and spoken Arabic, English and French

To Apply:

Click on “Apply” below to submit your CV for consideration, preferably along with a cover letter which summarizes your qualifications and states your salary expectations.