Chief of Party

Chief of Party (CoP)

S.W. Nepal Pvt. Ltd. (Scott Wilson Nepal)
USAID Local Works Support (LWS)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Position: Chief of Party (CoP), USAID Local Works Support
Duty Station: Scott Wilson Nepal Office, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu (Central Office), with frequent field visits to provinces and municipalities
Contract: 1 Year (extendable to 5 years based on performance)
Salary: An attractive salary with additional benefits including a provident fund, gratuity fund, festival allowance, and medical and accidental insurance will be provided. Applicable taxes shall be deducted as per the law of Nepal.
Working Days: 5 days a week (Mon-Friday, 900 a.m. to 530 p.m.)
Report to: Mr. Shuva Sharma, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SWN

Introduction:

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission to Nepal has awarded S.W. Nepal Pvt. Ltd. (Scott Wilson Nepal/SWN), as prime contractor, a contract to provide dedicated, long-term support to USAID’s flagship locally-led development program, Local Works. This five-year initiative commences on January 8, 2024.Local Works is a locally-led development program aimed at capacitating local actors—including individuals, communities, networks, civil society organizations (CSOs), private entities, and governments—to take the lead in the development process, including priority setting, developing solutions, decision-making, and overall management. Since 2015, Local Works has operated in 32 countries, aligning with legislation from Congress to integrate locally-led development practice into the agency’s operations and programs, reflecting what Administrator Samantha Power states: “If we truly want to make aid inclusive, local voices need to be at the center of everything we do.”

The USAID Local Works Support, facilitated by S.W. Nepal Pvt. Ltd., will offer important services such as organizational capacity development (OCD), third-party monitoring, risk assessment, and local works coordination. More specifically, USAID Local Works Support will assess and capacitate local actors in areas like human resource management, financial management, and operations. This initiative aims to improve cooperation, coordination, and co-creation among local actors, including the USAID Mission to Nepal, local beneficiaries, and local governments. This will be achieved through targeted communication, outreach, and information-sharing activities. All activities and components under the Local Works Support will be underpinned with a focused effort to raise awareness and uphold gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).

Purpose of the Position:

The CoP is responsible for the overall leadership, management, and coordination of Local Works Support, ensuring that objectives and immediate results are achieved within the given timeframe and budget. The CoP shall oversee LWS implementation, monitor progress, and make strategic decisions to ensure project success. CoP shall serve as the primary liaison for the USAID/Nepal steering committee, relevant federal government entities, and other stakeholders and maintain regular communication with them. The CoP will also be responsible for leading Component A (Capacity Development) of Local Works Support.

The COP will be the primary point of contact with USAID/Nepal staff, including the Contracting Officer and the Contracting Officer’s Representation (CO/COR).

Scope of Work (SoW) and Responsibilities:

The service may include, but is not limited to, the following activities:

• The Chief of Party (CoP) is responsible for the overall strategic leadership, technical direction, planning, and administration for the successful implementation of the USAID Local Works Support activities, which includes the timely delivery and quality of achievement of outputs and deliverables
• Design, manage, and maintain a comprehensive annual work plan, quarterly reports, and budget, establishing milestones and deadlines, monitoring progress and troubleshooting issues, and implementing prompt solutions to keep the Local Works Support activities up-to-date and on a pre-agreed track.
• Spearheaded internal workflow and processes that are clear, logical, measurable, effective, and backed by robust guidelines and tools.
• Serve as the primary liaison to the USAID Local Works Support management team on activity implementation and risk mitigation, keeping them informed of developments throughout various stages of progress to ensure timeliness and high-quality delivery of outputs.
• Manage relationship with USAID, ensuring effective communication and client satisfaction;
• Develop a procedure for the OCD of the organization and train OCD managers in mentoring the Implementing Partners.
• Lead and provide inputs to achieve component 1 deliverables.
• Manage and lead the team and office on a day-to-day basis.
• Foster strong professional and collaborative relationships with stakeholders, e.g., I/NGO, Government of Nepal (GoN) officials, donors, and IGOs.
• Liaise between Local Works implementing partners and other USAID partners to leverage opportunities for synergy and up-scale good practices.
• Inspire, lead, and manage all project staff to efficiently complete their respective components of the USAID Local Works Support.
• Ensure high and robust quality of i) activities and processes that feed into achieving results; and ii) all deliverables that will be shared with USAID/Nepal.
• Ensure compliance with USAID/Nepal guidelines, regulations, and standard operating procedures, as well as Nepal’s national laws and regulations.
• Comply with USAID and SWN reporting requirements on program impact and implementation.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in organizational development, sustainable development, development economics, international relations, project management, or related areas.
• Strong understanding of local development issues and demonstrated success in implementing locally-led projects.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Familiarity with USAID rules, regulations, and reporting requirements.
• At least 13 years of hands-on experience in the design and implementation of large and complex organizational capacity development (OCD) plans, approaches, and strategies.
• At least 5 years of senior leadership experience, ideally as a Chief of Party (CoP), Team Leader (TL), or Project Director (PD), on USAID programs of similar size and complexity is highly preferred.
• Proven expertise in designing, directing, and implementing complex and comprehensive monitoring, evaluation, and learning programs.
• Proven ability to maintain strong working relationships with Government of Nepal (GoN) officials, I/NGO officials, and other local and regional stakeholders.
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of USAID’s program cycle, evaluation policy, CLA framework, and local capacity strengthening policy.
• Stellar communication skills include reading, writing, and speaking in English and Nepal.

Core Competencies and Technical Expertise

• Excellent ability to work effectively under pressure, prioritize and implement multiple tasks within strict deadlines, and produce high-quality deliverables.
• Strong training, capacity-building, and facilitation expertise
• Strong at using MS Word, MS Excel, and MS PowerPoint.
• Proactive and detail-oriented individual with a dedication to identifying solutions to problems.
• Ability and willingness for field travel.
• Positive attitude and a good sense of humor.

TO APPLY

Interested candidates are encouraged to apply by emailing their CV, indicating their current address in Kathmandu, no later than January 31, 2024, at lws@swnepal.com.np, before 5 p.m. A cover letter is not required at this stage.

Only shortlisted candidates who meet the criteria will be contacted for the interview. We encourage candidates of diverse backgrounds, including women and those who are differently abled, to apply.

The potential applicants are encouraged to visit www.swnepal.com.np for more details on our team, location, and services.

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