POSITION DESCRIPTION

Chief of Party

Cooperative Resilience and Equity (CORE) Cooperative Development Program

Kigali, Rwanda

Background:

Land O'Lakes Venture37 is a 501(c)(3) non-profit committed to helping communities around the world thrive through agriculture. Affiliated with Land O'Lakes, Inc., Venture37 has more than 40 years of experience implementing agricultural development projects in more than 80 countries around the world. Venture37 strengthens economies by improving local agriculture, helping agribusinesses create jobs and linking farmers to markets. It delivers integrated solutions that help build and improve food and agriculture systems through more competitive markets, more resilient systems, healthier and more nutrition-secure communities, and more inclusive societies.

Project Description:

The Cooperative Resilience and Equity Activity (CORE) will foster vibrant, sustainable cooperative ecosystems in Rwanda and Zambia, in which self-managed cooperatives and all their members flourish economically and socially. Through CORE, Venture37 will take a localized and market-responsive approach, engaging market actors, including women and youth, in activity design, implementation and measurement to tailor activities to their unique needs while strengthening their capacity to create sustainable solutions. Achievements and learnings from Venture37's implementation of the USAID Cooperative Development Activity 4 (CD4) (Rwanda and Malawi, 2018–2023) will inform impactful activities in Zambia and enable scaling to new Rwandan districts under CORE. CORE will: Inclusively strengthen the capacity of cooperatives by dynamically responding to their unique challenges and market opportunities by adapting existing, tested tools; Improve the cooperative enabling environment by working with private and public service providers to deliver market-responsive and well-coordinated services to cooperatives; and Spur innovation, learning and continuous improvement in the local and global development community through embedded applied research.

Position Summary:

The Chief of Party (COP) shall provide strategic vision and technical leadership, supervise team members, and be responsible for coordination of the implementation of the CORE project in Rwanda and Zambia. The COP will ensure the project is planned and executed with quality, accountability, and measurable impact. The COP will liaise with USAID and other donor partners, as necessary, and will manage project staff and local and sub partners to ensure proper reporting, financial management, and compliance. The COP is expected to coordinate with government and other stakeholders to ensure that activities complement ongoing initiatives and adhere to country and global standards. The COP will report to the Program Director and work in liaison with Venture37’s program support staff

Primary Responsibilities:

The main duties include but are not limited to the following:

1. PROGRAM LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

• Provide overall strategic leadership to the implementation of the USAID-funded cooperative development program (CDP) in Rwanda and Zambia to ensure the project delivers on its goals and objectives.
• Disseminate learning to create and sustain an organization-wide understanding of global best practices and trends in cooperative and producer organization development.
• Co-ordinate and direct all activities with respect to implementation of Venture37 cooperative development program(s) providing general technical guidance and management.
• Ensure effective planning and achievement of project goals and results targets under the guidance of the Program Management leadership.
• Oversee work planning and project implementation as well as monitoring, evaluation and reporting of project indicators to Land O'Lakes Venture37 and USAID.
• Participate in regular field visits and provide and/or coordinate provision of technical assistance (including consultants, firms and volunteers) to achieve results.
• Ensure project activities comply with policies and procedures of Venture37 and USAID cooperative agreements.
• Capture learning from project implementation related to the development, growth, financing, and competitiveness of agricultural cooperatives and farmer organizations.
• Promote learning and knowledge dissemination through participation and leadership in Overseas Cooperative Development Council (OCDC) organized events, workshops, roundtables, etc. as part of program activities.
• Leverage CORE CDP activities and learning to inform Venture37 programmatic strategies around market access and cooperative development.
• Cultivate and deepen Venture37's cooperative sector relationships in Rwanda and Zambia.
• Engage in OCDC activities including collaborative group meetings with the community of CDP implementors worldwide.
• Represent project both internally and externally to other donors, stakeholders, implementing partners and government counterparts.
• Manage relationships with USAID, other donors and implementing partners, government counterparts in Rwanda and Zambia.
• Provide management oversight to all project components and activities and lead appropriate adaptations through collaboration, learning, and adaptation (CLA) practices and in collaboration with USAID.
• Ensure quality monitoring and evaluation, including the development and implementation of a monitoring, evaluation, and learning plan (MEL Plan). Oversee activities that relate to the baseline, mid-term and final evaluations.
• Ensure effective finance, progress, and donor reports, compliance with donor and Land O’Lakes Venture37 regulations, and efficient utilization of program staff and resources.
• Ensure development of quality project reports, work plans, sub agreements, and other programming documents, and monitor ongoing activities to ensure they are reaching the intended objectives

1. TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Ensure appropriate job descriptions for program employees as needed.
• Ensure local hire employee contracts are developed in accordance with established Land O’Lakes Venture37 institutional hiring and dismissal practices.
• Oversee the recruitment, hiring, training, management, and evaluation of staff to ensure program success.
• Manage the program team in a manner that is open and respectful, encourages professional development, and solicits constructive staff input.
• Establish clear lines of communication that keep staff informed of relevant information and dialogue both in the field and from headquarters.
• Ensure compliance among key staff with all corporate and local Land O’Lakes Venture37 policies and procedures. Ensure appropriate policies and procedures are in place and understandable by staff.

1. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

• Oversee budgets to ensure all expenditures comply with Land O’Lakes Venture37 and donor policies and regulations as well as within the scope of the program budget.
  
• Review and approve Land O’Lakes Venture37 monthly financial reports prepared by accounting staff. Partner with accounting staff to ensure accuracy of reports to the donor.
• Ensure that the project finance and accounting staff maintain timely cash flow analyses and projections to be provided to the donor as necessary and for internal management purposes.

1. COMPLIANCE

• Ensure all activities comply with donor regulations and Land O’Lakes Venture37 policies and procedures. Ensure that all staff members are aware of and follow regulations and procedures.
• Monitor staff management of leases, utility and service contracts, and other contracts related to office management, and ensure compliance with Land O’Lakes Venture37 and USAID regulations.
• Oversee procurement for the program.
• Ensure that all deliverables are submitted on time.
• Respond to other requests from HQ on a timely basis.
  

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in international development, business administration, economics, social sciences, agriculture, or a closely related field.
• 8 years of progressively responsible management, technical or development programs experience.
• 5 years of experience in cooperative and community-based development.
• Experience working in USAID or other international donor projects preferred.
• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, including proven ability to develop and communicate a common vision among diverse partners and lead a multi-disciplinary team.
• Fluency in English with strong oral and written presentation skills.
• Experience working with project teams in East Africa (Rwanda and Zambia, preferred).
• Relevant computer software skills including standard applications in MS Office.