Chief of Party

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Chief of Party (COP) provides overall leadership, management, strategic direction, and coordination of the USDA Food for Peace Non-Emergency Activity in Mozambique.

The COP serves as the principal liaison with USDA, Government of Mozambique counterparts, consortium partners, and other key stakeholders, ensuring successful implementation and achievement of project goals and objectives.

The COP oversees technical, operational, financial, and administrative functions, ensuring all activities comply with donor requirements, organizational policies, and applicable regulations. The COP is accountable for high-quality results, responsible resource management, and adaptive, evidence-based decision-making throughout the project, fostering strong partnerships, strengthening local ownership, and advancing sustainable solutions that improve food security, resilience, livelihoods, and self-reliance.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategic Leadership

• Provide overall leadership, vision, and strategic direction for the project to ensure achievement of program goals, objectives, and expected results.

• Ensure implementation remains aligned with donor requirements, Government of Mozambique priorities, and FH organizational standards.

• Provide oversight and guidance to senior project leadership and promote effective collaboration across all technical and operational functions.

• Promote integrated programming approaches that strengthen food security, resilience, livelihoods, market systems, social protection, nutrition, and community systems.

• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, learning, and continuous improvement throughout the project.

2. Program Management and Oversight

• Provide overall managerial oversight and accountability for project implementation, performance, compliance, and results.

• Ensure high-quality implementation, monitoring, reporting, and adaptive management systems are established and maintained.

• Oversee project budgeting, financial forecasting, sub-award financial management, and audit readiness in collaboration with the finance team.

• Approve annual work plans, budgets, implementation strategies, and major project deliverables.

• Ensure project resources are managed efficiently, effectively, and in compliance with donor and organizational requirements.

• Monitor project progress and take corrective action as needed to ensure successful achievement of targets and deliverables.

• Oversee risk management, compliance, security, and operational planning.

3. Donor Relations and Representation

• Serve as the primary point of contact and official representative with USDA and other key stakeholders.

• Maintain strong relationships with donor representatives and ensure timely, accurate, and high-quality communication and reporting.

• Lead donor visits, project reviews, strategic discussions, and performance monitoring processes.

• Represent the project and FH in national-level forums, technical working groups, coordination platforms, and other external engagements.

4. Government and Partnership Engagement

• Maintain strong relationships with relevant government ministries, regional authorities, and local institutions.

• Promote coordination and collaboration with government systems to strengthen sustainability and local ownership.

• Oversee consortium partner relationships and ensure effective collaboration, accountability, and performance.

• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with private sector actors, research institutions, community organizations, and development partners.

5. Human Resources and Team Leadership

• Provide leadership, supervision, and support to senior project staff.

• Promote a high-performing, inclusive, and collaborative team culture.

• Support recruitment, professional development, succession planning, and staff retention efforts.

• Ensure appropriate performance management systems and accountability mechanisms are applied across the project.

6. Learning, Sustainability, and Influence

• Promote the use of evidence, learning, and adaptive management to strengthen project effectiveness and impact.

• Support the development and dissemination of learning products, success stories, and best practices.

• Ensure sustainability and local capacity strengthening are integrated throughout implementation.

• Advance strategic discussions and learning that contribute to broader food security and resilience objectives in Mozambique.

REQUIREMENTS AND JOB LEVEL SPECIFICATIONS

• Demonstrated ability to successfully lead large, complex, multi-sector development programs involving multiple partners, stakeholders, and technical sectors.

• Exceptional leadership, management, strategic planning, and decision-making skills, alongside strong relationship management, diplomacy, negotiation, and representation skills.

• Strong understanding of food security, resilience, agricultural development, livelihoods, market systems, social protection, and systems strengthening approaches.

• Strong financial management and oversight skills, including experience managing large donor-funded budgets.

• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and facilitation skills, and ability to manage complexity in dynamic environments.

• Demonstrated commitment to safeguarding, inclusion, accountability, and ethical leadership, with full agreement with FH’s Christian beliefs and values (FH Heartbeat).

• Ability to travel regularly to project areas and represent the organization at senior levels.

EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible experience managing large-scale international development programs.

• Minimum 5 years of experience serving as Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, Country Director, Program Director, or a similar senior leadership position.

• Demonstrated experience leading complex food security, resilience, agriculture, livelihoods, market systems, social protection, or food assistance programs.

• Proven experience managing large donor-funded awards, consortium partnerships, and multidisciplinary teams.

• Experience working effectively with senior government officials, donors, implementing partners, and private sector stakeholders.

• Strong knowledge of USDA, USAID, or other U.S. Government donor regulations required.

• Previous experience in Mozambique, East Africa, or similar contexts strongly preferred.

EDUCATION / CERTIFICATIONS AND LANGUAGE

• Master’s degree in Agriculture, Economics, Food Security, Rural Development, International Development, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Business Administration, or a related field (equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered).

• Excellent spoken and written English; proficiency in Portuguese is preferred.