Niger: Deputy Chief of Party - Voices for Peace

The Voices for Peace (V4P) project is a 5-year, USAID-supported media messaging and communications cooperative agreement that will cover Burkina Faso, Chad, and Niger, with an expansion to Cameroon and Mali in early 2018. A continuation of EA’s ongoing peace and tolerance work in these countries, the goal of the anticipated project is to amplify moderate voices of peace and tolerance as part of a broader effort to reduce vulnerability to violent extremism in the Sahel. Specific objectives include:

1. Strengthening positive local narratives.

2. Increasing dialogue and exchange on CVE and peace concepts.

3. Expanding access to information.

4. Promoting citizen/government dialogue.

5. Enhancing regional collaboration among media actors.

Responsibilities:

The Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) will be based in Niamey, Niger and travel frequently to the other program countries. The Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) will work in close coordination with the Regional Technical Director to provide strategic direction and oversight to program activities, reporting to the Chief of Party. The DCOP will ensure that all Voices for Peace activities are grounded in local situational awareness, relevant government strategies and guidelines, CVE good practices, the V4P work plan and the overall V4P agreement with USAID. In addition, the DCOP will be responsible for overseeing the M&E function of the program and supporting reporting, communications, and documenting of field activities and successes in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Mali. He/she will ensure high quality reporting and program delivery and support national staff in capturing and communicating successes and innovation around existing, planned, and new activities. The DCOP is a key member of the V4P Senior Management Team, and will be expected to act as COP in his absence and represent Equal Access with USAID.

Specifically, the DCOP will:

· Provide in-depth, conceptual input to refine project strategy and ensure alignment of activity development with a rapidly evolving political context.

· Provide ongoing analysis on political, security, and social context and developments relevant to project objectives.

· Liaise with the Technical Director and the country directors in all project countries and provide CVE guidance and technical assistance.

· Interface with both USAID and other counterparts regarding the overall direction of the project in the absence of the COP;

· In coordination with the COP, develop the project research agenda and oversee performance of short-term technical assistance (STTA) linked to the project research component;

· Provide guidance and technical oversight to the M&E staff on the team;

· Interface with both USAID and other counterparts regarding the overall direction of the project in the absence of the COP.

· Support the Country Director to develop V4P activities in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and potentially other countries as needed.

· Review and revise the project activity concept notes to ensure they are clearly written and are in line with the project strategy;

· Regularly prepare project reports, success stories, anecdotes and project overview documents in English and French for donors, partners, and the wider CVE and peacebuilding fields;

· Develop reporting and communications templates and processes to mentor project staff to improve their own reporting;

· Support in-country Key Personnel and Country Directors to exceed donor (USAID) expectations from a communications and reporting perspective.

· Help write and edit official project documents, including workplans, M&E plans, and other deliverables.

· Deliver high quality quarterly reports and other reporting/M&E requirements; help ensure that M&E data is regularly collected and documented to a DQA standard.

· Ensure program learning is built back into program strategy and implementation of the grants activity cycle, and lead program learning into action with the program team.

· Other tasks and responsibilities as agreed to with the COP.

Qualifications:

· Bachelor’s or advanced degree in social sciences, international development, political science, peacebuilding and conflict management, or other related field.

· Minimum seven years (with advanced degree) or 10 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant professional experience managing and implementing development projects focused on CVE, conflict mitigation, peacebuilding, or other related activity.

· Strong experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa; experience working in one of the project countries desired.

· Demonstrated ability to effectively manage staff working in multiple locations affected by VE and conflict.

· Interface with both USAID and other counterparts regarding the overall direction of the project in the absence of the COP.

· Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in English and French, both verbally and in writing.

If you wish to be considered for this position, submit your CV and Letter of Motivation providing details highlighting your relevant qualifications and experience. Please also include one writing sample (if the writing sample has collaborators, please indicate which sections you specifically wrote). Send all documents to jobs@equalacess.org with the email’s subject ‘APPLICATION FOR DCOP POSITION’. Closing date for applications is November 22 at 5 PM.