Afghanistan: Chief of Party

Position Summary:

The Chief of Party will be responsible for the overall management and successful implementation of the program and will be the senior in-country program representative with overall responsibility for supervising program staff, and managing relations with partners and sub-contractors, both international and local. The COP will take a leadership role in the coordinate program activities among a diverse group of stakeholders and beneficiaries: Ministry of Education’s Deputy Ministry for TVET, community and business members, and USAID personnel. The COP will oversee and ensure timely program implementation, monitoring of activities, and management of program staff and subsidiaries. The COP has ultimate responsibility for program financial accountability and reporting to USAID and Creative Associates’ home office.

Reporting & Supervision:

The Chief of Party reports to the Project Director in Washington, DC.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Oversee a large, complex program to improve the workforce opportunities for mid-career Afghan professionals; and assist in improving the institutional capacity of training institutions to respond to workforce development skills gaps and unmet demand as expressed by the private sector companies.


• Lead the overall technical, financial and administrative performance of the contract, including program planning and execution, budgeting, and M&E;


• Supervise program progress and coordinates program activities across Afghanistan;


• Manage in-country staff to ensure that the program is achieving all deliverables;


• Ensure that technical, financial and administrative activities are carried out according to USAID and Creative policies and procedures;


• Ensure the appropriate implementation of accounting, personnel, IT and operating procedures are consistent with Creative policies as well as tailored to meet local needs;


• Work in partnership with the Project Director in the home office. Engage in frequent, routine communication so that the Project Director is aware of both progress and potential issues, and solicits assistance and input as needed to ensure that performance meets or exceeds technical and financial contractual requirements;


• Lead Creative’s AWDP team to execute the off-budget and provide technical support to the on-budget portion of the program;


• Recruit, hire, and manage national staff and consultants as needed to carry out activities;


• Be responsible for maintaining and nurturing Creative’s relationship with USAID;


• Be responsible for successfully managing the program’s relationship with local governments/ministries and other stakeholders;


• Prepare and ensure timely reporting including quarterly and annual reports;


• Oversee creation and implementation of program monitoring and evaluation activities, and the development and implementation of work plans;


• Implement Creative’s security protocols and provide leadership in security-related issues;


• Address local staffing and personnel issues related to security; and


• Represent the program in local, national, and international meetings and events as appropriate.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Minimum of a Master’s degree in business administration, education, public affairs or related field;


• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in implementing and managing education improvement projects in developing countries (including a minimum of 3 years of DCOP/COP experience);


• Familiarity with USAID policies and procedures;


• Afghanistan experience strongly preferred;


• Experience in managing complex projects of similar scale, particularly in transitional, post-conflict and/or Islamic countries;


• Technical expertise in workforce development, institutional capacity building, specifically TVET and/or business education and training institutions;


• Experience in building and effectively supervising a substantially diverse team of employees spread across an expansive region;


• Demonstrated effective interpersonal skills, creative problem solving and ethical management;


• Demonstrated exemplary diplomatic, communication, and interpersonal skills;


• Organizational acumen and cultural sensitivity; and


• Excellent oral and written English.