Role title: Chief of Party – USAID Better Health
Location: Kathmandu, Nepal
Contract type: Fixed 5-year contract, position contingent upon funding
Salary: Competitive, commensurate with experience

Options is seeking a Chief of Party for the anticipated USAID Better Health Activity in Nepal. The Activity will support the three tiers of government (municipal, provincial and federal) to strengthen health systems, focusing on improved governance, quality of health care services, and community accountability. The Activity will focus on improving quality of care for maternal, newborn and family planning services, prioritizing marginalized communities.

Summary purpose and objective of role

The Chief of Party (COP) will be responsible for the overall strategic leadership, stakeholder relationships, managerial oversight, and technical direction of the project. The COP will lead the implementation team and serve as the key point of contact for USAID, government, program partners, and other stakeholders. They will also coordinate closely with other USG projects and development partners to ensure joined up approaches and complementarity with other health and governance programs. The COP will be accountable for high quality delivery of the program within the budget parameters. Coordinating the inputs of the team from Options and partners, they will ensure that program objectives, outcomes, and deliverables are met and that financial, operational, and reporting requirements are in compliance with USAID regulations and Options’ policies and processes.

Key responsibilities:

• Strategic leadership and people management: Provide overall leadership, technical direction, and management oversight of project team. Ensure the program is nimble and forward looking to enable proactive and adaptive responses to changing external contexts, notably Nepal’s federalism. Lead the development of strategic plans, annual and quarterly work plans, and direct and coordinate implementation of the program to achieve project objectives in line with USAID regulations and Options’ policies.
• Technical and operational oversight: Provide overall technical and administrative leadership to the project implementation team, including development of strategies, budgets, work plans, MEL plans and reporting. Responsible for meeting contractual obligations, producing deliverables and targets, and achieving project results as specified by USAID.
• Relationship management: Act as the primary point of contact with USAID, consortium implementing partners, Government of Nepal at federal, provincial and local government levels, and other stakeholders. Maintain strong relationships with external stakeholders, effectively representing the program at external meetings. Establish and maintain strong relationships with consortium partners, ensuring regular communications and performance management.

Person specification:

• Extensive experience providing technical, strategic and program management oversight to major multi-year and multi-partner complex programs in Nepal and/or South Asia as a Chief of Party or Team Leader.
• Demonstrated experience working to strengthen governance and accountability mechanisms in devolved or federated government structures as well as enhancing national local cooperation.
• Strong understanding of Nepal’s health sector including key context and trends relevant to health systems strengthening. Relevant networks at the municipality, provincial and federal levels.
• Strong external liaison and negotiation experience fostering partnerships between Government and other stakeholders, including at provincial and municipality level, and building national and sub-national capacity. Familiarity with government practice and protocol.
• Significant experience and a track record of successful leadership and management of teams based in multiple locations. Previous experience leading a team of highly skilled, multidisciplinary staff to leverage joint management support, and empowering team members to deliver high quality work.
• Experience managing teams in high-risk environments.
• Demonstrable experience of working with USAID and familiarity with USAID practice and protocol with a proven ability to represent organizations and program with USAID. Significant experience with USAID planning and reporting systems, operations, programming, and structure.
• Experience in managing budgets effectively with oversight on spending while providing regular oversight on issues related to risk and audit.
• Experience of risk management and mitigation in a program context.
• Commitment to equal opportunities.
• Commitment to the project’s and Options’ principles of Safeguarding, Do No Harm, and to creating an enabling policy environment for voluntary family planning.
• Awareness and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Fluency in written and spoken Nepali is preferred.
• University degree in a relevant subject. 

Benefits

• Options offers a competitive benefits package.

Other information

• Options is dedicated to equal opportunity for all and recognises that every individual is unique. Whilst we always seek to embrace individual differences and celebrate the diversity of our workforce, we also want to ensure that every team member is suited to their role and that they are given the best opportunity to succeed.
• Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and post holders to share this commitment.