Land O’Lakes Venture37 seeks a Chief of Party (COP) for an anticipated USDA Food for Progress program that will improve productivity and expand trade of agricultural products.  Venture37 seeks COP candidates with expertise in one or more of the following:

• Improving productivity and trade of agricultural products through facilitation of climate smart agriculture (CSA) practices and market system strengthening;
• Trade facilitation – including aligning policies, practices and infrastructure (soft and hard) with the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA); or
• Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) harmonization and compliance with international standards, including experience working with public, private and civil service organizations in policy development, implementation, monitoring and surveillance.

USDA is targeting the following geographies: Burkina Faso (CSA); Burundi (coffee value chain); Jamaica (spices); Northern Triangle – El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras (horticulture, trade facilitation and SPS); Nigeria (cocoa), Peru (spices); and Thailand (CSA).

Position Summary: 

The COP will provide strategic vision, overall leadership and technical direction to the project. The COP will ensure the project is planned and executed with quality, accountability and measurable impact. The COP will be the primary liaison with USDA and will manage project staff and implementing partners to deliver results, ensure proper reporting, financial management and compliance. The COP is expected to provide a vision and technical leadership for project interventions and must be skilled in agricultural market system development and trade facilitation.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Responsible for overall management to achieve project results.
• Provide dynamic and strategic vision, overall coordination, leadership and technical direction to project.
• Oversee project finances, planning, administration and compliance.
• Oversee program monitoring, reporting, evaluation and overall learning.
• Serve as the primary point of contact with donor representatives, government counterparts, partners, and other stakeholders.
• Promote and coordinate strong relationships with all stakeholders via effective networking, linkages to other programs, capacity building of project staff, and institutional strengthening of implementing partners and organizations in the public and private sectors.
• Promote sustainability of project activities with effective networking, linkages to other programs, capacity building of project staff, and institutional strengthening of implementing partners and community-based organizations.
• Ensure successful project implementation and achievement of results, milestones and deliverables are on time and within budget.
• Ensure effective and efficient performance for all aspects of award requirements.
• Ensure successful project implementation and achievement of results on time and within budget and that all activities are undertaken in full compliance with Venture37 standard operating procedures, donor policies and regulations, and national policies and laws.
• Ensure gender equality and socially-inclusive approaches are integrated into programming and effectively implemented; identify learnings on a regular basis, refining the design as needed to improve social inclusion across project activities.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• An undergraduate degree (e.g. BA/BS) in agribusiness, international relations, economics, agricultural economics, business administration, agricultural or rural development, agronomy or other relevant field.
• A minimum of six (6) years of demonstrated senior management experience in managing agricultural development or trade programs.
• Proven leadership skills building and managing cooperative, high-level relationships and motivating diverse teams.
• Extensive experience and/or technical knowledge in designing, managing and evaluating development projects and activities, including experience in portfolio management and implementation, particularly related to agricultural development.
• Demonstrated experience adapting project implementation and activities to achieve objectives and targets as needed.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across projects, be flexible, and creative and successfully lead an intercultural team in development and post-conflict contexts.
• Demonstrated knowledge and skills in financial planning and management, human resources, procurement and other management support areas/functions.
• Ability to communicate effectively, instilling trust and confidence.
• Excellent interpersonal and written and oral presentation skills.  
• Fluency in oral and written English.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• An advanced degree (e.g. MA/MS, PhD) in agribusiness, international development, economics, business management, agricultural or rural development, agronomy or other relevant field.
• At least 10 years of demonstrated senior management experience managing agricultural development programs.
• Experience managing donor funded programs, particularly Food for Progress programs.
• Recent professional experience in Africa, Asia and/or the Americas
• Proficiency in French, Spanish, or Thai.

The position described above is contingent upon activity award.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. No phone calls will be accepted.

Land O’Lakes never requests money or payment from candidates for any position type. Please report any such requests to Land O’Lakes Venture37 via the CONNECT! Hotline at http://www.connecthotline.ethicspoint.com.