Chief of Party - Ethiopia Strengthening Accountable Governance and Civic Engagement Activity

About Kaizen

The Kaizen Company is an incubator for innovative, scalable solutions that address emerging market challenges and opportunities. Our proven solutions catalyze locally-driven development and spur sustainable entrepreneurship and investments. We leverage existing knowledge, new technologies, local peer networks, and innovative business models to support local reforms that are sustained through market forces.

Since our inception, we have provided support to more than 200 government, private-sector, and non-profit organizations in emerging markets worldwide. We have created solutions that achieve outcomes across a broad range of sectors including education, health, finance, agriculture, governance, economic growth, energy and environment, and water.

Scope and Objectives

The Kaizen Company is searching for a Chief of Party (COP) for the anticipated USAID/Ethiopia Strengthening Accountable Governance and Civic Engagement in Ethiopia (SAGCE). Through SAGCE, USAID/Ethiopia seeks to strategically use its convening power and limited resources to support Ethiopian stakeholders from government, civil society and the private sector in applying locally-led, problem driven, adaptive approaches to address the proposed objectives. These include: (1) Sub-national government ability to meet citizen needs strengthened; (2.1) Mechanisms for citizen input in government policy processes strengthened; (2.2) Citizen access to information and independent media improved; and (2.3) Civil society capacity to conduct advocacy and oversight strengthened.

Responsibilities

• Serves a central role in coordinating and collaborating with senior Government of Ethiopia officials, other donors, leaders of beneficiary CSO groups, and other relevant stakeholders. Serves as primary liaison and representative to USAID/Ethiopia on behalf of the project.
• Responsible for making implementation decisions, and any required changes at the direction of USAID/Ethiopia and in close coordination with Kaizen Home Office.
• Providing strategic vision and overall leadership for contract implementation and management and  supervises the work of key personnel working on the Contract

Requirements:

• Advanced degree in political or social science, international development, or a related field.
• At least 10 years professional experience in development working with government bodies and managing organizational change activities.  
• Work experience with the Government of Ethiopia, capacity building, and democracy and human rights CSOs and NGOs
• Demonstrated ability to establish productive relationships with senior government officials, the private sector, civil society, and donor community
• Demonstrated experience working with government bodies at all level, including national and sub-national or local
• Proven leadership in the design, management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of similar-sized donor-supported programs. 
• Skills in high level strategic visioning and leadership, preferably with experience in managing complex activities involving coordination with multiple partner institutions.
• Strong communication skills, in written and oral English.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to successfully convene diverse, multidisciplinary groups. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience managing US Government-funded programs of similar scale and scope, including particularly USAID programs.
• Previous work experience in Sub-Saharan Africa, specifically in Ethiopia.

At The Kaizen Company, we find strength in our diversity. We are committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive working environment in which everyone has an equal opportunity to fulfill their potential. We know that we can only do development differently if we are open to and inclusive of new and unique perspectives. We encourage candidates of all abilities, ages, gender identities and expressions, national origins, races and ethnicities, religious beliefs, and sexual orientations to apply. Further, we urge parents and non-parents, married and unmarried, those from different or non-traditional educational backgrounds, and persons of all other diverse identities or experiences to apply. The Kaizen Company is an equal opportunity employer.