Deputy Chief of Party - Water Sanitation and Conservation Project

Position Description:

The DCOP is considered essential for contributions to the overall management and success of the Project. This is a Key Personnel position that is required for the life of the contract. The DCOP manages: the Utility Management and Private Sector Engagement Team; Local Government and Community Engagement Team; and the Institutional Development and Capacity Building Team and keeps the COP fully informed of key issues, challenges, and accomplishments of these activities. He/she must ensure that activity components are in accordance with the approved project work statement and workplan, are results-oriented, budget compliant, implemented in a timely, quality, and compliant manner. Ensures that activity reporting is dynamic, relevant, and timely. The DCOP provides guidance to team leaders in preparing and submitting their input for the  project’s weekly, quarterly, annual, and special reports, and the annual work plan. He/she collects and compiles this information into a standard format and professional communication style and presents to the COP for final review. The DCOP works closely with the WSC Communications Team Lead (TL) to prepare and submit these high-quality reports. The DCOP assists the COP to manage and ensure quality relationships with USAID, stakeholders, subcontractors, and grantees. and guide the technical staff toward achieving the project’s results, accomplishing milestones as per the approved MELP, while maintaining the day-to-day operational oversight of the project.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Management Tasks:

• Provide management and leadership of all those personnel assigned under in the DCOP team (Utility Management and Private Sector Engagement Team; Local Government and Community Engagement Team; and the Institutional Development and Capacity Building Team).
• Supervise, motivate, and guide assigned senior managers, other staff, and technical experts to achieve timely results, and meet contract fee requirements.
• Conduct regular follow-up with direct reporting subordinates to ensure successful completion, documentation, and submission of project deliverables.
• In conjunction with the COP, oversee and manage his/her contributions to the project’s goals and strategy, technical implementation, and daily operations.
• Work closely with the Director, Finance and Operations (DFO) on vendor, supplier, grantee, subcontractor, and STTA procurements, and other required activities needing support from the operations, procurement, IT, transportation support, office management, and human resources.
• Regularly communicate with the COP regarding project planning and implementation, early problem/challenge identification, and proposing action items to address problems.
• Participate in regularly scheduled meetings with the COR requiring project design and planning, progress tracking, and problem resolution.
• Ensures planned activities are completed on time, verified, and invoiced properly.
• Supports the COP in client and major stakeholder relationships and engagements.
• Mentoring senior managers within the team to be the acting DCOP during absences from post.
• Assists the Chief of Party on other time-sensitive and priority tasks not listed above.
• Acts as the COP during his/her absences from post.

Technical Implementation Tasks:

• Works with WSC’s managers, supported by the Communications TL, to draft the quarterly, annual reports and annual workplan for COP’s review and approval.
• Ensure deliverables and targets are met for pertinent activities in the annual workplan and MELP.
• Provide oversight of activity design and implementation activities – ensuring appropriate design, procedurally correct development, sound implementation, active monitoring and evaluation, and timely activity completion. Closely monitor activity schedule, cost, and quality issues.
• Manage subcontractors, grantees, and STTAs, contributing to project’s technical work.
• Works with the Construction Manager to help select activities to engage with the water establishments and municipalities to upgrade wastewater (WW) and water infrastructures.
• Supervises the Utility Management TL to identify, design and implement activities to reduce non-revenue water (NRW).
• Plans, design, and implements business continuity, ERP, and capacity building and institutional  strengthening activities supporting the water establishments, and tracks and reports on the progress.
• Closely manages the implementation of tasks according to their schedules and ensuring that the project’s subcontractors, grantees and STTAs accomplish their scheduled task and invoice in a timely manner. Holds managers responsible for timely completion of work.

Outreach/Engagement Tasks:

• Engage with project stakeholders, including USAID, GOL ministries, municipalities, NGOs, business associations, grantees, universities, and international donor communities to plan and implement project activities that fall under the assigned technical areas.
• Responsible for outreach and positive relationship-building with key stakeholders.
• Effectively communicates the project’s activities and achievements for USAID and DAI corporate.

• Works with the MELP team to ensure timely and accurate collection and reporting of MEL data.
• Work closely with the Communication TL to ensure that communication materials follow USAID branding and presents technical deliverables to USAID and the public in an impactful way.

Qualifications:

• A minimum of 15 years of experience working on complex international projects, in the area of water, wastewater, and irrigation project planning and implementation.
• Experience working on USAID funded contracts or cooperative agreements in a management role.
• 10 years or more experience managing and leading staff and teams.
• Demonstrated expertise in community engagement and citizen stewardship.
• Demonstrated expertise in strategic partnerships and private sector engagement in the delivery of public services; water and wastewater preferred.
• Experience in institutional development and capacity building; preferred experience with efforts  strengthening the water utilities to manage water resources and deliver services.
• Experience developing and managing grants.
• Must be fluent in written and spoken English and Arabic; excellent English writing skills required.
• Master’s degree is preferred.