USAID/Liberia Agribusiness Development & Incubator Activity Chief of Party

Job Overview

Background: Cardno is seeking a Chief of Party for the USAID Liberia Agribusiness Development & Incubator Activity. We expect the new project to strengthen the commercial agricultural development and trade ecosystem and improve investment in and productivity of Liberian agribusinesses. The project will take a Market Systems approach to facilitating investment and inclusion in the agricultural sector, and will include components focused on a grants facility, a business development incubator, innovative competitions to scale innovations, and Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA).

Responsibilities: The Chief of Party (COP) will be the primary liaison with USAID/Liberia on technical and program administration matters. The primary responsibilities of the COP will be to provide overall leadership, management, and general technical direction of the entire activity, ensuring an integrated vision among different components and actors, and a focus on achieving the results defined in the contract. The COP must act as the key liaison between USAID/Liberia and all other counterparts, implementing partners, local governments, and Government of Liberia officials involved with the activity. The COP must identify issues and risks related to activity implementation in a timely manner and suggest appropriate activity adjustments. The COP is expected to have significant coordination skills, technical knowledge, and experience to ensure coherence and consistency to meet urgent deadlines. The COP will also be responsible for ensuring quality control and the overall responsiveness and performance of the activity.

Desired Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in agribusiness, agricultural science, economics, development studies, international relations, or another related field.
• At least 10 years of experience managing donor-funded agricultural development contracts, preferably including senior management experience as COP or equivalent level on projects promoting agriculture market systems development, private sector engagement, mobilizing investment, and other areas of economic growth.
• Experience working with agro-processors, smallholder farmers, agribusiness entrepreneurs, and other agribusiness MSMEs.
• Experience managing a Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) agenda.
• Experience managing partnerships with the private sector, complex grants facilities, and business incubators is strongly preferred
• Experience in building effective relationships with stakeholders at various levels of government (national and sub-national), as well as civil society, private sector, and other donors.
• Experience designing and managing activities targeted to diaspora populations, women, youth, and other marginalized groups.

•  Proven history of promoting sustainability in a development context.
•  Professional experience in developing countries with thin commercial markets and particularly, experience in Liberia and familiarity with the local context is preferred.
•  Prior experience as COP on USAID-funded projects with a value greater than $10 million is strongly desired.
•  Excellent verbal, interpersonal, and written communication skills in English.

To apply: Please send resumes to recruit@cddid.com. Place title of role in subject line.

Equal Opportunity statement: Cardno has a long-standing policy of Equal Opportunity in employment. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status. This position will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment and reasonable accommodations will be considered. At any time, if you require special accommodation during the application process, please contact Human Resources at recruit@cddid.com.