Job Summary

The International Education Division of RTI is currently accepting applications for Chief of Party for the USAID-funded Shobai Miley Shikhi “Everyone Learns Together” Activity in Bangladesh, which supports the Government of Bangladesh to improve learning opportunities for children with disabilities in government primary schools. The incumbent must be a Bangladesh national.

The Activity seeks to:

• Make school environments inclusive and instruction effective for children with disabilities.
• Enhance the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of communities to support disability-inclusive education.
• Strengthen government systems to plan and manage quality disability-inclusive education.

The Chief of Party (COP) will be responsible for managing the Activity and will oversee the design, implementation, and quality of various activities resulting in the desired outcomes and impact. In addition, the COP will lead his/her team and provide overall supervision on the program’s implementation. The Chief of Party will serve as the primary liaison with USAID/Bangladesh on management and technical matters and will ensure exceptional quality and timeliness of deliverables within budget and compliance parameters. This position will be based in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Responsibilities

• Lead the coordination of program activities among a diverse group of stakeholders and beneficiaries including the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE), school officials within selected upazilas, local community groups, Disabled People’s Organizations, and other activity partners.
• Ensure internal integration of activities through 1) the annual work plan and budgeting process; 2) creating/maintaining an effective management team; 3) overseeing an effective monitoring and evaluation system.
• Manage technical and administrative personnel and subcontractors in implementing a large, complex activity to improve student learning opportunities.
• Ensure that all activities conform to the terms and conditions of project requirements, including cost, schedule, and quality parameters.
• Serve as primary liaison to USAID/Bangladesh on management and strategic issues to maximize impact and scale, efficiency and sustainability and minimize costs, in achieving project requirements.
• Serve as the project’s primary interlocutor with the leadership of the DPE; represent RTI, USAID and the project with key beneficiaries and stakeholders in public and international forums.
• Provide overarching leadership and direction across all technical and functional areas such as technical strategies, monitoring and evaluation, finance, operations, reporting, communications, and human resources.
• Manage and control funds and other resources for the project and associated sub-contracts and grants under contract as required.
• Prepare status reports, budget information and other documentation as needed.
• Develop and implement practices to ensure a high level of staff morale and retention.
• Remain in close contact with the RTI HQ, providing regular presentations and updates about the project’s progress.
• Ensure high Activity visibility, and high quality of project deliverables and materials produced.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in international development, education, public administration or related field or PhD.
• Minimum of 12 years of relevant experience in the management of complex programs in challenging environments.
• Strong management skills and experience managing relationships with the government of Bangladesh, ideally with MOPME and/or DPE.
• Demonstrated leadership, effective organizational development, partnership-building, team-building and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in complex environments, manage diverse teams to deliver impact within agreed timelines.
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of capacity development and professional development.
• Commitment to inclusive programming that encourages full participation of individuals regardless of gender, disability status, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or other marginalized status.
• Prior experience working on USAID-funded projects and strong knowledge of USAID rules and regulations is a plus, but is not required.
• Must possess excellent oral and written communication skills in English. Must be fluent in Bangla and must be a Bangladesh national.