Chief of Party

**_Position is contingent on new funding_**

**About Mercy Corps**:
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.

In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.

Now, and for the future.

**The Project / Department / Team**:
In Colombia, Mercy Corps helps to build stronger, peaceful, and more productive communities. Mercy Corps is committed to supporting the implementation of Colombia’s peace agreements as well as its Sustainable Development Goals through our projects. We currently work in the Antioquia, Bolívar, Cauca, Cesar, Nariño, and Norte de Santander departments and have reached more than one million people in Colombia since 2005 through our humanitarian and development activities.

Mercy Corps is seeking a qualified Chief of Party (CoP) to lead the anticipated, USDA-funded Food for Progress (FFPr) project in Colombia. Globally, FFPr provides for the donation of U.S. agricultural commodities to developing countries and emerging democracies committed to introducing and expanding free enterprise in the agricultural sector. Food for Progress has two high-level strategic objectives: (1) increase agricultural productivity, and (2) expand trade of agricultural products (domestically, regionally, and internationally.

**The Position**:
The CoP will provide major oversight of the proposed FFPr project in Colombia. The CoP will provide overall leadership, management, and strategic vision for the implementation of the anticipated project, ensuring that the project meets its targets and deliverables on time and within budget. The CoP will supervise all project staff and ensure accountability to Mercy Corps policies as well as all donor rules and regulations. The CoP will be the primary representative for the project with USDA and other donors, government entities, and all other partners and stakeholders. The FFPr project in Colombia is expected to be five years, with a start date around October 1, 2025.

**Essential Responsibilities**:
STRATEGY AND PLANNING- Lead development of a vision and strategy for the FFPr project shared with the staff, consortium, and key stakeholders.- Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.- Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions and resources to achieve objectives.- Foster a culture of collaborating, learning, and adapting for effective implementation throughout the project lifecycle.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT- Oversee project management and administration for the duration of the project. Provide strategic guidance, oversight, and quality assurance for all project activities, outputs. and deliverables.- Assume overall responsibility for the effective implementation of work plans and ensure delivery is on time, within budget, meets donor and stakeholder expectations, and is contractually compliant.- Monitor implementation progress, maintain up-to-date logs of issues and risks, manage and mitigate risks, work to resolve issues, and escalate material issues, as appropriate.- Ensure that project implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant project guidelines, principles, values, quality standards, and strategic plan.- Ensure project strategies and activities represent global good practice for agricultural development programming.- Coordinate with Mercy Corps’ administration, finance, human resources, logistics, procurement, and security teams to ensure operational systems support activities.- Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Project Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.

TEAM MANAGEMENT- Oversee recruitment and onboarding of the project staff, including expatriates, national staff, and consultants.- Promote staff accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one-on-one meetings and performance reviews.- Supervise and manage all project staff to ensure day-to-day activities are implemented in a coordinated fashion according to schedule, budget, and quality.- Supervise and manage all project partnerships to ensure effective coordination.- Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of staff roles, and assist with career development.- Provide team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance and reach objectives.- Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

FINANCE & COMPLIANCE- Ensure compliance with USDA and Mercy Corps’ policies and regulations.- Create and maintain systems to ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with project, donor, and Mercy Corps’ needs.- Ensure sound financial management, including