Chief Of Party, Early Education and Social Cohesion, Usaid / Iraq

Job Description

Chief of Party, Early Education and Social Cohesion, USAID/Iraq – Location TBD

About Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit media and educational organization behind Sesame Street, the pioneering television show that has been reaching and teaching children since 1969. Today, Sesame Workshop is an innovative force for change, with a mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. We're active in more than 150 countries, serving vulnerable children through a wide range of media, formal education, and philanthropically-funded social impact programs, each grounded in rigorous research and tailored to the needs and cultures of the communities we serve. For more information, please visit www.sesameworkshop.org.

Your Mission
Sesame Workshop seeks a qualified Chief of Party (COP) candidate to lead an anticipated two-to-three-year USAID-funded early education program in Iraq. The COP will be focused on providing programmatic and technical leadership to strengthen early education and social cohesion through a combination of direct services and media and help transform them into a driver of crisis prevention in Iraq. The COP will be a creative and dynamic leader, overseeing all staff and program implementation to ensure that objectives are met on time and within budget.
*The position will be based in Iraq or USA and is contingent on funding.

The Chief of Party will report to the SVP, International Social Impact in close coordination with the VP Humanitarian Programs and the VP International Education.

Responsibilities:
• Provide strategic and technical leadership to the program; deploying innovative and adaptive program implementation that engages a wide range of stakeholders to enrich the early educational outcomes and social cohesion of children aged 3-8 and support activities to improve social cohesion and mutual respect and understanding.
• Serve as the principal liaison with USAID, other donors and implementers, private sector, government, and civil society partners, program beneficiaries, and other stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain effective partnerships with local, regional, and international organizations.
• Lead and manage a creative and diverse consortium.
• Ensure program activities are efficiently implemented on schedule and within budget; responsively adapting to changes and lessons learned throughout implementation
• Supervise, manage, and mentor program staff and work in close coordination with Sesame Workshop's NY office.
• Oversee Sr. Education Advisor
• Oversee program budgeting, financial management, and compliance.
• Oversee monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of program activities as well as facilitate learning and improvement across activities and amongst key stakeholders
• Represent Sesame Workshop publicly and support its organizational development
• Other duties, as assigned

Who You Are:
• Masters, or Doctorate degree in Education, International Development, or a related field/ experience
• At least 8 years of relevant experience including at least 3 years as a COP or senior manager of projects of similar scope and complexity.
• Experience working internationally – Experience in Iraq or MENA is preferred.
• Successful track record of supervising, designing, managing, and implementing complex donor-funded technical assistance projects (with strong preference for past USAID-funded project management experience)
• Demonstrated track record of achieving results in early education interventions (i.e. improvements in accessibility, quality, research management, crisis prevention and or social cohesion).
• Relationship builder with well-developed people skills and an interest in building and sustaining partnerships.
• Demonstrated ability to track and manage budgets and plan both strategically and creatively to meet project objectives in compliance with USAID rules and regulations.
• Proven leadership qualities and excellent management skills
• Strong representational and organizational skills.
• A proven interest in social change and commitment to work that reaches the most vulnerable children.
• Professional fluency in English in both written and oral communication. Ability to speak Arabic is preferred.
• Individuals authorized to work in Iraq strongly encouraged to apply.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Minorities/Females/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-dy794q-3-21-162-87-42 in your application.