Chief of Party (COP), USAID-Economic Recovery and Reform Activity (USAID-ERRA) at Trade Mark East Africa

Job summary

TMA has a cooperative agreement with USAID to implement the Economic Reform and Recovery Activity (ERRA) for a budget envelope of up to $75 million. Presently, the available obligated level of funding of is $28 million. The programme aims to support economic recovery, and reform in Eastern Africa (including DRC and the Horn but not Southern Africa) and focuses on three key objectives:

• support labour intensive, export-oriented value chains for recovery and job creation;
• support trade facilitation and deepening regional integration; and
• support greater resilience in the region.

The COP will be responsible for the successful delivery of this programme including:

• High level donor management and fundraising with USAID.
• Overall strategic oversight to ensure design of high impact and high expenditure program including oversight of the delivery of ERRA implementation.
• Stakeholder management/representation and public relations with implementing partners, Governments, and Private Sector players with TMA’s Chief of Programmes and CEO; and
• Working with a core team, ensure effective accountability for delivering results and expenditure with key teams across the organisation.
• Robust risk management and assurance for compliance with the USAID Cooperative Agreement; including timely escalation of identified/ materialising risks.
• Communications and visibility for ERRA results
• The COP may be required to engage on other TMA activities to support the Senior Leadership and Management Team.

Roles and responsibilities

• Fund Raising and Donor Engagement with USAID Working closely with Country Directors fundraise for further ‘buy ins’ within the ERRA budget envelope with key USAID missions, particularly Djibouti, AU Mission and Tanzania. This may involve preparing pitch decks and visit USAID missions.
• Be the key focal point for engagement with USAID to ensure smooth working relationship, particularly with the Activity Managers in the different missions, Agreement Officer Representative (AOR) and the Agreement Officer (AO) including holding regular weekly and quarterly meetings and introducing service level agreements around approvals.
• Ensure the timely and rigorous development of work plans to be approved by USAID;
• Ensure good communications and PR around ERRA to help uplift USAID’s profile including high level US Government visits;
• Participate in USAID regular Chief of Party meetings.
• Strategic oversight of Programme Design and Implementation, delivery of results Strategic oversight in the design of ERRA as well as ensuring knowledge and learning generation and dissemination;
• Hold Quarterly Strategic Review and Pause and Reflect meetings with ERRA teams to ensure alignment with results framework and address other issues.
• Strategic linkages to other TMA programmes The COP will co-ordinate closely with the TCA management team and provide strategic oversights on TMA’s Outcome 2. Given how ERRA will be key to Outcome 2 and important to co-ordinate with TCA (Objective 3) in agreeing a Service Level Agreement on ERRA workstreams;
• Ensure Gender and Climate Change issues are sufficiently mainstreamed and followed through the programme;
• Overall strategic oversight including implementation of Objective 1 (Value Chains), Objective 2 (Trade Facilitation) and Objective 4 (Resilience) of ERRA as well as ensuring knowledge and learning generation and dissemination; and Support to TradeMark Africa's wholly owned subsidiary, Trade Catalyst Africa.

Stakeholder Management

• Ensure excellent engagement with key stakeholders from Government and private sector;
• Develop and maintain good working relations with relevant ERRA implementing partnerships;
• Hold regular meetings and engagements with US American Chamber of Commerce and other key partners and stakeholders with the Chief of Programmes and CEO; and
• Hold regular quarterly project steering committees with USAID.

Team and Performance management

• Manage and nurture strong internal technical competences and knowledge management across ERRA teams, and through this ensure technical excellence of work streams to highest international standards;
• Agree and monitor key targets and OKRS with each team as part of their annual performance management cycle;
• Lead on hiring new staff, subject to approval by TMA’s Chief of Programmes and CEO, to bolster ERRA implementation with further dedication of staff.
• Mentor and motivate dedicated ERRA team members, ensuring strong capacity is developed for successful delivery;

Robust risk management and assurance for compliance

• Ensure all team members are appraised of and comply with the terms of the USAID Cooperative Agreement
• Identify key risks and design mitigation strategies.
• Timely resolution and escalation of issues and risks

Corporate leadership

• Demonstrate collective leadership in contributing to TMA being an effective, collaborative and strategic organisation
• As member of the Senior Leadership and Management Team (SLMT), help set TMA’s strategic direction; advocating for your objectives while shaping them to suit others’ objectives. This will include taking collective responsibility for leadership decisions; and setting a collaborative and results-focused culture;
• Apply the highest standards of controls and risk management practices and behaviours and embed a proactive risk approach, through effective analysis and discussion of risk, timely mitigations and escalation, and implementation of all control measures;
• Promote and adhere to TMA’s core values and ensure compliance with organisational policies and procedures;
• Maintain zero tolerance to bribery, fraud and corruption, and ensure the immediate reporting of any corruption or suspect behaviour that threatens TMA’s reputation; and adhere to the safeguarding policies and procedures and immediately report any safeguarding concerns. 

Academic and professional qualifications

• Undergraduate or postgraduate degree plus in areas relevant to TMA’s focus, such as Development Studies, Economics, International Trade or other relevant disciplines.

Work experience

• Undergraduate degree holders will have at least 15 years’ working experience, including 7 years of management experience (with five of these at a senior level). Postgraduate degree holders will require 13 years’ experience including seven years of management experience (with three of these at senior level).
• Experience in leading the development and delivery of similar programmes, particularly those related to trade and trade facilitation development programmes to enhance the capacities of developing countries in trade policy development, formulation and implementation trade reforms, regional integration, and support to national governments.
• Significant work experience with Regional Economic Communities preferably in East or Southern Africa, in an international multicultural environment.
• Experience in working with the private sector and civil society to deliver trade facilitation development capacity support and to support trade-related advocacy.
• Senior leadership experience with similar USAID-funded programs is mandatory.

Additional skills

• Proven intellectual and strategic thinking skills.
• Strong strategy formulation and implementation skills including ability to communicate strategy and results concisely and simply.
• Excellent leadership and management skills.
• Developed experience of managing and mentoring staff at a senior level.
• Ability to deliver a plan and performance to budget.
• Adept at working with diverse teams and challenging accepted wisdom, delivering change and demonstrating value for money.
• Ability to influence others to achieve objectives and gain consensus and collaboration.
• Sound decision-making and judgement.
• Problem solving and analytical skills.
• Excellent presentation, communication and personal effectiveness skills.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications.

Additional/background information

The role also requires:

• Good understanding of investment promotion/attraction programmes East Africa.
• Good understanding of market systems and ability to apply tools and instruments to develop market-led, pro-poor, inclusive and/or sustainable development interventions.
• Good understanding of impact investing:
• Good understanding of the dynamics affecting trade facilitation and regional integration at national, regional and at the global multilateral levels, particularly in developing countries.
• Good understanding of trade and investment policy, trade facilitation, infrastructure and transport/logistics.
• Understanding of conceptual frameworks which can be used to identify pro-poor and inclusive development opportunities.
• Ability to support policymakers, development practitioners and professional service providers in their new role as market facilitators.