Chief of Party - USAID ACES

Abt Associates, a major American research, technical assistance, and international development company, seeks highly qualified candidates for the Chief of Party for the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Bureau for Development, Democracy and Innovation's Innovation, Technology, and Research Hub (DDI/ITR)'s Acceleration and Competitions Executions Support (ACES) proposal The purpose of ACES is to provide administrative support, design assistance, and technical expertise that will bolster USAID's efforts to design, support, and implement open innovation programs, accelerate the resultant innovations for increased uptake in an appropriate market or context, and disseminate knowledge within USAID and the development community on open innovation best practices, successes, and lessons learned from both the innovations themselves and the programs supporting them. ITR/I will collaborate with USAID missions and bureaus as well as with funders, donors, and inter-agency partners on open innovation programs and investments that achieve social rates of return.
The position will be based in Rockville, MD, and is contingent upon project award to Abt Associates.
Responsibilities
- Provide technical and programmatic leadership for the program. Lead the planning of project milestones and high-level goals in coordination with USAID, assist in the development of annual planning and timely, high quality implementation of activities and deliverables
- Serve as a thought-leader on the design of open innovation competitions and manage the team to develop and deliver in-person and virtual open innovation competitions worldwide. Convene key project stakeholders such as USAID, private sector firms and institutions, US Government Agencies, international donor organizations and development banks, and other institutional and research partners under the project.
- Lead the strategy, and assist in the development of project communications, including a comprehensive external engagement and communications campaign for a specific grantee, program, and/or across a portfolio of programs.
- Provide strategic guidance and general oversight for the procurement and management of high-quality specialized acceleration support services from field-based support service providers worldwide.
- Oversee the operations teams in management of the project budget and all project financial resources. Ensure the submission of timely and accurate program, financial, and procurement reports.
- Manage collaborative activities with other USAID implementing partners based in the U.S. as well as in countries where competitions will be held.
- Coordinate with USAID missions to provide training and/or resources on the implementation of experimental and evidence-based programming to design, test hypotheses, and scale proven innovations.
- Support the design and/or the logistics and administration of internal and outward-facing events that contribute to the goals of open innovation competitions and programming, including but not limited to team retreats, co-creations, ideation meetings, training, and grantee onboarding workshops.
Qualifications
- MBA or a Master's degree in international business, economics, technology or related field is preferred.
- 15 years of progressively responsible experience in several of the following: event planning - including the design of prize competitions, economic growth, innovation, incubation, bringing products to market, and business environment needs for innovation.
- Experience in a managerial or leadership role of a USAID project; Deputy Chief of Party or Chief of Party experience preferred.
- Experience in providing oversight to a USAID Grants under Contract (GUC) portfolio, strongly preferred.
- Experience with using human centered design techniques for co-creation and ideation preferred.
- Basic understanding of innovations in various international development technical sectors including SME development, fintech, digital, health, agriculture and food security, and environment and energy.
- Experience working with various networks such as other public, private, international, and domestic NGOs, and educational institutions involved in innovation competitions.
- Experience managing similar types of programs in one or several of the following regions preferred: Asia, Middle East or North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, or Latin America and Caribbean
- Experience with USAID is required.
- Fluency in English is required.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor's Degree + Fifteen years of relevant experience, or Master's Degree + Twelve years of relevant experience, or PhD + Ten years of relevant experience
Abt Associates is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse workforce. Abt Associates provides market-competitive salaries and comprehensive employee benefits. Local candidates strongly encouraged to apply.
Disclaimer: Abt Associates will never ask candidates for money in exchange for an offer of employment.
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The International Development Division focuses on improving the lives and economic well-being of people in lower and middle-income countries. We command technical expertise in health, agriculture, climate change, food security and governance-as well as in international evaluation. Our multi-layered health portfolio includes policy, health promotion and disease prevention, health finance, and health systems management. In partnership with government clients and local experts, our high-quality programs in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East are known for impact and innovation.
At Abt Associates, we are committed to creating a lasting culture of equity, diversity and inclusion and recognize that in order to achieve full participation, our practices must be free of prejudice, discrimination, and bias that result in inequitable outcomes. We are actively working to advance equity for everyone, and while we still have much work to do, we know that racial and cultural diversity are an asset to our business and the communities where we live and serve. Our ongoing commitment is focused on creating business practices that advance racial and social equity, investments in community impact programs for the benefit of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), and expand upon project work related to racial equity and social justice.