Chief of Party I, USDA Food for Peace - Kenya

Please note: this position is contingent upon donor funding.

Job Summary

As Chief of Party you will provide leadership and overall management of the USDA Food for Peace (Title II) emergency food assistance program in Kenya to serve food-insecure and vulnerable populations, including food insecure communities in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs). Your leadership, management and technical knowledge - particularly in commodity management and large-scale USG-funded programs - will ensure the delivery of high-quality programming and advance the position of CRS as a leading agency in emergency food assistance. As a senior leader you will proactively manage security and mitigate security risks.

Roles and Key Responsibilities
• Lead all aspects of the development, implementation, and consolidation of the Food for Peace program in Kenya, ensuring alignment with emergency food security objectives and USDA requirements.
• Serve as the primary point of contact to USDA/FAS, U.S. Embassy, and national stakeholders including National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), line ministries, and humanitarian coordination platforms.
• Ensure strong coordination with public, private, and non-governmental partners to maximize impact and avoid duplication.
• Ensure the project is designed and implemented to meet donor expectations in terms of timely and quality results and budget, including strategies for phase out and sustainability, as well as including beneficiary targeting, food distribution, and nutrition outcomes. Oversee implementation of appropriate interventions (e.g., general food distribution, targeted nutrition support, recovery activities) aligned with emergency needs.
• Provide strategic and technical leadership for all commodity management systems, including procurement planning, call forwards, port clearance (Mombasa), inland transport, storage, and distribution.
• Ensure coordination between program and operations leads. Ensure the CRS program quality standards are adhered to per MEAL policy and procedures.
• Effectively manage senior programming and operations talent. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching and mentoring. Strategically tailor individual development plans and complete performance assessments for direct reports. Oversee the development of staffing plans and the recruitment process of senior staff.
• Manage and mitigate risk through monitoring national and regional issues that may impact staff and programming. Ensure all staff understand and adhere to CRS staff safety and security policies and plans, and ensure the updating of such plans.
• Promote, uphold, and model a commitment to the efficient use of agency and donor resources. Ensure compliance with USDA/FAS grants (including 2 CFR 200), including financial tracking and oversight of partner budgets, finance, administration and reporting to USDA. Approve program expenditures, budget adjustments, and cost modification requests to donors.
• Oversee the development of communication strategies and materials in compliance with USDA branding and marking requirements. Ensure proper acknowledgment of U.S. Government support in program materials and beneficiary communications.
• Coordinate relationships with consortium partner organizations, including organization of review/planning workshops. Contribute to coordination of the roles and activities of staff from other consortium member organizations in implementation in line with CRS partnership principles.
• Create and maintain proper conditions for learning. Establish a safe environment for sharing of ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to deficiencies. Identify performance gaps and training opportunities for CRS and partner staff and ensure the design and delivery of high-quality training and technical assistance.