Deputy Project Director, Localization Capacity Strengthening Mechanism

Pact seeks a Deputy Project Director (DPD) for the anticipated USAID DRC Local Capacity Support Mechanism (LCSM) Activity. LCSM will seek to support USAID/DRC, the USAID Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE) programming and its other operating units to ensure that local partners lead DRC’s development through two overarching objectives: (1) capacity strengthening for local organizations to apply, receive, and manage USAID awards and other funding sources/streams to achieve their organizational objectives; (2) support USAID/DRC to improve localization programming. This is anticipated to be a four-year activity and the position will be based in Kinshasa, DRC. This position is contingent upon award.

The DPD will also serve as Pact's Country Manager for the DRC. As such, the individual will be the main contact for all organizational matters pertaining to the Pact DRC office and will liaise with the Pact DC office, Africa Regional office, and other country office teams.

The DPD will assist the Project Director (PD) to provide overall team management across a consortium of partners, guidance, direction, and administrative and technical support. The DPD must be very familiar with and have expertise in complex USG contracting and grant mechanisms including federal regulations and procurement policies, as well as the full range of USAID’s acquisition & assistance terminology, instruments, policies & guidelines, and approaches. This is a Key Personnel position; the candidate proposed for this position must be confirmed by USAID following award of the project to Pact and its consortium.

The specific duties to be carried out by the successful candidate are listed below:

• Ensure high-quality technical programming through hands-on staff supervision and partner support grounded in the program’s strategic objectives and adhering to expected technical quality and reporting requirements.
• Contribute to project planning, including the development of annual work plans and budgets; help guide and oversee the alignment of the budget to expected results; and review annual budgets and quarterly reports.
• Ensure the cost-effective use of resources.
• Ensure compliance with USAID, Making Cents International (MCI), and Pact requirements, policies, and regulations.
• In coordination with the PD, serve as a liaison to relevant donors, the DRC government, and other stakeholders.
• Provide training and mentoring to project staff and to external organizational partners to strengthen their capacity.
• Take the lead in drafting reports, including quarterly and annual reports to USAID.
• Support the recruitment of and directly supervise project staff in line with MCI and Pact HR policies; oversee the management and development of project office human resources to ensure a diverse, skilled, and productive workforce, an effective leadership team, and an organizational culture where Pact’s values are practiced.

• Ensure that Pact’s operations in DRC are compliant with national laws and regulations, and that Pact’s good reputation is maintained.

• Serve as Acting PD in the PD’s absence.

• Master's degree with nine (9) years work experience or bachelor's degree with at least eleven (11+) years work experience
• At least five (5+) years management experience
• Demonstrated experience managing USAID projects, with strong knowledge and understanding of USAID rules, regulations, and policies
• Working fluency in English and French

• In-depth understanding of the role of civil society in development and experience in building capacity for civil society organizations/representatives, preferably in DRC. Knowledge of USAID's localization approach.
  
• Experience working on USAID contracts/agreements with an applied conflict-sensitive approach. Demonstrated flexibility, adaptability, and the ability to perform and collaborate in complex and politically sensitive project environments
• Field experience working with humanitarian response, development, and health programming.
• Record of successfully working on a diverse team of employees, including expatriate and local staff, and managing multiple partners across a consortium.
• Demonstrated leadership skills in problem solving, consensus building, donor coordination and developing functional networks of diverse stakeholders across geographies.
• Knowledge of one or more other languages spoken in Central Africa.

Salary for this position is commensurate with local office salary scales and will be determined based on the candidate's experience and qualifications.