Technical Operations Director

Chemonics seeks a Technical Operations Director for the FEWSNET team. The Technical Operations (TOPs) Director fulfills the functions of a senior administrative officer and operations director for the technical implementation of the project, overseeing strategic operational processes that support excellence in project execution as well as leading administrative operations, including tracking all deliverables, budget management, work planning, logistics, and coordination across multiple teams. The TOPs Director’s duties will involve designing and implementing efficient processes to ensure smooth project operations, maintaining effective communications with project staff, the client, stakeholders, and partners, and working with the home office Project Support Team (PST) to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. The TOPs Director will be based in Washington, DC and will function as a core part of the senior management team (SMT) reporting to the Chief of Party.

Responsibilities:
•    Support the Chief of Party in providing leadership in the compliant management and successful technical implementation of the DST and support the timely completion and tracking of all deliverables;
•    Anticipate project implementation risks and proactively develop strategies, including those that require cross-team or Chemonics corporate-level collaboration, to lessen the impact or to fully mitigate acute risks;
•    Develop and implement strategies to streamline operations systems for effectiveness and efficiency, considering contractual requirements, client demands, team dynamics, and project needs, including working across the team to support the development of guidance and training materials for and supporting consistent and effective implementation of key operational processes undertaken by Washington and field-based project office staff;
•    Lead the operations team in day-to-day administrative operations of the task order in close coordination with the PST;
•    Supervise the Technical Operations Manager;
•    Collaborate with the SMT and PST to develop and implement the annual work plan and associated operational plans and budgets; 
•    Oversee and manage the technical operations team, ensuring clear communication around roles and responsibilities and effective delegation of tasks;
•    Oversee technical team recruitment, hiring, transition, onboarding, and termination. Closely liaise with HR and PST to ensure compliance with Chemonics’ HR policies as well as local labor law requirements in each country of operation;
•    Work closely with the DCOP-Field Operations and regional operations managers (ROM) to cascade operations guidance and processes to regional and country offices, including but not limited to recruitment, onboarding, performance evaluations, travel and deliverables tracking;
•    Develop and ensure updating of detailed trackers for all project deliverables and other activities/requirements including, but not limited to: travel, recruitment, onboarding, performance evaluations (PE), and leave;
•    Work closely with the SMT and designated technical staff to ensure effective implementation and tracking of embassy briefings in accordance with contractual requirements; 
•    Lead the development and implementation of guidance for efficiently transitioning all project staff to the Google Environment, in compliance with the FEWS NET 8 contract and oversee continued adherence to guidance across full project;
•    Together with the rest of the technical operations team, coordinate project travel, including international travel approval requests, visa support (where needed), developing and communicating clear guidance around travel to project staff, and tracking days allocated for travel in alignment with the budget monitors; and submission and documentation of trip reports;
•    Liaise with, and provide support to, the security sector to ensure security-related procurement is implemented in a cost-effective and compliant manner;
•    Ensure all project staff receive the required IT support by coordinating with Chemonics’ technology department and IT support services and helping identify appropriate solutions for project office staff in collaboration with the PST and ROMs.
•    Assist the SMT in developing and implementing PE guidance and templates in alignment with project needs and Chemonics’ guidance; ensure appropriate tracking of PEs across all project staff;
•    Liaise with the home office PST to support the management and oversight of project budget and forecasting, including careful tracking of work plan activities with cost implications, especially travel;
•    Ensure compliance with contractual and corporate policies and regulations;
•    Coordinate the organization, management, and operational implementation of the DST’s internal and partner meetings, conferences, and workshops when required. Ensure that the