Chief of Party - USAID Innovation Design, Execution, and Acceleration Support (IDEAS)

Who we areBixal is a mission-driven, woman-owned small business determined to improve people's lives through human-centered strategies and transformative technologies, with a firm belief that everyone has the right to an effective government.   We deliver on this belief by partnering with leading Federal agencies to design, develop, and deliver powerful customer experiences through holistic digital product solutions and strategic communications initiatives––bringing a high standard and unique creative energy to our clients––and our wonderfully diverse culture is what makes it all possible.   Bixal unites different people with different perspectives from all over the world! We provide our team with an open and empowered environment where collaboration thrives and solutions flourish. 
LocationThis role will be located in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
What will you do?Bixal seeks a dynamic Chief of Party (COP) candidate to lead the upcoming USAID Innovation Design, Execution, and Acceleration Support (IDEAS) Project, under USAID’s Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI) Innovation’s Innovation, Technology, and Research Hub. The purpose of the activity is to provide design assistance, technical expertise, and acceleration support to bolster USAID open innovation programming. This includes increasing the uptake of innovations in an appropriate market or context; disseminating knowledge within USAID and the wider development community; and capturing open innovation best practices, successes, and lessons learned from both the innovations themselves and the programs supporting them. The Chief of Party will serve as the Contractor’s chief liaison to USAID and provide overall leadership for all technical and managerial aspects of the work performed under this contract. This person will serve as the Contractor’s principal subject matter expert and will manage all project staff. This person will provide overall guidance and strategic direction, technical leadership, and management oversight for the Activity, ensuring that initiatives and deliverables comply with USAID requirements and achieve expected results.
Important NoteThis is a full-time proposal position contingent on contract award.
Responsibilities

Technical:

• Provide leadership in all technical, managerial, and operational aspects of the project.
• Serve as the main point of contact for USAID, liaising directly with the activity COR on all technical issues, and act as the public face of the Activity.
• Lead teams to support the design and implementation of open innovation programs and investments in collaboration with USAID Bureaus and Missions.
• Supervise the administration of grants under contract related to open innovation programs and investments, and supervise the delivery of acceleration support services to grantees.
• Lead knowledge management and communications activities, and learning initiatives using systems thinking approaches.
• Supervise monitoring, evaluation and research activities for open innovation programs and investments worldwide.
• Develop and maintain effective and purpose-driven relationships with key staff across USAID Missions and Washington Operating Units while engaging a diverse range of stakeholders to provide USAID with the breadth and depth of expertise it requires to advance effective open innovation programming.
• Lead workplan development through participatory and collaborative processes, oversee workplan implementation, responsively adapting to changes and lessons learned throughout implementation.

Management:

• Supervise other senior level personnel and provide oversight for resources assigned to tasks under the program, in coordination with Bixal’s home office.
• Manage multiple complex, simultaneous projects to include delivering services in multiple stages of execution.
• Develop a detailed task area management plan to track performance of the award, with subordinate plans for each task area within this award to include a schedule for each deliverable, key milestone dates, dependencies, and the assignment of leads.

Contractual/financial:

• Oversee activity budgeting and financial management.
• Oversee quality control for services provided, ensuring compliance with USAID requirements.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in international development, business, public policy, or an analytical, scientific, or technical discipline.
• At least 12 years of senior-level management experience in the international development context with extensive experience working on USAID-funded programs focused on open innovation.
• At least 10 years of experience managing a program with numerous grants and subcontracts as well as staff.