Country Manager

Job Announcement – Country Manager

Status:  Full Time

Contract duration: One year with possibility of extension

Nationality: Nepali nationals located in or outside Nepal but willing to be based at Bharatpur in Nepal.

Date Posted: May 17, 2024

Deadline: May 26, 2024

Reporting: Project Director

Description of the Project:

The USAID Agriculture Higher Education Activity is a 5-year funded project beginning December 2022 to December 2027. The project is being implemented with Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU) in Nepal under the administration of Tuskegee University (TU); the project aims to strengthen AFU's capacity to meet the changing needs of Nepal's agriculture sector, encompassing both the public and private domains through the following key objectives: 

• improve the development of processes and capacity within AFU to ensure a comprehensive, student-centered package of curricula, course materials, and methods of instruction.
• improve the capacity of AFU to develop, maintain, and update programs through experiential learning and the use of the Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework. 
• strengthen and upgrade the research system and research methodology related to extension, technology transfer, and intellectual property.
• improve and promote women’s leadership and capacity to enable women faculty members to take a lead role and to improve processes to ensure increased enrollment of female students.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Country Manager will provide overall management to the USAID Agriculture Higher Education Activity in Nepal at AFU, under the overall guidance of Principal Investigator (PI) and day to day supervision of the Project Director (PD) based at TU, to ensure the quality and timeliness of activities and reporting. He or she will serve as the in-country contact to USAID on all activity matters and will provide leadership and direction for the activity; ensure effective project management; set a clear strategic vision; oversee fiscal and procurement integrity; ensure high quality and timely submission of deliverables; and ensure harmonious coordination with TU PD, AFU, USAID/Nepal, the Government of Nepal, other donors, and partner organizations/universities. The Country Manager will supervise the Nepal based local staff and ensure compliance with USAID and USG rules and regulations. He or she will closely monitor and facilitate all work plans and deliverables stipulated in the project documents, guidelines, strategies, and action plan. He/she will also be responsible for facilitating training programs, liaising with university administration teams to address sustainability issues, and ensuring that each project delivers quality services and effectively uses local private partner resources. He or She shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

Qualifications:

The Country Manager must meet the following minimum set of qualifications:

• A minimum of ten years of senior-level management experience with similar projects with proven track records in the successful implementation of development projects preferably in higher education and/or human and institutional capacity development programs
• Preferably PhD or a Master’s Degree in the relevant technical field, agriculture, public policy, higher education, administration, international development, or another relevant field from an internationally recognized university
• A minimum of five years of experience in international organizations leading capacity development programs that involved collaborative design and implementation across multiple institutions

Special Qualifications

• Must possess soft skills such as effective communication, coordination, negotiation, consensus-building, problem-solving, and other areas of interpersonal skills
• Communicating deadlines and milestones set in the project documents, work plans or guidance set by the PD
• Familiarly with similar projects in Nepal
• Exceptional organizing and time-management skills
• Participate in relevant meetings, seminars, and conferences, and present the project results and outcomes as necessary
• Collect, compile, and prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual progress reports
• Perform assessments/evaluations of the project in a timely manner.
• Prepare a comprehensive final report of relevant projects
• Fully conversant with the budgeting, financial reporting, and economic management of the project / program 
• Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; values others’ input, supports group decisions, shares credit, and accepts responsibility for team outcomes  
• Experience with strategic program planning, project cycle management, and knowledge of the institutional donor environment, particularly USAID
• Ensures that all security and safety rules and SOPs are set up and followed and regularly reviewed;
• Carry out other relevant activities as directed by the PI/Project Director

Language: For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English and Nepali is required.

Salary:

• Commensurate with education, training, and experience

Applicants should submit a motivation letter, resume/CV, 3-5 references (with detailed contact information), and unofficial transcripts to oboldentiller@tuskegee.edu , with the subject line 'Application for Country Manager.' Applications must meet minimum qualifications and be submitted by the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered.  

The Tuskegee University reserves the right not to fill the position in the event of budgetary or operational constraints. 

Paper applications will NOT be accepted in the Office of Human Resources.

Contact address:

Olga Bolden-Tiller, PhD

Dean - College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences

Research Director – George Washington Carver Agricultural Experiment Station

Professor of Animal Sciences

110 Henderson Hall

1200 W. Montgomery Rd

Tuskegee, AL 36088

334-727-8403 (Ph), 334-727-8552 (Fax)

oboldentiller@tuskegee.edu