Chief of Party, USDA Food for Peace Non-Emergency Programming, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti or Honduras

Chief of Party, USDA Food for Peace Non-Emergency Programming, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti or Honduras

About PADF

The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) believes in creating a hemisphere of opportunity, for all. We work across Latin America and the Caribbean to make our region stronger—more healthy, peaceful, just, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable for current and future generations. For over 60 years, we have served the most vulnerable communities, investing resources throughout the hemisphere. We partner with and enable civil society, governments, and the private sector for the greater good of the region.

Position Overview

PADF seeks Chief of Party candidates for upcoming U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Title II Food for Peace (FFP) Non-Emergency Programming opportunities in El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and Honduras. These 3-5 year programs will use U.S. agricultural commodities and an agriculture-led development approach to build partner country resilience, improve food security, and reduce country dependence on emergency food assistance.

The Chief of Party will lead PADF’s FFP programming in the partner country. Candidates will have a background in food security, agriculture development, agribusiness, commodity management, or related areas, alongside demonstrated senior-level in-country work experience. Additional experience in market systems, public health, and water and sanitation is highly desirable, as is prior experience working with USDA and/or FFP programming.

The Chief of Party will be based in and lead a large and diverse team of technical specialists and partners in El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti or Honduras.

This position(s) is contingent upon award and USDA approval.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead FFP programming activities according to the approved work plan and in consultation with USDA and key stakeholders.
• Liaise with USDA; national, state, and local governments; and target populations, bringing in and leveraging stakeholders to support program activities as required.
• Maintain working relationships with all program stakeholders (including the private sector, government, civil society).
• Manage a large team of program staff, technical experts, consultants, and local partners, while coordinating with headquarters and in-country project staff.
• Provide strategic guidance to the team for the completion of project activities in prioritized sectoral and geographic areas.
• Perform strategic, financial, and operational planning, including work planning, and ensure project compliance with all USDA commodity management, monetization activities, and all financial, contractual, and reporting requirements.
• Ensure that milestones, performance goals, and indicators are monitored and achieved.
• Lead high-quality report preparation in English, capturing project activities, documenting impacts related to all activities, and ensuring timely submission.
• Foster partnerships and alliances to leverage additional funds and support for program activities.
• Travel to areas of intervention within program countries (El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti or Honduras) and to PADF headquarters in Washington DC as needed.
• Other duties as required.

Competencies

• Nurture knowledge – Models continuous learning, builds systems that institutionalize knowledge, and uses insights to drive strategic decisions.
• Be creative and promote creativity – Drives a culture of innovation and aligns creative initiatives with organizational strategy.
• Lead & inspire – Inspires at organizational scale through values-driven leadership.
• Adapt – Leads strategic adaptation, anticipating change and ensuring organizational agility.
• Optimize resources – Drives organizational excellence through strategic resource allocation and systems that support continuous improvement.
• Communicate effectively – Communicates vision, strategy, and priorities with clarity and inspiration to diverse internal and external audiences.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of ten (10) years of experience in in USG project management (USDA experience strongly preferred), including the supervision, administration, and implementation of large-scale food aid, food security, agriculture development, or similar programs.
• Bachelor’s degree reflecting expertise in areas relevant to this project, such as agribusiness, agriculture development, international development, or a related field relevant to USDA FFP programming. Master’s degree strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in managing cooperative agreement and/or contract requirements (including meeting deadlines, achieving targets, establishing and maintaining systems for managing project operations, working with multiple subrecipient(s) and/or contractor(s), and overseeing the preparation and submission of required reports to donor agencies), preferably in one of the countries of implementation.
• Deep expertise in agriculture, market systems, agriculture value chains, food programming, and livelihoods in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain working relationships with all project stakeholders and to engage in coalition building and multi-stakeholder partnerships, specifically with the public and private sectors.
• Fluency in English and Spanish is required (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras) or in English and French or Haitian Creole (Haiti). Fluency includes speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

More About PADF

PADF is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established by the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1962.

PADF’s core values. “H-E-A-R-T” = Honesty, Excellence, Authenticity, Respect, and Trust.

EEO Statement. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. PADF does not discriminate based on ability, age, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or criminal record.

PADF is committed to safeguarding employees and those we serve, addressing inappropriate behavior, discrimination, and harassment. We take an intersectional approach, promote gender equality, and follow our Global Code of Conduct emphasizing our H.E.A.R.T. values. The code covers various aspects, including anti-trafficking, PSEAH (Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment), whistleblowing, and online safety.

PADF is an Equal Opportunity Employer