About IREX: 

IREX is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to building a more just, prosperous, and inclusive world by empowering youth, cultivating leaders, strengthening institutions, and extending access to quality education and information. Founded in 1968, IREX has an annual portfolio of over $100 million, work in more than 100 countries worldwide with offices in 20 countries, and a global staff of 600. 

Position Summary: 

IREX seeks qualified Chief of Party (COP) candidates to lead an anticipated five-year USAID-funded Innovative Ecosystems Activity in Vietnam. This Activity will aim to support the Government of Vietnam in its efforts to enhance the country's innovation ecosystems and innovators' market opportunities by promoting the commercialization of innovations targeting market opportunities pursued by innovators, entrepreneurs, and intrapreneurs. Based in Hanoi, the COP will be responsible for technical leadership, administrative oversight, and overall coordination of the activity. S/he will serve as the principal institutional liaison with USAID and key stakeholders. S/he will manage staff and ensure the Activity achieves stated goal and results and meets reporting requirements, as well as ensure the quality, timeliness, and efficiency of all products and interventions generated under the Activity.

Summary of Responsibilities: 

• The Chief of Party will be responsible for creating and implement a strategy to enhance Vietnam’s digital workforce and local innovation. 
• Contribute to monitoring, evaluation, and learning; project communications; and project reporting. 
• Provide strategic and technical leadership to the program, including a comprehensive vision for transformational outcomes for the activity’s intermediate results.
• Serve as principal liaison with USAID and develop productive collaborative relationships with a wide range of key stakeholders across the innovation ecosystem including government officials, other donors and implementers, civil society and private sector partners, training institutions, program beneficiaries, and others.
• Develop strong collaborative, supportive, and mutually respectful relationships with diverse team members, with other leaders at IREX, and with leaders at key stakeholder and partner organizations.
• Ensure program activities are implemented on schedule, within budget, and coordinated to maximize efficiency and effectiveness across regions.
• Oversee program budgeting and forecasting, financial management, compliance and subgrants management.
• Oversee monitoring, evaluation, learning, and reporting to ensure the program adapts as needed to meet objectives and learning is acquired and shared broadly to maximize impact and sustainability.
• Oversee and help to drive a private sector engagement strategy.
• Integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout program implementation while also promoting an evidence-based positive youth development approach.
• Supervise, manage, and mentor program staff, lead recruitment of specialized technical staff.
• Represent IREX publicly and support its organizational development.
• Ensure that IREX’s safety and security policies and procedures are applied to all program and staff operations.
• Other duties, as assigned.
   

Required Skills and Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, International Development, social sciences, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred
• Minimum 10 years of progressive international experience working in digital workforce development, youth development, and/or private sector engagement in Vietnam and/or the Southeast Asia region.
• Successful track record of supervising, designing, managing, and implementing complex donor-funded technical assistance projects (with strong preference for past USAID-funded media development project management experience).
• Ability to establish strong working relationships with media, civic, and private sector leaders; international donors; and other stakeholders.
• Proven leadership qualities and excellent management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to track and manage budgets and plan both strategically and creatively to meet project objectives.
• Experience convening diverse stakeholders to address legal and regulatory media reforms and/or other issues affecting the media sector.
• Experience working with private and public sector partners to leverage additional sources of funding to meet project objectives preferred.
• Ability to provide written reporting in English for the project.
• Strong representational and organizational skills.