Chief Of Party - Energy Program

SEEKING EXPERIENCED CHIEF OF PARTY & DEPUTY CHIEF OF PARTY FOR USAID 5-YEAR ENERGY PROGRAM IN UKRAINE 

A U.S. firm with design-build, construction management, environmental remediation, contingency response and disaster recovery experience and international subsidiaries seeks an experienced Chief of Party and Deputy Chief of Party for the below solicitation and to lead such upon award.  

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID/Ukraine) has released a solicitation for the USAID Securing Power, Advancing Resilience & Connectivity (SPARC) activity, for a single Cost-Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) term type contract plus Procurement Completion Fee with 123,600 productive days level of effort (LOE), $295 million of procurement, and $15 million of Grants Under Contract with a period of performance of five (5) years, subject to availability of funds.  The principal purpose of the SPARC Activity is to provide strategic technical and procurement assistance to the Government of Ukraine (GOU). This includes addressing the energy challenges posed by the current war, as well as preparing for future post-war reconstruction in Ukraine. This includes focusing on enhancing the resilience, reliability, affordability, and security of the electricity, natural gas, and district heating sectors. This contract aligns with the standards set forth by the European Union’s (EU) Energy Acquis Communautaire, which entails incorporating measures that promote market integration with competitive European energy markets, thereby fostering private sector-driven investments.  

 Key components of the work include: 

• enhanced energy supply;
• improved demand-side management;
• strengthened energy markets;
• end-to-end procurement agent services, mostly for energy equipment for wartime and post wartime needs;
• operating principles (sustainability, anti-corruption, donor coordination, stakeholder participation, coordination with other USAID program implementers, grants-under-contracts, inclusive development, gender);
• public events and distribution of materials;
• adaptive management, including relevant to wartime;
• construction, as authorized by USAID.

The Chief of Party “COP” and Deputy Chief of Party “D/COP” must lead a team that contains advanced specialized skills and expertise in the following: 

• Post-Soviet and European Union (EU) integration countries;
• Navigation of competitive energy markets, including energy sector reforms in electricity, natural gas, or heating sectors;
• The EU's Energy Acquis Communautaire and operations of the EU's Energy Community Secretariat;
• Corruption dynamics in developing countries and anti-corruption measures;
• Managing teams with diverse backgrounds and relationships with the USAID, beneficiary country, and donor stakeholders.

The COP must serve as the primary point of contact with USAID/Ukraine. The COP's responsibilities span a broad spectrum of critical functions to implement the scope of work. The COP leads day-to-day implementation and management matters relating to the contract, including contract compliance, contractor staff oversight, and coordination with beneficiaries, stakeholders, and USAID. The COP must also have overall responsibility for assuring that all assistance provided under the contract is technically sound and appropriate for the needs to be addressed. The COP must facilitate communication and close coordination with all stakeholders of the activity. In order to allow for proper implementation and quick adaptive management, the COP must have the ability to speak for and bind the Contractor.  

The Deputy COP must be able to represent the COP in the COP’s absence and must be able to successfully support the COP in fulfilling the COP’s duties. 

 Required Skills And Qualifications 

Minimum educational requirement of a Bachelor degree (Master’s preferred) in economics, business, engineering, construction management, procurement or a comparable relevant discipline from an accredited university in Ukraine, the United States, or third country. 

• Registered US Professional Engineer qualification is desired.
• At least 10 years of overall relevant program experience as a Chief of Party/Deputy Chief of Party, preferably in Ukraine or other countries of the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union on large donor-funded technical assistance and procurement teams for projects of similar scope, magnitude, and complexity, preferably on USAID projects.
• Increasingly responsible experience in supervising staff, team-building, contract management, interpersonal skills with clients and partners, meeting deadlines, and both written and oral communications.
• Fluent in written and spoken English required.
• Fluency in Ukrainian/Russian is desired.

We anticipate the start date for the Chief of Party and Deputy Chief of Party role could be based upon an award as early as the Spring of 2024. Progressively responsible  experience required in supervising staff, team-building, contract management, interpersonal skills with clients and partners, meeting deadlines, and both written and oral communications.