Chief of Party – USDA Food for Progress – Ecuador

About the role

Lutheran World Relief is seeking a Chief of Party to lead a four‑to‑five‑year, $28 million USDA Food for Progress project in Ecuador. The initiative aims to improve agricultural trade systems, strengthen sanitary and phytosanitary oversight, and align Ecuadorian practices with international standards to enhance food safety and agrifood competitiveness.

Key responsibilities

• Provide overall vision, technical, and administrative leadership for the project.
• Manage all aspects of program implementation, including technical, operational, logistical, and financial components.
• Coordinate activities among LWR staff, consortium members, implementing partners, public and private sector stakeholders, and government agencies.
• Serve as the primary liaison with USDA and other U.S. Government entities.
• Ensure compliance with USDA requirements, including monitoring, evaluation, learning, and timely delivery of reports and deliverables.

Required profile

• Proven experience leading large, multi‑year international development projects, preferably in agriculture or food safety.
• Strong understanding of USDA Food for Progress guidelines and international sanitary and phytosanitary standards.
• Demonstrated ability to manage diverse teams and multi‑partner collaborations.
• Excellent communication skills for interaction with donors, government officials, and private sector partners.

Required skills

• Project management and strategic planning.
• Monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems.
• Compliance and reporting to U.S. government agencies.