Chief of Party (COP), USDA Food for Progress Program, Colombia

Chief of Party (COP), USDA Food for Progress Program, Colombia

Position Description

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, 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 a Chief of Party (COP) for an anticipated 5-year USDA-funded Food for Progress (FFPr) project in Colombia. The FFPr program aims to increase agricultural productivity and expand trade of agricultural products. Reporting to PADF’s Country Director in Colombia, the COP will provide strategic leadership and operational oversight, ensuring quality implementation aligned with USDA regulations and Colombian national agricultural strategies. This is a Key Personnel position subject to USDA approval.

This position is based in Bogotá, Colombia, with travel to program regions, and is contingent on award funding.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Management:

• Lead and oversee all technical and operational aspects of the FFPr project to ensure results are achieved on time and on budget.
• Lead the coordination of program activities according to the approved work plan and in consultation with USDA and key stakeholders. 
• Ensure compliance with USDA rules and PADF policies, with high standards of accountability, cost-effectiveness, and risk mitigation.
• Manage and mentor a multidisciplinary project team, ensuring a collaborative and high-performance culture.
• Oversee timely and high-quality preparation of work plans, MEL frameworks, budgets, reports, and deliverables.
• Provide input to high-quality written reports in English and Spanish on program activities, capturing results (outcomes and eventual impacts); ensure this reporting is consistent and meets donor guidance on length and format.  

Stakeholder Engagement, Liaison & Representation:

• Serve as primary liaison with USDA, Colombian government counterparts (e.g., Ministry of Agriculture, INVIMA), private sector actors, and local stakeholders.
• Cultivate strong relationships with relevant actors in agribusiness, trade, and agricultural development.
• Represent PADF and the project in national and regional forums.
• In coordination with the Project, Country, and HQ leadership, liaise with USDA, partner organizations, and local and departmental governments to support and monitor program activities as required. 
• Build and foster a strong working relationship with key internal and external stakeholders within the Colombian Government at all levels, focused on collaboration toward the program’s objectives.
• Communicate and coordinate with HQ departments, consortium partners, sub-contractors, and other stakeholders as determined.  

Strategic & Technical Guidance:

• Provide technical leadership on themes such as value chain development, market systems strengthening, trade enablement, and access to finance.
• Guide the implementation of the project’s Theory of Change, results framework, and sustainability strategy.
• Promote alignment with Colombia’s agricultural strategy and regional development plans.
• Participate actively in evaluating, providing feedback, and formulating recommendations that result in subgrants and contracts, in collaboration with the project team. 

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning & Adaptation (MEL):

• Ensure a robust MEL approach is implemented to capture results, facilitate adaptive management, and guide strategic decisions.
• Champion evidence-based learning and knowledge-sharing.
• Support the drafting, review, and presentation of quarterly, annual, and other donor reports in close coordination with HQ. 

Compliance, Risk, and Financial Management:

• Oversee financial management in line with USDA regulations, including monitoring of monetization proceeds and project operational costs.
• Manage risk and ensure strong internal controls, fraud prevention, and ethical conduct across the project.
• Oversee administrative, finance, and operations functions, including human resources, accounting and financial reporting, procurement, grants and contracts, and IT.
• Other duties as required.  

Competencies

• Leadership – Provides strategic direction that strengthens team roles, risk-taking, motivation, delivering on results, and fosters mutual respect, constructive dialogue, and a positive work environment.
• Problem Resolution – Identifies needs, develops solutions with stakeholders and sees them through completion.
• Team building – Ability to manage and influence, empower individuals and groups to strengthen internal capacities; ability to coordinate and collaborate with internal PADF stakeholders and the headquarters support departments.
• Communications – Communicates effectively with program/technical staff maximizing the positive impact and fostering mutual respect, constructive dialogue, and a positive work environment; ability to communicate effectively in professional events, with media, and other public venues.

Personal Characteristics

• Results Oriented – Motivated to achieve and bring tasks to completion. Great at follow up and follow through. Demonstrates a drive and willingness to work hard, with teamwork, communication, and collaboration.
• Interaction Skills and Empathy – Ability to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.
• Demonstrated Flexibility – Ability to innovate within the framework of donor compliance requirements and adapt under unforeseen circumstances.

Qualifications

Required

• Advanced degree (Master’s or higher) in international development, agriculture, agribusiness, economics, or a related field.
• Minimum of ten (10) years in similar positions of increasing responsibility in non-profit or international donor assistance organizations, with 7+ (seven or more) years in senior management of large donor-funded projects.
• Proven leadership of complex agriculture/trade/economic growth programs, preferably USDA-funded and/or in Latin America.
• Experience managing multi-stakeholder teams and consortia, and supervising MEL, finance, and operations functions.
• Experience leading participatory planning processes of large and complex development programs. 
• Track record of successful cooperation with host country governments and USG missions. 
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with government entities, private sector partners, and civil society.
• Familiarity with USDA FFPr priorities and compliance requirements.
• Strong understanding of Colombia’s agricultural context and trade landscape.
• Experience working effectively with and building consensus among diverse actors, including local government structures in Latin America, senior government officials, civil society actors, and donors. 
• Written and oral fluency in Spanish and English. 

Preferred

• Prior senior-level experience with USG-funded programs in Latin America, and especially in Colombia and South America is highly desired.
• Prior experience as COP or Deputy COP on USDA, USAID, or other major donor-funded agriculture/trade projects.
• Technical knowledge in agricultural value chains, trade policy, ICT for agriculture, or access to finance.
• Familiarity with commodity monetization practices and FFPr cost recovery standards. 

More About PADF   

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

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

PADF is an Equal Opportunity Employer