Women in Government Component Director - MSI - Kabul, Afghanistan

Post: Women in Government Component Director

Project: Women in Transition Project, Afghanistan

Company Profile:  Management Systems International (MSI) is a global international development firm based in Washington, D.C. providing specialized short- and long-term technical assistance. MSI is part of Coffey International Development, a global international development consulting firm. Together with Coffey ID, MSI now has more than 1,500 development professionals worldwide, a corporate presence in 11 countries and manages more than 200 projects worldwide. It currently manages more than 20 long-term projects in countries, including Iraq, Sudan, Colombia and Russia. Broadly, MSI implements a range of analytical and field projects in its core technical areas, including democracy and governance, strategic management and performance improvement, organizational capacity building, human development and natural resource management. For more information on MSI, please visit our website at www.msiworldwide.com.

Project/Proposal Summary: 
Women in Transition (WIT) will invest in opportunities that enable educated women to enter and advance into decision making positions in Afghanistan’s public, private and civil society sectors. For young women with at least a high school education, WIT will provide access to advanced professional development opportunities through four specific practice areas under the WIT umbrella: 1) Women in the Economy, 2) Women’s Rights Groups and Coalitions, 3) Women in Government, and 4) Women’s Leadership Development.  This is a five year project based in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Position Summary:
The Women in Government (WIG) Component Director will manage all activities under this $50 million program component, under the overall management of the Chief of Party. The purpose of the WIG activities is to increase the number of women in professional and leadership positions in government through an internship program and by working with women already in government services to support their promotion into leadership roles. WIG will facilitate and support placements for young women in internships at government institutions nationwide and will work with human resources offices and Gender Directorates to create career paths for interns and promotion opportunities for women in government.

Responsibilities:
• Design and manage the implementation of all component activities, ensuring full collaboration with government counterparts and coherence of inputs of international and domestic partners;
• Work closely with relevant government and education institutions in the development of an internship placement program for women university graduates;
• Coordinate with human resource offices and Gender Directorates in the creation of professional networks for women working in government;
• Oversee the organization and implementation of training programs on substantive tasks for female interns prior to and during their internships;
• Manage the recruitment and supervision of component staff and consultants;
• Establish procurement mechanisms for and manage sub-contracts;
• Ensure robust monitoring of component activities and impact;
• Ensure timely donor reporting on all component activities and results;
• Coordinate with donor counterparts, responding to all component related requests as required;
• Participate in senior management processes and decision-making.

Qualifications:
• Significant experience managing programs related to women in government and supporting professional internships or similar placements;
• Demonstrated experience working with professional internship, mentorship, or career placement programs at the university or government level highly desirable;
• Experience designing and implementing internship support programs;
• Experience in Afghanistan or other conflict-affected and/or Islamic contexts, and understanding of the challenges faced in these contexts with regard to women’s participation in government;
• Master’s degree in a relevant field, or equivalent experience;
• Experience with USAID or other donors;
• Ability to live in Kabul and travel within the country;
• Outstanding spoken and written communication skills in English; proficient Dari and/or Pashto preferred. 

Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please.

To apply: Please visit our website, www.msiworldwide.com