Recent Job Vacancies at Creative Associates International


Creative Associates International is a dynamic, fast-growing global development firm that specializes in education, economic growth, democratic development and post-crisis stabilization. Based in Washington, D.C., Creative has a field presence in more than 25 countries with a strong client portfolio that includes the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department, among others. Since its founding in 1977, Creative has earned a solid reputation among its clients and is well-regarded by competitors and partners alike. We are recruiting to fill the vacant positions below: Job Title: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Director Requisition Number: 17-0206 Location:  Abuja, Nigeria Division: Economic Growth Division Position Summary

  • The purpose of the AgCompete project is to strengthen agriculture productivity and profitability of smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
  • The project will be composed of three main components:
    • Design of the Agriculture Competitiveness Fund for private sector partnerships and funding to catalyze technological innovations;
    • Administration of the Agriculture Competitiveness Fund to develop private sector partnerships and provide grants;
    • And technical assistance that directly supports, coordinates, and organizes qualifying recipients to achieve the Missions food security objectives.
  • The project will contribute to the Mission’s overall Feed the Future strategy, which looks to improve agriculture competitiveness of smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
Reporting & Supervision:
  • Reporting to the COP, the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Director is responsible for all monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities.
  • The Director must ensure that all activities are in line with the USAID Feed the Future evaluation policy, as well as the ADS and monitoring and learning best practices.
Primary Responsibilities:
  • Provides broad support on MEL design and implementation, monitoring strategies, partner organizations, and organizational capacity assessments;
  • Manages the projects’ web-based M&E database;
  • Guides learning agenda;
  • Reviews and updates performance monitoring plans.
Expected Outcomes:
  • Delivers MEL plan meeting all requirements by USAID;
  • Maintains learning agenda for the project;
  • Achieves M&E deliverables.
Required Skills & Qualifications
  • At least a Masters’ degree in business, economics, statistics, international development, or a related field (or, alternately, a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and 5 additional years of relevant experience);
  • At least 5 years’ technical experience in developing and implementing monitoring and evaluation plans and results-based management;
  • Demonstrated understanding of cost-benefit analysis;
  • Experience in Nigeria is required.
Job Title: Grants Director - Innovation Fund Requisition Number: 17-0209 Location: Abuja Position Summary
  • The purpose of the AgCompete project is to strengthen agriculture productivity and profitability of smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
  • The project will be composed of three main components:
    • Design of the Agriculture Competitiveness Fund for private sector partnerships and funding to catalyze technological innovations;
    • Administration of the Agriculture Competitiveness Fund to develop private sector partnerships and provide grants; and
    • Technical assistance that directly supports, coordinates, and organizes qualifying recipients to achieve the Missions food security objectives.
  • The project will contribute to the Mission’s overall Feed the Future strategy, which looks to improve agriculture competitiveness of smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
Reporting & Supervision:
  • Reporting directly to the COP, the Grants Director / Innovation Fund will support the COP and the AgCompete to ensure the innovation fund meets its objectives to catalyze new investment in Nigeria agribusiness and agriculture value chain development.
Primary Responsibilities
  • Ensures that innovation fund meets its objectives.
  • Liaises with the value chain development team to identify companies/enterprises with potential to contribute to a stronger Nigerian market system through provision of agriculture inputs, expanded processing and trade, linkages to post-harvest handling and storage; and promotion of domestic consumption of key value chains.
  • Oversees a grants management team, ensuring that grants are in compliance with USAID and Palladium policies and procedures, and ensuring that grants manual and related program documents are compliant with USAID regulations.
  • Oversees development of a grant tracking system to ensure the timely and correct execution of all grant agreements.
  • Maintains communication with recipients to ensure smooth administration of sub instruments;
  • Ensures compliance with agreement/sub-agreement terms and conditions.
Expected Outcomes
  • Develops grants manual to be approved by the client;
  • Delivers compliant tracking of grants manual;
  • Achieves component deliverables.
Required Skills & Qualifications
  • At least a Master's Degree in Business, Economics, Accounting, Finance or other relevant field (or, alternately, a Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field and 5 additional years of relevant experience);
  • At least 7 years of relevant work experience, including experience with a Contractor or international NGO managing an office or program;
  • Prior relevant experience with USAID or USAID-funded projects is required;
  • At least 5 years of experience in grants management;
  • Experience managing projects and/or an office with culturally diverse teams;
  • Prior experience in Nigeria required;
  • Excellent oral and written English required.
Job Title: Director, Private Sector Competitiveness Requisition Number: 17-0208 Location: Abuja, Nigeria Division: Economic Growth Division Position Summary
  • The purpose of the AgCompete project is to strengthen agriculture productivity and profitability of smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
  • The project will be composed of three main components:
    • Design of the Agriculture Competitiveness Fund for private sector partnerships and funding to catalyze technological innovations;
    • Administration of the Agriculture Competitiveness Fund to develop private sector partnerships and provide grants;
    • And technical assistance that directly supports, coordinates, and organizes qualifying recipients to achieve the Missions food security objectives.
  • The project will contribute to the Mission’s overall Feed the Future strategy, which looks to improve agriculture competitiveness of smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
Reporting & Supervision:
  • Reporting directly to the DCOP, the Competitiveness Director will lead the project’s activities to support micro, small and medium enterprise agribusinesses participating in the Innovation Fund activities.
Primary Responsibilities
  • Design and lead activities that build capacity of MSMEs to address relevant technical and management constraints;
  • Facilitate linkages to improve access to finance, employment and business advisory services;
  • Strengthens business skills and facilitates linkages along the value chains.
Expected Outcomes:
  • Delivers technical expertise in MSME development;
  • Dynamic representation of Creative before grantee MSMEs;
  • Achieves component deliverables.
Required Skills & Qualifications
  • At least a Masters’ degree in business, economics, accounting, finance or other relevant field (or, alternately, a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and 5 additional years of relevant experience);
  • At least 7 years of relevant work experience, including experience with a Contractor or international NGO managing an office or program, in firm-level enterprise development;
  • Prior relevant experience with USAID or USAID-funded projects is required;
  • Experience managing projects and/or an office with culturally diverse teams;
  • Prior experience in Nigeria required;
  • Excellent oral and written English required.
Job Title: Private Public Sector Alliances Director Requisition Number: 17-0205 Location: Abuja Position Summary
  • The purpose of the AgCompete project is to strengthen agriculture productivity and profitability of smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
  • The project will be composed of three main components: design of the Agriculture Competitiveness Fund for private sector partnerships and funding to catalyze technological innovations; administration of the Agriculture Competitiveness Fund to develop private sector partnerships and provide grants; and technical assistance that directly supports, coordinates, and organizes qualifying recipients to achieve the Missions food security objectives.
  • The project will contribute to the Mission’s overall Feed the Future strategy, which looks to improve agriculture competitiveness of smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
Reporting & Supervision
  • Reporting directly to the DCOP, the Director / Private Public Sector Alliances will support the COP and the AgCompete to develop and maintain strong partnerships with the private sector partners, including agroprocessors, cooperatives, etc., financial institutions, and other private sector organizations in relevant market systems.
Primary Responsibilities
  • Develops and maintains strong partnerships with private sector organizations, cooperatives, partners, collaborators and financial institutions;
  • Facilitates relationships between value chain actors including smallholders, traders, financial institutions, buyers, processors and agribusiness;
  • Organizes and facilitates discussions on agribusiness investment-related policy issues involving representatives of the private and public sector, with a view to reach consensus on improved policies;
  • Facilitates high level market linkages to add value to specific value chains. This includes cluster creation with value chain actors from the smallholder field to anchor firm level.
  • Responds to requests from donor and supervisors as needed.
Expected Outcomes:
  • Delivers and maintains excellent relationships with critical clients;
  • Dynamic representation of Creative before private and public sector clients and critical audiences;
  • Achieves component deliverables.
Required Skills & Qualifications
  • At least a Masters’ degree in Business, Economics, Accounting, Finance or other relevant field (or, alternately, a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and 5 additional years of relevant experience);
  • At least 10 years of relevant work experience, including experience with a Contractor or international NGO managing an office or program;
  • Prior relevant experience with USAID or USAID-funded projects is required;
  • At least 5 years of experience in senior role facilitating private sector investments in agribusinesses;
  • Experience managing projects and/or an office with culturally diverse teams and working with counterparts from other cultures;
  • Prior experience in Nigeria required;
  • Excellent oral and written English required.
Job Title: Director, Finance & Administration Requisition Number: 17-0207 Location: Abuja Position Summary
  • The purpose of the AgCompete project is to strengthen agriculture productivity and profitability of smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
  • The project will be composed of three main components: design of the Agriculture Competitiveness Fund for private sector partnerships and funding to catalyze technological innovations; administration of the Agriculture Competitiveness Fund to develop private sector partnerships and provide grants; and technical assistance that directly supports, coordinates, and organizes qualifying recipients to achieve the Missions food security objectives.
  • The project will contribute to the Mission’s overall Feed the Future strategy, which looks to improve agriculture competitiveness of smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
Reporting & Supervision:
  • Reporting director to the COP, the Director of Finance and Administration will be responsible for managing administrative, financial/accounting, and procurement processes, including compliance with U.S. government and Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rules. Experience managing grants is a plus.
Primary Responsibilities
  • Lead project’s administration, logistics, procurement, budgeting, finance and compliance, property;
  • Ensure that project implementation is in accordance with USG regulations and procedures and the specifications determined in the Contract;
  • Ensure all procurement processes are fair and transparent, reviewing financial compliance, and monitoring GUC and subcontract implementation.
Expected Outcomes:
  • The project demonstrates effective financial management and compliance with client and Creative regulations, policies, and procedures;
  • Provides effective training and awareness to project staff on financial management, compliance, and fraud, abuse and waste mitigation regulations, policies, and procedures; and
  • Manages subcontractor awards and payments in line with client and Creative regulations, policies, and procedures.
Required Skills & Qualifications
  • At least a Masters' degree in business, economics, statistics, international development, or a related field (or, alternately, a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and 5 additional years of relevant experience);
  • At least 5 years’ financial management and operations experience on USG-financed projects in Nigeria;
  • Experience with implementing USG-financed contracts required.
How to Apply Interested and qualified candidates should: Click here to apply Note
  • Local and regional candidates strongly encouraged to apply.
  • Position contingent upon donor funding.
  • Only finalists will be contacted.  No phone calls, please.
Application Deadline  31st July, 2017.