**Chief of Party (COP), USDA Food for Progress Program - Colombia** **About Palladium**: Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 2,100 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities. Palladium is part of GISI’s global family of companies, which aims to create solutions for the world’s most complex challenges. With annual revenues of $14 billion, GISI’s approximately 15,000 employees are engaged in projects across 100 countries worldwide providing construction, program/project management, and engineering consulting services. **This Opportunity**: Palladium is recruiting a Chief of Party (COP) for an anticipated USDA Food for Progress (FFPr) program in Colombia. The program will support increased agricultural productivity and expanded trade, with a focus on climate-smart agriculture, market systems development, and inclusive growth. The COP will lead a multidisciplinary team and serve as the primary liaison with USDA/FAS, Colombian government counterparts, and private sector stakeholders. The COP will provide overall strategic, technical, and operational leadership for the program. This includes responsibility for program delivery, team management, compliance, and stakeholder engagement. The COP will ensure that all activities are aligned with USDA’s FFPr objectives and Palladium’s standards for quality, impact, and inclusion. **Location**: - The position is based in Bogotá, Colombia (with travel to Norte de Santander, Cesar, Magdalena, La Guajira, and other departments) **Reporting Lines**: - This position reports to the Project Director, Economic Growth & Natural Capital **Primary Roles and Responsibilities**: - Provide overall leadership, management, and technical direction for the program, ensuring high-quality implementation and compliance with USDA regulations - Serve as the primary point of contact with USDA/FAS and represent the program to government counterparts, private sector actors, and civil society - Oversee the design and execution of interventions in cocoa and other value chains (e.g., livestock, rice, palm), with a focus on productivity, market access, and financial facilitation - Lead the development and implementation of annual work plans, budgets, and MEL frameworks - Ensure integration of climate-smart agriculture, gender and social inclusion, and digital tools across all program components - Supervise and mentor a diverse team of technical and operational staff, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and learning - Coordinate with monetization agents and ensure effective use of commodity proceeds in line with USDA guidelines - Ensure timely and accurate reporting to USDA and other stakeholders, including quarterly and annual performance reports - Cultivate partnerships that support co-investment, sustainability, and scale **Essential Criteria**: - Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible experience managing large-scale donor-funded agricultural or economic development programs, preferably in Latin America - Demonstrated experience with USDA, USAID, or other USG-funded cooperative agreements or contracts - Proven leadership in managing complex teams and partnerships, including private sector engagement and co-investment strategies - Technical expertise in market systems development, value chain strengthening, and/or climate-smart agriculture - Strong understanding of Colombia’s agricultural sector, political economy, and rural development context - Fluency in English; professional proficiency in Spanish strongly preferred **Desirable Criteria**: - Experience with cocoa or other high-value crop and/or agribusiness systems in Colombia or comparable economic contexts - Familiarity with USDA’s FFPr program regulations (7 CFR part 1499) and climate-smart agriculture priorities - Prior experience working with Colombian producer federations such as Fedecacao or Fedegan All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or status as a protected veteran.