Chief, Quality Assurance and SECAP Unit

## Organizational Setting The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and  advocates at the local, national and international level for policies that contribute to rural transformation.The Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE) ensures that IFAD's supported projects are set to achieve their maximum impact and serve as a learning opportunity for future ones. Specifically, ODE is responsible for managing, measuring, and facilitating the effectiveness of IFAD operations, including adequately incorporating knowledge into operations. Through the systematic integration of research findings, lessons learned, innovations and best practices into IFAD's project design, implementation, and self-evaluation processes, the effectiveness and impact of IFAD-supported initiatives are enhanced. ODE contributes to three key corporate objectives:Enhancing accountability and transparency of operations.Driving operational effectiveness and efficiency.Supporting the strategic prioritization and allocation of resources.ODE is led by a Managing Director and brings together complementary functions that support the quality, effectiveness and learning value of IFAD operations. Within this structure, the Quality Assurance and Safeguards Unit (QAS) serves as the principal interface between ODE and operational teams across the Fund. QAS provides an independent, arms-length quality assurance function for country strategies, sovereign and non-sovereign operations, grants, and relevant operational policies and procedures. Its role is to ensure that IFAD-supported investments are technically sound, evidence-based, implementable, aligned with corporate priorities and compliant with applicable social, environmental and climate safeguards standards throughout the project cycle. In doing so, QAS supports project delivery teams and senior management with authoritative advice on quality at entry, risk management, safeguards compliance, mainstreaming commitments and the consistent application of operational standards. ## Job Role Chiefs are responsible for managing a Fund division or office and serve on IFAD's senior management team. The main focus of Chiefs positions is strategic leadership, innovation and management. Most typically as a member of a departmental management team, they are responsible for managing and supervising the delivery of a division's work programme within an allocated budget.The Chief, Quality Assurance and Safeguards (QAS), is responsible for directing and managing the QAS division and serves on IFAD's senior management team. The incumbent ensures the quality assurance of IFAD operations, including project design and implementation for loans and grants. This includes serving as Secretary of the OSC and overseeing quality assurance processes for both loans and grants. The incumbent also manages the Unit's knowledge management activities, builds strategic partnerships, and oversees the Unit's administrative management, including human resources, budget and planning. ## Key Functions and Results 1. QUALITY ASSURANCE OF IFAD OPERATIONS: The Chief, Quality Assurance and Safeguards Unit, is responsible for leading and managing the QAS function as IFAD's corporate quality assurance platform for operational strategies, investment operations, grants and related review processes. The Chief oversees the planning, coordination and delivery of quality assurance reviews across the full range of products reviewed by QAS, including Country Strategic Opportunities Programmes (COSOPs), sovereign loan and non-sovereign concept notes, project design reports (PDRs), non-sovereign operation project appraisal reports (PARs), additional financing proposals, project completion reports (PCRs), grants and other operational documents, instruments and processes as required. The Chief manages the team of reviewers and the Unit's internal support functions, ensuring coherence, consistency, timeliness and quality in the provision of review services. The incumbent also oversees the relevant secretariat functions hosted or supported by QAS, including the QAS secretariat, the grants secretariat and related committee or corporate review processes. In carrying out these responsibilities, the Chief promotes streamlined procedures, effective coordination across functions, sound knowledge management, and the development and periodic updating of policies, procedures, guidance, tools and systems that strengthen the quality, effectiveness and accountability of IFAD's operational products. In particular, they perform the following activities:Provide strategic leadership, advice and support to senior management on quality assurance, safeguards and related operational review processes, ensuring that QAS services are responsive to corporate priorities, operational needs and institutional accountability requirements.Oversee the preparation, coordination and delivery of quality assurance reviews for the full range of products reviewed by QAS, including COSOPs, sovereign loan concept notes, PDRs, PARs, additional financing, PCRs, grants and other operational products, ensuring consistency, timeliness and quality of review outputs.Manage the QAS team of reviewers and the Unit's internal support functions, allocating work, promoting coherent review standards, strengthening cross-functional collaboration and ensuring effective support to operational teams throughout the review cycle.Oversee the secretariat functions hosted or supported by QAS, including the QAS secretariat, the grants secretariat and related committee or corporate review processes, ensuring clear documentation, follow-up, issue tracking and timely communication with relevant stakeholders.Lead the continuous improvement of quality assurance policies, procedures, guidance, tools and systems, including platforms and knowledge products that support evidence-based reviews, institutional learning and the dissemination of quality-at-entry findings and recommendations.Promote coherence between quality assurance, safeguards, grants management and operational effectiveness by coordinating with relevant divisions and corporate functions, identifying systemic issues and supporting the development of practical solutions that improve the quality and impact of IFAD operations.2. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING: The Chief, QAS, leads the generation, management and dissemination of knowledge arising from quality assurance, safeguards and related review processes. The incumbent ensures that review findings, quality-at-entry analysis, lessons learned, systemic issues and good practices are captured, synthesized and translated into practical guidance, tools, reports and learning products for operational teams and senior management. The Chief promotes the effective use of systems and platforms, including appropriate use of AI and digital technologies, that support evidence-based reviews, corporate reporting, portfolio analysis and institutional learning, and encourages the consistent application of knowledge to strengthen the design, implementation and completion of IFAD operations.3. PARTNERSHIPS AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT: The Chief, QAS, builds and maintains effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders to support the quality, relevance and effectiveness of QAS services. Internally, the incumbent works with senior management, operational teams, regional divisions, technical and safeguards functions, grants-related functions, corporate review bodies and other relevant offices to promote coherent review standards and timely advice. Externally, the Chief engages, as appropriate, with quality assurance counterparts, development partners, internat