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Job Title: Chief
of Party II, BRACED
Dept/Location: SWA /
Niamey, Niger (Multi-Country Program covering Niger, Mali, and Burkina
Faso)
Band: E
FSLA: Exempt
Reports To: Deputy
Regional Director for Program Quality, SWA
Note: The position is contingent upo n approved funding by the donor.
Length of Assignment: Three Years
Background:
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an international
non-governmental organization supporting relief and development work in over
99 countries around the world. CRS programs assist persons on the basis of
need, regardless of creed, ethnicity or nationality. CRS works through local
church and non-church partners to implement its programs.
CRS seeks a qualified candidate for Chief of Party
(CoP) to provide overall direction and leadership to a proposed Disaster
Risk Reduction (DRR)/Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience program in West
Africa. This 3-year project, with an expected value of over $15 million, aims
to assistvulnerable people, especially women and children, in the Sahel by
strengthening household and community resilience to climate
extremes and to improve policies and institutions at the national level and
better integrate DRR, climate adaptation, and development programs. The
CoP will be responsible for the achievement of strategic objectives,
intermediate results, and performance expectations through adherence to high
standards of programmatic and management quality.
Project approaches entail building the resilience of
households and communities by improving and diversifying livelihoods,
developing shared management systems of resources critical to resilience
(water, rangelands, and forests) and embedding DRR and adaptation into
climate change and development responses. The project will be
implemented via a consortium of international and national agencies, in
coordination with the national governments of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
Major Responsibilities:
Technical Leadership, Quality Assurance, Supervision,
Mentoring/Training, Administration, Finance, Monitoring/Evaluation, Report
Writing.
Specific Job Responsibilities (not exhaustive
of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the
position) include:
Program Quality:
1. With key CRS and
consortium member program staff and other stakeholders, ensure program’s
strategic objectives and results are fully accomplished and meet expected
technical quality standards.
2. Ensure that vision
and plans for the program are innovative and are in line with CRS agency and
country program strategies.
3. Oversee periodic
technical reviews, ensuring best practices are followed and managing changes
in program direction and focus.
4. In collaboration
with program staff, provide guidance and technical oversight to consortium
members to ensure that lessons are documented and disseminated.
5. Oversee program’s
monitoring and evaluation system, using data analysis as the basis for
measuring performance. Ensure that M&E learning is incorporated into
evolving program plans.
6. Ensure integration
of program interventions with other CRS programs or through linkages with
other stakeholders.
7. With program staff,
ensure the delivery of quality training, technical assistance, and
administrative and financial support to all partner agencies and government,
including the selection and coordination of sub-grantees and consultants.
8. Coordinate with
other ongoing projects to ensure consistency and avoid duplication.
Management and Administration:
1. Manage program
budgets, including tracking of financial and material resources.
2. Ensure accurate and
timely reporting of program finances and progress status, review actual
financial performance against the budget, and explain variances on a regular
basis.
3. Ensure staff
compliance with all CRS administrative and operational procedures and
policies, as well as applicable donor regulations.
4. Approve program
expenditures, budget adjustments, and cost modification requests to donors.
Representation and Advocacy:
1. Provide leadership
and oversight to the consortium, ensuring that sub-grantees adhere to their
assigned scopes of work and sub-award terms, and ensuring all members of the consortium
work cooperatively and productively to achieve project objectives.
2. Act as primary
project contact to donor, taking responsibility for addressing all program
matters, collaborating with the CRS Regional and Deputy Regional Directors
and Country Representatives on overall donor relationships.
3. Strengthen linkages
with existing and potential partner agencies, in collaboration with CRS
Country Representatives and Heads of Programs.
4. In collaboration
with CRS Country Representatives and Heads of Programs, manage relationships
with the respective national governments of the target countries.
5. Oversee program
communication strategies, in collaboration with CRS Country Representatives
and Heads of Programs, including compliance with donor’s branding and
marketing requirements as well as CRS’ marketing and communication
procedures.
Human Resource Management:
1. Lead, manage, and
supervise a team of CRS and consortium staff to meet program objectives.
2. Conduct periodic
reviews of staff performance in keeping with CRS’ performance management
system and mentor staff to ensure high levels of motivation, commitment,
capacity, and teamwork.
3. Manage recruitment
portfolio for the program, in collaboration with Kenya country program
management, to ensure optimum service delivery through recruitment of
competent and qualified staff.
Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)
These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of
CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and
to achieve the desired results.
· Serves
with Integrity
· Models
Stewardship
· Cultivates
Constructive Relationships
· Promotes
Learning
Supervisory Responsibilities: Program and
Finance/Administration leads as well as other key staff as determined in the
proposed management plan.
Key Working Relationships:
Internal: SWA Regional and Deputy
Regional Directors; Country Representatives, Heads of Programs, and Finance
Managers of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso; SWA Regional PQ and MQ Technical
Staff, and Africa and Headquarters Technical Advisors.
External: Consortium agencies, donor
representatives, target country government representatives (national and
provincial levels); UN and international community representatives, and other
stakeholders.
Qualifications and Skills:
· Minimum
MS with a focus on Agribusiness, Governance, Disaster Risk Reduction or other
related fields mentioned above. PhD desired.
· Minimum
10 years of progressively increasing management responsibility in developing
countries
· Prior
management of significant donor funding required, ideally in CoP
position.
· Familiarity
with and commitment to addressing gender equality in programming.
· Experience
working in Africa required. Experience working in Sahel West African, African
nationals preferred.
· Proven
leadership and inter-personal skills and ability to build and motivate
diverse and talented teams.
· Proven
experience in managing complex consortium or partnership relationships in a
participatory way required.
· Strategic
vision and capacity to oversee a complex program required.
· Public
relations skills required.
· Ability
to work well both in a team and independently.
· Cultural
sensitivity, patience, and flexibility.
· Demonstrated
personal accountability and drive to serve others.
· Understanding
of and experience with faith-based organizations, local church structures,
and accompaniment and capacity-building principles in local partnerships
desired.
· Proficiency
in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook.
· Excellent
English oral and written communication skills as well as fluency in oral and
written French, required.
Physical Requirements/Environment: Based in Niamey,
30-50% travel.
Disclaimer Clause: This job description is not an
exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties and responsibilities associated
with the position.
EOE/M/F/D/V
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