About CRS:

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.

Job Summary:

You will manage programming in the South Sudan Country Program (CP) for food and cash assistance programming with the World Food Program (WFP), designing and implementing projects advancing CRS work in serving the poor and vulnerable. You will serve as a Team Leader for a WFP-funded food and cash assistance programming and lead national staff across multiple locations and oversee direct implementation of activities in remote and insecure field locations. Your management skills and knowledge will ensure that the Country Program (CP) delivers high-quality programming and continuously works towards improving the impact of its WFP funded programming. You will ensure CRS’ food and cash assistance programming complements and integrates with all other CRS programming in the same target areas. You will be based in Bor, Jonglei State, with regular and extended deployments (minimum for 3 weeks in a month) to remote and insecure field locations.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Manage and implement all activities throughout relevant project cycles – project design, start-up, implementation, and close-out – to ensure efficient and effective implementation in line with CRS’ program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices. Ensure program plans reflect operational constraints including insecurity and seasonal access. Ensure project team use the appropriate systems and tools.
• In coordination with the Program Manager II- Food and Cash Assistance, ensure effective planning, coordination and integration of efforts and reporting with other CRS programs to optimize the use of shared program teams, assets and facilities and strengthen the collective impact of CRS interventions.
• Effectively manage talent and supervise. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching, strategically tailor individual development plans, contribute to the recruitment process of project staff, and complete performance management for direct reports.
• Champion learning with project staff and partner teams. Analyze and evaluate project performance data following MEAL policy. Proactively identify issues and concerns and use participatory processes to overcome implementation obstacles.
• Act as a key resource person in project design and proposal development in respective programming area, gap-filling and taking on growth responsibilities, as needed.
• Coordinate the identification of staff capacity and technical assistance needs and required interventions to support quality project implementation.
• Help identify, assess, and strengthen partnerships relevant to food and cash assistance programming, applying appropriate application of partnership concepts, tools, and approaches.
• In coordination with the Program Manager II- Food and Cash Assistance and Head of Programming, act as the point person for communication with WFP, ensuring timely response to information requests, program plans and reporting.
• Coordinate and monitor financial and material resources relevant to project needs. Through planning and oversight ensure efficient use of project resources. Ensure all required program and operations documents are submitted in a timely and complete manner. Closely monitor advances, transfers to field locations, waybills, distribution reports and invoicing for optimal support and tonnage cost coverage.
• In cooperation with the Program Manager II- Food and Cash Assistance and Senior Operations Manager, ensure that you and your team understand and adheres to CRS’ staff safety and security policies and plans. Inform leadership of any emerging security risks and support response to any critical incidents.
• Ensure that safeguarding, protection, and gender equity are consistently and intentionally streamlined into all program activities, including staff recruitment and training to ensure robust systems of prevention and response.

Required Languages -English

Travel – Must be willing and able to spend up to 80% of time in remote and insecure field locations.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Senior Project Officers, Project Officers (MEAL, Gender and Protection and Commodity and , Warehouse Officers.

 Key Working Relationships:

Internal: Area Managers, Field Area Coordinators and programs and operations management teams across the Country Program.

External:  WFP, peer agencies, national and state level food security and livelihoods clusters and local government authorities.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgment.
• Strong relationship management skills and the ability to work effectively with culturally diverse groups. Experience and skills in implementing matrix management for programs and operations field teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with ability to write reports.
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented.
• Demonstrated capacity to live and work in remote and insecure field locations with very basic amenities, few or no other international staff and limited or no internet and adhere to a strict curfew and movement restrictions.

Basic Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in international development, International Relations or in the field of project, cash, and commodity management required. Additional experience may substitute for some education.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant field-based experience in coordinating or managing light to moderately complex projects required, preferably with an international NGO.
• Additional experience may substitute for some education.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Project management experience in food and cash assistance programming is highly desirable.
• Experience with WFP LESS and reporting systems is highly desirable.
• Experience contributing to the development of technical proposals.
• MEAL skills and experience preferred.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information management systems.

Agency REDI Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions.
• Acts with Integrity – Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission.  Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust – Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change – Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

***Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

Note:  All positions requiring residence or frequent travel outside their home country must undergo and clear a pre-employment medical examination.

CRS talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of all people – especially children and vulnerable adults – to live free from abuse and harm.

CRS welcomes candidates from the countries and regions in which we work. In the event the successful candidate is an expatriate or global telecommuter, the anticipated duration of the assignment is informed by a term limit, based on the type and level of the job and the needs of the agency.

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer