About CRS
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners, people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.
Background
CRS has been awarded the 2017 USAID Food for Peace (FFP) Development Food Security Activities (DFSA). CRS Uganda will serve as the prime on the application and will be in consortium with other international non-governmental organizations, local implementing partners and international/national research institutions. The program will involve a multi-sectoral response to addressing food insecurity and malnutrition in Karamoja sub-region in northern Uganda. The estimated timeframe for this program is 2017-2022.
Job Summary
The Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) for Program Quality will supervise and coordinate project activities to ensure that DFSA interventions are effective and implemented according to proposal objectives and donor requirements. S/he will provide technical oversight to all project sectors and will strengthen communication, integration and harmonization of technical approaches across all Purposes. When necessary, the DCOP for Program Quality will fulfill Chief of Party (COP) duties as acting COP and will collaborate closely with implementation, technical and government partners. S/he will also ensure appropriate support to international and local implementing partners in collaboration with CRS internal departments (Finance, Human Resources, Commodity Management, Purchasing, Administration, etc.) as needed.
Specific Responsibilities
Project Refinement and Organizational Learning
• Contribute to the development of baseline data collection tools with the MEAL Team, Technical Leads and Gender Advisor
• Support senior technical staff in developing implementation strategies in collaboration with implementation, technical and government partners, ensuring that strategies align with CRS, donor and GOU policies
• Capitalize on project achievements and identify pertinent learning questions for improved program quality
Project Implementation and Reporting
• Facilitate development of CRS and partner annual DIPs (including the budget)
• Responsible for the submission of consistently high quality reports to donor, by planning with team members quarterly and annual program reviews, assisting in drafting reports, providing critical feedback and quality control
• With the COP, organize and facilitate Program Management Unit (PMU) meetings
• Participate in the analysis of baseline data and contribute to the conception of the baseline report
• Coordinate the organization of sessions to share study results (baseline, formative research, Gender Assessment) with communities, partners and local development actors
• Support the MEAL Team in conducting data quality assessments
• Participate in working group meetings (MEAL, Gender and Youth, Climate Change/Environment) to improve and standardize technical tools
• Support the programming team in conducting operational research and evaluative studies
• Draft Scopes of Work and supervise consultants selected for different project activities
• Address bottlenecks and scale up best practices to achieve high quality program implementation
Partnership/Capacity-Strengthening
• Collaborate with the Partnership and Capacity Strengthening Advisor (Kampala-based) to draft partnership agreements with implementation, technical and government partners
• Strengthen the partnership with government authorities and support the project team in establishing agreements with the appropriate ministries
• Accompany partners in project management, annual reviews and integration of activities
Management, Finance and Donor Compliance
• Manage all resources associated with project implementation in compliance with CRS and donor policies
• Contribute to the preparation of financial reports for internal review according to CRS and donor procedures
• Support partners in preparing budgets and financial reports in collaboration with the Grants and Compliance Manager and CRS technical staff
• Manage a team of technical staff (including but not limited to a Gender and Youth Technical Lead, Sustainability and Governance Technical Lead, Health/Nutrition Technical Lead, Agriculture/Environment Technical Lead, Livelihoods Technical Lead and Private Sector Technical Lead) who will coordinate and lead implementation
• Implement CRS’ performance management system by organizing coaching and evaluation sessions with supervisees
Representation
• The DCOP for Program Quality will lead the PMU during the COP absence and execute all associated tasks including the management and administration of the project, advocacy and representation in the Steering Committee and in other working/coordination groups, and supervise appropriate staff
Supervision
The DCOP for Program Quality will directly supervise four staff including the team leads for resilience, livelihoods, nutrition and governance. The DCOP will also work closely with the Partnership and Capacity Strengthening Manager and will be the main liaison to the technical teams of the local implementing partners.
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.
1. Serves with Integrity
2. Models Stewardship
3. Cultivates Constructive Relationships
4. Promotes Learning
Program Manager Competencies
These are rooted in the mission, values and principles of CRS and used by each program manager to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.
1. Sets clear goals and manages toward them
2. Collaborates effectively with staff and stakeholders
3. Manages financial resources with integrity
4. Applies program quality standards to project design and organizational learning
Key Working Relationships
Internal: Chief of Party, DCOP for Operational Excellence, Head of Programs, Country Representative and DFSA team.
External: Local Caritas partners, technical partners, local government authorities, community volunteers, USAID and other donors.
Qualifications
1. Master’s Degree or equivalent experience in International Relations or Economics/Social Sciences or other relevant field.
2. Minimum of 15 years’ experience with CRS or other humanitarian agencies.
3. Minimum 10 years’ experience in a senior program management position that demonstrates mentoring staff to achieve programmatic excellence, experience in Uganda preferred.
4. Experience in establishing MEAL systems and conducting participative research of qualitative and quantitative nature.
5. Proven experience in food security and nutrition programming, particularly in the areas of health and nutrition, agricultural livelihoods, community-led savings and gender integration as well as community empowerment and community systems strengthening.
6. Demonstrated ability to strategically lead high quality technical staff and program managers.
7. Demonstrated analytic capacity and ability to write high quality reports
8. Excellent partnership skills and the ability to interact effectively with donors, collaborating agencies, local and government partners
9. Demonstrated experience in USAID relationship management, preferred experience with the Food for Peace, Feed the Future, or Vulnerable Populations Teams in the Local Mission.
10. Excellent organization and planning skills and ability to resolve problems constructively
11. Understanding of current best practices and challenges while coordinating to implement DFSA program strategies through a participatory approach
12. Computer literate, with strong knowledge of MS Office applications, spread sheets, database programs, and statistical software packages.
13. Flexibility, persistence, and ability to work well in a multi-sectoral and multi-cultural team
14. Ability to work in a challenging and stressful environment with unexpected challenges
15. Knowledge of USAID and USG grant rules and regulations, specifically relating to ADS 205 preferred.
16. Excellent written and oral communication skills in English required.
Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff):
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.
• Trusting Relationships
• Professional Growth
• Partnership
• Accountability
Agency-Wide Competencies
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.
1. Serves with Integrity
2. Develops Constructive Relationships
3. Models Stewardship
4. Promotes Learning . EOE/M/F/D/V**
HOW TO APPLY:
Note: This position is contingent upon candidate approvals by the donor.
Disclaimer Clause:
This job description is not an exhaustive list of skills, effort, duties and responsibilities associated with the position. CRS’ recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. “I understand that CRS takes all allegations of abuse and exploitation seriously. Abuse or exploitation of children or vulnerable adults is grounds for immediate dismissal.” Note: Please submit cover letter, CV and three work references (names and contact information only) to ug_recruitment@crs.org by October 18th, 2017.
Only selected candidates that meet the requirements will be notified