Career Opportunities at Catholic Relief Services (CRS), 23rd January 2019
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 person on the basis of need, regardless of creed, ethnicity or nationality works through local church and non-church partners to implement its programs, therefore, strengthening and building the capacity of these partner organizations is fundamental to programs in every country in which CRS operates. CRS re-established presence in Nigeria m 2000 and currently focuses on agriculture, HIV and health extractives and governance, and peace building programming.
We are recruiting to fill the positions below:
Job Title: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist/MEAL Director
Job Ref Code: MEL210119
Location: Adamawa
Band: 11
Department: Programs
Reports To: Chief of Party
Project Background
- CRS is bidding for a multi-million-dollar, multi-year USAID/Nigeria Water for Agriculture Program. This program seeks to develop and implement interventions that will sustainably increase water availability and management, towards increasing agricultural productivity in in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states of Nigeria.
- This effort will contribute to CRS’ agriculture and livelihoods signature program area and ongoing efforts to promote resilience, recovery and development within Nigeria and neighboring countries around the Lake Chad Basin.
Job Summary
- The MEL Specialist will oversee all Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) activities across the Water for Agriculture Program that leads to robust evidence for data use and decision making, including assessments /surveys & routine gathering of Program implementation information collection; accountability to beneficiaries, donors and other stakeholders; document retention and archival; capacity development of Water for Agriculture Program staff on MEL; compliance with USAID MEL requirements; cross-learning among Programs; and, CRS and USAID reporting.
Specific Job Responsibilities
Strategic guidance and leadership on MEL:
- USE SMILER method to lead the development and regular updating of Water for Agriculture MEL tools, approaches, frameworks and databases, these include but not limited to: Theory of Change, Theory of change narrative, Proframe, Logframe, IPTT, DIP, MEL plan, FRM, Data flow, Stake holder analysis, reporting flow map…
- Ensure application of standardized MEL tools and approaches across the program with respect to the MEL Policies and Procedures.
- Support the CoP to monitor Water for Agriculture Program implementation progress on a regular basis against USAID and CRS quality standards and international humanitarian principles through monitoring visits, data quality audits, spot check against reports and review of implementation reports.
- Build the capacity of Program staff and implementing partners in collection and analysis of data (method, formats, software, etc.), indicator measurement, feedback and response mechanisms, negative impact analysis, etc.
- Provide technical support to program staff for the implementation of monitoring and evaluation activities, data management and integration of cross-functional issues.
- Directly lead on Program wide assessments and surveys including baseline, midterm and end line evaluative surveys. This might entail leading recruitment, orientation, deployment and management of external consultants.
- Support iterative program development ensuring lessons learnt from implementation / assessments are incorporated into implementation.
- Foster a learning environment, Lead learning and knowledge management within the Program and ensures such best practice is communicated across CRS Nigeria.
- Ensure that Program data are protected and shared according to CRS and donor principles.
- Encourage the integration of good ICT solution to ease the process of collecting, management, analyzing and protection
Vertical and horizontal accountability:
- Work closely with CRS and partners’ Gender and Accountability Specialists to ensure robust and participatory beneficiary accountability and feedback mechanisms are established, used and reported against.
- Support the CoP in compilation of donors, Government Ministries and Agencies (MDAs) and CRS reports as per the agreed upon reporting schedules.
- Build the capacity of Water for Agriculture in international and CRS humanitarian accountability frameworks including ‘Do No Harm’ and ‘Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability’ (CHS) (HAP, People in Aid and SPHERE).
Cross-cutting:
- Directly supervise Water for Agriculture Program MEL Staff and consultants.
- Coordinate consortium partners’ MEL staff attached to the Water for Agriculture Program.
- Build capacity of CRS and consortium partners’ MEL Coordinators / Managers / Officers to address their job requirements.
- Provide technical review and support across all components of Water for Agriculture Program.
- Incorporate required and emerging good practices into CRS regional MEL efforts and ongoing technical support
- Integrate the MEL community of practices
- Create opportunities for reflection and learning among MEL advisors and practitioners within the Consortium, Country Program and the Region.
- Communicate agency approach to MEL and key findings, to Consortium Partners, Country Program and Regional colleagues.
- Contribute to regional and agency technical guidance.
- Share MEL learning and experiences in broader regional and global agency discussions, and with peer organizations.
- Determine and address regional or sub-regional priorities for advancing MEL.
- Commitment to gender sensitive programming and management
Qualifications and Skills
- Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture or related field.
- At least 5 years’ senior MEL experience on a similar program (agriculture-based, rural development and / or resilience).
- Demonstrated ability to design and use geographical information systems.
- Prior MEL experience on Programs of a similar size and scope in developing countries; experience in providing MEL services on multi-sector, multi-year programs is desirable.
- Experience with USAID rules, regulations and requirements is preferred.
- Experience working in similar context (i.e. conflict and harsh environments) in sub-Saharan Africa required. Prior experience in North East Nigeria is preferred
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English. Knowledge of local languages preferred.
- Strong computer literacy with a full knowledge of office applications.
Required Travel:
- To field locations in Nigeria
Work Environment:
- Office environment in the field (Adamawa State).
Key Working Relationships:
- Supervisory: ICT4D Data Manager, at least two (2) MEL Officers and MEL consultants.
- Internal: Water for Agriculture DCoP, Program Managers and Sectoral Team Leads; Water for Agriculture Consortium Partners; CoPs and Program Managers of other CRS Programs; MEL coordinator at the CP level, TA MEL Support Departments including Operations etc.
- External: Government Ministry Agencies (MDAs); UN agencies; Peer agencies (NGOs) and Community Representatives.
Job Title: Chief of Party II
Job Ref Code: COP210119
Location: Adamawa
Band: 11
Department: Programs
Reports To: Deputy Country Representative (North East Nigeria)
Project Background
- CRS is bidding for a multi-million-dollar, multi-year USAID/Nigeria Water for Agriculture Program. This program seeks to develop and implement interventions that will sustainably increase water availability and management, towards increasing agricultural productivity in in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states of Nigeria.
- This effort will contribute to CRS’ agriculture and livelihoods signature program area and ongoing efforts to promote resilience, recovery and development within Nigeria and neighboring countries around the Lake Chad Basin.
Job Summary
- The Chief of Party (COP) will have overall responsibility for the USAID/Nigeria Water for Agriculture Program. Responsibilities include meeting program objectives and deliverables while providing overall leadership in technical, administrative, operational, and management aspects. The COP will act as the primary relationship manager for the program with USAID/Nigeria, Government of Nigeria, partners and external stakeholders.
Specific Job Responsibilities
- Provide overall strategic guidance, leadership, management and general technical oversight of the entire program, with a strong focus on achieving defined results.
- Act as the key liaison with the USAID AOR, Government of Nigeria, all implementing partners and stakeholders involved with the program.
- Represent the program and present its work nationally and globally to CRS leadership, the donor, partners, and other stakeholders.
- Lead, manage, supervise and mentor program staff and consortium partners.
- Ensure high-quality monitoring and evaluation of program impact and timely submission of donor reports and deliverables.
- Ensure compliance with CRS and USAID policies and requirements
- Ensure coordination between program and operations teams; and ensuring CRS program quality standards are adhered to per MEAL policy and procedures.
- Oversee compliance with USAID regulations, including financial tracking and oversight of partner budgets, finance, administration and reporting to USAID.
- Create and maintain proper conditions for learning. Establish a safe environment for sharing of ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to deficiencies. Identify performance gaps and training opportunities for CRS and partner staff and recommend trainings and technical assistance.
Qualifications and Skills
- Masters’ degree in Engineering, Water / Natural Resource Management, Administration, Management or other relevant field.
- At least 10 years of management experience on similar programs.
- Track record of managing large and diverse teams.
- Demonstrated experience in institutional strengthening, capacity building and market-based approached to water management.
- Capacity to build and maintain relationships with host governments, donors, other donor-funded programs and stakeholders, local organizations, and partners.
- Experience managing programmatic and financial reporting requirements.
- Experience with USAID rules, regulations and requirements.
- Experience working in sub-Saharan Africa required. Prior experience in Nigeria preferred
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
- Strong computer literacy with a full knowledge of office applications.
Personal Skills:
- Strong strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment and decisions.
- Strong relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.
- Team leadership abilities with diverse/multi-disciplinary teams. Coaching skills.
- Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.
Required Foreign Language:
- English fluency, including excellent oral and written skills, required. Proficiency in Hausa or Kanuri preferred.
Required Travel:
- To field locations in Nigeria
Work Environment:
- Office environment. Please note this position will be based in the field (Adamawa State)
Key Working Relationships
- Supervisory: DCoP and Award Manager
- Internal: Consortium Partners, CoPs and Program Managers of other CRS programs, Support Departments including Operations etc.
- External: Government Ministry Agencies (MDAs), UN agencies, Peer agencies (NGOs) and Community Representatives.
Job Title: Deputy Chief of Party II/Infrastructure Specialist
Job Ref Code: DCI210119
Location: Adamawa
Band: 10
Department: Programs
Reports To: Chief of Party
Required Travel: To field locations in Nigeria
Work Environment: Office environment in the field (Adamawa State).
Project Background
- CRS is bidding for a multi-million-dollar, multi-year USAID/Nigeria Water for Agriculture Program. This program seeks to develop and implement interventions that will sustainably increase water availability and management, towards increasing agricultural productivity in in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states of Nigeria. This effort will contribute to CRS’ agriculture and livelihoods signature program area and ongoing efforts to promote resilience, recovery and development within Nigeria and neighboring countries around the Lake Chad Basin.
Job Summary
- The Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) / Infrastructure Specialist will support the Chief of Party (CoP) in delivering the Water for Agriculture Program; including providing oversight on operations and programmatic aspects of the program.
- S/he will specifically lead the technical, operational and management aspects of the water infrastructure program sub-component.
- The DCOP / Infrastructure Specialist will support relationship management with USAID/Nigeria, the Government of Nigeria at the Federal, State and local levels; partners; and external stakeholders.
Specific Job Responsibilities
- Directly oversee development / rehabilitation, operation, quality control, usage, cost recovery and maintenance of water infrastructure working closely with relevant government Ministries and Departments (MDAs).
- Oversee institutional partnerships; lead on due diligence exercises, organizational capacity assessments and capacity development of participating organizations and departments.
- Ensure institution of and compliance with comprehensive agreements / arrangements that inform pricing of services, scheduling modalities, operational and maintenance of water infrastructure and implementation of quality controls.
- Support the CoP to provide overall technical, operational and programmatic direction of the program including staff management, coordination with consortium partners, program implementation, financial management, and liaison with other governmental and non-governmental interventions in the targeted localities.
- Contribute to ensuring coordination between program and operations teams. Contribute to ensuring the CRS program quality standards are adhered to per MEAL policy and procedures.
- Promote, uphold and model a commitment to the efficient use of agency and donor resources. Help ensure compliance with USAID grants, including financial tracking and oversight of partner budgets, finance, administration and reporting to USAID.
- Create and maintain proper conditions for learning. Establish a safe environment for sharing of ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to deficiencies. Identify performance gaps and training opportunities for CRS and partner staff and recommend trainings and technical assistance.
Qualifications and Skills
- Mandatory: Master’s in Water Management, Irrigation Engineering or relevant field;
- At least 5 years of practical experience in designing and implementing agriculture irrigation interventions, water retention storage for irrigation / livestock use activities, and water management systems.
- International project management experience particularly in agriculture / water management programs funded by institutional donors.
- Prior experience managing large assistance projects of a similar size and scope.
- Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with host governments, donors, other donor-funded projects and stakeholders, local organizations, and partners.
- Experience managing programmatic and financial reporting requirements.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
- Strong computer literacy with a full knowledge of office applications.
Personal Skills:
- Strong strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment and decisions.
- Strong relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.
- Team leadership abilities with diverse/multi-disciplinary teams. Coaching skills.
- Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.
- Required Foreign Language: English fluency, including excellent oral and written skills, required. Proficiency in Hausa or Kanuri preferred.
Key Working Relationships:
- Supervisory: Water for Agriculture Program Managers and Sectoral Team Leads
- Internal: Consortium Partners; CoPs and Project Managers of other CRS projects; Support Departments including Operations etc.
- External: Government Ministry Agencies (MDAs); UN agencies; Peer agencies (NGOs) and Community Representatives.
Job Title: Senior Agronomist
Job Ref Code: SAG210119
Location: Adamawa
Band: 9
Department: Programs
Reports To: Deputy Chief of Party
Project Background
- CRS is bidding for a multi-million-dollar, multi-year USAID/Nigeria Water for Agriculture Program. This program seeks to develop and implement interventions that will sustainably increase water availability and management, towards increasing agricultural productivity in in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states of Nigeria.
- This effort will contribute to CRS’ agriculture and livelihoods signature program area and ongoing efforts to promote resilience, recovery and development within Nigeria and neighboring countries around the Lake Chad Basin.
Job Summary
- The Senior Agronomist will manage the agricultural component of Water for Agriculture Program. S/he will work closely with farmers’ and livestock groups to increase production of crops and livestock using the newly developed / rehabilitated water infrastructure in a sustainable manner. S/he will lead capacity development of farmer groups in climate-smart crop production, weed / pest control, harvest and post-harvest management
Specific Job Responsibilities
- Oversee formation of farmers’ / livestock groups and sustainable utilization of newly developed /rehabilitated water infrastructure.
- Provide strategic guidance and leadership on viable value chains across the program; ensuring thorough assessments and analysis of commercial viability of potential value chains before investment.
- Support adoption of appropriate technologies in agricultural production and post-harvest processing to reduce costs and increase commercial viability of selected value chains.
- Support farmers’ / herders’ access to financing through community-level micro-credit and savings schemes / linkages with MFIs.
- Working jointly with other stakeholders and relevant government ministries and department agencies (MDAs), develop sustainable intervention strategies for prioritized value chains.
- Work closely with other program managers to demonstrate and promote commercial viability of selected value chains and agribusinesses.
- Ensure compliance with CRS and USAID policies and requirements.
- Commitment to gender sensitive programming and management
Qualifications and Skills
- Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Agronomy, Agricultural Economics or other relevant field.
- At least 7 years of international experience in senior position supporting similar programs across sub-Saharan Africa.
- Demonstrated knowledge in sustainable livelihoods approaches and experience working with rural farmers’ cooperatives.
- Sound crop management knowledge and understanding of soil fertility and water management issues in North East Nigeria.
- Prior experience on donor-funded programs of a similar size and scope.
- Demonstrated ability to reach under-served communities and design products for excluded population segments including young women and men.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
- Strong computer literacy with a full knowledge of office applications.
Required Travel:
- To field locations in Nigeria
Work Environment:
- Office environment in the field (Adamawa State).
Key Working Relationships:
- Supervisory: Water for Agriculture Program Managers and Sectoral Team Leads
- Internal: Consortium Partners; CoPs and Project Managers of other CRS projects; Support Departments including Operations etc.
- External: Government Ministry Agencies (MDAs); UN agencies; Peer agencies (NGOs) and Community Representatives.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should download the "CRS Application Form" using the link below, fill and send with a detailed Resume as one document (in a PDF Format) indicating position being applied for and the Job Ref Code as the subject of the application (e.g. Senior Agronomist SAG210119) to:
[email protected]
Click here to Download Application Form (Ms Word)
Note
- CRS is an equal –opportunity employer, does not discriminate based on race, color, religion and we are committed to gender sensitive programming and management’.
- Qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply
- Statement of Commitment to Protection:
- ‘’CRS’ recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation
Application Deadline 1st February, 2019 by COB - 5:00pm