Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Vacancy, Friday 29, January 2016

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, 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 in 2000 and currently focuses on vulnerable children, agriculture, health and HIV, extractives and governance, and peace building programming.

We are recruiting to fill the following vacant positions:

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, 4CHILDREN

JOB DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND:

Initiated in September 2014, The Comprehensive, Coordinated Care for Children Project (4Children) is a five‐year USAID‐funded consortium of organizations led by Catholic Relief Services with partners IntraHealth, Maestral, Pact, Plan and Westat. 4Children designed to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for OVC affected by HIV and AIDS and other adversities. 4Children draws on global evidence, which illustrates that HIV and other adversities are best prevented and addressed when families and children have access to both high quality health and social welfare services. 4Children helps countries to identify practical and appropriate policies, programs and services that reduce the risk of HIV and maltreatment and promote child well-being. It promotes approaches that address the unique needs of each child and family, including strengthening front line social service workforce and case management systems.

The United States Government (USG) has made a significant investment in the prevention and response to HIV and AIDS in Nigeria over the past decade. In fiscal year 2015, more than 800,000 children benefitted from PEPFAR-supported services. Currently, PEPFAR-funded OVC programming is occurring across the country in approximately 180 local government areas (LGAs).

Under PEPFAR 3.0, approaches will focus on the highest impact interventions in key geographic areas where data demonstrate the highest prevalence of HIV. In Nigeria, this has resulted in the identification of 32 Local Government Areas (LGAs) where facilities report the highest prevalence of HIV. These LGAs, also referred to as “scale up” LGAs, will be the focus of intense PEPFAR-funded interventions aimed at significantly decreasing the rate of new HIV infections and successfully treating existing cases and controlling the spread of the disease. Future interventions will have an increased focus on linking OVC and their caregivers to HIV testing and counseling (HTC) and treatment and outreach to adolescent girls to prevent new HIV infections.  Through this new focus, it is anticipated that 300,000 OVC will be graduation or transitioned from current programming by end of fiscal year (FY) 2016 and an additional 600,000 OVC by end FY 2017.

To achieve these targets, 4Children will implement a two year project focused on the provision of technical assistance to PEPFAR OVC Implementing Partners, Government of Nigeria entities and Networks to graduate and transition OVC households and children from care and support. To support these efforts, the project will strengthen programming around sustainability planning, case management and referral of OVC and vulnerable households to health facilities, household economic strengthening activities parenting, and youth/adolescent girl programming, as well as supporting the development of a HIV-sensitive social service system.

JOB SUMMARY:

To provide leadership, supervision, and oversight of the graduation and transition processes focusing on the household level. S/he will be responsible for designing an overall HES capacity strengthening approach to meet the contextualized needs PEPFAR OVC implementing partners (IPs) and their local CSO/CBO partners based on assessment results. HES strategies selected will assist families to earn and save income, manage money, and allocate household resources to improve children’s wellness outcomes. Approaches will be guided by PEPFAR’s Guidance for OVC Programming and focus on strengthening HES activities identified by PEPFAR as core and near core. The HES TD will be responsible for identifying and sourcing short term technical assistance (STTA) from within Nigeria and internationally, particularly as surge capacity in select areas of HES programming such as savings groups and financial education may be necessary. This position will maintain relationships and foster linkages among IPs with key ministries and programs, other food security/economic growth projects and the private sector in an effort to improve access to services to support graduation and transition of households in sustained support LGAs and to strengthen activities in scale up LGAs. The HES TD will work closely with the Sustainability Coordinator, Case Management and Referral Systems Technical Advisor and MEAL Managerto adapt existing case management approaches to better support HES and develop tools and benchmarks to track household progress that are more sensitive to change than the existing Nigerian Household Vulnerability Assessment (HHVA) tool.  This position will supervise the Agricultural Livelihoods Technical Advisor and the Household Economic Strengthening Technical Officer and will include regular mentoring and visits to the field to monitor HES capacity strengthening activities, review case files and conduct supportive supervision of the CSOs and IPs.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

Conceptualize and communicate 4Children’s approach to household economic strengthening capacity strengthening to staff and implementing partners (IPs), setting forth a vision and plans for achieving project objectives through collaboration with IPs, government ministries, technical partners (such as training and research institutions) CSO/CBOs, and the private sector.

Collaborate with the Organizational Capacity Strengthening Technical, HES Technical Officer, Agricultural Livelihoods Technical Advisor to assess IPs, develop and implement capacity strengthening plans for themselves and their collaborating CSO/CBOs in HES.

Plan 4Children’ project HES activities and set appropriate performance targets ensuring IPs adherence to technical standards, best practices and donor guidelines.

Ensure that HES related activities are appropriately planned and costed in all State and IP sustainability plans.

Identify technical assistance needs, develop scopes of work (SoW), identify and oversee short-term technical assistance providers

Work closely with the Sustainability Coordinator, Case Management and Referral Systems Technical Advisor and MEAL Manager to adapt existing case management approaches to better support HES and develop tools and benchmarks to track household progress that are more sensitive to change than the existing Nigerian Household Vulnerability Assessment (HHVA) tool.

Provide capacity strengthening to IP staff through trainings, workshops, facilitated group interactions as well as accompaniment through regular communication via email, telephone and site visits to support the successful implementation of HES project activities across implementing partners.

Support IPs to coordinate with government officials at all levels, strengthening appropriate coordination and technical support in implementation and follow-up of HES activities.

Support IPs to develop job descriptions and recruit the human resources needed to support quality HES programming at the IP and CSO/CBO levels.

Use appropriate project management tools to plan, review and track implementing partners’ progress on HES project implementation and use of project resources.

Collaborate with other technical advisors and IPs to plan for and ensure an effective, coordinated and harmonized approach to HES programming across IPs

Develop and maintain linkages with governments, organizations and projects that can support HES activities supported by IPs

Ensure high quality facilitation of training and systematic post-training supportive supervision and mentoring to IP staff.

Support IPs and collaborating CSO/CBOs to increase access to well managed financial services preferably through CRS Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC) methodology.

Ensure that all HES activities of IPs, particularly savings groups and the Savings and Internal Lending Communities Private Sector Provider (SILC PSP) programs adhere to industry and CRS’ program quality and implementation standards.

Oversee and facilitate Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC) and Financial Education Training of Trainer (TOT) sessions with CRS staff to ensure quality implementation of SILC activities by IPs.

Oversee and facilitate trainings in in market opportunity identification/assessment, entrepreneurship and business development services for IP HES staff.

Develop scopes of work and oversee consultancies and short-term technical assistance relation to HES activities.

Ensure a culture of accountability and learning through regular monitoring to project sites, providing oversight of studies and assessments and proper documentation of tools and promising practices to contribute to learning and building the evidence around household graduation, transition and economic strengthening.

Document project results and impacts in various forms, including media stories, lessons learned, case studies, client satisfaction, etc.

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

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.

Sets clear goals and manages toward them

Collaborates effectively with staff and stakeholders

Manages financial resources with integrity

Applies program quality standards to project design and organizational learning

Supervisory Responsibility:

The HES Technical Director will supervise the Agricultural Livelihoods Technical Advisor, the HES Technical Officer, consultants and short-term technical assistance providers.

Key Working Relationships

Internal: 4Children Core Leadership and Technical Advisors; Program Director, Other 4Children Nigeria Technical Advisors, CRS Nigeria Programming, Finance, Procurement, and HR/Admin teams; Department of Program Impact and Quality Assurance Technical Advisors in Microfinance, OVC, Agricultural Livelihoods and Capacity Strengthening, CARO Regional Technical Advisors.

External: Donors, 4Children consortium members, government ministries at the National, State and LGA levels, UN agencies, PEPFAR OVC implementing partners, CSO/CBOs, research institutions, relevant private sector entities, local communities, beneficiaries and stakeholders.

DESIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Required Qualifications and Skills:

Master’s Degree in development studies, agricultural economics, economics, business administration, international relations or a closely related field, or equivalent work experience.

Five to seven years of field experience in economic strengthening, especially within Africa.

Experience in programming in economic strengthening/growth such as value-chain development, business development, entrepreneurship, financial services with a focus on vulnerable populations, experience working with the private sector a plus.

Demonstrated experience in training design, delivery and mentoring in subject matter relevant to this position

Experience with programming to address conflict sensitivity, gender mainstreaming, inclusion of people with disabilities, and youth.

Knowledge and understanding, as well as prior experience, with PEFPAR and/or USAID funded projects.

Demonstrated proactive leadership ability, as well as supervisory and personnel management experience.

Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills.

Excellent organizational skills, team work and ability to prioritize tasks in a timely manner.

Strong interpersonal, communication and organizational skills as well as good judgment and vision.

Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Sound coordination skills and a demonstrated ability to multi-task.

Demonstrates diplomacy, flexibility, and resourcefulness.

Strong critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills.

Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

Previous experience carrying out technical capacity assessments in the areas of savings-led microfinance, value chain development, and related fields preferred.

Experience in savings-led microfinance, with CRS’ SILC and fee-for service model preferred.

Familiarity with concepts of monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) relevant to this sector, experience designing and using household vulnerability assessment tools and SAVEX a plus.

Experience in cash transfer programming and/or social protection a plus.

Travel: HES Technical Director will travel extensively in Nigeria to support 4Children’s HES capacity strengthening activities with IPs, training, program planning and review meetings and partner monitoring, mentoring and accompaniment visits. There will also be occasional international travel to participate at relevant conferences, regional and global learning forums and conferences.

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

CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

Catholic Relief Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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