About CRS: “Catholic Relief Services 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 partner’s people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.”

In Ethiopia, CRS has a long and rich history of providing emergency relief and development assistance to the people of Ethiopia since 1958. At present, CRS/Ethiopia implements multiple projects through different partner organizations.  CRS/Ethiopia has a highly diverse portfolio ranging from very large food-supported emergency response to cutting edge development programs. The current CRS/Ethiopia budget stands at $100 million with funding from the U.S. Government, UN agencies, private foundations, individual donors, and CRS private funds.

CRS strictly adheres to its Policy on Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults among its staff, consultants, volunteers, and affiliates. CRS is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer: women, minorities and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

As part of CRS family, you will join the more than 5000 strong and vibrant individuals working globally to accomplish the mission of CRS. CRS/Ethiopia invites you, the qualified candidate, to apply for the following positions;

Position Title:                 Sr. Project Officer-Emergency Seed Support in Oromia & SNNP

Department:                  Program

Duty Station:                  CRS Ethiopia/Addis Ababa

Required Number:        One

Employment Term:       Initially for one year with possibility of extension contingent upon project funding

Reports To:                     Program Manager-Agriculture & Livelihood

Application Deadline:   February 7, 2020

Job Summary

As a lead for the Emergency Seed Support project team, you will facilitate the achievement of project objectives through coordinating and reporting on all project activities and providing technical guidance and advice to staff and implementing partner(s) advancing Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) work serving the poor and vulnerable. Your coordination and relationship management skills will ensure that the project for which you are responsible applies best practices and constantly works towards improving the impact of its benefits to those we serve. The incumbent assists the Ag & Livelihood Program Manager in coordinating and managing emergency and recovery projects and activities and works closely with Ag & Livelihood staff in strengthening capacity of implementing partners and establishing systems for efficient implementation of projects and proper accountability of CRS/ET.

Job Responsibilities

• Organize and lead the implementation of all assigned project activities as outlined in the detailed implementation plan in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices.
• Ensure learning properly accompanies project activities throughout the project cycle. Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities and guiding partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences. Analyze implementation challenges and report any inconsistencies and/or gaps to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules.
• Coordinate and oversee working relationships with all local project stakeholders and serve as the liaison between them and the project team to mobilize local actors and promote project activities and impact.
• Supervise and perform ad-hoc inspections of various processes and resources at project sites to ensure timely project activities implementation and adherence to established process standards and procedures. Ensure proper tracking of resource use for project activities through periodic budget reviews and follow-up with and assistance to implementing partner.
• Support and coordinate capacity building and technical support activities to ensure assigned project activities are implemented per project guidelines and standards.
• Coordinate provision of any logistical and administrative support to staff and partners.
• Ensure project documentation for assigned activities is complete with all required documents and is filed per agency and donor requirements. Assist with preparation of trends analysis reports and documentation of case studies and promising practices
• Lead and participate in project assessments and studies.
• Follow up and support implementing partners to timely submit their cash advance requests and liquidation documents and review them for accuracy and ascertain that project expenses are in line with approved budget line items and reflects implementation plan.
• Process project cash advance and liquidation documents and ensure that project advances and liquidations are processed timely.
• Review and prepares quarterly cash forecasts to meet spending needs of project.
• Ensures all financial resources managed as per donor and CRS regulations guidelines.
• Develop project data collection tools and reporting formats and follow up with partners on the appropriate usage of the tools.
• Collect data, analyze and prepare monthly and quarterly progress and annual/terminal reports.
• Conduct regular monitoring visits to program/projects sites and submit field trip reports and provide immediate verbal and prompt written feedback to partners.
• Participate in field visits of donor, government, EARO and Headquarters staff, etc.
• Enhance and build teamwork with all country program staff.
• When delegated, represent CRS/Ethiopia in emergency and seed support project coordination meetings as required.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Positions):

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

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience

• MSc/MA or BSc/BA in Agriculture, Agronomy, Crop Production, Seed Technology, Food Security and related field.
• 4 years or relevant experience is required for MSc/MA, or 6 years of relevant experience is required for BSc/BA.
• Experience working with partners, participatory action planning and community engagement.
• Staff supervision experience a plus.
• Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

Personal Skills

• Ability to write reports and effectively present information
• Analysis and problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgment
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners
• Proactive, results-oriented and service-oriented
• Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities