About CRS

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) 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.

For nearly 60 years, CRS has taken the lead in responding to natural and man-made disasters affecting Ethiopia's most vulnerable communities. Moving beyond emergency response, CRS' disaster mitigation and recovery projects in drought and flood-prone areas have rebuilt individual and community assets through non-food aid in the form of agriculture, livestock, health, nutrition, and water and sanitation assistance. CRS's humanitarian work in Ethiopia also provides livelihoods support to farmers and entrepreneurs, promotes gender equality, mobilizes for immunization and mitigates the impact of HIV.

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 position. 

Job Title:  Senior Project Officer – Partnership and Capacity Strengthening

Department: JEOP

Band:   VIII

Required Number: One

Employment Term:    Indefinite term contract contingent upon funding of JEOP

Reports To:  Program Manager – Partnership and Capacity Strengthening

Application Deadline:  April 1, 2022

Background: The Joint Emergency Operation (JEOP) is an emergency food assistance program targeting transitory food insecure households through a project participant targeting process led by the Government of Ethiopia’s (GoE) Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission (EDRMC). JEOP provides emergency assistance to protect their lives and livelihood where recurrent drought affected in significant harvest loss, livestock death and price increase of essentials. The consortium is led by CRS and includes consortium partners, CARE, Food for the Hungry, Relief Society of Tigray (REST), World Vision and Organization for Relief and Development in Amhara (ORDA). CRS also works thorough local implementing partners Hararghe and Meki Catholic Secretariat (HCS and MCS).

 Job Summary:

As a lead for partnership within the JEOP team, you will facilitate the achievement of project objectives through coordinating and reporting on project activities and providing technical guidance and advice to staff and implementing partner(s) advancing CRS work serving the poor and vulnerable. Your coordination and relationship management skills will ensure that JEOP applies best practices and constantly works towards improving the impact of its benefits to those we serve. You will facilitate achievement of project objectives through hands-on practical support for partner capacity building advancing CRS work serving the poor and vulnerable. Your teamwork and relationship management skills will ensure that JEOP applies best practices related to partnership, and constantly works towards improving the impact of its benefits to those we serve.

JEOP has a wide partnership base of non-governmental organizations (four local and three international), in addition to technical, data management, inclusion and learning partners. You will work under the Program Manager for Partnership within JEOP to strengthen partner capacity, in liaison with the wider CRS partnership team. This will include co-facilitating workshops around and following up workplans for the following CRS’ Holistic Organizational Capacity Assessment Instrument (HOCAI) and Sub-Recipient Management Policy (SRFMP), Safeguarding, Gender, Environmental Impact Assessment. This role will cut across JEOP  ’s core units: Program Quality, Operations, Compliance and Risk. The position holder will work with multiple JEOP staff to make sure that JEOP partners have an appropriate capacity building plan in place, with training, support, follow up, with particular focus on local partner capacity building, localization, and subsidiarity.

Job Responsibilities:

• Support implementation of all assigned partner capacity building activities as outlined in the detailed implementation plan (including support developing the partner capacity building plan) in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices.
• Engage in solid working relationships with local project stakeholders and mobilize local actors and promote project activities and impact.
• Support learning to accompany 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.
• Support the learning from reviews and improve 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 project documentation for assigned activities is complete with all required documents and as per agency and donor requirements.
• Support the roll out of partnership capacity building plans and actively follow up on implementation.
• Work with technical team colleagues to incorporate partners capacity building in each activity, for follow up action plans and identification for support.
• Support team in developing tools which help partners to improve program implementation. Prepare experience sharing sessions and visits.
• Ensure JEOP project activities are favorable to all segments of the population, particularly women, people living with disabilities, children, and elders.
• Identify/adapt and promote sustainable evidence-based organizational capacity strengthening tools, methods, or approaches that the local partners can use or improve upon to address identified capacity gaps or areas in need of improvement for CSO/CBO and networks.
• Support implementation of evidence-based sustainability models including investment cases and redirection of resources.
• Monitor strategies and material resources relevant to achieve the assigned project outcome. Through planning and oversight ensure efficient use of project resources.
• Ensure sustainable social change is attained through partnerships with a wide array of organizations church, nonprofits, host governments, international agencies, and others working to achieve core objectives of improved food security.

Job Requirements

Required Education and Experience

• MA or BA Degree in Management, Human Resource Development or related field with 2 years' relevant experience for MA degree or 4 years' relevant experience for BA degree ideally in the field of Partnership & Capacity Strengthening and for an NGO.
• Experience working with a range of partners and stakeholders, participatory action planning and community engagement.
• Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). 

 Desired Education and Experience

•  Knowledge and experience in emergency food distribution, program monitoring and evaluation, consortium management.
• Knowledge of USAID and USG grant regulations and procedures. Prior experience with of USAID funding; knowledge of Title II policies and procedures preferred.

 Personal Skills

• Analysis and problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgment.
• Strong relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented
• Attention to detail, accuracy, and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities
• Strong facilitation and creative problem-solving skills.

Required/Desired Foreign Language: Amharic Afan Oromo, and English essential. Tigrinya, Somali a plus.

 Travel Required: 75%

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.  

• Integrity
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Builds Relationships
• Develops Talent
• Strategic Mindset
• Accountability & Stewardship

 Key Working Relationships:

Supervisory: n/a

Internal: JEOP Senior Management Team and technical leads, CRS Ethiopia partnership unit, CRS Ethiopia safeguarding, finance, protection and gender units.

External: JEOP partners

***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. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation

How to Apply

You should fill the application form through this link; CLICK HERE and attach your up-to-date CV on / before the application deadline April 1, 2022.

You will be contacted only if selected for written exam/interview. Phone solicitations will not be accepted. These job opportunities are open to Ethiopian nationals only. CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. 

 ** Qualified women are highly encouraged to apply**