About CRS

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in over 100 countries globally, irrespective of race, religion or nationality through relief and development programs. CRS’ programs include emergency response, disaster mitigation and recovery, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding among others. For nearly 60 years, CRS has taken the lead in responding to disasters affecting the poor and vulnerable communities in Ethiopia. CRS’ disaster mitigation and recovery interventions in conflict, drought and flood prone areas in the country have restored household and community assets through humanitarian assistance including food, agriculture, health, nutrition, WASH, and peacebuilding projects. 

JEOP is an emergency food assistance mechanism which targets transitory food insecure households through a participant targeting process led by the Government of Ethiopia’s (GoE) National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC). JEOP complements emergency needs outlined in the GoE’s Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and has been operational for a decade with a caseload that fluctuates from 1.5 to over 6 million people annually.  Led by CRS, JEOP consortium includes CARE, Food for the Hungry Ethiopia (FHE), Organization for Rehabilitation and Development in Amhara (ORDA), Relief Society of Tigray (REST), and World Vision Ethiopia (WV); CRS implements through local Catholic Church partners, Hararghe Catholic Secretariat (HCS) and Meki Catholic Secretariat (MCS). CRS and partners are implementing JEOP across woredas in Amhara Oromia, SNNPR, Sidama, Tigray and Dire dawa City Administration.

Job Title:                       Technical Advisor I – Research, Learning & Adapting

Band:                              9

Required number:        One

Department:                JEOP

Employment Term:      Definite term (i.e. up to August 31, 2027)

Reports To:                 PMII-MEAL 

Country/Location:       CRS Ethiopia/Addis Ababa

Job Summary:  

The Research & Learning TA will provide technical guidance and implementation support to the JEOP research and learning activities.  This will include engagement in a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research activities, ranging from formative research and refinement of the Theory of Change (ToC), design of quantitative impact evaluations and mixed-methods research focused on different JEOP interventions, data collection oversight, data management, and management of any external research partnerships. The Research & Learning TA will be responsible for day-to-day oversight of JEOP activities, including coordination of Collaboration Learning and Adapting staff, and will work closely with internal sector leads to ensure that program delivery strategies are evidence informed with aim of maximizing the effectiveness and innovation of CRS Ethiopia programming.

 Roles and Key Responsibilities: 

• Coordinate the support provided by John Hopkins University research institution, to JEOP to ensure high quality research is designed and implemented in line with the program design and learning agendas, seeking to strengthen linkages and layer learning.

• Oversee and coordinate all JEOP needs assessments and annual results surveys.

• Contribute to the development of JEOP learning activities and agendas, including identification of research questions and development of rigorous study designs that are feasible to implement within the context of ongoing programming.  Provide support in drafting research plans, qualitative and quantitative data collection tools and in securing local ethical and administrative approvals for learning agenda activities as needed.

• Develop research implementation plans to ensure timely high quality data collection that is in accordance with research protocols and appropriately aligned with program implementation across the different JEOP and RFSA locations.  This includes logistics and planning, pilot testing and refinement of data collection tools and procedures, training and oversight of data collectors, interface with MEAL team for timely data sharing, real-time data quality review, and coordination with CRS MEAL colleagues on use of electronic data collection platforms and sharing MEAL data to feed into research and learning activities.

• Coordinate progress reviews, the tracking and reviewing of the JEOP learning activities and support dissemination of findings within the consortium, including data analysis (descriptive statistics), developing and producing summaries and briefing documents to inform partners of learning objectives and progress towards objectives as well as key findings that are relevant to program delivery.

• Support research and learning agenda dissemination to external audiences, including collaboration on drafting of briefing sheets, reports and peer review journal articles as well as preparation of PowerPoint slides for presentations. 

• Establish and maintain relationships with donors, peer organizations, research, and other institutions to help facilitate research uptake, including participation and presentations in (inter)national forums to collect and share best practices and promote the work of the two consortiums. 

Job Requirements

Basic Qualifications 

• A master's degree or higher in development, statistics, nutrition, applied sociology, anthropology, or other relevant subjects.

• At least five years relevant and progressively increasing field experience in research, design, and evaluation, in development and/or humanitarian settings, preferably including both university/research institution and international non-governmental organization (iNGO) or United Nations experience.

• Demonstrated leadership skills and prior experience managing quantitative data collection, conducting statistical analysis and interpreting research findings for translation into actionable programming.

• Strong conceptual knowledge about theories of change, logic models, food, and nutrition security indicators, monitoring and evaluation, data quality assurance, data utilization, gender and protection integration into monitoring and evaluation.

• Experience collaborating with diverse stakeholders and the ability to develop strategic partnerships with local organizations, including tailor messaging to cultivate interest and enthusiasm around key themes. Experience in mentoring, coaching, facilitation, and training applying adult learning principles and practices.

• Proficiency in programming using at least one statistical package including R Studio, STATA, SPSS and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

• Proven ability to communicate successfully through writing and speaking, with fluency in English.

• Ability to take initiative, work autonomously, and achieve high quality results via the application of strong critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills and good relationship management and communication skills.

 Preferred Qualifications

• Prior qualitative research experience, including design, implementation and/or analysis and synthesis.

• Experience in humanitarian program research and evaluation, including peer-reviewed journal publications from these contexts or on related subjects of nutrition, food security, cash transfers, livelihoods, recovery and/or resilience.

 Language

• Amharic required

• Tigrinya and/or Afan Oromo desirable

 Key Working Relationships:

• Supervisory: Collaboration, Learning & Adapting SPO.

• Internal Collaborators: Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party Program Quality, AMEAL PM, JEOP sectoral technical managers.

• External Collaborators: Consortium members, research consultants, John Hopkins University, Regional/Zonal/Woreda level GoE counterparts, relevant line Ministries and DRM committees, other related government bodies and authorities, and private sector service providers.

 Travel – This role is based in Addis Ababa but must be willing and able to travel up to 30%. 

 Knowledge, Skills and Abilities  

• Strong relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings.

• Good strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment

• Good technical writing skills

• Presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills

• Proactive, resourceful and results-oriented

• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, knowledge-sharing networks.

 Agency REDI Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. 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. 

·         Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions.

·         Acts with Integrity - Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission.  Is considered honest.

·         Builds and Maintains Trust - Shows consistency between words and actions.

·         Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.

·         Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

·         Lead Change – Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.

·         Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.

·         Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities. 

***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.  

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

How to Apply

You should fill the application form through this link: CLIK HERE and attach your up-to-date CV on / before the application deadline November 9, 2023. 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 & persons with disability are highly encouraged to apply**

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer